World Environment Day: what is there to celebrate?

Illustration of planet Earth divided between preserved nature and environmental destruction, with a child in the center holding a plant seedling in a gesture of hope.

Introduction

Celebrated annually on June 5, World Environment Day was created by the UN in 1972, during the Stockholm Conference, with the aim of drawing global attention to environmental challenges. But, faced with a planet that burns, pollutes and consumes beyond its natural limits, the question remains: what is there really to celebrate?

A necessary assessment: advances and setbacks

Despite technological advances and sustainable policies in some countries, the global environmental outlook is alarming:

The Amazon rainforest has lost more than 20% of its original area (INPE, 2023).

The global average temperature has already increased by 1.2 °C since the pre-industrial era (IPCC, 2023).

Oceans face dead zones due to excess nutrients and plastic waste.

Brazil, a country with mega-biodiversity, appears as one of the protagonists – both as a solution and as a problem.

Why does June 5th still matter?

World Environment Day is still essential for:

Strengthen environmental education.

Mobilize governments and citizens.

Encourage changes in consumption.

Demand public conservation policies.

Each year, the date brings a different theme. In 2024, for example, the focus was on the restoration of ecosystems.

📌 Find out more on the official UN Environment website.

The climate crisis is knocking at the door

Extreme events on the rise

In recent years, we have seen record floods in Rio Grande do Sul, severe droughts in the Amazon and wildfires in California. Extreme events are more frequent and more intense – and this has everything to do with how we treat the planet.

> “We are digging our own grave.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General (2022)

The role of Latin America

Latin America has vital resources for a sustainable future:

The largest freshwater reserve in the world (Amazon and Guarani Aquifer).

Potential in clean energy, such as solar and wind.

Rich in biodiversity and arable land.

However, fragile economic and political pressures put these riches at risk.

What can each person do?

🎯 Changing the world starts at home. Some individual actions with collective impact:

Reduce the use of plastic.

Choose less polluting means of transport.

Save water and energy.

Consume consciously.

Support sustainable initiatives.

🛒 Useful products available on Amazon:

Composteira doméstica 

Reusable stainless steel bottle

Kit de cultivo de ervas em casa 

The importance of environmental education

Schools and media have a fundamental role to play in:

Form a new, more conscious generation.

Combat misinformation.

Promote nature-based solutions.

Knowledge is the most powerful weapon to save the planet.

Business needs to change too

Companies that do not adapt to the environmental responsibility model are doomed to obsolescence. The market currently values:

ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance).

Reverse logistics.

Clean and circular production.

🌱 Inspiring example: Natura, which integrates local Amazon communities into its production chain.

Initiatives that inspire

Tamar Project: protecting sea turtles in Brazil.

Reforestation is Life (ES): recovery of springs and riparian forests.

Green Belt Movement (Kenya): women's mobilization in tree planting.

Is there still time?

The window to avoid climate breakdown is closing, but it is not closed. We need to act now. According to the IPCC (2023), if we drastically reduce emissions by 2030, we can limit warming to 1.5°C.

Conclusion: celebrate or fight?

World Environment Day should not be a symbolic holiday, but a call to action.

Celebrate? Yes, for the achievements.

But above all, resist and transform, so that the future is not just a memory of a planet that was once green.

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References :

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SPACE RESEARCH – INPE. Satellite Monitoring of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest. São José dos Campos, 2023.

IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Geneva: IPCC, 2023.

UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION – UN. United Nations Environment Programme. Available at: https://www.unep.org/pt-br. Accessed on: June 5, 2025.