Today In History: World Environment Day

World Environment Day is celebrated each year on June 5th. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, with the following goals: 1) Give a human face to environmental issues; 2) Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; 3) Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and 4) Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and all peoples enjoy a safer and prosperous future. First held in 1973, the celebration has been recognized each year by counties throughout the world. For the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, host country Cote d'Ivoire kicks off this year's theme which focuses on ecosystems' restoration, namely solutions to plastic that massively pollutes oceans and other bodies of water; destroys wildlife; and threatens the biological community of interacting organisms and their environment.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• A Day to Observe. (1973, Jun 05). New York Times (1923-) 
• Cole, P. (1973, Jun 06). The Eco-Show Comes to Town. The Guardian (1959-2003) 
• Hayward, H.S. (1975, Jun 05). UN Official Warns of Urban Crises. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Ecological Awareness Campaigns Begin: World Environment Day. (1986, Jun 06). The Hindustan Times (1924-) 
• Action Plan to Combat Pollution Needed: World Environment Day. (1996, Jun 06). The Hindustan Times (1924-) 
• U. N. Celebrates Unfinished Job of Cleaning Up the Environment. (1997, Jun 05). The Times of India (1861-2010) 
• People Must Be Educated to Protect Environment: Expert. (2000, Jun 06). The Times of India (1861-2010) 
• Amritkar, C. (2005, Jun 05). Green Cities Plan For the Planet. The Times of India (1861-2010) 
• Melting Ice Prime Concern: Save the Planet World Environment Day 2007's Agenda Is to Give Human Face to Environmental Issues. (2007, Jun 05). The Times of India (1861-2010) 
• Pollak, S. (2015, Jun 06). State Donates Almost 2m to Help Tackle Climate Change: World Environment Day. The Irish Times (1921-) 

Tips:

• Carlo Delgado-Ramos. Inequality and Climate Change: Perspectives from the South. Oxford: CODESRIA, 2015. e-book
• Henderson, Joseph., and Andrea. Drewesm. Teaching Climate Change in the United States. London: Routledge, 2020. e-book
• Reay, Dave. Climate-Smart Food. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG, 2019. e-book
• Stern, Nicholas. Why Are We Waiting?: The Logic, Urgency, and Promise of Tackling Climate Change. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2015. e-book
• Thangavel, P., and G. Sridevi, eds. Environmental Sustainability Role of Green Technologies. 1st ed. 2015. New Delhi: Springer India, 2015. e-book
• Wong, Kaufui Vincent. Climate Change. New York, [New York]: Momentum Press, 2016. e-book

Images:

• Underwater Marine Life, Courtesy of Pixabay
• Earth Logo, Courtesy of PublicDomainVectors
• Poster Image: World Environment Day, Courtesy of PublicDomainVectors

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