Millions of people from all over the world came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the largest global platforms for environmental public outreach on World Environment Day, which was held on June 5 to raise awareness of ways to combat plastic pollution.
This year’s event, which was hosted by Côte d’Ivoire with support from the Netherlands, saw participation from more than 150 nations.
In his message for World Environment Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that it will require a society-wide approach to combat plastic pollution. To break our dependence on plastics, promote zero waste, and establish a truly circular economy, governments, businesses, and consumers alike must collaborate.
In an address on World Environment Day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged consumers, businesses, and governments to “break our addiction to plastics.” Cote d’Ivoire efforts to combat plastic pollution were highlighted at a number of events in Abidjan.
The leaders of the Ministry of Environment in Côte d’Ivoire and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen went to the Ébérie Lagoon to discuss efforts to reduce plastic waste.
In Abidjan, corporate heads from across the landmass assembled at the Africa President Gathering, where answers for plastic contamination were on the plan. The Minister of Culture and Francophonie, Françoise Remarck, also opened an exhibit at the Abobo Museum of Contemporary Art and Culture titled Polymers, Art, Plastics. It included fashion, paintings, sculptures, and other creative works made from plastic waste.
The global momentum toward a life-cycle approach to plastic was highlighted by awareness-raising activities like beach clean-ups, sporting events, and community events.
To commemorate World Environment Day, British cyclist Kate Strong rode a handmade bamboo bike 4,800 kilometers.
While UN Peacekeeping Forces from the UK, Argentina, and Slovakia collected plastic waste throughout the UN buffer zone in Cyprus, Indian film stars and musicians launched the music video TikTik Plastic, which called for action to be taken against plastic pollution.
World Environment Day messages were broadcast on billboards in Times Square and Piccadilly Circus, as well as airports and transportation networks from China and Indonesia to Chile and the United States. Indian film stars and musicians also launched the music video TikTik Plastic, which called for action to be taken against plastic pollution.
In the meantime, global celebrities like Karry Wang, Liu Tao, Ellie Goulding, Jason Momoa, Chris Lee, Antonio Banderas, Aidan Gallagher, Antoinette Taus, and Dia Mirza utilized their platforms to call for a rethink in the manner in which we design, produce, consume, and dispose of plastic. Other celebrities included Dia Mirza and Aidan Gallagher.
The hashtags #WorldEnvironmentDay and #BeatPlasticPollution trended at number one and two, respectively, on Twitter, and World Environment Day content was also seen more than 200 million times across languages and platforms.
Following the recent conclusion of a second round of negotiations on a global agreement to end plastic pollution in Paris as part of the International Negotiating Committee process, the topic of this World Environment Day is particularly timely.
Read the Beat Plastic Pollution Practical Guide to learn more about how you can help solve the problem of plastic pollution.
About World Environment Day World Environment Day is the most important international environmental day on June 5. The event, which has been held annually since 1973 under the direction of UNEP, has evolved into the largest global platform for environmental outreach, bringing together millions of people from all over the world to work toward protecting the planet.