World Environment Day 2022
On June 5, World Environment Day is commemorated to encourage people to safeguard the environment. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the main organization behind this event. UNEP organizes a variety of events to increase awareness about how and why we should pay more attention to the environment through individual participation and community meetings. Let us discuss about the highlights of World Environment Day 2022.
Increasing resource exploitation and pollution are two of the most serious threats to the environment. The UNEP has designated June 5 as World Environment Day to ensure that people all across the world are aware of this.
History of World Environment Day
The United Nations General Assembly declared World Environment Day on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, following debates on the integration of human interactions and the environment. The inaugural Eco Day was held two years later, in 1974, with the theme “Only One Earth.”
World Environment Day has been promoting awareness, encouraging action, and driving environmental change for nearly five decades.
World Environment Day Anthem by Abhay K
Our cosmic oasis, cosmic blue pearl
the most beautiful planet in the universe
all the continents and all the oceans
united we stand as flora and fauna
united we stand as species of one earth
different cultures, beliefs and ways
we are humans, the earth is our home
all the people and the nations of the world
all for one and one for all
united we unfurl the blue marble flag.
Host cities
| 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 | Ontario, 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 | Islamabad, 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 | Delhi, India |
| 2012 | Green Economy: Does it include you? | Brasilia, Brazil |
| 2013 | Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
| 2014 | Raise your voice, not the sea level | Bridgetown, Barbados |
| 2015 | Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. | Rome, Italy |
| 2016 | Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife trade | Luanda, Angola |
| 2017 | Connecting People to Nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to the equator | Ottawa, Canada |
| 2018 | Beat Plastic Pollution | New Delhi, India |
| 2019 | Beat Air Pollution | China |
| 2020 | Time for Nature | Colombia |
| 2021 | Ecosystem restoration | Pakistan |
| 2022 | Only One Earth | Sweden |
Stockholm+50
The United Nations General Assembly has called for an international summit called (Stockholm+50) to be held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 2-3, 2022. It will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which for the first time made the environment a major global concern.
Participants from 122 countries adopted a set of environmental principles, including the Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan for the Human Environment. As a result of the summit, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was established. Now, 50 years later, the world is facing a triple planetary catastrophe of climate change, pollution and waste, loss of nature and biodiversity, and other planetary problems that are harming current and future wealth and wellbeing.
As the world has witnessed all too clearly in COVID-19, an unhealthy earth poses a threat to human health, wealth, equality, and peace. It also jeopardizes the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Stockholm+50 will be hosted by Sweden, with Kenya’s support. It will take place the same week as World Environment Day, which takes place every year on June 5th and is also a result of the 1972 event.
Theme of World Environment Day 2022
“Only One Earth” is the theme for World Environment Day 2022. It advocates for policy and lifestyle reforms that enable cleaner, greener, and more sustainable living in harmony with nature. It will focus on the importance of living sustainably and in peace with nature, as well as our options for transitioning to a greener lifestyle through policy and individual choices.
Every year, a different country hosts World Environment Day, which includes celebrations and meetings. Sweden is the host country this year.
People all across the world celebrate World Environment Day (WED) in a variety of ways, including planting trees, cleaning up local beaches, organizing meetings, and participating in online protests.
World environment day is organized in schools or colleges and make students and children aware about protecting the environment. They are encouraged to plant tree samplings at home or schools. In addition they are promoted to create posters and similar works for understanding and spreading the awareness about this day. It helps them to engage in environmental protection from a very young age and build a responsible future generation.
