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While the 22nd of April is Earth Day in the United States, The United Nations (UN) also has a long standing celebration of the Earth. On the fifth day of June, The UN holds its  World Environment Day. Here is an explanation of World Environment Day from the UN’s Environment Programme website (UNEP):

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

Commemorated yearly on 5 June, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The day’s agenda is to:

Give a human face to environmental issues;

Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;

Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues;

Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

The theme for WED 2009 is ‘Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change’. . . . This year’s host is Mexico which reflects the growing role of the Latin American country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets.

Mexico currently partners with the UNEP in their billion tree program. More than 100 million trees have been planted across Mexico. The program’s goal is to plant 1 billion trees annually worldwide. Launched in November of 2006, the program expects to have planted 7,000,000,000 trees by the end of 2009. Through public outreach and education, it is possible to spread the message about the importance of planting trees to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, provide a cooling effect, produce oxygen, and increase biodiversity. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP, adds that planting new forests helps with “improving water availability, stemming desertification and reducing erosion.” Regardless of one’s green thumb, anyone can pledge to support the billion tree initiative through UNEP or the Nature Conservancy to celebrate World Environment Day.

- Eric Wilson

[image source: United Nations Environment Programme]