At Dolphin Discovery, we celebrate World Environment Day, born in 1974, to create a global vision of the most relevant problems for the environment, such as marine pollution, global warming, crimes against wildlife, and many others.
Here, we will present the actions and relevance of World Environment Day through a small timeline.
1972 to 1990
On the first World Environment Day, the UN-designated June 5 as the official day. During the first day in Stockholm at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. Similarly, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
In 1974, the watchword “Solo Una Tierra” was created to commemorate June 5. It took five years for World Environment Day to become relevant because environmental problems were growing on the world agenda.
In 1982, UNEP adopted the Montevideo Program. This program gave rise to international agreements to begin the restriction and elimination of chemical products and polluting agents for the environment.
In 1986, the importance of the growing World Environment Day was recognized. In this ceremony, international leaders came together to plant a tree to emphasize the relationship between international conflicts and the destruction of the environment.
In 1998, the role of host countries for the celebration began to rotate, with Thailand being the pioneer in this rotation.
1991 to 2000
In 1992, World Environment Day was celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Historical treaties between nations for desertification, climate change, and loss of biological diversity began to be negotiated during this celebration. This set the course for contemporary sustainable development.
In 1998, World Environment Day was celebrated in Moscow, Russia. This celebration is unique because it is the first to highlight the threats that affect marine ecosystems.
In 2000, UNEP took advantage of internet connectivity to launch a website that would increase the scope for caring for the environment and make it easier for everyone to carry out activities.
2021
In 2001, Secretary-General Kofi Annan chose World Environment Day to launch the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, an unprecedented initiative whose purpose is to illustrate the planet’s health.
In 2006, the celebration took place in Algiers, Algeria. This celebration focused for the first time on the fight against desertification in deserts and arid zones under the slogan, “Deserts and desertification.
In 2007, it was ensured that there were no doubts about the effects of global warming on the planet for the first time.
In 2010, the World Environment Day Legacy Initiative raised over US$85,000 for gorilla conservation and solar energy in villages across Rwanda.
In 2011, World Environment Day returned to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Breaking a new record, recording more than 4.25 million views.
In 2015, World Environment Day went viral. The Italian city of Milan was the host, under the slogan “Seven billion dreams. One planet. Consume in moderation”, which became the most popular topic on Twitter in more than 20 countries. In addition, more than 500 videos were posted on YouTube around World Environment Day.
In 2018, over 6,000 people on Versova Beach in Mumbai joined UN Environment Program Champion of the Earth Afroz Shah in a clean-up collecting 90,000kg of plastic.
In 2020, fourteen world leaders issued a statement urging governments worldwide to support a new global goal to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030.