World Environment Day

World Environment Day
Official name UN World Environment Day
Also called Eco Day, Environment Day, WED
Observed by Worldwide
Type International
Significance This day is observed to create global awareness about environmental problems the world or a specific country is facing.
Date June 5
Next time 5 June 2016 (2016-06-05)
Frequency annual
First time June 5 1974
Related to Environment, Pollution

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5 June to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

History

It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972[1] on the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began.[2]

Celebrity endorsements

On Occasion of World Environment Day June 5 2015, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi planted a sapling at his official residence at 7, Race Course Road, New Delhi.[3][4]

Media and celebrities have encouraged World Environment Day Celebrations by endorsing and participating in it.[5] United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) goodwill ambassadors including supermodel Gisele Bündchen are sending an SOS to the world to take action for World Environment Day 2014 by joining one of their teams to combat climate change.[6] Their call to action, Message in the Bottle, asks individuals around the world to join one of the celebrities’ teams and make a difference by pledging to take action in support of World Environment Day, which culminates globally on 5 June 2014.[7]

Media campaigns

Community Radio Stations (CRS) in all over Nepal Republic launches the Campaign. All the National TV & Radio Breakings are replaced by Environment Slogans and Informations. Nepal Government launches various programs in collaboration with UNESCO. It also sends the Gurkha Army out of barracks on the road to clean the environment and for afforestation programmes where all the media personalities also gathers giving the live coverage.

Zee News launched 'My Earth, My Duty’ campaign. This campaign has entered the Limca Book of Records for a novel effort: for planting more than 7,300,000 trees in one single day across 34 cities and 250,000 villages on 25 August 2010. NDTV launched "Greenathon" Campaign. This campaign was launched in the year 2008 and served as India’s first ever-nationwide campaign to save the environment.

Children's efforts

In Nepal Republic all the Students from Grade 1 to A level are compulsory to attend the afforestation programmes on their respective locality with the supervision of SOS Villages and Nepal Government. Many Arts and drawing competitions are held on environmental day and Nepal Government declares the Scholarship for 15 Students from all cities that have major contribution for the environment mainly selected from Madhesi, a backward Community in Nepal. In 2012, Project Earth, an Online Eco Platform teamed up with Rio+20 and Launched ' World Environment Day Global School Contest 2012 ' to promote awareness among today's youth. Every country had a winner. Project GreenOman,The winner from Oman, was an Eco organization founded by Hridith Sudev and is a full-fledged kid's Eco Organization now.

Events associated with World Environment Day

Eco Action Day is celebrated since 2007 in Singapore to inspire individuals to reduce energy use at the workplace.[8]

World Environment Day Anthem

See also: Earth Anthem

Our cosmic oasis, cosmic blue pearl
the most beautiful planet in the universe
all the continents and the oceans of the world
united we stand as flora and fauna
united we stand as species of one earth
black, brown, white, different colours
we are humans, the earth is our home.

Our cosmic oasis, cosmic blue pearl
the most beautiful planet in the universe
all the people and the nations of the world
all for one and one for all
united we unfurl the blue marble flag
black, brown, white, different colours
we are humans, the earth is our home.

“
”

"Earth Anthem" by Abhay K
(Under CC by ND-NC)[9]

On the occasion of the World Environment Day in June 2013, "Earth Anthem" by poet-diplomat Abhay K was launched at a function organized by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations in New Delhi by Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor, Union Ministers of India.[10] It is in eight languages including all official languages of the United Nations which are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish.[11] The other two languages are Hindi and Nepali.

Themes

Like slogans, every event has a theme. Here are the themes of the celebration of the years from 2007-2016.

2016

The theme for 2016 is on Fight against the Illegal Trade in Wildlife.[12]

2015

The theme for 2015 was 'Seven Billion Dreams; One Planet; Consume with Care'.

2014

Theme:-'Small Islands and Climate Change',
Slogan:-'Raise Your Voice Not The Sea Level.

2013

Stage in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Environmental Festival 2011
World Environment Day 2011 in Donetsk, Ukraine
US Consul CG Yee, along with the Mayor of Thessaloniki Vassilis Papageorgopoulos, the Prefect of Thessaloniki Panagiotis Psomiadis, and many others participating in World Environment Day on the waterfront, Bike Path
Trees planting during the World Environment Day 2012 in Konso - Ethiopia.

The 2013 theme for World Environment Day was Think.Eat.Save.[13]

The campaign addressed the huge annual wastage and losses in food, which, if conserved, would release a large quantity of food as well as reduce the overall carbon footprint. The campaign aimed to bring about awareness in countries with lifestyles resulting in food wastage. It also aimed to empower people to make informed choices about the food they eat so as to reduce the overall ecological impact due to the worldwide production of food.[13]

2012

The theme for the 2012 World Environment Day was Green Economy: Does it include you?[14]

The theme aimed to invite people to examine their activities and lifestyle and see how the concept of a "Green Economy" fits into it. The host country for the year's celebrations was Brazil.[14]

2011

The theme for 2011 was Forests-Nature At Your Service. Thousands of activities were organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events and much more. This year's global host, India, is a country of wide biodiversity.[15]

2010

'Many Species. One Planet. One Future', was the theme of 2010.

It celebrated the diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. It was hosted in Rwanda. Thousands of activities were organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events and much more.[16] Each continent (except Antarctica) had a "regional host city", the U.N. chose Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the host for all North.[17]

2009

The theme for WED 2009 was 'Your Planet Needs You – UNite to Combat Climate Change', and Michael Jackson's 'Earth Song' was declared 'World Environment Day Song'. It was hosted in Mexico.[18]

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.[19] Activities based around the event have been planned in the Wellington region between 28 May and 13 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.

The Chicago Botanic Garden served as the North American host[20] for World Environment Day on 5 June 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.

CarbonChomper cover screenshot.

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.[21] Similar environmental issue related and conservation themed games can be found at cleanuptheworld.org[22] and gamesforchange.org

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".[23]

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

Standard WED banners hung in San Francisco in May 2005.

The theme for the 2005 World Environment Day was "Green Cities" and the slogan was "Plan for the Planet!".[24]

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.

Host cities

World Environment Day celebrations have been (and will be) hosted in the following cities:[25]

Year Theme Host city
1974 Only one Earth during Expo '74 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 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 Illegal trade in Wildlife. Angola

See also

References

  1. ↑ United Nations General Assembly Session -1 Resolution 2994. United Nations Conference on the Human Environment A/RES/2994(XXVII) page 1. 15 December 1972. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  2. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world-environment-day/eventcoverage/87223
  3. ↑ World Environment Day June 5
  4. ↑ Read: Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi planted a sapling 5 June 2015
  5. ↑ Nigeria: Celebrities Issue Call to Action for World Environment Day AllAfrica.com 27 April 2014
  6. ↑ WATCH: Don Cheadle and Other Celebs Fight to Save the Planet Ecorazzi, 2 May 2014
  7. ↑ Gisele Bundchen, Don Cheadle And Ian Somerhalder Launch World Environment Day Challenge Looktothestars.org, 1May 2014
  8. ↑ the red dot: Eco Action Day launches in Singapore Eco-Business.com, 4 May 2014
  9. ↑ Download Earth Anthem Earth Anthem Website, 27 April 2014
  10. ↑ Indian Diplomat pens an anthem for Earth,The New Indian Express,5 June 2013
  11. ↑ Earth Anthem sung by Nepali Singer Shreya Sotang, ANI,4 June 2013
  12. ↑ UNEP, World Environment Day, 10 December, 2015, accessed March 15, 2016
  13. 1 2 ""Think.Eat.Save" World Environment Day 5 June". World Environment Day. United Nations Environment Programme. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-06-05. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  14. 1 2 Times News Network (31 May 2012). "World Environment Day 2012: Let's pledge to make earth a better place". Times of India : Environment. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  15. ↑ World Environment Day – Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level
  16. ↑ World Environment Day 2010
  17. ↑ The New Emerald City – Pittsburgh Magazine – April 2010 – Pittsburgh, PA
  18. ↑ "WED That Was – 2009". Retrieved 2013-08-14.
  19. ↑ UNEP Press Release, 1 October 2007, "Kick the Habit – World Environment Day 2008 to be Hosted by New Zealand with Focus on Fostering Low-Carbon Economies", accessed 10 November 2007
  20. ↑ world environment day 2008 host countries
  21. ↑ Carbon-Chomper
  22. ↑ Clean Up the World
  23. ↑ Norwegian Polar Institute, World Environment Day 2007–information in English and Norwegian Archived 1 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  24. ↑ World Environment Day 2005 Official Site, 2005, "About World Environment Day 2005", accessed 28 May 2009
  25. ↑ World Environment Day 5 June 2008 – UNEP, accessed 6 June 2008

External links

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