World Environment Day, held annually on 5 June, brings together millions of people from across the globe, engaging them in the effort to protect and restore the Earth.
THE COMMUNITY
World Environment Day is a global platform for inspiring positive change. People from more than 150 countries participate in this United Nations international day, which celebrates environmental action and the power of governments, businesses and individuals to create a more sustainable world.
The event has been led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since its inception in 1973.
HISTORY
World Environment Day puts a global spotlight on the pressing environmental challenges of our times. This UN international day has become the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet.
2024, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration
World Environment Day 2024 put a spotlight on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience. On 5 June, the host country, Saudi Arabia, celebrated its land restoration efforts and announced greater support and funding for private and philanthropic organisations working on environmental issues.
2023, Côte d’Ivoire | Solutions to Plastic Pollution #BeatPlasticPollution
In 2023, World Environment Day focused on showcasing solutions to plastic pollution, underscoring the need for a comprehensive “whole-of-society approach” to combatting the plastic pollution crisis. Following the unanimous passing of the historic resolution to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop a legally binding global instrument to end plastic pollution, this World Environment Day served as a reminder that solutions are available, but we need stronger and more concerted action to rethink how humanity designs, produces, consumes, and disposes of plastics, products, and packaging to #BeatPlasticPollution.
2022, Sweden | Only One Earth #OnlyOneEarth
World Environment Day paid homage to the 50th anniversary of what is considered the world’s first environmental summit, the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Like that gathering, it adopted the slogan “Only One Earth”, casting a spotlight on the pressing need to protect and restore humanity’s lone home.
At the 2022 official event, host country Sweden pledged to stop issuing licenses for new coal, oil and natural gas extraction. More than 65 million people celebrated World Environment Day online.
2021, Pakistan | Ecosystem Restoration #GenerationRestoration
The focus was Ecosystem Restoration celebrated under the theme “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore”. Hosted by Pakistan, it cast a spotlight on how humanity has been exploiting the planet's ecosystems and called for a concerted global effort to repair the damage that has been done. Every three seconds, the world loses enough forest to cover a football pitch and, over the last century, half of all wetlands have been destroyed.
2020, Colombia | Time for Nature #TimeForNature
In 2020, the World Environment Day theme focused on biodiversity – a concern both urgent and existential. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis – caused by the rapid destruction of habitats – President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, said “the time to act is now if we want to assure our present and our future.” Fourteen world leaders – including those from Colombia, Costa Rica, Finland, France and Seychelles – released a statement calling on governments worldwide to support a new global goal to protect at least 30 per cent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030.
2019, People's Republic of China | Beat Air Pollution #BeatAirPollution
The theme was air pollution, a global emergency that causes around 7 million premature deaths every year. Hosted by China, President Xi Jinping stressed his country’s willingness to share its experience combating air pollution with other nations. China also launched its Air Quality Improvement Report (2013-2018) to showcase successful policies and reflect on lessons learned.
2018, India | Beat Plastic Pollution #BeatPlasticPollution
The 45th celebration of World Environment Day was under the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution". Over 6,000 people gathered at Versova Beach in Mumbai to join UN Environment Champion of the Earth Afroz Shah in a beach clean-up, where they collected over 90,000 kg of plastic. The Indian government made a bold commitment to ban all single-use plastics—which makes up 70 per cent of marine litter—by 2022 and European Union lawmakers agreed on a ban by 2025.
2017, Canada | Connecting People to Nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator #ImWithNature
“I’m with nature” was the theme of World Environment Day 2017, which inspired more than 1,800 events, from tree-planting in Mumbai to ivory burning in Angola to a running race through Brazil’s Iguaçu National Park. In host country Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined UNEP’s Erik Solheim to connect with nature by paddling kayaks along the Niagara River.
2016, Angola | Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife Trade #WildForLife
The day was a springboard for #WildforLife, at the time UNEP’s biggest-ever digital campaign and a major push to counter international wildlife crime. Host country Angola promised to curb the trading of elephant ivory. China, a key destination for illegal wildlife products, subsequently pledged to close down its domestic ivory market.
2015, Italy | Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. #ConsumeWithCare
World Environment Day went viral. Celebrated under the theme “Seven Billion People. One Planet. Consume with Care,” it was the most popular subject on Twitter in more than 20 countries.
2014, Barbados | Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level #ClimateChange
The theme “Raise Your Voice Not the Sea Level!” built awareness of the dangers facing island nations from climate change. The next year, small island states secured an agreement at the Paris climate talks to pursue the ambitious goal of limiting the increase in average global temperature to 1.5°C.
2013, Mongolia | Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint #ThinkEatSave
The year’s theme was “Think.Eat.Save.” The campaign highlighted the environmental toll of food waste, empowering people to make informed choices to reduce the ecological impact of food production.
2012, Brazil | Green Economy: Does it Include You? #DoesItIncludeYou?
Twenty years after the Earth Summit, World Environment Day returned to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The theme “Green Economy: Does it Include You?” amplified UNEP’s efforts to create a more sustainable global financial order. The World Environment Day website posted more than 4.25 million visits, a new record at the time.
2011, India | Forests: Nature at Your Service
World Environment Day featured a friendly contest between actor Don Cheadle and entrepreneur Gisele Bündchen to see who can attract more social media followers. As part of the contest, Bündchen planted the first of 50,000 trees in Rio de Janeiro’s Grumari Municipal Park. People around the world registered more than 4,000 activities related to World Environment Day.
2010, Rwanda | Many Species. One Planet. One Future
World Environment Day’s Legacy Initiative raised more than US$85,000 for gorilla conservation and solar lighting in villages across host country, Rwanda. Voters in a global online competition chose names for several baby gorillas, spotlighting their threatened status during the International Year of Biodiversity.
