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World Environment Day
World Environment
Day commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.
Each year, the event has a host country as well as a theme chosen by the United
Nations Environment Programme, UNEP. With thousands of events in UNEP's six global regions, namely,
North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the
Pacific, West Asia and Europe, World Environment Day is considered one
of the largest environmental events of its kind. World Environment Day is designed 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.
On World Environment Day, heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers
of Environment deliver statements and commit themselves to care for the
Earth. Pledges are made which lead to the establishment of permanent
governmental structures dealing with environmental management. It also
provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions. |
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World Environment Day 2010
World Environment Day 2010 in Pittsburgh will mark the 37th
annual celebration. Last year's celebration took place in Omaha, Nebraska.
Pittsburgh has been selected as the North American host city by the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to join World Environment
Day 2010. Pittsburgh-area government officials, business indexes,
organizations and individuals will schedule a series of World Environment Day events, as well as events taking place during the six
weeks that “bridge the gap” between Earth Day on April 22 and World Environment Day on June 5.
The events will highlight the theme for celebrations in Pittsburgh,
?Many Species: One Planet, One Future? And it will focus on
?Biodiversity-Ecosystem Management and the Green Economy?.
World Environment Day 2010 in India
To mark the World Environment Day, a two-day
festival will be held here from tomorrow, with film screenings on wildlife and 'ecoart' workshops being the highlights.
The 'Ecofest 2010' organised by the American Centre, will also have a
dance workshop, an 'ecopuppet' performance, 'Little Blue Planet', by
'kathkatha' group as well as a jazz fusion programme 'ecorhythm'.
The June 4-5 festival will see art and craft workshops using handmade
and waste paper, documentary and film screenings on wildlife and water apart from 'ecohaat' -- a display of ecofriendly bags, T-shirts, toys,
decorative items and an 'ecocafe' -- featuring dishes with at least one organic ingredient.
Sunita Narain says on
World Environt Day
Every year, on June 5, the world remembers and celebrates the
concern for environment in the form of the World Environment Day. But why are we
not getting the practice of managing our environment right? Why is it
that our rivers are still so polluted and getting worse, even as the
government allocates money for river conservation? The problem is that
we still do not have the formula for cleaning our rivers the right way. says Sunita Narain on June 04, 2010.
Take Delhi and its river tale: Delhi has already spent a huge amount on
cleaning the small stretch of the Yamuna, which flows through the city.
Some Rs 1,500 crore - which is possibly the highest amount in the
country, if not the world has been spent on cleaning - this 22 km
stretch of the river. But, all this has meant little. The city spends
and will spend much more. But, it's just money down the drain as
pollution only increases. The river, by all pollution parameters, is
dead. It just has not been officially cremated. |
The theme of 2010
is:: ?Many Species: One Planet, One Future? And it will focus on
? Biodiversity- Ecosystem Management and the Green Economy?.
River
Yamuna (यमुना)
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World Environment Day 2009
“Your Planet Needs You!” is the theme for 2009. Mexico will
serve as the host country and Omaha will serve as North
America’s host city. Many events will take place across the globe for World Environment Day. One such
event is the worldwide showing of a highly anticipated film, HOME, featuring
renowned photographer Yann Arthus- Bertrand. The beautifully made movie will be
shown in more than 100 locations worldwide.
Another anticipated event of the 2009 World Environment Day is the launch of Climate Heroes. This
program highlights people who go above and beyond the “Your Planet Needs You!”
Just a few of the amazing individuals that will be featured include Roz Savage,
who is rowing across the Pacific Ocean, Charles and Sho Scott, who are biking
through Japan and David de Rothschild, who is building a boat out of recycled
plastic that will cross the Pacific.
World Environment Day 2009 in India
India
celebrated World Environment Day on Friday along with other countries.The President's speech on
June 4 indicated that the government was increasingly finding environmental concerns a roadblock in pushing its growth mantra
Minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh has just announced that there are huge funds lying with the ministry which he plans to invest in afforestation to green India. It could be a distinctive feature of the new Parliament, heralding a major thrust on environment. But the issue is implementation. Greening India was announced five years ago by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but nothing much happened.
