Why do we celebrate World Environment Day?
Awareness is one among the key factor for management of Increasing environmental issues. At times, lack of information on various environmental aspects amongst people make them responsible for unknowingly and indirect contributor of pollution which in long term results in impacts on their lives as well.
United Nations identify spreading Awareness as a principal vehicle for protection of Environment. Since year 1974 World Environment Day is being celebrated across the world on 5th June to encourage awareness on Environment. Every year United Nation selects a different theme related with environmental issues for encourage awareness. It is being hosted by different countries every year.
When India Hosted “World Environment day”
In India it was hosted in year 2018 under a theme ” Beat Plastic Pollution”. There were various steps taken after that. Prime Minister of India “Sri Narendra Modi” appealed the people to avoid using single use plastic. Government is planning to phase out single-use plastics by 2022.
Who will Host World environment Day in Year 2020?
Colombia will host 2020 World Environment Day in partnership with Germany and it will focus on biodiversity
History
Conference on the Human Environment was held in June 5-16 (year 1972) in Sweden. This conference is known as turning point for International Environmental Politics where developed countries and developing countries came on same platform and identified the Environment as a global and common cause. The basic agenda was to address the challenge of preserving and enhancing the human Environment.
on 15th December 1972, the general Assembly of United Nation adopted a resolution by designating June 5 as World Environment Day. Since the Conference was started from 5th June hence the date coincides with the first day of the landmark Conference Two years later, in 1974 the first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth”. Even though WED celebration have been held annually since 1974, in 1987 the idea for rotating the centre of these activities through selecting different host countries began.
Since the first celebration in 1974, the World Environment Day has helped UNEP to raise awareness and generate political momentum around growing concerns such as the depletion of the ozone layer, toxic chemicals, desertification and global warming. The Day has developed into a global platform for taking action on urgent environmental issues. Millions of people have taken part over the years, helping drive change in our consumption habits, as well as in national and international environmental policy.
Annual themes identified by United Nation for World Environment Day in past years;
| S.NO | Year | Theme | Host city |
| 1 | 1974 | Only one Earth during Expo ’74 | Spokane, United States |
| 2 | 1975 | Human Settlements | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| 3 | 1976 | Water: Vital Resource for Life | Ontario, Canada |
| 4 | 1977 | Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation | Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| 5 | 1978 | Development Without Destruction | Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| 6 | 1979 | Only One Future for Our Children – Development Without Destruction | Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| 7 | 1980 | A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without Destruction | Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| 8 | 1981 | Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains | Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| 9 | 1982 | Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns) | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| 10 | 1983 | Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy | Sylhet, Bangladesh |
| 11 | 1984 | Desertification | Rajshahi, Bangladesh |
| 12 | 1985 | Youth: Population and the Environment | Islamabad, Pakistan |
| 13 | 1986 | A Tree for Peace | Ontario, Canada |
| 14 | 1987 | Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof | Nairobi, Kenya |
| 15 | 1988 | When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last | Bangkok, Thailand |
| 16 | 1989 | Global Warming; Global Warning | Brussels, Belgium |
| 17 | 1990 | Children and the Environment | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 18 | 1991 | Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 19 | 1992 | Only One Earth, Care and Share | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| 20 | 1993 | Poverty and the Environment – Breaking the Vicious Circle | Beijing, People’s Republic of China |
| 21 | 1994 | One Earth One Family | London, United Kingdom |
| 22 | 1995 | We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment | Pretoria, South Africa |
| 23 | 1996 | Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home | Istanbul, Turkey |
| 24 | 1997 | For Life on Earth | Seoul, Republic of Korea |
| 25 | 1998 | For Life on Earth – Save Our Seas | Moscow, Russian Federation |
| 26 | 1999 | Our Earth – Our Future – Just Save It! | Tokyo, Japan |
| 27 | 2000 | The Environment Millennium – Time to Act | Adelaide, Australia |
| 28 | 2001 | Connect with the World Wide Web of Life | Torino, Italy and Havana, Cuba |
| 29 | 2002 | Give Earth a Chance | Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China |
| 30 | 2003 | Water – Two Billion People are Dying for It! | Beirut, Lebanon |
| 31 | 2004 | Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive? | Barcelona, Spain |
| 32 | 2005 | Green Cities – Plan for the Planet! | San Francisco, United States |
| 33 | 2006 | Deserts and Desertification – Don’t Desert Drylands! | Algiers, Algeria |
| 34 | 2007 | Melting Ice – a Hot Topic? | London, England |
| 35 | 2008 | Kick the Habit – Towards A Low Carbon Economy | Wellington, New Zealand |
| 36 | 2009 | Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change | Mexico City, Mexico |
| 37 | 2010 | Many Species. One Planet. One Future | Rangpur, Bangladesh |
| 38 | 2011 | Forests: Nature at your Service | New Delhi, India |
| 39 | 2012 | Green Economy: Does it include you? | Brasilia, Brazil |
| 40 | 2013 | Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Footprint | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
| 41 | 2014 | Raise your voice, not the sea level | Bridgetown, Barbados |
| 42 | 2015 | Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. | Rome, Italy |
| 43 | 2016 | Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife trade | Luanda, Angola |
| 44 | 2017 | Connecting People to Nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator | Ottawa, Canada |
| 45 | 2018 | Beat Plastic Pollution | New Delhi, India |
| 46 | 2019 | Beat Air Pollution | China |
Author: @theearthview@gmail.com
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