World Environment Day 2021

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World Environment Day 2021

World Environment Day 2021 launches global drive to restore nature

Muhammad Khubaib Sarfraz
04 Jun 2021

With the world beginning to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increasing recognition that healing from the pandemic is linked to healing the planet.

Resetting humanity’s relationship with nature will be the focus of World Environment Day on June 5, which also marks the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a ten-year global push to prevent, halt and reverse ecosystem degradation.

“It’s easy to lose hope when we think of the sheer magnitude of the challenges we face and the avalanche of bad news that we wake up to every morning,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

“But just as we caused the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis and the pollution crisis, we can reverse the damage that we’ve done; we can be the first generation to reimagine, to recreate and to restore nature to kickstart action for a better world.”

This year, Pakistan is the host country for World Environment Day and showcasing its own restoration initiatives, such as its Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project, which aims to plant 10 billion trees by 2023. Pakistan, which is one of the countries most at risk from climate change, has also launched an Ecosystem Restoration Fund to support nature-based solutions to climate change.

Nature can and must be part of the solution as international momentum grows to decarbonize all sectors of our economies. Ecosystem restoration can help protect and improve livelihoods, regulate disease, reduce risk of natural disasters and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Just as we caused the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis and the pollution crisis, we can reverse the damage that we’ve done; we can be the first generation to reimagine, to recreate and to restore nature to kickstart action for a better world.

Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director :.....................

A recent UNEP report found that the economic benefits of ecosystem restoration are compelling. Between now and 2030, the restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems could generate US$9 trillion in ecosystem services and remove up to 26 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The economic benefits are ten times more than the cost of investment, whereas inaction is at least three times more costly than ecosystem restoration.

Pandemic recovery plans offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chart a new path by shifting investments towards a “restoration economy” that can provide millions of green jobs.

On June 5, people around the world will showcase their efforts to restore the natural world, from tree planting in India to beach clean-ups in Hong Kong and community clean-ups in Kenya. Many more are joining in on social media, taking part in the Snap Challenge to show how they will change behaviours to be part of #GenerationRestoration.
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https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/world-environment-day-2021-launches-global-drive-restore-nature

 

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World Environment Day 2021:

The pandemic that the world has been dealing with for almost 1.5 years now has shown how disastrous the consequences of ecosystem loss can be. By shrinking the area of natural habitat for animals, we have created ideal conditions for pathogens – including coronaviruses – to spread. The fact remains that only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change and stop the collapse of biodiversity.

World Environment Day 2021 theme

The theme for World Environment Day 2021 is 'Ecosystem Restoration' and Pakistan will be the global host for the day. This World Environment Day will kick off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a global mission to revive billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the sea.

For too long, humans have been exploiting and destroying the planet’s ecosystems. Every three seconds, the world loses enough forest to cover a football pitch and over the last century, we have destroyed half of the wetlands. As much as 50 per cent of the world's coral reefs have already been lost and up to 90 per cent of coral reefs could be lost by 2050, even if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.5 degrees Celcius. Ecosystem loss is depriving the world of carbon sinks, like forests and wetlands, at a time when humanity can least afford it. Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown for three consecutive years and the planet is one place for potentially catastrophic climate change. We must now fundamentally rethink our relationship with the living world, with natural ecosystems and their biodiversity and work towards its restoration.

environment, biodiversityWorld Environment Day: We need to now fundamentally rethink our relationship with the living world, with natural ecosystems and their biodiversity. Photo: Shutterstock
What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals interacting with each other in a given area, and also with their non-living environments. The non-living environments include weather, earth, sun, soil, climate and atmosphere.

The ecosystem relates to the way that all these different organisms live in close proximity to each other and how they interact with each other.

What is ecosystem restoration?

Ecosystem restoration means preventing, halting, and reversing this damage – to go from exploiting nature to healing it. Ecosystem restoration means assisting in the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded or destroyed, as well as conserving the ecosystems that are still intact. Restoration can happen in many ways – for example through actively planting or by removing pressures so that nature can recover on its own.

How can the ecosystem be restored?

All kinds of ecosystems can be restored, including forests, farmlands, cities, wetlands, and oceans. Restoration initiatives can be launched by almost anyone, from governments and development agencies to businesses, communities, and individuals. That is because the causes of degradation are many and varied, and can have an impact at different scales.

For instance, degradation may result from harmful policies such as subsidies for intensive farming or weak tenure laws that encourage deforestation. Lakes and coastlines can become polluted because of poor waste management or an industrial accident. Commercial pressures can leave towns and cities with too much asphalt and too few green spaces.

 

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PM Imran thanks President Xi on World Environment Day message

Applauds President Xi's leadership in combating climate change and biodiversity loss


Our Correspondent
June 06, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khanthanked Chinese President Xi on Sunday for his strong message on World Environment Day, hosted by Pakistan this year.

The premier stated that Pakistan's hosting of the day reflected its commitment to counter environmental degradation.

The PM also applauded President Xi's leadership in combating climate change and biodiversity loss along with his offer to cooperate over ecosystem restoration.

A day ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the international community should work together with unprecedented ambition and action to strive for a fair and reasonable system of global environmental governance featuring win-win cooperation and promote the sustainable development of humanity.

He stressed that Earth is humanity's shared home, and a sound ecosystem is essential for the prosperity of civilisations.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory letter to the World Environment Day events held in Islamabad, Pakistan.


World Environment Day

Pakistan hosted the World Environment Day celebrations this year on June 5, the first time in history in partnership with the UN Environment Program (UNEP).

Experts view this as recognition of the country’s much-publicised battle against the simmering climate change challenges and an opportunity to lure investment to promote ecotourism and showcase to the world its varied ecology from snowcapped peaks in the north to glistering waters in the south, besides the abundant wildlife.

They, however, argue that the country has a long journey ahead to tackle a slew of environmental challenges, from unplanned urbanisation to daunting deforestation, and ever-increasing pollution to unseasonal rains, accompanied by floods.

Being one of the top 10 countries, which are most vulnerable to climate change, Pakistan is hosting the global event for the first time since the inception of the event in 1970.