kids encyclopedia robot

World Environment Day facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
World Environment Day
Ecologia.jpg
Official name UN World Environment Day
Also called Eco Day, Environment Day, WED (world environment day)
Type International
Significance Environmental issues awareness
Observances Environment Protection
Date 5 June
Next time 5 June 2026 (2026-06-05)
First time 5 June 1973; 52 years ago (5 June 1973)
Indian Navy - World Environment Day - 2016 (1)
World Environment Day in India

World Environment Day (WED) is a special day celebrated every year on June 5th. It's all about getting people to think about and take action to protect our environment. Many groups, businesses, and governments around the world support it. It's the main day the United Nations uses to spread the word about caring for our planet.

This important day started in 1973. Since then, it has helped people learn about big environmental problems. These include marine pollution (trash in the ocean), overpopulation (too many people for the Earth's resources), global warming (the Earth getting hotter), and wildlife crime (harming animals and plants illegally).

World Environment Day is a worldwide event. Over 143 countries take part every year. Countries like India, Canada, Brazil, and the United States join in. Each year, there's a special theme. This theme helps businesses, non-profit groups, communities, and leaders work together for environmental causes.

History of World Environment Day

World Environment Day began in 1972. The United Nations created it at a big meeting in Stockholm, Sweden. This meeting was called the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. People talked about how humans affect the environment and how we can live better with nature.

One year later, in 1973, the very first World Environment Day was held. Its theme was "Only One Earth." This simple message reminded everyone that we share one planet and need to protect it.

Host Cities and Themes

Every year, a different city or country hosts the main World Environment Day celebrations. This helps to highlight different environmental issues around the world. Each year also has a special theme to focus on a specific problem or solution.

Year Theme Host City / Country
1972 Stockholm Conference on Human Environment Stockholm, Sweden
1973 No specific theme Geneva, Switzerland
1974 Only One Earth 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 – Plant for the Planet! San Francisco, United States
2006 Deserts and Desertification – Don't Desert Drylands! Algiers, Algeria
2007 Melting Ice – a Hot Topic? Tromsø, Norway
2008 CO2, 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 Rwanda
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 Go wild for life 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 People's Republic of China
2020 Time for Nature Colombia
2021 Ecosystem restoration Pakistan
2022 Only One Earth Sweden
2023 Solutions to Plastic Pollution Côte d'Ivoire
2024 Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
2025 Ending plastic pollution Republic of Korea

Important Themes and Actions

For nearly 50 years, World Environment Day has helped people learn about and act for the environment. Here are some key moments and themes from its history:

2005: Green Cities

SFWed2005Maddruid
Standard WED banners hung in San Francisco in May 2005

The theme for 2005 was "Green Cities." The slogan was "Plant for the Planet!" This encouraged people to make their cities greener and more environmentally friendly.

2006: Protecting Drylands

In 2006, the theme was about Deserts and Desertification. The slogan was "Don't desert drylands." This highlighted how important it is to protect dry areas of the Earth from turning into deserts. The main events were held in Algeria.

2007: Melting Ice

The 2007 theme was "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" It focused on how climate change affects places with ice and snow, like the Arctic and Antarctic. It also looked at the global effects of melting ice. The main celebrations were in Tromsø, Norway, a city north of the Arctic Circle.

2008: Low Carbon Economy

New Zealand hosted World Environment Day in 2008. The slogan was "CO2, Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy." This theme encouraged reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. New Zealand was one of the first countries to promise to become carbon-neutral.

2009: Unite Against Climate Change

The theme for 2009 was "Your Planet Needs You – UNite to Combat Climate Change." The famous song "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson was named the "World Environment Day Song." Mexico hosted the events that year.

2010: Celebrating Biodiversity

The 2010 theme was "Many Species. One Planet. One Future." It celebrated the amazing variety of life on Earth. This was part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. Many activities took place worldwide, like beach clean-ups and concerts. Rwanda was the host country.

2011: Forests and Nature

The theme for 2011 was "Forests: Nature At Your Service." People around the world organized many activities. These included tree plantings, film festivals, and community events. India hosted the main celebrations.

2012: Green Economy

The 2012 theme was "Green Economy." This theme asked people to think about how their daily lives and choices fit into a "Green Economy." A green economy aims to improve human well-being and social fairness, while greatly reducing environmental risks. Brazil hosted the celebrations.

2013: Reduce Food Waste

The 2013 theme was "Think.Eat.Save." This campaign focused on the huge amount of food wasted each year. Wasting less food helps save resources and reduces our carbon footprint. The campaign aimed to help people make smart choices about their food. Mongolia was the host country.

2014: Small Islands and Sea Levels

The 2014 theme focused on Small Islands Developing States (SIDS). It highlighted the challenges these islands face, especially from global warming and rising ocean levels. The slogan was "Raise your voice, not the sea level." Barbados hosted the global celebrations.

2015: Consume with Care

The slogan for 2015 was "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care." This slogan was chosen by a vote on social media. Italy hosted the 43rd World Environment Day. The celebrations were part of the Milan Expo.

2016: Stop Wildlife Crime

The 2016 World Environment Day theme was "Go wild for life." This event aimed to reduce and stop the illegal trade of wildlife. Angola was chosen as the host country for 2016.

2017: Connect with Nature

Activities for world environment day in Bhopal (8)
Activities for World Environment Day in Bhopal, India

The theme for 2017 was "Connecting People to Nature." It encouraged people to connect with nature wherever they are, from cities to wild lands. Canada was the host nation.

2018: Beat Plastic Pollution

The theme for 2018 was "Beat Plastic Pollution." India was the host nation. This theme hoped to inspire people to reduce their use of plastics. Especially harmful are single-use plastics, which have bad effects on the environment. The goal was to free our natural places, wildlife, and health from plastics.

2019: Beat Air Pollution

The theme for 2019 was "Beat Air Pollution." China was the host nation. This theme was chosen because air pollution causes millions of early deaths each year.

2020: Time for Nature

The theme for 2020 was "Time for Nature." It was hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany. Colombia is a "megadiverse country," meaning it has a huge variety of plants and animals. It has nearly 10% of the planet's biodiversity.

2021: Ecosystem Restoration

The theme for 2021 was "Ecosystem Restoration." Pakistan hosted the event. On this day, the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration was also launched. This is a big effort to help nature heal and recover.

2022: Only One Earth

The theme for 2022 was "Only One Earth." This was the same theme as the very first World Environment Day. Sweden hosted the event, reminding everyone that we still have only one planet to care for.

2023: Solutions to Plastic Pollution

The theme for 2023 was "Solution to plastic pollution." Côte d'Ivoire hosted the event. This theme reminded people that their actions against plastic pollution matter. It encouraged faster action to move towards a circular economy, where waste is minimized.

Images for kids

See also

  • Arbor Day
  • Earth Day
  • List of environmental dates
  • United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
kids search engine
World Environment Day Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.