June 5 is the United Nation's World Environment Day. This year, the event is being hosted by Barbados as the event focuses on small islands at risk of being washed away by rising sea levels.

The U.N. General Assembly has declared 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States, the U.N. said. In recognition of that, this year's WED theme is "Raise your voice, not the sea level." According to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's WED message, over 63 million people live on small island nations, which are imperative world resources.

"They play an important role in protecting the oceans and many are biodiversity hotspots, containing some of the richest reservoirs of plants and animals on the planet," Ki-moon said. "... Developing States face numerous challenges. For a significant number, their remoteness affects their ability to be part of the global supply chain, increases import costs -- especially for energy -- and limits their competitiveness in the tourist industry."

In addition to Barbados, WED events will be held in various locations such as Kosovo, Edinburgh, Geneva, and Florida's Sarasota County with the support of the Baltimore Orioles. Shanghai will also hold a "Ecocivilization and Green Development" youth conference.

"Only by transitioning together to a green economy can we ensure a sustainable prosperous future for all countries threatened by rising sea levels," U.N. General Assembly President John Ashe said in his WED message.

According to the U.N., by 2100, sea level could rise an additional 2 meters (6.56 feet), making it impossible to live in many island nations, especially those located in the Pacific.

These countries reportedly lack money to combat impending sea level rises. The U.N. estimates that rising sea levels will cost Caribbean lands $187 billion by 2080.

"Investing now to head off such a massive economic impact makes sound business sense," Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the U.N. Environment Programme, said in his WED message.

"Our pathway is clear. Clean energy economies produce profits without pollution, better livelihoods in stable industries, restore health and wider wealth and preserve water and essential resources," Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, added in her message.

The U.N. created WED in 1972. The event is reportedly celebrated in more than 100 countries.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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