World Environment Day

The World Environment Day (WED) was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. WED is hosted every year by a different city and commemorated with an international exposition through the week of June 5. The UN uses WED to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action.

WED 2007

The topic for WED 2007 is "Melting Ice - A Hot Topic?" and will be focusing on climate changes and the effects on ice- and snowcovered areas of the world. The day is hosted by Norway and the main celebrations will be held in Tromsoe, a city north of the Polar Circle, also known as "The Gateway to the Arctic".[1]

WED 2006

The topic for WED 2006 is Deserts and Desertification. The slogan for WED 2006 is "Don't desert drylands".

The slogan emphasises the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40% of the planet’s surface. This ecosystem is home to one-third of the world’s people who are more vulnerable members of society.The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2006 will be held in Algeria.

WED 2005

Standard WED banners hung in San Francisco in May 2005. The term "Green Cities" is prominently featured in the banner.

From the official site:

Today, the majority of the world's people live in cities. Recognizing this historic moment, Mayor Gavin Newsom has invited Mayors from around the globe to San Francisco for United Nations World Environment Day to forge a collective path towards a sustainable urban future.

Mayors are emerging as the most powerful and flexible agents of change. They are able to respond quickly to environmental issues and are uniquely accountable to their citizens. Their enormous purchasing power is shaping markets and making environmental sustainability a manufacturing consideration. They are tackling the globe's most challenging environmental issues and their visionary solutions provide inspiration and serve as models to all sectors of society.

Previous themes

• 2005 – Green Cities – Plan for the Planet!
• 2004 – Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive?
• 2003 – Water – Two Billion People are Dying for It!
• 2002 - Give Earth a Chance
• 2001 - Connect with the World Wide Web of Life
• 2000 - The Environment Millennium - Time to Act
• 1999 - Our Earth - Our Future - Just Save It!
• 1998 - For Life on Earth - Save Our Seas
• 1997 - For Life on Earth
• 1996 - Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home
• 1995 - We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment
• 1994 - One Earth One Family
• 1993 - Poverty and the Environment - Breaking the Vicious Circle
• 1992 - Only One Earth, Care and Share
• 1991 - Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership
• 1990 - Children and the Environment
• 1989 - Global Warming; Global Warning
• 1988 - When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last
• 1987 - Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof
• 1986 - A Tree for Peace
• 1985 - Youth: Population and the Environment
• 1984 - Desertification
• 1983 - Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy
• 1982 - Ten Years After Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns)
• 1981 - Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains
• 1980 - A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development Without Destruction
• 1979 - Only One Future for Our Children - Development Without Destruction
• 1978 - Development Without Destruction
• 1977 - Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation
• 1976 - Water: Vital Resource for Life
• 1975 - Human Settlements
• 1974 - Only one Earth

See also

• list of environment topics
• list of environmental dates

External links

• World Environment Day 2006
• World Environment Day 2005
• Previous themes of World Environment Day
• UNEP World Environment Day - information.
• News & Events - UN Days, Weeks and Years

• [http://www.earth-aware.com/Design.htm Planet Earth Button can be used for fundraising - reusable and collectable.