World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event celebrated on June 5th which raises awareness of environmental issues and encourages people across the globe to take action to protect our shared environment. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly designated June 5th as World Environment Day in 1972, marking the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. That same day, they adopted another resolution creating the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). UNEP coordinated the first celebration of WED in 1973, and it has led celebrations ever since.

The Republic of Azerbaijan will host the global commemoration of World Environment Day in Baku. This year’s theme is climate change. According to the 2026 campaign website, this theme focuses “on the signals the Earth is sending, and the signals we choose to send back. UNEP’s global campaign calls on all of us to step in #NowForClimate, and help steer a world already in motion…Every action is a signal. Start a conversation. Fund a solution. Shift a policy. Share a story. Make your moves in ways that move others.” The campaign site notes that while climate impacts are increasing, so are solutions, and it emphasizes the importance of acting now to improve the situation. “Acting on climate could prevent millions of deaths and trillions in economic losses by 2050.”

Want to get involved? Check out the campaign’s “Climate solutions” pages for suggested actions appropriate for individuals; national, regional, and municipal governments; civil society groups; academia; and businesses.

Educators can check out my previous post on the Illinois Climate Education Hub to learn a about free online database of resources to help promote climate literacy and empower students.

The Project Drawdown website offers a wealth of Insights posts as well as a “Shift” section for a personal guide to action and job function action guides.

Although it’s from 2023, the NRDC post “How You Can Stop Global Warming” offers timelessly sound advice.

What actions are you taking to reduce your climate impacts? Share your ideas in the comments.