More than 150 countries are expected to participate in this year’s World Environment Day on 5 June, while millions are likely to engage through in-person and online activities.

Hosted by Côte d’Ivoire and supported by the Netherlands, this year’s theme focuses on solutions to plastic pollution.

The stakes could not be higher, as humanity produces over 430 million tonnes of plastic annually, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that soon become waste. While the social and economic costs of plastic pollution range between $US300 to US$600 billion per year.

As the recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, Turning off the Tap, makes clear, redesigning how we produce, use, recover and dispose of plastics and products could save US$4.5 trillion by 2040.

“We must refuse unnecessary single-use items,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in a video message. “We must redesign products and packaging to use less plastic. We must reuse, recycle, reorient and diversify our systems. This is how we keep plastic out of the ecosystems and in the economy. Everyone must play their part.”

This momentum for global action is clear in the World Environment Day Map, which showcases innovative, community-driven solutions to reduce plastic pollution. Hundreds of activities have been registered. From beach clean-ups in Mumbai, to cloth-bag sewing workshops in Ghana and zero-plastic-waste live concerts in Atlanta.

In New York, an art project made entirely of plastic waste will be launched at the World Trade Center. In India, screen stars and famous musicians have come together to create a music video and share messages to encourage more people to take action against plastic pollution. In Kazakhstan, local music group Great Steppe released a music video to mark the Day and highlight the environmental damage the Aral Sea is suffering.

These events, taking place in community centres, schools, businesses and homes, illustrate how individuals and communities are important drivers of environmental action.

Experts hope that momentum from these events can spur governments, cities, financial institutions and industries to use their power to invest in and implement large-scale solutions to overcome and reverse the plastic pollution crisis.

For more information on how you can help tackle the plastic pollution crisis, read and share the Beat Plastic Pollution Practical Guide.

About World Environment Day

World Environment Day on 5 June is one of the biggest international days for the environment. Led by UNEP and held annually since 1973, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet.