The date of the 5th June 2022 will forever be remembered as part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee. Whether you are a staunch royalist or a republican, this is a remarkable achievement of 70 years’ of unwavering leadership.
Sadly, unless you went out of your way to seek it out, you are less likely to have seen evidence that it is also the 50th Anniversary of the very first meeting called by the United Nations to consider the risks posed by climate change. It is World Environment Day. The UN marked this occasion by returning to Stockholm where the very first meeting was held. The Stockholm +50 was marketed with the strapline:
“A healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity“
Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General warned that “Earth’s natural systems cannot keep up with our demands” and urged the conference to “lead us out of this environmental mess”. I’m particularly struck by his proclamation “Hot air is killing us”. Read it whichever way you choose.
World Environment Day has been celebrated on 5th June each year since its inception, with different host nations taking responsibility for organising the conference. You can read more about some of the lessons and actions that have emerged from a selection of these annual conferences as part of our climate action campaign. I’ve only recently learned why the UN was first alerted to the problem of climate change.
In 1967, Sweden took the bold strategy to shift from driving on the left to driving on the right, in keeping with the rest of continental europe. Rather than being remembered for the ensuing chaos, that weekend shutdown in Stockholm and Malmo was noticeable by the freshness of the air in the absence of vehicle fumes. This led Sweden to press the UN to take up the cause of environmental pollution. In typical fashion of cogs grinding slowly, that wish took five years, but was finally fulfilled on 5th June 1972, when the first conference was held. 5th June was designated to mark World Environment Day.
Fifty years on, and we have been reminded by the pandemic, that as the world slows down, the drop in pollution levels and the freshness of the air we breath are noticeable. We also have a reminder of how swiftly those moments of fresh air are wiped away by ever-intensifying pressures of global economics.
The Stockholm +50 conference ended with a positive set of actions towards sustainability. The hosts commended that work, concluding with a statement from Inger Anderson, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme:
“Now we must take forward this energy, this commitment to action to shape our world.”
You can read more about the conference and these commitments here.
If you want to do your bit for the Environment this jubilee weekend, write to your MP and ask them what they are doing to support this statement of commitment to action to shape our world, referencing the Stockholm +50 conference.