Communities, governments, businesses, and civil society across the globe united today to observe World Environment Day 2025, held under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution. Official celebrations took place in Jeju Province, Republic of Korea, spotlighting urgent global efforts to combat the growing crisis of plastic pollution.
The event comes amid alarming forecasts: plastic leakage into the environment is expected to rise by 50 percent by 2040, infiltrating ecosystems and even human bodies through food, water, and air. This year’s World Environment Day also marks a critical moment, just two months ahead of resumed international negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his official message, emphasized the scale and severity of the issue:
“Plastic waste clogs rivers, pollutes the ocean, and endangers wildlife… from the top of Mount Everest to the depths of the ocean; from human brains to breastmilk.”
While noting positive steps in public engagement and policy, Antonio Guterres urged world leaders to act “further, faster” to achieve meaningful change.
At the official ceremony in Jeju, Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), called plastic pollution a health, environmental, and economic crisis:
“Ending plastic pollution is possible. But we cannot lean solely on recycling. Only by tackling the full life cycle of plastics and embracing circularity can we ensure a cleaner future.”
Korea’s Vice Environment Minister Lee Byounghwa echoed the call to action:
“Before plastic pollution ends us, we must beat plastic pollution ourselves. Let us start with small actions, together.”
Jeju Province has been a leader in environmental action, launching an ambitious campaign to eliminate single-use plastics by 2040 through community-wide circularity initiatives.
Global Action Highlights
Mexico: President Claudia Sheinbaum launched a National Strategy for Beach and Coast Cleanup and Conservation (2025–2030), aiming to eliminate all plastic waste from coastal regions within five years.
Global transport hubs: Airports in Baghdad, Beijing, Brussels, Geneva, and Kansai (Japan) delivered educational messages to millions of travelers. Public transport systems in Beijing and Mexico City joined the campaign, alongside billboard takeovers in New York’s Times Square and illuminated landmarks like Geneva’s Jet d’Eau and city halls across Belgium.
Data-driven action: UNEP’s Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML) launched the Global Plastics Hub, a comprehensive digital platform to unite stakeholders through shared knowledge and collaboration.
Youth & Art at the Forefront
In India, youth leaders gathered for a national summit under the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge, showcasing solutions from one of the world’s largest youth environmental movements, now spanning over 980,000 participants in more than 60 countries.
In Chicago, a 245-foot mural titled Stand Tall by Dutch artist Mr. Super A was unveiled on the Prudential Building skyline, part of the #EcosystemRestorationMurals initiative by Street Art for Mankind (SAM), UNEP, and the FAO.
Global Voices Speak Out
More than 2,500 events took place around the world, amplifying messages through social media with hashtags #WorldEnvironmentDay and #BeatPlasticPollution, both trending globally.
World leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, along with UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors Jason Momoa, Dia Mirza, Antoinette Taus, and Alex Rendell, lent their voices to the cause.
In a special message, former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged collective global action:
“World Environment Day should be a turning point for governments, civil society, companies, the scientific community, and future generations.”
As momentum builds toward a binding global treaty, World Environment Day 2025 served as both a rallying cry and a reminder: to beat plastic pollution, every sector, every community, and every individual must take action — starting now.
GreentechLead.com News Desk