Milan, Italy 2015:
Theme: Seven billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.
In 2015, Milan hosted a world expo in which over 140 countries participated over the six months from May 1st to October 31st. The motto for the expo was Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. As the designated host city for World Environment Day, the WED theme was chosen to be an integral part of the full Expo. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is headquartered in Rome, and released its report on the global problem of food insecurity under the title The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015.
As well as focusing on the problems of food sustainability, the programme was also closely supported by another UN organisation – the International Organisation for Migration. They are the leading intergovernmental organisation concerned with migration and its links to economic, social and environmental drivers, as well as forced migration.
The WED theme chosen for 2015 made the link between the global population which passed 7bn in 2011 to the challenge of food sustainability, general overconsumption, and the need to find an environmentally acceptable solution, remembering that nearly 800 million people suffered daily hunger whilst 1.3bn tonnes of food were wasted annually.
A Brief Look at Milan
Milan is the capital of the Lombardy region of Italy, lying in the north of the country, quite close to the Alps. It is the leading financial centre of the country and the most prosperous commercial and manufacturing area. Following World War II many Italians from the poorer south migrated to the Milan area seeking work in this industrial area. The population stabilised in the 1960s, but since the 1980s there has been a steady influx of migrants from other countries. These people are seeking a better economic life and also often fleeing war and persecution in their home countries. First hand knowledge of immigrants moving into the area makes people more aware of the global population growth and the challenges and opportunities this brings.
With this background to the region, the world fair, held every 2 to 3 years, was held in Milan in 2015 and was used to highlight the problem of global population growth. One aim of EXPO2015 was to express the need to create sustainable economic development while attempting to stabilise the rate at which resources are used. The world’s poorest need to be lifted out of poverty whilst managing the natural resources.
As one of the main ports of entry to the European Union for economic and political migrants, Italy has faced more challenge with growing numbers of assylum seekers than most of the European countries. The link between food poverty, the environmental damage threatened by climate change which hits the poorest hardest, and population migration towards richer countries also underlies the theme of the expo and chosen for World Environment Day.
Find out more
The link between the world expo and the World Environment Day theme is explained in the publicity produced by the expo, as well as in the press release from the UN Environment Programme. The International Organisation for Migration issued their own press release, reflecting the link between food poverty and their interest in global population movement. The lavish scale of the expo being at odds with the theme was subject to some criticism, especially as the global leaders in fast food were major sponsors of the event which claimed to delebrate slow food, local agriculture and healthy eating.
Ideas for Further Study.
- Why is this theme important to the host city/country?
- Why is the theme important in averting the climate crisis and supporting environmental sustainability?
- How did they raise awareness of its importance?
- What actions arose from this? Is the world in a better place because of it?
- What more might they have done with today’s knowledge?