World Environment Day, International Day Against Illegal and Unregulated Fishing, World Day Against Species Discrimination are celebrated on June 5. Also, this day unites events from religious, political, scientific and technological history, which in different eras changed the course of history on continents and in individual states.
World Environment Day
This day was established by the United Nations in 1972 in order not only to draw attention to environmental problems, but also to motivate states, corporations and ordinary citizens to take practical action. In the age of climate change, extinction of species and irreversible pollution of the oceans, this day has long ceased to be a formality. He has become the mirror into which humanity looks to see not only the consequences, but also the limit beyond which catastrophe begins.
Every year the initiative has a specific theme. It can be combating plastic pollution, protecting forests, purifying water or reducing greenhouse emissions. Government institutions, international organizations, schools, mass media, business and public activists hold actions, forums, eco-fairs, plant trees, clean the coast, change production approaches. But the main goal is not ritual, but awareness: human activity is changing the planet faster than it has time to recover.
According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, more than 9 million people die each year from the effects of air pollution. Biodiversity is being lost, deserts are growing, sources of drinking water are running out. And although World Environment Day lasts only 24 hours, its mission is to stimulate a year of decisions in which the environment ceases to be a background and becomes a priority.
This day is also a marker of responsibility. For every country, for every company, for every consumer. He asks the same question every time: what did you do not to calm yourself down, but to keep the planet alive?
Interesting facts
The first Environment Day was celebrated on June 5, 1973, a year after the UN Stockholm Conference, which laid the foundation for international environmental law.
Every year, one of the countries becomes the “host” of the celebration – it is there that the main events take place with the participation of world leaders, scientists, ecologists. In 2023 it was Kenya, in 2024 it was Saudi Arabia.
Campaigns launched on this day have repeatedly had a real impact on politics: for example, mass coverage of the problem of microplastics contributed to its ban in cosmetics in a number of countries.
More than 150 countries hold official Environment Day events each year, and more than 100 million mentions of environmental hashtags are posted on social media each year.
In 2018, India, the host country, launched a national anti-plastic bag program — just after June 5.
In 2020, during the pandemic, this day was held in a virtual format, but with record online participation – more than 4 million people joined the eco-actions and lectures on the Internet.
Each theme of the year is determined by the UN in advance, and the visual communication, logo, slogans and information campaign are adapted to it. For example, in 2023 the slogan was: “Fight plastic pollution!”.
International Day Against Illegal and Unregulated Fishing
The problem of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU — Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing) has become one of the biggest threats to the world’s oceans. It covers everything from poaching and night landings to fishing in restricted areas and tax and customs evasion. More than 30% of the world’s fish stocks are already overfished, and a significant part of this is the result of shady activities. In this context, the declaration of the International Day against Illegal and Unregulated Fishing was an attempt to stop the widespread disregard of the rules.
June 5 became a symbolic date because it was on this day in 2016 that the International Agreement on the Prevention, Deterrence and Elimination of Illegal Fishing, developed under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), entered into force. For the first time in history, the participating states agreed to jointly use port control as a countermeasure — not to allow poaching vessels to enter ports, not to provide them with services, not to accept their goods. The agreement was called the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), and it became a new stage in the fight against shadowing at sea.
Since 2017, the world community has been marking June 5 every year as a day to increase attention to the problem of illegal fishing. According to FAO estimates, the volume of such activity can reach 26 million tons per year, which is about 20% of the world catch. The problem affects both oceans and inland waters, both Africa and South America, both low-income countries and large merchant fleets. Losses to the world economy are measured in billions of dollars every year. But more importantly, IUU fishing destroys entire ecosystems, threatens food security, deprives entire communities of their livelihoods, and undermines efforts to manage fisheries sustainably.
Interesting facts
The PSMA agreement is the first ever legally binding international instrument aimed exclusively at combating illegal fishing. It was signed by more than 70 states that control about 80% of the world’s ports.
In 2023, Indonesia reported the seizure and destruction of more than 130 illegal fishing vessels for violating its exclusive economic zone.
According to the UN, the EU and US markets are considered the main target markets for products obtained as a result of illegal fishing, which is why measures to track the origin of seafood are being strengthened.
Shadow fishing is often linked to other crimes: human trafficking, labor exploitation, tax evasion and even drug smuggling.
In 2022, the European Commission issued a “yellow card” to Cambodia, and before that to Ghana, for the lack of a system to combat IUU. This means a warning about a possible trade ban on seafood exports to the EU.
The latest technologies — satellite monitoring, artificial intelligence, digital marking — have become a new stage of control: they allow tracking of illegal vessels and routes in real time.
Some countries, such as Chile, Mauritius or Namibia, have already included the fight against IUU in their strategic national security plans.