World Environment Day 2009 Global Events:
UNEP hopes to plant 7 billion trees by the end of 2009 with their UNEP Billion Tree Campaign
A neighborhood clean-up campaign is underway in Kabul
A “Run to the Hills” race takes place in Sarajevo
Sign up to take part in the Campaign against Plastic Bags in Kashmir
Brazil is holding an online campaign
30,000 children are expected to participate in a painting contest in the Republic of Korea
World Environment Day 2008
To keep solutions and the opportunities at the core of agenda for countries,
companies and communities to kick the habit and de-carbonise their economies and
life-styles, the slogan for 2008 has been selected after much deliberations as
“Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy.”
The United Nations urged the world to kick an all-consuming addiction to carbon dioxide and said everyone must take steps to
fight climate change. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said global warming was becoming the defining
issue of the era and will hurt rich and poor alike.
"Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit," Ban said in a statement
to mark World Environment Day, which is being marked by events around the globe
and hosted by the New Zealand city of Wellington.
"Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny
important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions," he said in
the speech to reinforce this year's World Environment Day theme of
"CO2 Kick the Habit".
"Whether you are an individual, an organization, a business or a government,
there are many steps you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. It is a message we all must take to heart," he said.
The World Environment Day will also highlight resources and initiatives that
promote low carbon economies and life-styles, such as improved energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, forest conservation and
eco- friendly consumption.
On this day Prime Ministers, Ministers of Environment and other significant
dignitaries deliver statements and commit themselves to care for the Earth.
Serious pledges are made to lead the establishment of permanent governmental
structures dealing with environmental management and economic planning. |
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World Environment Day 2007
The topic for World Environment Day for 2007 is "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" During International Polar Year, WED 2007 focuses 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 will be held in the City of
Tromsø, Norway, a city north of the Arctic Circle self-styled as "The Gateway to the Arctic".
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. |
The Himalya ice is melting due to global
warming. The topic for World Environment Day
for 2007 is "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" |
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World Environment Day History
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General
Assembly in 1972 at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to
the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Since 1972, 36 World Environment Day celebrations have been held around the globe.
On this World Environment Day, let us examine the state of our environment. Let us consider carefully the actions which each of us
must take, and then address ourselves to our common task of preserving all life on earth in a mood of sober resolution and quiet confidence.
World Environment Day Themes
2010 Theme - Biodiversity ? Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy?
2009 Theme - "Your Planet Needs You - UNite to Combat Climate Change"
2008 Theme - "Kick The Habit - Towards A Low Carbon Economy"
2007 Theme - "Melting Ice ? a Hot Topic?"
2006 Theme - "Deserts and Desertification - Don't Desert Drylands!"
2005 Theme - "Green Cities ? Plan for the Planet!"
2004 Theme - "Wanted! Seas and Oceans ? Dead or Alive?"
2003 Theme - "Water ? Two Billion People are Dying for It!"
2002 Theme - "Give Earth a Chance"
2001 Theme - "Connect with the World Wide Web of Life"
2000 Theme - "The Environment Millennium - Time to Act"
1999 Theme - "Our Earth - Our Future - Just Save It!"
1998 Theme - "For Life on Earth - Save Our Seas"
1997 Theme - "For Life on Earth"
1996 Theme - "Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home"
1995 Theme - "We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment"
1994 Theme - "One Earth One Family"
1993 Theme - "Poverty and the Environment - Breaking the Vicious Circle"
1992 Theme - "Only One Earth, Care and Share"
1991 Theme - "Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership"
1990 Theme - "Children and the Environment"
1989 Theme - "Global Warming; Global Warning"
1988 Theme - "When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last"
1987 Theme - "Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof"
1986 Theme - "A Tree for Peace"
1985 Theme - "Youth: Population and the Environment"
1984 Theme -"Desertification"
1983 Theme - "Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy"
1982 Theme - "Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns)"
1981 Theme - "Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains"
1980 Theme - "A New Challenge for the New Decade:Development Without Destruction"
1979 Theme - "Only One Future for Our Children -Development Without Destruction"
1978 Theme - "Development Without Destruction"
1977 Theme - "Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation"
1976 Theme - "Water: Vital Resource for Life"
1975 Theme - "Human Settlements"
1974 Theme - "Only one Earth"
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