2009, Mexico | Your Planet Needs You: Unite to Combat Climate Change
2008, New Zealand | Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy
2007, Norway | Melting Ice - a Hot Topic?
The theme “Melting Ice? – A Hot Topic”, marked the first of three consecutive years in which the day drew attention to climate change. It came just as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report stated that warming of the climate was unequivocal.
2006, Algeria | Deserts and Desertification – Don’t Desert Drylands!
A decade after the UN Convention to Combat Desertification entered into force, World Environment Day delivered a reminder of the pressures on drylands when Algeria hosted the celebrations under the slogan “Deserts and Desertification – Don’t Desert Drylands!”
2005, United States of America | Green Cities: Plan for the Planet!
World Environment Day was held in North America for the first time, with San Francisco hosting hundreds of events around the theme “Green Cities: Plan for the Planet.” Held in the year the Kyoto Protocol came into force, the event included the participation of former United States of America Vice-President Al Gore and former Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom.
2004, Spain | Wanted! Seas and Oceans - Dead or Alive?
2003, Lebanon | Water - Two Billion People Are Dying for It!
The main celebrations took place in Beirut, Lebanon, a first for West Asia. The theme of “Water – Two Billion People are Dying for It!” was chosen in support of the International Year of Fresh Water.
2002, People's Republic of China | Give Earth a Chance
2001, Italy and Cuba | Connect with the World Wide Web of Life
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan chose World Environment Day to launch the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, an unprecedented effort to map the health of the planet. Reflecting the theme “Connect with the World Wide Web of Life,” the international festivities took place across several cities: Torino, Italy; Havana, Cuba; Hue, Viet Nam; and Nairobi, Kenya.
2000, Australia | The Environment Millennium - Time to Act
UNEP launched a World Environment Day website, making it easy for people around the world to register their activities and build a sense of global community. The main events took place in Adelaide, Australia under the theme “The Environment Millennium – Time to Act,” ahead of the international summit that set out the Millennium Development Goals.
1999, Japan | Our Earth – Our Future – Just Save It!
1998, Russian Federation | For Life on Earth – Save Our Seas
World Environment Day highlighted threats to marine ecosystems for the first time, using the theme of “For Life on Earth – Save our Seas” in support of the International Year of the Ocean.
1997, Republic of Korea | For Life on Earth
1996, Türkiye | Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home
Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa received a posthumous Global 500 award during World Environment Day celebrations in Ankara, Türkiye. With the award, World Environment Day threw a spotlight on the link between human and environmental rights.
1995, South Africa | We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment
South Africa played host a year after Nelson Mandela became president. Mandela attended the celebrations, drawing huge international attention to environmental themes. A year earlier, the anti-apartheid leader used the day to declare Cape Town’s Table Mountain a “gift to the Earth” and proof of South Africa's commitment to protect biodiversity.
1994, United Kingdom | One Earth One Family
1993, People's Republic of China | Poverty and the Environment – Breaking the Vicious Circle
China hosted World Environment Day in Beijing, raising environmental awareness in the world’s most populous nation, under the theme “Poverty and the Environment - Breaking the Vicious Circle.” The event returned to China in 2002, hosted by the city of Shenzhen.
1992, Brazil | Only One Earth, Care and Share
World Environment Day was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the UN Conference on Environment and Development, better known as the Earth Summit. Nations negotiated landmark treaties on climate change, desertification and biodiversity, and set the course for contemporary sustainable development.
1991, Sweden | Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership
1990, Mexico | Children and the Environment
1989, Belgium | Global Warming; Global Warning
A year after the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, celebrations hosted in Brussels, Belgium echoed mounting concern about global warming. The theme was revisited more than any other in subsequent World Environment Day campaigns.
1988, Thailand | When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last
The main celebrations began to rotate around the globe, starting in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme of “When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last” came a year after the Brundtland Report laid out its influential blueprint for sustainability.
1987, Kenya | Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof
UNEP marked the day at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, by presenting the first of its Global 500 awards to environmental champions including Wangari Maathai. The awards became a mainstay of World Environment Day celebrations through 2003.
1986, Canada | A Tree for Peace
The theme “A Tree for Peace” coincided with the International Year of Peace. Reflecting World Environment Day’s growing profile, political and religious leaders, including French President François Mitterrand, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, took part in a global ceremony by planting a tree and stressing the links between conflict and environmental destruction.
1985, Pakistan | Youth: Population and the Environment
1984, Bangladesh | Desertification
1983, Bangladesh | Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy
1982, Bangladesh | Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns)
1981, Bangladesh | Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains
The campaign drew attention to toxic chemicals in groundwater and food chains. The next year, UNEP’s Governing Council adopted the Montevideo Programme, setting priorities for global lawmaking that led to major international agreements restricting or eliminating an array of hazardous chemicals and pollutants.
1980, Bangladesh | A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without Destruction
1979, Bangladesh | Only One Future for Our Children – Development Without Destruction
The theme “Only One Future for Our Children” coincided with the International Year of the Child. For the first time, World Environment Day echoed a UN-designated international year, a trend that grew as environmental problems rose up on the global agenda.
1978, Bangladesh | Development Without Destruction
1977, Bangladesh | Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation
UNEP used the day to highlight concern about the ozone layer, setting a trend for World Environment Day to generate vital early momentum on critical environmental issues. It took another 10 years to seal the landmark Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
1976, Canada | Water: Vital Resource for Life
1975, Bangladesh | Human Settlements
1974, United States of America | Only One Earth
1973, Switzerland | Only One Earth
World Environment Day was celebrated for the first time with the slogan “Only One Earth.”
1972, Sweden | Stockholm Conference on Human Environment
The UN General Assembly designated 5 June as World Environment Day, marking the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of UNEP.