World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated each year on 5th June. It marks the date on which the first conference on environmental issues was held by the United Nations(UN) in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972.  It is known as “Conference on the Human Environment” and popularly called as “Stockholm Conference. The goal was to formulate ideas for environment problems collectively.

The conference was prominent and successful. Later the same year (in 1972), the UN designated 5th June as the “World Environment Day.” It urged various governments and organizations to take up activities reaffirming their solicitude for the protection and augmentation of the environment on that day every year. A specialized agency called the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was also created to address environmental issues.

The maiden “World Environment Day” was celebrated in 1974. Since then, it addressed many issues related to the environment such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, desertification and several others. 

Though it started in 1974, the idea of rotating the countries to host activities did not begin until 1987.  Today, it is celebrated across the globe. 

The theme changes every year and also the host country. The theme for 2020 is “Biodiversity”, and the host country is Colombia in partnership with Germany.