World Environment Day
World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5th each year, is a global initiative established by the United Nations in 1972 to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote sustainable practices. This day serves as a platform for governments and organizations to engage in activities that highlight the significance of maintaining a healthy environment and fostering environmentally sound economic development amid growing industrialization and technological advancements. The observance arose in response to increasing global environmental challenges, such as pollution and waste management, that became more pronounced during the 20th century.
World Environment Day was first marked during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, where a commitment was made for collective action to protect natural resources for future generations. Each year, this event features a unique theme that addresses specific environmental concerns, ranging from biodiversity to the management of toxic chemicals. The themes often guide the activities and initiatives undertaken by various nations, with the main events rotating based on collaborative arrangements between the UN and participating countries. In recent years, the focus has included calls for better education on environmental issues and the integration of environmental policies with economic strategies. Overall, World Environment Day serves as a reminder of the shared responsibility to safeguard the planet for both present and future generations.
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World Environment Day
World Environment Day
World Environment Day, an expression of environmentalism and attention to threats to the global environment, has been observed around the world since it was inaugurated by the United Nations (UN) in 1972. On June 5 the UN and participating governments sponsor activities aimed at emphasizing the importance of a healthy environment for all human beings and promoting environmentally sound economic development in the face of growing technological advancement and worldwide industrialization.
The global environment was taken for granted by most people for much of history. Pollution, waste disposal, and other environmental management issues were local concerns, even as industrialization took hold. However, in the twentieth century smog, unclean drinking water, litter, polluted rivers, and other problems began to increasingly trouble cities around the world as industrialization spread and as the population continued to increase. Environmental groups assembled to draw attention to these issues, and made environmental stewardship a matter of international concern. As part of its response, on December 15, 1972, the General Assembly of the UN designated June 5 of every year as World Environment Day. This date was chosen because it was the opening day in 1972 of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, which led to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
During the fourth plenary meeting on June 13, 1972, the Conference issued a statement that “the Governments and peoples of the world have the responsibility to safeguard the human environment for future generations” and that on June 5 the world's nations should sponsor events “with a view to deepening environmental awareness and to pursuing the determination expressed at the Conference.”
World Environment Day has been observed on June 5 ever since. The venue for the main events depends on arrangements made between the United Nations and participating governments; for example, in the year 2000 they were held in Adelaide, Australia. Also in 2000, Kenya held several events whose theme was poverty alleviation consistent with sound environmental management practices. Using the beginning of the third millennium to draw attention to the importance of World Environment Day, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan issued a statement warning that “human beings continue to plunder the global environment” and “are failing to invest enough in alternative technologies, especially for energy.” He called for a four-pronged approach to reversing these trends, including educating the public better about environmental issues, integrating environmental with economic policies, enforcing existing environmental agreements, and pursuing relevant scientific research.
The theme of World Environment Day varies each year. This may range from fairly specific, such as groundwater and toxic chemicals (the theme in 1981), to very broad, such as biodiversity (the theme in 2020). Typically slogans and symbols are developed to promote the theme and the event in general.
Bibliography
"About World Environment Day." World Environment Day, 2020, www.worldenvironmentday.global/about-world-environment-day. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.
UN Environment Programme, 2020, www.unep.org/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.
"World Environment Day." World Health Organization, 2020, www.who.int/life-course/news/events/world-environment-day/en/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.
"World Environment Day: Driving Five Decades of Environmental Action." World Environment Day, 2020,www.worldenvironmentday.global/about/world-environment-day-driving-five-decades-environmental-action. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.
"World Environment Day, June 5." United Nations, www.un.org/en/events/environmentday/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2020.