South Africa will on Sunday join other nations in commemorating World Environment Day 2022.

This year, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) and eThekwini Municipality will commemorate the day in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

WED is the biggest international day for environment awareness.

Led by UNEP and held annually since 1974, 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.

This year, World Environment Day will be held under the campaign slogan: “Only One Earth”, with a focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.

This year is a historic milestone for the global environmental community. It marks 50 years since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, widely seen as the first international meeting on the environment.

The world is facing three major environmental crises: climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, as well as waste pollution.

This is driven by human activity and unsustainable patterns of consumption and production. The world’s most vulnerable communities are often the worst impacted by environmental crises.

“The recent torrential rains and deadly floods experienced in KwaZulu-Natal are evidence of the devastating impact the environmental crises have on humanity, our economies and our natural world, and a stark reminder of the urgent action needed,” the DFFE said in a statement.