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World Environment Day is the biggest day to protect our environment. It is celebrated every year on June 5. On this day, people around the world join hands to take care of the Earth. People from over 150 countries, including leaders, schools, companies, and families, take part in cleaning, planting trees, and learning about how to keep nature safe.

This special day was started by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1973. Since then, it has been celebrated every year to help spread awareness and take action to protect our planet.

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World Environment Day 2025

World Environment Day 2025 will be celebrated on Thursday, June 5, 2025. This year, it will focus on a very serious problem that is harming our Earth — plastic pollution. The campaign for 2025 is #BeatPlasticPollution.

Plastic is a material we use every day in bottles, bags, toys, and many other things. But when we throw away plastic, it does not go away. It stays in the soil, in rivers, in oceans, and even in the air. Plastic can take hundreds of years to break down. That means plastic made today could still be here after many, many years.

The goal of World Environment Day 2025 is to stop plastic pollution and help people learn ways to use less plastic.

Also Read: National and International Days 2025

World Environment Day 2025 Theme

The theme of World Environment Day 2025 is #BeatPlasticPollution. This means we all must work together to reduce plastic waste, stop using single-use plastic, and clean up the plastic that is already polluting our planet.

This theme tells us to:

• Stop using plastic items that are used only once and then thrown away.
• Reuse items instead of throwing them.
• Recycle plastic whenever possible.
• Teach others about the problems caused by plastic.

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World Environment Day 2025 Host Country

Each year, a different country hosts World Environment Day. This means the country will lead the global events, speeches, and clean-up programs.

The host country for World Environment Day 2025 is the Republic of Korea (South Korea). This is the second time South Korea is hosting this event. The first time was in 1997, and the theme back then was “For Life on Earth.”

As the host, South Korea will organize many activities like school programs, TV shows, and community clean-ups to show the world how we can beat plastic pollution.

Also Read: World Press Freedom Day 2025

Why is June 5 Celebrated as Environment Day?

June 5 is celebrated as World Environment Day because it was the first day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden. The UN decided that this date should be used to remind everyone to protect the environment. Since 1973, this day has been used every year to talk about one big environmental problem and how we can solve it.

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World Environment Day History

World Environment Day started in 1972 after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm, Sweden. This conference was the first global meeting focused on environmental issues. In December 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was created. The first World Environment Day was celebrated on June 5, 1973, with the theme “Only One Earth.” Since then, it is celebrated every year on June 5 with a new theme and host country. It helps raise awareness and inspires people to protect the environment around the world.

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Present Statistics of Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems today. Let’s look at some facts to understand how serious this problem is:

• Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are made every year.
• Half of that plastic is used only once, like straws, bags, or food packaging, and then thrown away.
• Less than 10% of plastic gets recycled.
• Around 11 million tonnes of plastic end up in rivers, lakes, and oceans every year. That’s like the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers!
• India is the world’s biggest plastic polluter, releasing 9.3 million metric tonnes of plastic waste every year. This is more than the next four countries combined.
• Microplastics are very tiny pieces of plastic (smaller than 5mm) that are found in our food, water, and even the air we breathe.
• Every person eats more than 50,000 microplastic particles each year – and even more if we count what we breathe in!
• Burning or throwing plastic pollutes the air, water, and land and harms plants, animals, and human health.

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World Environment Day FAQs

When Was the First World Environment Day Celebrated?

The first World Environment Day was celebrated in the year 1973. That was more than 50 years ago. The first theme was “Only One Earth”. It reminded people that we only have one planet, and we must take care of it.

Who Will Host World Environment Day 2026?

The host country for World Environment Day 2026 has not been officially announced yet. The United Nations usually tells this a few months before the next event. Many countries take turns hosting. We will know soon who will organize the 2026 celebrations.

What is the theme for World Environment Day 2025?

The theme for World Environment Day 2025 is “#BeatPlasticPollution.” It is about reducing plastic use and finding better ways to protect nature from plastic waste.

Why is World Environment Day celebrated?

World Environment Day is celebrated to create awareness about environmental problems and to encourage people to protect the Earth. It helps people learn about issues like pollution, global warming, plastic waste, and deforestation.

Who will host World Environment Day 2026?

The host country for World Environment Day 2026 has not been announced yet. UNEP will decide and share this information in the future.