The History and Significance of World Environment Day
World Environment Day is a global event that takes place on June 5th every year. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, to raise awareness and promote action towards environmental protection. The first World Environment Day was celebrated in 1974, with the theme “Only One Earth” . Since then, it has been a platform for raising awareness on environmental issues such as marine pollution, overpopulation, global warming, sustainable development and wildlife crime.
The Importance of World Environment Day
World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world. It is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities, and celebrities to advocate environmental causes . World Environment Day encourages people to take action to protect the environment and to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. It also showcases the achievements and innovations of individuals, communities and organizations that are working to solve environmental problems.
World Environment Day also serves as a reminder of the urgent need to address the environmental challenges that we face today. To keep global warming below 1.5°C this century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Without action, exposure to air pollution beyond safe guidelines will increase by 50 per cent within the decade. Furthermore, plastic waste flowing into aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040. We need urgent action to address these pressing issues.
The Theme of World Environment Day 2023
World Environment Day is celebrated on 5 June every year by more than 143 countries and supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities and celebrities . Each year, the program has a different theme and a host city that showcases its environmental initiatives and challenges. Some of the past themes include “A Tree for Peace” (1986), “Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership” (1991), “Green Economy: Does it include you?” (2012) and “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.” (2021). The host city for 2023 has not been announced yet.
Each year, World Environment Day has a different theme and a host country that leads the celebrations. The theme of World Environment Day 2023 is “Solutions to plastic pollution” and the host country is Côte D’Ivoire. It aims to highlight the harmful effects of plastic pollution on human health and biodiversity and to mobilize transformative action from every corner of the world to solve this crisis. The theme also supports the historic resolution to end plastic pollution and forge an international legally binding agreement that will be ready by the end of 2024. This is the most significant environmental multilateral deal since the Paris accord.
Conclusion
World Environment Day is a day to celebrate the environment and to take action to protect it. It is a day to raise awareness about the environmental issues that affect us all and to inspire positive change in the world. It is a day to join forces with millions of people across the globe who care about the environment and who are working to make it a better place for everyone. Let us all celebrate World Environment Day 2023 and #beatplasticpollution together!
If you liked this article, you might also find The Benefits of Using Recycled Paper: A Sustainable Solution that Works for All