World Environment Day 5 June

REIMAGINE, RECREATE, RESTORE

For too long, we have been exploiting and destroying our planets ecosystems. Every three seconds, the world loses enough forest to cover a football pitch and over the last century we have destroyed half our wetlands. As much as 50 per cent of our 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 1.5C!

Ecosystem loss is depriving the world of carbon sinks, like forests and peatlands, at a time when humanity can least afford it. Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown for three consecutive years and the planet shows signs of potentially catastrophic climate change.

The emergence of COVID-19 has also 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 coronavirus to spread.

With this big and challenging picture, World Environment Day is dedicated to ecosystem restoration and its theme is Reimagine, Recreate, Restore.

Ecosystem restoration means preventing, halting and reversing this damage from exploiting nature to healing it. 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 tops of mountains to the depths of the seas.

Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance peoples livelihoods, counteract climate change and stop the collapse of biodiversity.

REIMAGINE. RECREATE. RESTORE.

This is our moment. We cannot turn back time. But we can grow trees, make our cities green, rewild our gardens, change our diets and clean up rivers and coasts. We are the generation that can make peace with nature.

Lets get active, not anxious. Lets be bold, not timid.

NAMRATA SABHARWAL IX C