Written by Strategic Agenda’s Communications and Writing team
World Environment Day was established by the United Nations as a focal point for efforts to manage the impact of human activity on the natural environment. Every year since 1973, on 5 June, millions of people across the world partake in activities that shed a light on the most pressing environmental issues. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this campaign has become the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is a key moment in the calendar for stakeholders, and their communications teams, from every sector and market.
If the rhetoric on World Environment Day gives you déjà vu, you’re probably familiar with the famous Earth Day. Celebrated on 22 April every year since its inception in 1970 (just a few years prior to World Environment Day), Earth Day is organised by non-profit EARTHDAY.ORG and is described as “the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement.” The aim is to empower individual actions and community voices to unite and enact larger positive change.
A different theme from within the broad spectrum of environmental issues is highlighted each year and for each ‘Day’. The chosen theme shapes the messaging, visual identity and communications campaign of the Day. Both Days have recently received criticism for greenwashing, placing an inequitable burden on individual action, and failing to hold the most culpable to account.
In this article, we explore the 2024 communications campaigns for World Environment Day and Earth Day to better understand the different approaches to ‘World Days’, from the messages they promote to the tactics they use.
Ultimately, we are asking the question: Do we need both?
UNEP pulled out all the stops and went big with their campaign this year. Broad spectrum social media campaigning and traditional advertising tactics such as billboards (in New York City’s Times Square, no less) were complemented by quirkier tactics such as the world’s largest street artworks and a Spotify playlist. It worked – almost 4,000 events were officially registered to mark World Environment Day, a record high.
1) Timely themes
The annual theme helps shape each World Environment Day into a specific and targeted movement within the broader scope of environmental issues.
2) Effective efforts
Many calls to action are vague. Come join us… do what? To achieve an end goal, tangible and actionable efforts are needed.
3) Continuous coverage
In the lead-up to 5 June, there’s always a marked increase in posts on World Environment Day’s landing page and the accompanying updates page (featuring news and stories), as well as on all social media platforms.
Earth Day’s theme this year was “Planet vs. Plastics” and demanded an ambitious 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040. Earth Day 2024’s interactive map of events, which includes the surrounding Earth Month events, shows 8,907 events registered globally. The programme of activities and events was diverse but unified by their grassroots focus and core message.
1) Communal changemaking
Earth Day focuses on sparking individual action and creating public momentum that inspires policy change, rather than concentrating on corporate or institutional stakeholders directly. Trying to cater to such a broad audience means that digital spaces are often the first meeting point for changemaking communities. Earth Day 2024 offered the opportunity to engage with the campaign in different ways. People could:
2) Confrontation = conversation
This year’s slogan “Planet vs. Plastics” was a call-to-arms that clearly identified plastic manufacturing, usage, management and disposal as the enemy of the environmental movement.
3) Missing the mark?
It’s natural to compare World Environment Day and Earth Day, or even confuse one with the other. They share the same mission: increasing awareness and education around environmental protection. UNEP is extravagant with its World Environment Day campaign tactics (in terms of scope and budget) but softer in its messaging, while Earth Day’s activity is more grassroots-focused but aims to ignite a larger, confrontational debate.
World Environment Day is a high-level World Day with institutional involvement by world governments in partnership with the United Nations, NGOs, the private sector and finally, communities and individuals. But when UNEP goes big, do they then lose small? Is community engagement given too low a priority compared with putting pressure on institutions to effect change?
The classic Earth Day that most people grew up with cannot rest on its laurels. The campaign is overdue for a modern revamp. It’s great that it’s so ingrained in individuals, but it can focus too much on people who have less power to make a real difference.
The key is to balance activism and action with fighting for follow-through and accountability by the relevant authorities and corporations.
Coming back to the question “Do we really need both?”, the answer is “Yes” with a caveat…
Both campaigns fulfil different roles within the environmental issues and protection landscape. If they learn from each other, particularly in terms of creative communications, they should be able to effect real change and influence impact, advocacy and debate at every level.
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