Gerald R. Ford photo

Statement on the Observance of World Environment Day.

June 05, 1975

ON THIS day, the third anniversary of the opening of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, it is appropriate that we join our neighbors throughout the world to reflect upon efforts being made to improve the quality of our global environment.

Today, there is growing recognition of mankind's interdependence, of our relationship with nature's other handiworks, and of the danger to our planet which environmental degradation poses.

An active concern for the environment is the first essential step toward restoration and preservation of environmental quality. We in the United States, and the citizens of many other countries, have taken that first giant step, but we have far to go.

Through local, national, and international efforts, we have already begun to redeem the works of destruction which man has visited upon the Earth for generations.

We recognize that these efforts can succeed on a global scale only if every nation becomes involved. Since participating in the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment at Stockholm in 1972, the United States has joined in international efforts to implement the recommendations formulated by that Conference and adopted by the United Nations.

The United States has strongly supported the United Nations Environment Program. We have participated in the development of international conventions to protect the planet, its settlements, and its species. We have entered into bilateral environmental agreements with other countries.

As the United States approaches the beginning of its third century, our desire to maintain and enhance the quality of life in this country and throughout the world remains undiminished. This Nation is committed to striving for an environment that not only sustains life but also enriches the lives of people everywhere--harmonizing the works of man and nature. This commitment has recently been reinforced by my proclamation [4356], pursuant to a joint resolution of the Congress, designating March 21, 1975, as Earth Day and asking that special attention be given to educational efforts directed toward protecting and enhancing our life-giving environment.

In support of the action of the United Nations General Assembly, I am happy on this day, World Environment Day, to express the dedication and deep concern of Americans for the goal of achieving a better world environment.

Gerald R. Ford, Statement on the Observance of World Environment Day. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/256923

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