In 1972, the UN General Assembly designated 5 June as World Environment Day. The first celebration, under the slogan “Only One Earth” took place in 1974. In the following years, World Environment Day has developed as a platform to raise awareness on issues concerning our environment such as air pollution, plastic pollution, illegal wildlife trade, sustainable consumption, sea-level increase, and food security.
World Environment Day helps drive change in consumption patterns and in national and international environmental policy.
World Environment Day 2021 Theme: Ecosystem Restoration
The theme for World Environment Day 2021 is “Ecosystem Restoration”. Ecosystem restoration can take many forms: Growing trees, greening cities, rewilding gardens, changing diets or cleaning up rivers and coasts.
Ecosystem restoration means assisting in the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed, as well as conserving the ecosystems that are still intact. Healthier ecosystems, with richer biodiversity, yield greater benefits such as more fertile soils, bigger yields of timber and fish, and larger stores of greenhouse gases.
All kinds of ecosystems can be restored, including forests, farmlands, cities, wetlands and oceans. Restoration initiatives can be launched by almost anyone, from governments and development agencies to businesses, communities and individuals. That is because the causes of degradation are many and varied, and can have an impact at different scales.
