World Environment Day

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World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on June 5th and is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution and human overpopulation to global warming and sustainable consumption.

History

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. Two years later, in 1974, the first WED was held with the theme "Only One Earth."

Themes

Each year, World Environment Day is hosted by a different country, in which official celebrations take place, and it has a different theme that major corporations, non-governmental organizations, communities, governments, and celebrities worldwide adopt to advocate environmental causes.

Some past themes include:

• 2019: "Beat Air Pollution"
• 2020: "Time for Nature"
• 2021: "Ecosystem Restoration"
• 2022: "Only One Earth"

Celebrations

World Environment Day is celebrated in over 100 countries. Activities include street rallies, parades, concerts, tree planting, and clean-up campaigns. Schools and communities often organize events to promote environmental awareness and action.

Significance

World Environment Day serves as a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. It is a day for people to do something positive for the environment, galvanizing individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet.

Related Pages

• Earth Day
• United Nations Environment Programme
• Sustainable development
• Climate change
• Biodiversity

See Also

• Environmentalism
• Conservation movement
• Global warming
• Pollution
• Renewable energy