Join World Environment Day 2025

“Beat Plastic Pollution” is the challenge this World Environment Day. World Environment Day 2025 aims to amplify its call for collective action to protect the planet on a global scale. It is slated to take place on June 5 in the Jeju Province of South Korea, two months before the world reconvenes to negotiate an international treaty that ends plastic pollution. The event will also focus on scientific research that shows the growing impact of plastic pollution, helping people reconsider the use of plastic.

Paso Pacifico supports this global initiative. We continue implementing programs that engage local communities and other partners in restoring and protecting MesoAmerica’s Pacific Slope. This includes its rainforests and coastal ecosystems, where wildlife diversity needs protection from various threats, including pollution.

Our Response: Engagement, Innovation, Education

The problem of plastic pollution has been impacting coastal and water ecosystems, nesting areas, and marine wildlife safety worldwide. The MesoAmerican region is no exception. Our conservation efforts and innovative programs—like environmental education and the InvestEGGator project that tracks sea turtle routes to curb illegal trade—are bringing positive change to MesoAmerican coastal areas. 

However, more must be done to combat habitat degradation. This requires collective effort. This year’s World Environment Day and its emphasis on the gravity of plastic pollution’s impact on marine wildlife ecosystems aims to pressure policymakers and world leaders to take action. 

While we hope for radical solutions on a global scale, we at Paso Pacifico continue to involve local communities in protecting wildlife corridors in the Pacific Slope.  

History of World Environment Day

On June 5, 1972, the United Nations started World Environment Day. It was established during that year’s Stockholm Conference of the Human Environment. The first World Event Day was held on the fifth of June 1973. Its theme was “Only One Earth.”

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) directs the yearly event. The occasion offers a global platform where millions of people worldwide can tackle the most pressing environmental issues that need attention and solutions.

It is observed globally in 150 countries, including North and Central America. The event is observed with environment-themed government programs, community and school events, media campaigns, coastal clean-up drives, tree planting activities, youth camps, festivals, and demonstrations by advocacy groups. 

This year’s call to end plastic pollution aims to influence consumer preferences, lifestyle habits, industry restrictions, and government policies concerning the use of plastic. A strategic information drive highlights how plastic waste ends up in oceans and rivers, killing species and destroying habitats. It also reiterates how microplastics can harm humans and various aspects of our lives. 

Paso Pacifio helps address this global concern by promoting social-ecological resilience. Aspects like wildlife conservation, livelihood, and technology are all part of our programs, making our efforts holistic, collaborative, and innovative. 

Confronting the Urban Plastic Waste Problem

We believe in the value of saving wildlife corridors. From ridges to reefs, plastic waste has been disrupting flora and fauna in the region’s water systems and reservoirs. 

Plastic waste affects the MesoAmerican region in numerous ways. Rivers, estuaries, and mangrove habitats are threatened as inland waste makes its way downstream. Plastic debris that enters marine habitats suffocates and creates suffering for various wildlife. Many species are already considered endangered by the IUCN. Plastic waste only serves to magnify the dangers to their existence.

Paso Pacifico has various environmental conservation and educational programs. They shine a spotlight on the urgency of combating this global threat. Apart from other dangers, plastic pollution threatens the existence of marine animals, many of which are endangered according to the IUCN. 

The sea turtle is an excellent example. It is an endangered species that has been affected by plastic pollution. They cannot escape from plastic waste,  and we are losing at least 1,000 sea turtles annually. Around 22% die from accidentally eating plastic that lacerates and perforates their internal organs. Chairs made of plastic, weather balloons, plastic packaging, and discarded fishing gear are often the reason for their deaths.

Our various education and environmental conservation programs highlight the urgency of this global threat. 

The Monsoon Season Effect

Monsoon seasons worsen the situation. Plastic enters the Pacific Ocean when rains carry waste into rivers and canals. Community drainage systems become blocked due to large volumes of plastic waste. Plastic litter is strewn across fields, streets, and wetlands. They eventually find their way into bodies of water.

Governments, business leaders, and community members must thus collaborate to jointly fix this universal issue. Their efforts can prevent related economic threats while saving local wildlife from unnecessary suffering.

Adverse Impact on Lives and Livelihood

From production to disposal, plastics threaten everyone on the planet, including the people, animals, and plants who live on it.

Carbon Emissions

Manufacturing creates chemical additives and waste. These are greenhouse gas emissions. They exacerbate climate change and its detrimental effects on the environment.

Burning plastic also loads the atmosphere with carbon, further polluting the air, impacting human and climate health.

Drainage Clogging and Flooding

Flash floods that result from plastic-clogged drainage systems can take away lives, ruin agricultural products, and destroy homes in a matter of hours.

Socio-Economic Effects

The far-reaching effects of plastic pollution also harm the economy. Communities are disrupted while businesses halt operations. Rivers, lakes, and seas affected by plastic waste pollution become limited sources of livelihood for fishermen. The debris wreaks havoc on marine organisms’ health as many of them die from toxicity and injury. 

Health Issues

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that contaminate our air, food, and water. Human cells interact with them when they reach the bloodstream. Studies show that they can cause strokes, neurological conditions, lung diseases, cardiovascular illnesses, and other health issues.

Food Contamination

Shellfish, fish, and other seafood eventually ingest microplastics. They are harvested from the sea and consumed by humans. People end up ingesting the microplastics within them. Microplastics also find their way to fruits and vegetables via fertilizers that use sewage sludge.

Join Our Mission To Beat Plastic Pollution 

Over 400 million tons of plastic are produced in the market every year worldwide. Less than 10% of plastic waste is repurposed. The rest ends up in our waters. Single-use plastics include bottles, cups, packaging, syringes, cutlery, bags, straws, confetti, and more. They all contribute to this massive volume. Conscious consumerism advocates for regulated production and disposal, but on a global scale, they are still widely used in homes and businesses. 

Paso Pacifico encourages and educates the public on the reduction of plastic consumption. We help save marine life and the places where they live. We urge people, organizations, governments, and other stakeholders to take care of the planet by sharing relevant facts and statistics. We encourage them to live by ecological ethics as they change the way they live, operate, and consume products.

We face plastic pollution-related threats everywhere. Plastic has affected our environment and the health of species across the food chain. We can be part of the solution by working together toward a shared goal. Let’s avoid using plastic. Instead, let’s use more reusable bags and utensils. We can also employ reusable water bottles and environmentally friendly packaging. 

You can help us continue our programs by donating to our conservation and Junior Ranger education efforts in rural Central America. Help us spread awareness about the environmental problems affecting wildlife corridors and marine species. 

This World Environment Day, we can make change happen together.