World Environment Day: History, importance and why is it celebrated

World environment day is celebrated on June 5 every year and this day is commemorated to raise awareness about environmental issues, the increasingly deteriorating conditions, climate change etc. This day acts as a reminder to people to be more considerate and aware of the Earth’s existing conditions, in terms of the environment.

On World Environment Day, people take action to spread awareness about the environment and also motivate others to do the same, in hopes of creating a better future. As our society modernises, our environment gets affected due to the adoption of technologies and resources that are quite harmful to the environment. People have a long way to go, in terms of advocating biodegradable resources and adopting the same.

History of World Environment Day

The concept of celebrating World Environment Day was first conceptualised in 1972’s United Nations Conference on Human Environment that was held in Stockholm. This became the first big conference where matters of the environment were given huge importance. The United Nations Environment Programme was also created at this conference.

Every year, a theme is picked out for World Environment Day that encourages people to participate in the celebration and also motivates them to follow the theme. This year’s theme is, ‘Only one Earth’ that is living sustainably in harmony with nature.

Every year, different countries host World Environment Day. This year, Sweden is the host. This year’s theme will focus on getting the world together in harmony to advocate the idea of sustainable living.


Importance of World Environment Day

This year, 2022 is a great milestone for the environment as it marks 50 years since the first conference i.e 1972 Stockholm conference was held that initiated the stride towards achieving a better tomorrow for all, in terms of the environment. The Earth faces multiple problems such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, increase in carbon emissions and non-biodegradable wastage. With everyone’s help and one step at a time, people can make good choices and work towards sustaining the environment with the best conscious choices.