World Environment Day
| World Environment Day(WED) | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 June |
| Related to | Earth Day |
World Environment Day (WED) is a day that stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public action. It is on 5 June. It was the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was from 5-16 June 1972. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972.[1] The first World Environment Day was on 1973. World Environment Day is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme and is commemorated with an international exposition in the week of 5 June. World Environment Day is in summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.
"Stockholm was without doubt the landmark event in the growth of international environmentalism," writes John McCormick in the book Reclaiming Paradise. "It was the first occasion on which the political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at an intergovernmental forum with a view to actually taking corrective action."
World Environment Day is similar to Earth Day.
Contents |
Recent events
THEME 2010
Under the theme 'Many Species. One Planet. One Future', this year’s event will celebrate the incredible diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.
This year’s global host, Rwanda – a country of exceptional biodiversity that has made huge strides on environmental protection – will lead the celebrations with three days of keynote events.
Thousands of activities will also be organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events and much more.[2]
Italy
Oikos Initiative to Improve the environment through colour Since 1972 The World Environment Day (WED) is one of the main initiatives by means of which the United Nations gets the attention of the world focussed on environmental questions. The World Environment Day 2010 aims to be the largest and most far reaching global event to promote positive action to protect the environment Make earth a safe place for living.
Theme 2009
The theme for WED 2009 is 'Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change'. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.
WED 2009’s host is Mexico which reflects the growing role of the Latin American country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets.
Mexico is also a leading partner in UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign. The country, with the support of its President and people, has spearheaded the pledging and planting of some 25 per cent of the trees under the campaign. Accounting for around 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the country is demonstrating its commitment to climate change on several fronts.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon states that the WED celebration will “further underline Mexico's determination to manage natural resources and deal with the most demanding challenge of the 21st century – climate change.”
Pittsburgh, has been selected as the North American host city by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to join World Environment Day-2010.The theme of this year is "Many Species: One Planet, One Future." Highlighting theme "Biodiversity- Ecosystem Management and the Green Economy".
Theme 2008
The host for World Environment Day 2008 was New Zealand, with the main international celebrations scheduled for Wellington. The slogan for 2008 was "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." New Zealand was one of the first countries to pledge to achieve carbon neutrality, and will also focus on forest management as a tool for reducing greenhouse gases.[3] Activities based around the event have been planned in the Wellington region between the 28th of May and the 13th of June.
Volunteers appeared around the Auckland region in New Zealand on World Environment Day 2008. These volunteers were located primarily at major transport hubs (such as train stations)and advertised World Environment Day, as well as handing out eco-friendly products such as eco-friendly light-bulbs and eco-friendly shopping bags. Volunteers at public transport hubs also handed out stickers with the slogan I'm reducing my carbon footprint! World Environment Day, Thursday 5 June 2008 as well as providing free entertainment as an act of gratitude to public transport users.
A website has been set-up by the ministry of education to support in-school initiatives. efs.tki.org.nz. It encourages school pupils to make short term and longer term pledges to minimize emissions. The list of pledges can be found on a typical school profile's page
The Chicago Botanic Garden served as the North American host[4] for World Environment Day on June 5, 2008. The daylong celebration featured activities for everyone in the family along with presentations by local and national organizations in the areas of food, shelter, energy, education, transportation, and public awareness.
A relatively new way of making environmental causes popular is through online games.
This trend has gained popularity in recent times.
An online game by an independent publisher was launched for WED 2008 with this year's theme "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." the game was called Carbon chomper and can be played for free at this link[2]. Similar envionmental issue related and conservation themed games can be found at cleanuptheworld.org[3] and gamesforchange.org[4]
2007
The topic for World Environment Day for 2007 was "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" During International Polar Year, WED 2007 focused on the effects that climate change is having on polar ecosystems and communities, on other ice- and snow-covered areas of the world, and the resulting global impacts.
The main international celebrations of the WED 2007 were held in the city of Tromsø, Norway, a city north of the Arctic Circle self-styled as "The Gateway to the Arctic".[5]
The UNEP statement on WED 2007 states:
The day's agenda is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership, which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. World Environment Day is a people's event with colourful activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essays and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, as well as recycling and clean-up campaigns.
2006
The topic for WED 2006 was Deserts and Desertification and the slogan was "Don't desert drylands".
The slogan emphasised the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40% of the planet’s surface. This ecosystem is home to one-third of the world’s people who are more vulnerable members of society. The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2006 were held in Algeria.
2005
The theme for the 2005 World Environment Day was "Green Cities" and the slogan was "Plan for the Planet!". [6]
- Today, the majority of the world's people live in cities. Recognizing this historic moment, Mayor Gavin Newsom has invited Mayors from around the globe to San Francisco for United Nations World Environment Day to forge a collective path towards a sustainable urban future.
- Mayors are emerging as the most powerful and flexible agents of change. They are able to respond quickly to environmental issues and are uniquely accountable to their citizens. Their enormous purchasing power is shaping markets and making environmental sustainability a manufacturing consideration. They are tackling the globe's most challenging environmental issues and their visionary solutions provide inspiration and serve as models to all sectors of society.
Previous events
World Environment Day celebrations have been hosted in the following cities:[7]
| Year | Theme | Host city |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Only one Earth | |
| 1975 | Human Settlements | |
| 1976 | Water: Vital Resource for Life | |
| 1977 | Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation | |
| 1978 | Development Without Destruction | |
| 1979 | Only One Future for Our Children - Development Without Destruction | |
| 1980 | A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without Destruction | |
| 1981 | Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains | |
| 1982 | Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns) | |
| 1983 | Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy | |
| 1984 | Desertification | |
| 1985 | Youth: Population and the Environment | |
| 1986 | A Tree for Peace | |
| 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, U.S. |
| 2006 | Deserts and Desertification - Don't Desert Drylands! | Algiers, Algeria |
| 2007 | Melting Ice – a Hot Topic? | Tromsø, Norway |
| 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 | Kigali, Rwanda |
See also
- 5 June
- United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
- List of environmental dates
- Index of environmental articles
References
- ↑ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2994 session -1 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment page 1 on 15 December 1972
- ↑ http://www.unep.org/wed/2010/english/media/kwitaizina.asp
- ↑ UNEP Press Release, October 1, 2007, "Kick the Habit - World Environment Day 2008 to be Hosted by New Zealand with Focus on Fostering Low-Carbon Economies", accessed November 10, 2007
- ↑ Chicago Botanic Garden North American Host for World Environment Day 2008
- ↑ Norwegian Polar Institute, World Environment Day 2007–information in Englishand Norwegian
- ↑ World Evironment Day 2005 Official Site, 2005, "About World Environment Day 2005", accessed May 28, 2009
- ↑ [1], accessed June 6, 2008
External links
- Environment Day 2010 initiative of OIKOS
- UNEP, World Environment Day
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- World Environment Day (WED) Grassroots Facebook Campaign
- UNEP, World Environment Day – 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- World Environment Day 2005 host city site
- Chicago Botanic Garden, 2008 North American host city site
- Previous themes of World Environment Day
- WED, UK World Environment Day 2007
- UNEP, Climate Change
- UNEP/GRID Arendal Polar Programme
- UNEP Global Outlook for Ice and Snow
- News & Events - UN Days, Weeks and Years