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World Environment Day is a yearly celebration held on 5th June to acknowledge the importance of the environment and to encourage positive action to protect it. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) runs the yearly event. Each year has a particular theme to encourage involvement and to focus attention on specific issues.

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated in over 100 countries.[1]

The WED had its origins in 1972, and was established by the UN General Assembly on the starting day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, making it an anniversary celebration of the Stockholm Conference as well.[2]

The WED gives a wide range of people the opportunity to do something in honour of the day, from governments and corporations to community groups and individuals. Activities associated with the theme actually occur throughout the year of the theme, but the 5th of June serves as the climactic point for the celebrations, providing a highlight opportunity. The aim is to not only recognise personal responsibility but to also be empowered as agents for change to do something positive about environmental protection, sustainability and poverty alleviation.[3]

When[edit | edit source]

Jun 5, annually

News and comment[edit | edit source]

  • News Sweden to host World Environment Day 2022, UNEP (Nov 18, 2021) — World Environment Day 2022 theme, 'Only One Earth', focuses on living sustainably in harmony with nature

Some ideas for how to celebrate World Environment Day[edit | edit source]

You can celebrate the day in various ways, using your own interests, talents and connections to increase awareness of the need to care for the environment that sustains all of us. Some examples include sports, arts and crafts, film, music and dance, and education and learning.[4]

If you're in a host country or city, there will likely be additional celebration events planned by the local municipality, national government and other entities. Find out what they're doing by checking their websites or contacting them directly via email, Facebook, etc.

  • See UNEP's suggestions at: unep.org (you can register activities here)
  • See wikiHow's suggestions at: wikihow.com
  • Ask Google for a WED Doodle by sending an email or even a doodle to proposals@google.com[5]
  • Check out more ideas at: unep.org

It is also suggested that you look on the UNEP site for a toolkit, usually in PDF form, that sets out ways to celebrate the particular theme for the year.

Yearly themes for World Environment Day[edit | edit source]

2022[edit | edit source]

The year 2022 marks 50 years since the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment – the 1972 Stockholm Conference that led to the creation of UNEP and designating 5 June every year as World Environment Day.

World Environment Day 2022 will be held under the theme Only One Earth, highlighting the need to live sustainably in harmony with nature by bringing transformative changes – through policies and our choices – towards cleaner, greener lifestyles. Only One Earth was the motto for the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50 years on, the motto holds true - this planet is our only home, whose finite resources humanity must safeguard.[6]

Earlier years[edit | edit source]

World Environment Day celebration themes are as follows:[7][8]

Year Theme Host city
1974 Only One Earth (Planet) Spokane, United States
1975 Human Settlements Dhaka, Bangladesh
1976 Water: Vital Resource for Life Canada
1977 Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation Sylhet, Bangladesh
1978 Development Without Destruction Sylhet, Bangladesh
1979 Only One Future for Our Children – Development Without Destruction Sylhet, Bangladesh
1980 A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without Destruction Sylhet, Bangladesh
1981 Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains Sylhet, Bangladesh
1982 Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns) Dhaka, Bangladesh
1983 Managing and Disposing of Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy Sylhet, Bangladesh
1984 Desertification Rajshahi, Bangladesh
1985 Youth: Population and the Environment Pakistan
1986 A Tree for Peace Ontario, Canada
1987 Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof Nairobi, Kenya
1988 When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last Bangkok, Thailand
1989 Global Warming; Global Warning Brussels, Belgium
1990 Children and the Environment Mexico City, Mexico
1991 Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership Stockholm, Sweden
1992 Only One Earth, Care and Share Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1993 Poverty and the Environment – Breaking the Vicious Circle Beijing, People's Republic of China
1994 One Earth One Family London, United Kingdom
1995 We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment Pretoria, South Africa
1996 Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home Istanbul, Turkey
1997 For Life on Earth Seoul, Republic of Korea
1998 For Life on Earth – Save Our Seas Moscow, Russian Federation
1999 Our Earth – Our Future – Just Save It! Tokyo, Japan
2000 The Environment Millennium – Time to Act Adelaide, Australia
2001 Connect with the World Wide Web of Life Torino, Italy and Havana, Cuba
2002 Give Earth a Chance Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
2003 Water – Two Billion People are Dying for It! Beirut, Lebanon
2004 Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive? Barcelona, Spain
2005 Green Cities – Plan for the Planet! San Francisco, United States
2006 Deserts and Desertification – Don't Desert Drylands! Algiers, Algeria
2007 Melting Ice – a Hot Topic? London, England
2008 Kick The Habit – Towards A Low Carbon Economy Wellington, New Zealand
2009 Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change Mexico City, Mexico
2010 Many Species. One Planet. One Future Rangpur, Bangladesh
2011 Forests: Nature at your Service New Delhi, India
2012 Green Economy: Does it include you? Brazil
2013 Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint Mongolia
2014 Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level Barbados
2015 Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. Italy
2016 Join the Race to Make the World a Better Place. Saudi Arabia
2017 'Connecting People to Nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator'. Canada
2018 "Beat Plastic Pollution". India
2019 #BeatAirPollution China
2020 Biodiversity Colombia

See also[edit | edit source]

External links[edit | edit source]

  • The establishment resolution: United Nations General Assembly Session 1 Resolution 2994. United Nations Conference on the Human Environment A/RES/2994(XXVII) page 1. 15 December 1972. At: un.org
  • web.archive.org – World Environment Day, official UNEP site
  • web.archive.org - a recap of prior years
  • unep.org - WED A to Z
  • World Environment Day W
  • World Environment Day

Sources and citations[edit | edit source]

  1. unep.org
  2. web.archive.org
  3. web.archive.org
  4. unep.org
  5. unep.org
  6. Press release, 18 November 2021 unep.org
  7. World Environment Day 5 June 2008 – UNEP, accessed 6 June 2008
  8. Table taken from Wikipedia, at en.wikipedia.org
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Authors Felicity, Phil Green
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Created February 6, 2016 by Felicity
Modified March 8, 2024 by Kathy Nativi
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