World Day Against Species Discrimination
On June 5, animal protection communities around the world celebrate a day that is not included in the official UN calendar, but is increasingly heard in the public space – the World Day against Species Discrimination. It is a concept that questions traditional anthropocentrism and raises the question: does humanity have the moral right to consider itself a hierarchical species that can use other species for its own benefit?
The term “speciesism” was proposed by the British psychologist Richard Ryder in the 1970s, and later conceptually developed by the Australian philosopher Peter Singer in the book “Animal Liberation”. Her key thesis is that pain is morally significant regardless of the type. If a being is capable of suffering, then its suffering cannot be ignored simply because it is not human. Thus arose the ethical parallel between racism, sexism, and sexism—all of them construct a hierarchy of the value of life.
Today, this topic permeates politics, consumer ethics, industrial animal husbandry, the use of animals in circuses, experiments and the fashion industry. Every year, billions of animals are killed or kept in horrible conditions simply because their species is not human. Moreover, some species—pets—receive love and care, while others—such as pigs or chickens—end up in cruel confinement systems. An ethical conflict arises, which society is increasingly unwilling to ignore.
Interesting facts
Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation (1975) launched the modern animal rights movement in the Western world. In it, Singer compared animal cruelty to other forms of discrimination based on inequality.
In 2012, a group of neurophysiologists signed the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, recognizing that many animals—from octopuses to parrots—have elements of self-awareness, memory, and emotion.
In 2019, in India, based on the constitutional norm of respect for life, the court recognized all animals as “legal persons” endowed with the rights of inviolability and protection.
In Switzerland, it is forbidden to boil lobsters alive. A successful campaign by animal rights activists led to changes in legislation recognizing lobsters as creatures capable of feeling pain.
In the United States, Canada, France and other countries, legal proceedings are ongoing regarding the rights of certain animals, in particular monkeys, elephants and whales, to the “right to freedom” – that is, to recognize them not as property, but as individuals.
Since the 2020s, the “rights of nature” movement has been growing — in Ecuador, Colombia, and New Zealand, rivers, forests, and ecosystems are recognized as legal subjects, and species discrimination is considered a violation of the ecological balance.
Historical events on this day
754 — the English missionary Boniface, who is considered one of the main baptizers of German lands, died on the territory of modern Germany. He was killed by local pagans while preaching. Death did not stop his veneration – he entered the pantheon of the most revered saints of Western Europe and became a symbol of the Christian mission on the continent.
1455 — in Paris, the French poet Francois Villon, known not only for his literary talent, but also for his criminal past, mortally wounded a priest in a fight after an attempted church robbery. After that, he was expelled from Paris, which determined the future fate of the poet as an exile and wanderer.
1799 — the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt together with the French botanist Aimé Bonplan went on a famous scientific expedition to Central and South America. This trip gave the world numerous geographical discoveries, descriptions of plants, climatic zones and cultures, which became the foundation for ecology, biology and geography as scientific disciplines.
1849 — Denmark officially became a constitutional monarchy. This move marked the transition from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary system and ushered in a modern type of government in a country where the monarchy remains, but real power rests with democratic institutions.
1881 — there was an attempt on US President James Garfield. Although his wounding occurred on July 2nd, June 5th became the date of the intensification of the political struggle in America, which later led to the profound reform of the civil service after Garfield’s death in September of that year.
1882 — in Paris, the Grevin Museum was inaugurated – one of the most famous wax museums in the world. It became a place where visitors could see the faces of celebrities, historical figures, and cultural icons—life-size and in the detail that has captivated audiences for over a century.
1910 — an event took place in Kyiv that started Ukrainian aircraft construction: the professor of the Polytechnic Institute, Oleksandr Kudashev, took to the air a plane designed by his own hands. It was the first flight on a domestic aircraft, which opened a new page of domestic aviation.
1945 — in Berlin, after the capitulation of Nazi Germany, the military leaders of the USSR, USA, Great Britain and France signed the Declaration on its defeat. This document established the legal and political status of the occupied country and gave the Allies supreme authority over its territory. This became the key act of ending the Second World War in Europe.
1977 — the first Apple II personal computer went on sale. Its release opened a new era in the development of computer technology, laying the foundations of the home computing industry. The device had color graphics, a keyboard, a case and the ability to store data – it became the prototype of a modern personal computer.
1990 — the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Council was held in Kyiv, which proclaimed the revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC), a structure that sought church independence. Metropolitan Mstislav Skrypnyk, who became the first Ukrainian patriarch in the 20th century, was elected patriarch. The event had both religious and political significance in the context of Ukraine gaining independence.
