What date is World Environment Day? What is the theme of World Environment Day 2024?

Regarding this matter, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. What date is World Environment Day?

In the 1960s, environmental issues were not given much attention, leading to increasingly severe degradation and pollution. As people became aware of their harmful impact on the environment, they began taking concrete actions.

Specifically, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment took place in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 5th and 6th, 1972. Representatives from 113 countries discussed the relationship between humans and the environment.

During this meeting, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was officially established. The United Nations General Assembly also decided to designate June 5th as World Environment Day.

Therefore, World Environment Day is an international observance held annually on June 5th to raise awareness about global environmental issues and encourage actions to protect the Earth's environment.

2. What is the theme of World Environment Day 2024?

The theme of World Environment Day 2024 is "Beat Plastic Pollution." This theme was chosen by the United Nations to call for global action to reduce plastic waste, which is one of the most urgent environmental issues today.

The goal of the 2024 theme is to raise awareness about the harmful effects of plastic pollution on the environment and human health. It also aims to promote practical actions to minimize plastic waste, from production to consumption, and encourage sustainable alternatives to plastic products.

Some activities encouraged for World Environment Day 2024 include:

- Minimizing the use of single-use plastic items such as plastic bags, bottles, and straws.

- Reusing and recycling plastic items.

- Supporting businesses and organizations committed to reducing plastic waste.

- Participating in environmental cleanup activities and collecting plastic waste.

- Increasing community awareness of the hazards of plastic pollution through education and communication efforts.

3. Prohibited acts in environmental protection in Vietnam

Pursuant to Article 6 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, prohibited acts in environmental protection in Vietnam include:

- Failure to transport, bury, discharge and burn solid and hazardous waste in accordance with technical process and regulations of law on environmental protection.

- Discharging wastewater and exhaust gases that have yet to be treated according to technical regulations on environment into the environment.

- Dispersing and releasing into the environment hazardous substances and harmful viruses capable of infecting humans and animals, untested microorganisms, dead bodies of animals dying of epidemics and other agents harmful to human health, creatures and nature.

- Generating noise and vibration in excess of the permissible level stipulated in technical regulations on environment; discharging smokes, dusts and noxious gases into the air.

- Executing investment projects or discharging waste in case of failure to satisfy all conditions prescribed by the Law on Environmental Protection.

- Importing, temporarily importing, re-exporting and transiting waste from foreign countries in any shape or form.

- Illegally importing used vehicles, machinery and equipment for the purposes of dismantling or recycling.

- Failure to operate works or take measures to prevent and respond to environmental emergencies in accordance with regulations of law on environmental protection and other regulations of law.

- Concealing acts of polluting the environment, obstructing and falsifying information concerning environmental protection activities, thereby resulting in adverse effects on the environment.

- Manufacturing and trading products harmful to humans, creatures and nature; manufacturing and using raw materials and building materials containing toxic factors in excess of the permissible level prescribed in technical regulations on environment.

- Manufacturing, importing, temporarily importing, re-exporting and selling ozone depleting substances prescribed in the treaty on substances that deplete the ozone layer to which Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory.

- Sabotaging or infringing upon natural heritage sites.

- Sabotaging or infringing upon structures, equipment and facilities serving environmental protection activities.

- Abusing positions or powers to commit violations against regulations of law on environmental protection.

Any entity violating the law on environmental protection resulting in environmental pollution or degradation or environmental emergency or damage to the State shall remediate the pollution and environment, provide compensation for damage and incur penalties and be handled in accordance with regulations of Decree 45/2022/ND-CP (stipulated in Clause 1, Article 161 of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020).

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