World Environment Day

World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED), celebrated every year on June 5, is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Over the years it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated by stakeholders in over 100 countries. It also serves as the ‘people’s day’ for doing something positive for the environment, galvanizing individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet.

Theme for WED 2024 - Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience

Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that draws attention to a particularly pressing environmental concern. 

World Environment Day 2024 focused on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. Land restoration is a key pillar of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, which is critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Land sustains life on Earth. Natural spaces such as forests, farmlands, savannahs, peatlands and mountains, provide humanity with the food, water and raw materials it needs to survive. 

Yet, more than 2 billion hectares of the world’s land is degraded, affecting more than 3 billion people. Vital ecosystems and countless species are under threat. In the face of more severe and prolonged droughts, sandstorms and rising temperatures, it is crucial to find ways to stop dry land from becoming desert, fresh water sources from evaporating and fertile soil from turning to dust. 

While that might sound like an insurmountable task, it is not, say experts. On 5 June, the planet will celebrate World Environment Day 2024, which will cast a spotlight on how everyone can help end land degradation and restore blighted landscapes. 

Here are seven ways to get involved in ecosystem restoration on World Environment Day.

1. Make agriculture sustainable :  

Globally, at least 2 billion people, particularly from rural and poorer areas, depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, our current food systems are unsustainable and a prime driver of land degradation. There is a lot we can do to fix this. Governments and the finance sector can promote regenerative agriculture to increase food production while preserving ecosystems.  

Right now, agricultural producers receive US$540 billion a year in financial support from countries. Some 87 per cent of these subsidies either distort prices or harm nature and human health. With that in mind, governments could redirect agricultural subsidies towards sustainable practices and small-scale farmers.  

Agricultural businesses can develop climate-resilient crops, harness Indigenous knowledge to develop sustainable farming methods and better manage the use of pesticides and fertilizers to avoid harming soil health. Consumers can embrace regional, seasonal and plant-rich diets, and include more soil-friendly food in meals, such as beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas. 

2. Save the soil

Soil is more than just the dirt under our feet. It is the planet’s most biodiverse habitat. Almost 60 per cent of all species live in soil and 95 per cent of the food we eat is produced from it. Healthy soil acts as a carbon sink, locking in greenhouse gases that would otherwise enter the atmosphere, playing a vital role in climate mitigation.  

To keep soil healthy and productive, governments and the finance sector can support organic and soil-friendly farming. Agricultural businesses can practise zero-tillage, a technique that involves cultivating crops without disturbing the soil through tillage to maintain organic soil cover. Compost and organic materials could be added to soil to improve its fertility. Irrigation techniques, such as drip irrigation or mulching, could be used to help maintain soil moisture levels and prevent drought stress. Individuals could make compost from leftover scraps of fruit and vegetables for use in their gardens and balcony plant pots.  

3. Protect the pollinators  

Three out of four crops producing fruit and seeds depend on pollinators. Bees are the most prolific pollinators but they get a lot of help from bats, insects, butterflies, birds and beetles. In fact, without bats, we can say goodbye to bananas, avocados and mangoes. Despite their importance, all pollinators are in serious decline, bees especially.  

To protect them, people need to reduce air pollution, minimize the adverse impact of pesticides and fertilizers, and conserve the meadows, forests and wetlands where pollinators thrive. Authorities and individuals could mow fewer green spaces in cities and introduce more pollinator-friendly ponds to allow nature to return. Planting a diverse variety of native flowers in city and home gardens will also attract birds, butterflies and bees. 

4. Restore freshwater ecosystems

Freshwater ecosystems sustain the water cycles that keep land fertile. They supply food and water to billions of people, protect us from droughts and floods, and provide a habitat for countless plants and animals. Yet they are disappearing at an alarming rate due to pollution, climate change, overfishing and over-extraction. 

People can stop this by improving water quality, identifying sources of pollution and monitoring the health of freshwater ecosystems. Countries can join the Freshwater Challenge to accelerate the restoration of degraded rivers and wetlands by 2030. Invasive species could be removed from degraded freshwater habitats and native vegetation replanted. Cities could champion wastewater innovation that addresses sewage management, stormwater runoff and urban flooding.   

5. Renew coastal and marine areas

Oceans and seas provide humanity with oxygen, food and water, while mitigating climate change and helping communities adapt to extreme weather. More than 3 billion people, primarily in developing nations, rely on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods. 

To secure this precious asset for generations to come, governments can accelerate implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Countries can restore blue ecosystems – including mangroves, salt marshes, kelp forests and coral reefs – while enforcing strict regulations on pollution, excess nutrients, agricultural runoff, industrial discharge and plastic waste to prevent them leaching into coastal areas. 

Countries could adopt a life-cycle approach to redesign plastic products to ensure they can be reused, repurposed, repaired, recycled – and ultimately kept out of the ocean. Businesses can invest in recovering nutrients from wastewater and livestock waste to use as fertilizers. 

6. Bring nature back to cities 

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities. By 2050, it is projected that two in three people will live in an urban centre. Cities consume 75 per cent of the planet’s resources, produce more than half its global waste and generate at least 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. As cities grow, they transform the natural world around them, potentially leading to droughts and land degradation. 

But cities do not need to be concrete jungles. Urban forests can improve air quality, provide more shade and reduce the need for mechanical cooling. Preserving cities’ canals, ponds and other water bodies can alleviate heatwaves and increase biodiversity. Installing more roof and vertical gardens in our buildings can provide habitats for birds, insects and plants.  

7. Generate financing for restoration  

Investments in nature-based solutionsneed to more than double to US$542 billion by 2030 to meet the world’s climate, biodiversity and ecosystem restoration goals.  

To close the existing finance gap, governments could invest in early warning systems to prevent the worst impacts of drought, as well as fund land restoration activities and nature-based solutions. The private sector could integrate ecosystem restoration into their business models, implement efficient waste management practices and invest in social enterprises focused on sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism and green technology. 

Individuals can move their bank accounts to finance institutes that invest in sustainable enterprises, donate to restoration or crowd-fund for innovations that can help save the planet.  

Source : United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)