World Environment Day
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 by qrelihan
This Sunday June 5th is World Environment Day and this year it will be hosted by Sweden with the slogan of “Only One Earth”. World Environment Day is the biggest international day for the environment, and it is put on by the United Nations Environmental Program. It has been held annually since 1974, with different host countries and different environmental focuses each year. Sweden’s focus for World Environment Day 2022 is “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature” and their goal is to promote sustainable living.
As the host country Sweden is showcasing the work they have done to create cities, homes, offices and recreational areas that are sustainable. Sweden has done this by focusing on improving energy, production systems, global trade & transport systems and protection of biodiversity. Sweden has demonstrated that to live sustainably it requires efforts from government entities as well as civilians. Similar to sustainable development, the success of World Environment Day is largely dependent on the participation of the public.
The best way to participate in World Environment Day is to take action in your community or local government. For example, you can plant trees, organize meetings, join online protests, cook an environmentally friendly dinner or discuss sustainable development with friends and family. The ultimate goal of World Environment Day is to address the pressing issues of climate change and try to identify possible solutions, therefore by performing any of the tasks above you are engaging in the fight against climate change. Even though your actions may feel small in the grand scheme of things it is important to remember that every little bit counts and can be a learning opportunity.
Now you may be thinking that World Environment Day sounds great, but it is reminiscent of Earth Day so why do we need to celebrate both? You would be right in assuming that Earth Day and World Environment Day are similar since both have the objective of raising awareness to protect the environment. However, Earth Day is celebrated worldwide every April 22nd and it focuses on preserving the environment via eco-friendly efforts such as park clean-ups. World Environment Day is also an annual celebration, but every year it is hosted by a different host country with a focus on particular environmental issue. For example this year Sweden is focused on “living sustainably in harmony with nature”, but in the past Canada has hosted with a theme of “connecting people to nature” and Angola hosted with a focus on combating illegal wildlife hunting.
To learn more about World Environment Day & Sweden’s plans for June 5th 2022 follow the link below:
https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/overview
