World Environment Day 2024: our lands, our future
World Environment Day 2024 focuses on restoring land, halting desertification, and strengthening the resilience of our ecosystems.
The planet is in an unusual moment in which nature is sending us a very clear message: we must urgently move from damaging and overexploiting the resources of our planet to protecting and regenerating it, because there are billions of galaxies, billions of planets, but there is only one Earth to inhabit.
We live amid three planetary crises: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. This is why we need to work towards sustainable regeneration and reconciliation with nature. Celebrating World Environment Day every June 5th reminds us of the threats to our ecosystems and the need to take action to protect them.
What you will learn about in this article:
- World Environment Day 2024
- Restoring the land, curbing drought
- Commitments to reverse ecosystem degradation
World Environment Day 2024, there is only one Earth
World Environment Day is one of the most important dates in the official United Nations calendar to raise awareness among governments, companies and civil society of the importance of promoting climate and environmental action, sparing no effort or resources.
This date has been celebrated every June 5 since 1973, when it was established as World Environment Day at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, also known as the Stockholm Summit.
“One Earth” was the catchphrase of that conference, and this year 2024, more than 50 years later, it still carries the same, or perhaps even more, sense of urgency and commitment for those of us who threaten it. Without the diversity of food on which we subsist, without the clean air it provides us, without the water we drink from it, or the climate that makes life possible, humanity could not survive. Without the balance and resources of nature, the Earth would not be able to offer us what it does today.
“The Stockholm Conference was the first UN conference with the word “environment” in its title.”
One of its achievements was the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), an organization whose main objective was to become the environmental conscience of the United Nations and the world. It also designated June 5th as Environment Day, a date that reminds us that politicians, administrations, companies, and the civilian population must change their attitudes and truly live in a sustainable manner.
World Environment Day 2024: Land restoration and drought resilience
World Environment Day 2024 is focusing on land restoration, combating desertification, and enhancing drought resilience, under the slogan “Our Lands, Our Future.”
We cannot turn back the clock, but we can grow forests, revitalize water sources, and restore soils. We are the generation that can make peace with the land.
Indeed, land degradation is one of the greatest environmental threats of our time. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40% of the planet’s land areas are degraded, which directly affects half of the world’s population and endangers approximately half of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), equivalent to 44 trillion US dollars.
Since 2000, the number and duration of drought periods have increased by 29%. Without urgent action, projections indicate that more than three-quarters of the world’s population could be affected by drought by 2050.
Droughts not only threaten food security and access to drinking water, but also exacerbate social and economic inequalities. In addition, the loss of fertile land contributes to the loss of biodiversity and intensifies the effects of climate change.
Global collaboration for a sustainable and resilient world
“It is time to deliver on commitments to prevent, halt, and reverse ecosystem degradation,” said Elizabeth Mrema, UNEP Deputy Executive Director, at the launch of the global campaign during Saudi Environment Week in Riyadh.
The 2024 campaign emphasizes land restoration and showcases Saudi Arabia’s reforestation and other climate initiatives both domestically and regionally.
Globally, the Global Biodiversity Framework, known as the 30x30 Proposal, represents a significant milestone in collaborative environmental protection efforts. Signed by 190 governments in late 2022, this agreement aims to protect at least 30% of all land and oceans by 2030.
Sustainable regeneration, which involves practices that repair destroyed ecosystems, will be crucial. Numerous projects are underway to restore what has been lost due to human activities and mitigate climate change consequences. In this article, we tell you about some really interesting ones.
The ultimate goal of these initiatives is to advance the 2030 Agenda for a sustainable and resilient world. Collaboration is essential to drive climate action and support ecosystem restoration.
Only through global cooperation and strong commitment can we tackle the environmental challenges threatening our well-being and the planet’s health.
World Environment Day 2024 reminds us that land restoration and fighting desertification are not just environmental priorities, but essential for the survival and prosperity of all nations.
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