World Environment Day 5 June 2023 - Theme and Importance

World Environment Day is a global event commemorated every year on June 5th to promote awareness with regard to environmental protection. On this day, many people from local and international organisations gather to raise their voices against the activities that cause harm to the global environment. 

Climate change affects people's lives and health in various ways. Safe drinking water, clean air, a supply of nutrient-rich food, and a secure place to live are all at risk, and it may undermine decades of advancement in global health.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO) report, environmental change is predicted to result in over 2,50,000 fatalities between 2030 and 2050, resulting from malaria, malnutrition, heat stress and diarrhoea. In addition, it was estimated that 24% of global deaths are related to environmental issues, followed by 32 lakhs of deaths due to indoor smoke emitted from cooking fuels and 42 lakhs deaths due to exposure to dust, smoke etc. To curb the further degeneration of the ecosystem, collaborative, transformative action on a global scale is required to safeguard nature. 

World Environment Day takes the opportunity to create a platform for raising awareness in various sectors, but not limited to air pollution, waste management, plastic waste, and menstrual hygiene in order to provide long sustainable harmony with nature.

Air pollution: It is considered the single greatest environmental threat to human health. As per WHO estimation in 2018, nine out of ten individuals breathe above acceptable polluted outdoor air, and 70 lakh people die worldwide due to outdoor and indoor air pollution. Around 5,70,000 children under the age of five die yearly from secondhand smoke, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and respiratory illnesses like pneumonia. 

Waste management:  As per the World Bank report 2020, it was estimated that the world generated 224 crore tons of solid garbage. The annual waste generation is anticipated to rise by 73% (from 224 to 388 crore tons) in 2050 due to increased population expansion and urbanisation.

Plastic Waste: It is one of the major problems currently affecting the globe, which has far-reaching effects. It affects wildlife, especially marine species, and ecosystems. Since the beginning of the century (2000), the amount of plastic produced worldwide has doubled, reaching almost 40 crore metric tons annually in 2021.

Menstrual Hygiene: The sanitary pads can have up to 90% plastic, most of which gets disposed of in landfills. As per the environmental organisation Toxics Link report, over 1230 crore old sanitary pads are thrown into landfills in India annually. These synthetic sanitary pads take between 250 and 800 years to decompose.

This year, 2023, the World Environment Day 2023 theme is "#BeatPlasticPollution", a 51st anniversary of World Environment Day and a global call to combat plastic pollution.

The term "plastic pollution" refers to the accumulation of waste plastic products and particles pose to Earth's ecosystems. It has risen to the forefront of environmental concerns because of the exponential growth in the use of single-use plastics.

More plastic waste is produced per person in developing countries with poor garbage collection systems. Due to this, most of the plastic that pollutes the ocean originates in the rivers of developing and middle-income nations. However, developed nations, particularly those with low recycling rates, also struggle with plastic waste collection.

In 2019, 46 crore tons of plastic had been dumped globally, where 9% of the plastic waste had been recycled, and 22% was mismanaged. Though more than 120 countries have some form of ban or tax on single-use plastics, it does not significantly impact the problem.

Most regulations focus on items such as plastic bags, which account for a negligible portion of plastic waste, but significantly impact littering rather than reducing plastic consumption. This lays the importance of spreading awareness of plastic usage and its hazardous environmental effects.



On this day, people from various corners of the world step forward to create awareness about plastic pollution and seek to unite local authorities, industries, communities, and individuals to find sustainable solutions in the replacement of plastic.

Year-by-year themes for World Environment Day

• World Environment Day 2022 theme: Only One Earth
• World Environment Day 2021 theme: Generation restoration- Ecosystem restoration
• World Environment Day 2020 theme: Time for Nature
• World Environment Day 2019 theme: Beat Air Pollution

Why we need to protect our environment?

Environmental protection is the cornerstone for maintaining our planet, communities, and economy. If it is not protected, the following can be serious effects but not limited to:

• Unavailability of a place for shelter
• Deforestation
• Increase in global temperature
• Poor quality of air
• Extinction of species
• Natural disasters

Know more about health awareness days, weeks and months