World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event celebrated on June 5th to encourage environmental action and protection. In 1972, The UN General Assembly designated 5 June as WED, marking the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. UN Environment Programme, UNEP also was created subsequently. Over the years WED has become a global platform for public outreach and awareness raising in most of the countries. In 2005, World Environment was held in North America for the first time, with San Francisco hosting hundreds of events around the theme “Green Cities: Plan for the Planet.” 


Mayors of the world’s leading cities have now emerged as strong and inspiring champions of the kind of ambitious actions to protect the environment including the climate action the world needs. Cities know what needs to be done to achieve sustainable development and the SDGs. 


WED is an important date which reminds us that we, as global citizens, still have much work to do to create a more equitable, climate resilient, and sustainable world. Rapid urbanization is making more and more people vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with marginalized communities disproportionately affected by climate change. Now is the time to strengthen the capacities of city governments, globally, in the design of policies and initiatives which curb city-wide greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to climate change, while giving disadvantaged groups a voice in the development of climate action plans.

WED is an occasion, as UEF would like to emphasise, to remember that sustainable future is only possible if we act now in cities and towns and in collaboration with other levels of government, businesses, civil society, and citizens. There is an urgency for urban planning systems to change. Indeed, they are often contributors to urban problems rather than tools for human and environmental improvement. 


The theme of this year is “ONLYONEEARTH.” We must strive to continue creating sustainable ways of living, working and development while protecting, restoring and creating new ecosystems for future generations. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation worldwide require the formation of new concepts of ecological restoration and rehabilitation aimed at improving ecosystem functions, services, and biodiversity conservation in cities. 


Urban Economy Forum will show support to raise awareness on UN Environment Programme's campaign on #OnlyOneEarth by gathering and displaying messages from our communities and sharing it on our social media and website.

#ONLYONEEARTH

Designed by Elena Mozhvilo

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