World Environment Day

World Environment Day is observed on 5 June and traces its origin to the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, the first major global conference devoted to environmental questions. The conference opened on 5 June, and later that year the UN General Assembly designated the date as World Environment Day. The first celebration took place in 1973. Over the decades the day has become a worldwide platform for public participation and policy attention on changing environmental challenges—pollution, ecosystem loss, desertification, climate change, waste, biodiversity and sustainable consumption among them. UNEP coordinates the global observance, usually around a specific annual theme and host country. Activities range from tree planting, clean-up drives and school programmes to scientific discussions, community campaigns and government commitments. Its central idea is that environmental protection is connected to human health, livelihoods, food and water security, and that lasting change requires both individual action and larger institutional decisions.

World Environment Day is intended to build public awareness and encourage attention to its associated global issue.