World Environment Day is the largest international day for environmental public outreach and is marked by millions of people across the world. This year’s theme is #OnlyOneEarth: Let's take care of it and calls for collective, transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet. The #OnlyOneEarth movement shines a spotlight on climate action, nature action and pollution action while encouraging everyone, everywhere to live sustainably. “Only One Earth” was the slogan for the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50 years on, this truth still holds – this planet is our only home and humanity must safeguard its finite resources.

EU Green Deal: Make it real #EUGreenWeek

#EUGreenWeek is Europe's biggest annual conference on environment policy, bringing together participants from government, industry, non-governmental organisations, academia and the media for a unique exchange of ideas and best practices to protect our planet. This year's European Green Week took place over the past week, from 30 May up until World Environment Day. This year's edition focused on the European Green Deal - the EU’s sustainable and transformative growth strategy for a resource-efficient and climate-neutral Europe by 2050.

Day 1

On 30 May, the EU Green Week hybrid conference opened with a Youth Citizens’ Dialogue with Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, followed by the high-level opening debate on the EU environmental policy in times of crisis. Day 1 also saw the special 30^th Anniversary of the presentation of the LIFE Awards.

I think the most striking message is that young people want us to act now and they feel it’s still not enough. We need to stay very clear on our path of green transition.

- Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries

Watch the wrap-up video of the first day:

Day 2

The second day of the EU GreenWeek saw a discussion on Circular Economy, Zero Pollution and Nature Restoration Targets.

What we do is industrial upcycling – we started around 10 years ago with big factories in Bangladesh, India and Poland for example. The idea is to circulate all the leftovers back to production inside the factory and we always calculate the environmental impact of the product.

- Aus Reet, Senior researcher / Creative director - Estonian Academy of Arts / Upmade

Watch the wrap-up video of the second day:

The complete daily updates on the EU Green Week can be found here.

Brussels turns green for World Environment Day

On World Environment Day 2022, Brussels, will mark the occasion by illuminating the City Hall at the Grand Place in green. The event, held on World Environment Day on the 5 June and supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), will draw representatives from the City of Brussels, the government of Belgium, the European Union, the UN and members of the diplomatic community.

More information can be found here.

Biodiversity loss, nature protection, and the EU strategy for nature

Take action! If you start with the small things, you will find it easier to progress to more ambitious steps. It only takes a small number of dedicated and peaceable individuals to bring about major social changes!

An Advocacy Toolkit for Nature published under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, offers an overall understanding of biodiversity loss and its effects in nature, the reasons behind it and the link with climate change. It also explains what Europe is doing to solve the problem at home and abroad, and presents examples of what you can do personally for a greener planet.

Earlier this year, via the #BeTheWave campaign, we made the Earth's call for help heard by amplifying its heartbeat to raise awareness on the protection of the planet.

Please read and share the #OnlyOneEarth Practical Guide for ideas of transformative actions that governments can take on this World Environment Day. 

Now it's time to take action. What are YOU doing to make a difference? #BeTheWave of change for a safe environment!