Celebrated annually on June 5th World Environment Day is a global platform for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and first celebrated in 1974, World Environment Day has grown to become the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people participating from over 150 countries.
This year’s World Environment Day campaign highlights land restoration, combating desertification, and enhancing drought resilience with the slogan “Our land. Our future.”
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be the host for the global celebrations of World Environment Day 2024.
Global Participation and Social Media
This digital activism plays a crucial role in spreading awareness and mobilizing action across the globe. On World Environment Day, various regional and international organizations shared their thoughts on social media platforms.
United Nations wrote “From forests to drylands to farmlands, humanity’s existence depends on ecosystems. Yet, they are reaching a tipping point. It is up to each of us to restore our land & soil – we are Generation Restoration.”
UN Development Program highlights, “We are 8+ billion people sharing this world with 8+ million species. It’s our only home and we need to protect it as if our lives depend on it because it does. This World Environment Day and every day, let’s Act Now to protect and restore our planet.”
UN Environmental Programme expressed views, “The state of the planet fits us all – both now and in the future. No matter who and where you are, everyone alive right now has a critical role to play in the future of land. We are Generation Restoration.”
According to the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, “Restoration of forests and grasslands on a massive scale, particularly in ecologically vulnerable areas, can be physically & financially daunting. On World Environment Day, we’re putting the spotlight on one of the world’s largest ecological restorations – China’s Sanbei Program.”
UNEP Chief on World Environment Day 2024
He began his media interaction by saying, “We are here in Riyadh as part of preparations for World Environment Day, which this year is being hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the 5th of June.”
“The 2024 day is focusing on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. As a nation facing, degradation, desertification, and drought, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I,s deeply invested in delivering solutions.”
“The Kingdom is acting nationally and regionally through the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative. And it is acting globally, as we saw when the Saudi presidency of the G20 resulted in the adoption of the Global Land Restoration Initiative.”
He further added, “This crisis is placing the world’s ecosystems under assault. Billions of hectares of land are degraded, affecting almost half of the world’s population and threatening half of global GDP. Rural communities, smallholder farmers, and the extremely poor are hit hardest.”
“Land restoration can reverse the creeping tide of land degradation, drought, and desertification. Every dollar invested in restoration can bring up to US$30 in ecosystem services. Restoration increases carbon storage and slows climate change. Restoring just 15 percent of land and halting further conversion could avoid up to 60 percent of expected species extinctions.”
“Restoring land without tackling climate change would be like giving with one hand and taking away with the other, so G20 nations must show leadership across the whole climate agenda – as the Kingdom has done and continues to do on land restoration,” he added.
UN Secretary-General Message on World Environmental Day
In his message, UN Secretary General António Guterres first paSecretary-Generalf the current state of pollution on our planet.
“Humanity depends on land. Yet, all over the world, a toxic cocktail of pollution, climate chaos, and biodiversity decimation is turning healthy lands into deserts, and driving ecosystems into dead zones. They are annihilating forests and grasslands, and sapping the strength of land to support ecosystems, agriculture, and communities.”
He then drew attention to the consequences of the environmental crisis, “That means crops failing, water sources vanishing, economies weakened, and communities endangered – with the poorest hit hardest. Sustainable development is suffering. And we are trapped in a deadly cycle – land use is responsible for eleven percent of the carbon dioxide emissions heating our planet. It’s time to break free,” he emphasized.
He then called on the world to put effort into restoring the environment: “Countries must deliver on all their commitments to restore degraded ecosystems and land and on the entire Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. They must use their new national climate action plans to set out how they will halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. And we must drastically scale-up finance to support developing counscale up adapt to violent weather, protect nature, and support sustainable development.”
“We are Generation Restoration. Together, let’s build a sustainable future for land, and for humanity.”
A Way Forward
World EnvironmDay serves as a powerful reminder of the urgent need to protect our planet.
Moving forward, a comprehensive approach that combines international cooperation, technological innovation, community engagement, robust policies, active restoration, sustainable economic practices, and climate resilience is essential.
By embracing these strategies, we can pave the way for a sustainable future where both the environment and humanity thrive.
Also Read: UNEA 6 coming up to advance sustainable global environment
As we commemorate World Environment Day, let us commit to these actions and work together to safeguard our planet for future generations.
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