World Environment Day 2022: History, Theme And Why It Is Celebrated

World Environment Day 2022: Every year on June 5, World Environment Day is observed across the world to raise awareness about degrading environmental conditions and to encourage people to take positive environmental actions and help create a better future. On this day, people from across the globe come together to clean up beaches, plant trees, and hold marches in an effort to revive what experts say is a planet on the precipice. To commemorate the occasion, more than 150 countries are slated to host environmentally-themed events on Saturday, part of an annual celebration of the Earth that dates back to 1973. Advocates are hoping this year’s World Environment Day will encourage a global effort to tackle what they describe as the rapid decline of the natural world.Also Read – Govt Took Strong Action Against Those Who Made Derogatory Remarks Against Minorities: Indian Embassy In Kuwait

History of World Environment Day

World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the UN General Assembly at the time of Stockholm Conference, first world conference with the environment as its major agenda. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment declared the right to live in a healthy environment as a basic human right. The conference also saw the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme. Also Read – ‘Fringe Elements’: India To Qatar On Nupur Sharma-Naveen Jindal’s Controversial Remarks On Prophet

World Environment Day was first celebrated in the year 1974. Over the years, this day became a global platform for people from all walks of life to participate in various campaigns to spread awareness about environmental protection and has created a platform to raise an awareness about environmental problem such as air pollution, plastic pollution, global warming and sea level increasing day by day. Also Read – World Environment Day 2022: Sudarsan Pattnaik Creates Sand Art At Puri Beach With An Important Message

The celebration of world environment day hosted by a different country each year, that descried the specific theme and slogan to addresses the major environmental concern of the time.

World Environment Day 2022

In 2022, Sweden is the host of world environment day. Being the host, this year Sweden decided the theme of this World Environment Day to be ‘Only One Earth’. The idea of the theme is to focus on the world’s togetherness in the direction of creating the atmosphere conducive for peace, harmony, prosperity and health by saving the nature and life. It highlights the fragility of the planet and is designed to re-enforce the idea that the Earth is humanity’s only home.

The theme echoes the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, a landmark summit that led to the creation of both UNEP and World Environment Day. Stockholm hosted that gathering then, and this year it will once again be at the centre of celebrations. The official ceremony will be held at the Technology Museum with Swedish Minister for Climate and the Environment Annika Strandhall and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen taking part with a group of young people from Voices of the Future. The event will be streamed online here.

Significance of World Environment Day

An underlying theme of World Environment Day is that it’s not too late to repair the damage humanity has done, which has become all the more important in view of extreme instances of climate change across the world. With the increasing frequency of flash floods, heatwaves and coldwaves, it is the high time that suitable initiatives are taken on an urgent basis. The COVID-19 pandemic, over the past two years, have also highlighted the significance of safe, clean and sustainable environment like never before.

How India Will Celebrate World Environment Day 2022?

On World Environment Day 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a global initiative ‘Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement’ on Sunday at 6 pm via video conferencing. As per the PMO, the launch will initiate the “LiFE Global Call for Papers” inviting ideas and suggestions from academics, universities and research institutions etc to influence and persuade individuals, communities and organisations across the world to adopt an environment-conscious lifestyle.

The Prime Minister will also deliver a keynote address during the programme that will witness the participation of Bill Gates, Co-Chairman of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Lord Nicholas Stern, Climate Economist; Professor Cass Sunstein, author of Nudge Theory; Aniruddha Dasgupta, CEO and President of the World Resources Institute; Inger Andersen, UNEP Global Head; Achim Steiner, UNDP Global Head and David Malpass, World Bank President, among others.

The idea of LiFE was introduced by the Prime Minister during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow last year. The idea promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and destructive consumption’.