WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

World environment day is also known as the Environment Day, Eco Day or short form WED. It has been one of the great annual events for years which is being celebrated worldwide by the people aiming to protect the unique and life nurturing Nature on every 5th June.

World Environment Day (WED) occurs on the 5th of June every year and is the United Nation's 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 global warming to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. WED has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. Each year, WED has a new theme that major corporations, NGOs, communities, governments, and celebrities worldwide adapt to advocate environmental causes.

   The theme of the year 2018 is “Beat Plastic Pollution”

     In 2018, our country, India, is the Global Host of World Environment Day 2018 to raise awareness among the public about the environment protection from plastic. 

   This year’s theme of World Environment Day celebration is “Beat Plastic Pollution” to call the people from all over the world to come and combat single-use plastic pollution.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY HISTORY

World Environment Day (also called as WED) has been started celebrating as an annual event on every 5th of June since 1973 in order to raise the global awareness about the importance of the healthy and green environment in the human lives, to solve the environmental issues by implementing some positive environmental actions as well as to make aware common public worldwide that everyone is responsible for saving his environment and not only somebody, government or organizations working for it.

World environment day was first established to be celebrated every year by running some effective campaigns by the United Nations General Assembly and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the conference on Human Environment began from 5th to 16th of June at United Nations in 1972. It was the first time celebrated in 1973 with the particular theme “Only one Earth”. Since 1974, the celebration campaign of the world environment day is hosted in different cities of the world.

It is a big annual celebration started by the United Nations General Assembly to engage millions of people from different countries across the globe as well as draw attention of political and health organizations to implement some effective actions.

WHY WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY IS CELEBRATED

The world environment day annual celebration campaign was started to address the huge environmental issues like wastage and losses of food, deforestation, increasing global warming and so many. Every year celebration is planned according to the particular theme and slogan of the year to bring effectiveness in the campaign all through the world.

It is celebrated to successfully get carbon neutrality, focusing on the forest management, reducing greenhouse effects, promoting bio-fuels production by planting on degraded lands, use of hydro-power to enhance electricity production, encourage common public to use solar water heaters, energy production through solar sources, developing new drainage systems, promoting coral reefs and mangroves restoration in order to get prevented from flooding and erosion including other ways of environmental preservation. Some of the objectives of the world environment day campaign are mentioned below:

• It is celebrated to make aware the common public about the environmental issues.
• Encourage common people from different social and communities to actively participate in the celebration as well as become an active agent in developing environmental safety measures.
• Let them know that community people are very essential to inhibit negative changes towards the environmental issues.
• Encourage people to make their nearby surroundings safe and clean to enjoy safer, cleaner and more prosperous future.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY ACTIVITIES 2018

Variety of activities are planned to celebrate this great event in different countries to encourage more people towards the celebration. Various news channels take part very actively in the celebration to cover the news and distribute messages about the celebration among the common public through their news publications to bring effective and positive changes towards the environment to solve all the environmental issues. Some of the national and international level activities include street rallies, tree plantation, garbage recycling, surrounding areas clean-up, parades and so many activities in order to draw people attention towards a wide range of environmental issues as well as bring a difference.

People of all age groups actively involved during the celebration to save their planet in original form as gifted by nature. Especially modern day youths hugely take part in the celebration through many activities such as clean-up campaigns, art exhibitions, motivating people for tree-planting, dance activities, recycling garbage, film festivals, community events, essays writing, poster competitions, social media campaigns and lot more. Many awareness campaigns are also run at schools, colleges, and other educational institutions to motivate students towards their environmental safety. The celebration takes place at national and international level by organizing various activities in the public places to the aware common public about the real causes of environment status degradation as well as let them know what steps should be taken to solve such environmental issues.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY THEME AND SLOGAN

Each year celebration of the World Environment Day is based on the particular theme decided by the United Nations to make the celebration more effective by encouraging mass people worldwide to hugely take part in addressing environmental issues on a global scale. Year wise list of the themes and slogans of world environment day are mentioned below:

• The theme of the year 2018 is “Beat Plastic Pollution”.
• The theme of the year 2017 was “Connecting People to Nature”.
• The theme of the year 2016 was “Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife” (highlights the fight against the illegal trade in wildlife).
• The theme of the year 2015 was “One World, One Environment”.
• The theme of the year 2014 was “small island developing states” or “SIDS” and “Raise your voice, not the sea level”.
• The theme of the year 2013 was “Think. Eat. Save.” And slogan was “Reduce Your Foodprint”.
• The theme of the year 2012 was “Green Economy: Does it include you?”.
• The theme of the year 2011 was “Forests: Nature at your Service”.
• The theme of the year 2010 was “Many Species. One Planet. One Future”.
• The theme of the year 2009 was “Your Planet Needs You-Unite to Combat Climate Change”.
• The theme and slogan of the year 2008 were “CO2, Kick the Habit – Towards a Low Carbon Economy”.
• The theme of the year 2007 was “Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?”.
• The theme of the year 2006 was “Deserts and Desertification” and the slogan was “Don’t Desert Drylands!.”
• The theme of the year 2005 was “Green Cities” and the slogan was “Plan for the Planet!”.
• The theme of the year 2004 was “Wanted! Seas and Oceans” and slogan was “Dead or Alive?”.
• The theme of the year 2003 was “Water” and the slogan was “Two Billion People are Dying for It!”.
• The theme of the year 2002 was “Give Earth a Chance”.
• The theme of the year 2001 was “Connect with the World Wide Web of Life”.
• The theme of the year 2000 was “The Environment Millennium” and the slogan was “Time to Act”.
• The theme of the year 1999 was “Our Earth – Our Future” and slogan was “Just Save It!”.
• The theme of the year 1998 was “For Life on Earth and slogan was “Save Our Seas”.
• The theme of the year 1997 was “For Life on Earth”.
• The theme of the year 1996 was “Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home”.
• The theme of the year 1995 was “We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment”.
• The theme of the year 1994 was “One Earth One Family”.
• The theme of the year 1993 was “Poverty and the Environment and slogan was “Breaking the Vicious Circle”.
• The theme of the year 1992 was “Only One Earth, Care, and Share”.
• The theme of the year 1991 was “Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership”.
• The theme of the year 1990 was “Children and the Environment”.
• The theme of the year 1989 was “Global Warming; Global Warning”.
• The theme of the year 1988 was “When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last”.
• The theme of the year 1987 was “Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof”.
• The theme of the year 1986 was “A Tree for Peace”.
• The theme of the year 1985 was “Youth: Population and the Environment”.
• The theme of the year 1984 was “Desertification”.
• The theme of the year 1983 was “Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy”.
• The theme of the year 1982 was “Ten Years after Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns)”.
• The theme of the year 1981 was “Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains”.
• The theme of the year 1980 was “A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development without Destruction”.
• The theme of the year 1979 was “Only One Future for Our Children and slogan was “Development without Destruction”.
• The theme of the year 1978 was “Development without Destruction”.
• The theme of the year 1977 was “Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation”.
• The theme of the year 1976 was “Water: Vital Resource for Life”.
• The theme of the year 1975 was “Human Settlements”.
• The theme of the year 1974 was “Only one Earth during Expo ’74”.
• The theme of the year 1973 was “Only one Earth”.