Toronto marked World Environment Day with a special celebration held against the backdrop of the Canadian city’s waterfront. Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik was joined by UNEP Regional Director for North America Rafael Peralta, former UNEP Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell and City Councillor Dianne Saxe. The event highlighted Toronto’s role as North America’s host city for this year’s World Environment Day.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and the University of Toronto Trash Team (U of T Trash Team) also feted the day with UNEP. The U of T Trash Team had previously installed litter traps along the Toronto harbourfront, intercepting tens of thousands of kilograms of floating litter. The debris was collected an analyzed to better understand the types prevalent in the waterways – and how best to reduce it. Take a look at what they found! 

Narapat Kaewthong, Assistant Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, led the country's celebrations yesterday, which focused on ending plastic pollution. Marlene Nilsson, Deputy Director of UNEP’s Asia-Pacific office, delivered a keynote speech during the event.

The environment ministry also launched a campaign dubbed “Use Plastic Wisely, Transform Thailand Sustainably.” It’s designed to increase plastic recycling, support informal waste collectors and spur action on climate change.

The headquarters of Qatar’s ministry of environment and climate change was lit in green yesterday to celebrate World Environment Day. The ministry also circulated a series of tips on how its citizens can limit plastic pollution and preserve the environment. Check out this video for and in-depth look at how Qatar is countering plastic waste.

UNEP chief Inger Andersen wrote an editorial in South Africa's Daily Maverick on why the global movement to end plastic pollution is so critical. In it, she pointed to the rising toll the debris is taking on the planet. “The harm caused by plastic pollution on species, ecosystems and economies is well documented," she said. "The costs of plastic pollution could rise as high as a cumulative $281-trillion between 2016 and 2040."

Read the editorial

From Mexico to India, political leaders across the globe are voicing their support for World Environment Day. Many emphasized the importance of ending plastic pollution.

• Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, welcomed the start of World Environment Day in a post on X.
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi planted a tree in Delhi as part of a national reforestation drive.
• Pedro Sanchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, said limiting plastic pollution was a “commitment to our future.”
• Mohamed Bin Zayed, President of the United Arab Emirates, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to protecting the environment.
• Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and other political leaders discussed  the importance of safeguarding the environment and ending plastic pollution.
• Swiss Ambassador for the Environment Felix Wertli spoke about upcoming talks on a global agreement to end plastic pollution. The negotiations will be held in Geneva.

It’s been a busy day here at the live feed, with events and announcements pouring in from across the globe. To quickly catch up on what’s happened, check out our official World Environment Day press release. While the celebrations are over in many places, in some they’re just beginning. So, stay tuned here for the latest.

Former UNEP Champion of the Earth Constantino Aucca Chutas is urging everyone, everywhere to do their part to reduce plastic pollution. “Let’s go. We can do it,” he said in a video posted to YouTube. Chutas is the founder of two conservation groups that have planted millions of trees and revived ecosystems across South America’s Andes mountain range.

The natural world, in the way it reuses everything and wastes nothing, has a lot to teach humanity about how to end the plastic pollution crisis. That’s the message from UNEP’s Goodwill Ambassadors, a group of celebrities from around the world passionate about the environment.