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.

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.”

Recent events

Theme 2011

Forests-Nature At Your Service-cover one third of the earth’s land mass, performing vital functions and services around the world which make our planet alive with possibilities. In fact, 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods. They play a key role in our battle against climate change, releasing oxygen into the atmosphere while storing carbon dioxide. Thousands of activities were organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events and much more.

Theme 2010

‘Many Species. One Planet. One Future’, was the theme of 2010 Earth Day. It celebrated 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 – leaded the celebrations with three days of keynote events.

Thousands of activities were organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community events and much more

Theme 2009

The theme for WED 2009 was ‘Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change’. It reflected 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 was Mexico which reflected 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 Calderón stated 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, was 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 was “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. 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 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. Similar envionmental issue related and conservation themed games can be found at cleanuptheworld.org and gamesforchange.org.

Previous events

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