Today, as we observe World Environment Day, our focus should shift to restoration, contemplating the actions we can take to contribute, both as individuals and as an organisation.
Ecosystems worldwide are under threat. From forests and drylands to agricultural lands and lakes, the natural environments crucial to human survival are approaching a critical threshold.
According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40 percent of the Earth's land is degraded, impacting half of the global population. Since 2000, the frequency and duration of droughts have risen by 29 percent. Without immediate action, droughts could impact over three-quarters of the world's population by 2050.
Land restoration serves as a fundamental component of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), which is a global call to action for the protection and rejuvenation of ecosystems worldwide, essential for accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals.
World Environment Day 2024 emphasizes land restoration, the cessation of desertification, and the enhancement of drought resilience, encapsulated by the motto "Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration." While we cannot reverse time, we can cultivate forests, rejuvenate our water sources, and restore our soils. We are the generation that can reconcile with the land.
The year 2024 will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, from December 2 to 13, 2024.
Why take part in World Environment Day?
Time is of the essence, and nature is sounding the alarm. To maintain global warming below 1.5°C within this century, it's imperative to cut annual greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. Inaction will result in a 50% increase in exposure to air pollution above safe levels over the next decade, and plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems is projected to almost triple by 2040.
We must act now.
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