Birthday Adam Smith
June 5 is considered the day of baptism of Adam Smith, a Scottish thinker who laid the foundations of economics as a science and overturned the idea of wealth, the market and the role of man in society. In 1723, in the town of Kirkcaldy, in the Scottish county of Fife, a boy was born in the family of a lawyer, who would later become one of the most influential intellectuals of the 18th century. The exact date of birth is unknown, but according to church records, Smith was baptized on June 5 – therefore, this day is considered the day of his appearance in the world.
Adam Smith was the first to consider the economy not as a trade of merchants, but as a system of objective processes and regularities that can be studied, described, and modeled. His work “An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations”, published in 1776, became the basis for classical political economy. The book instantly received world recognition, was repeatedly republished, translated and became the main work of Smith’s life.
Smith’s philosophy was based on the fact that the interests of society are formed as the sum of the personal interests of individual people. If everyone acts for their own benefit, but within the limits of fair rules and under conditions of competition, this creates common wealth. Such an order, Smith believed, should be based on a “system of natural liberty” based on private property. The state was assigned the role of the guardian of this freedom, not its director.
Smith is also famous for his aphorism about the “invisible hand of the market,” a metaphor he used to describe the ability of market mechanisms to regulate themselves without intervention from above. In his interpretation, selfishness was not a moral defect, but rather a driving force that, under the condition of free exchange, benefits all participants in the process. It is because of this approach that Smith is often called the father of modern capitalism.
Smith’s quotes are still relevant today:
“Give me what I need and you will get what you need.”
“Great nations are never impoverished by the extravagance of their citizens, but often by the folly and extravagance of public authority.”
“Money begets money. It’s worth having a little – and it’s easier to get more.”
“The only real wealth of a person is his memory.”
“The price of any commodity is ultimately measured by how much bread it can buy.”
“The most dangerous mistakes are those that contain a grain of truth.”
“It’s hard to get a person to understand something if their salary depends on them not understanding it.”
“As long as there is no property, there is no state either, because its main task is to protect the rich from the poor.”
Smith lived to fame: he became the Lord Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, a member of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh, worked in the customs service. At the same time, he remained an ascetic, spending money on charity and books. It was the library that became the main treasure that remained after his death.
He did not create ideologies, but described laws. He did not promote the interests of classes, but showed how interests become a system. And today, when politics often prevails over reason, it is enough to read Smith to remind yourself that economics is not about formulas, but about people.
The day of formation of the transport police
June 5 is considered the official day of formation of the transport militia – it was on this day in 1919 that the Decree of the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR approved the “Regulations on the Workers’ and Peasants’ Railway Militia”. Since then, the date has become symbolic in the history of the law enforcement system related to traffic safety.
The need for a specialized security body arose even before the revolution. At the beginning of the 20th century, a separate corps of gendarmes was created to protect state railways in the Russian Empire, which included the railway gendarmerie. Over time, it evolved into police departments that controlled the construction and operation of tracks, prevented sabotage, and fought against cargo theft, speculation, ticketless driving, and criminal crime.
In 1938, the structures of the railway militia were subordinated to the Main Police Department. After the end of the Second World War, the bodies of the transport police became part of the Main Department of Transport Protection of the Ministry of State Security of the USSR.
In 1971, air transport police units were created, which, together with the departments operating in rail and water transport, formed a single nationwide system of transport police. In 1980, this body was officially transformed into a separate division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs — the body of internal affairs on transport.
The transport police ended its existence in 2015. Then, according to Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Eka Zguladze, a decision was made to dissolve it “due to the light workload of investigators.” She emphasized that it is necessary to change not only the face of the police, but also the methods of work, to learn to work more mobile, so this structure was optimized. Since then, functions related to rail security have been transferred to the criminal police.
“Marshall Plan”
On June 5, 1947, the US Secretary of State George Marshall gave a speech at Harvard University, in which he outlined a program to help post-war Europe. Later, this program was called the “Marshall Plan”. 17 European countries took part in its implementation, including West Germany.
The plan began to be implemented in April 1948, when the law on the four-year “foreign aid” program came into force in the USA, which provided for the provision of support to Western European countries on the basis of bilateral agreements. From April 1948 to December 1951, the United States spent about 17 billion dollars under the Marshall Plan. The main recipients were Great Britain, France, Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany, which was also included in the program after signing a bilateral agreement with the United States in December 1949.
Financial assistance to West Germany within the framework of the Marshall Plan was carried out in parallel with its payment of contributions for the losses caused by the victorious countries in the Second World War. Later, elements of the plan were also applied to Japan and some other East Asian countries.
On December 30, 1951, the Marshall Plan officially ended. It was replaced by the Mutual Security Act, passed by Congress on October 10, 1951. It provided for the simultaneous provision of both military and economic aid.
