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The theme of the 2024 International Day of Families will focus this year on ‘Families & Climate Change: International Year of the Family + 30’.
The 2024 International Day of Families aims to raise awareness of how climate change impacts families and the role families can play in climate action. Climate change negatively affects family health and wellbeing through increased pollution, extreme weather events that displace people, disruptions to agriculture and food systems, and economic impacts. Families contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions through electricity usage, transportation choices, food consumption, and overall consumption patterns. Ambitious climate action is urgently needed by governments, businesses, and citizens to cut emissions and advance climate justice.
Empowering families through education, changing consumption habits, and advocacy is critical for meaningful and effective climate action. Families pass values across generations, so instilling sustainable habits and climate awareness in families from an early age is important. Integrating circular economy principles into early childhood education can help build a sustainable economic model based on minimizing waste and regenerating natural resources. Families as consumers and advocates can drive the transition to a circular economy.
Two publications will be launched at the 2024 observance. The DESA background paper "Climate Change and Families" highlights the role of families in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by learning sustainable values that are passed down through generations. The study "Home, Family, and Climate Change" emphasizes the need to focus on reducing household CO2 emissions and explores themes like public health, consumption, remote work, and building climate resilience.
The observance event will feature the launch of these publications, presentations on the outcomes of regional IYF+30 preparatory meetings and civil society initiatives like the Civil Society Declaration on IYF+30, recommendations on family policies for climate action, and an interactive discussion. The event commemorates 30 years since the International Year of the Family.