UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued a call to action to safeguard Earth’s vital ecosystems from rampant pollution, worsening climate impacts, and biodiversity loss.
Antonio Guterres, in a message marking World Environment Day, has emphasized the necessity for countries to honor their commitments to restore degraded ecosystems and land, in line with the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, a global agreement aimed at protecting biodiversity.
“Countries must deliver on their commitments and use their national climate action plans to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030,” Antonio Guterres stated. “We must drastically increase financial support for developing countries to help them adapt to extreme weather, protect nature, and promote sustainable development.”
Antonio Guterres also highlighted the economic benefits of environmental action. “Every dollar invested in ecosystem restoration generates up to thirty dollars in economic benefits,” he noted.
The Secretary-General warned of the consequences of failing to address pollution, climate change, and biodiversity destruction, citing the transformation of healthy lands into deserts and thriving ecosystems into dead zones. “This means crop failures, vanishing water sources, weakened economies, and endangered communities – with the poorest being hit hardest. It is time to break free,” he asserted.
“We are Generation Restoration. Together, let us build a sustainable future for our land and for humanity,” he added.
World Environment Day Celebrations
World Environment Day, celebrated since 1973, is the largest platform for environmental outreach. This year’s theme is “land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.”
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), urged global action to combat the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. She emphasized that ecosystem restoration can help slow these crises, enhance carbon storage, and reduce poverty and hunger, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Commemorative Events and Initiatives
The UN’s regional development arm (ESCAP) and UNEP are hosting events in Asia and the Pacific to discuss priority actions such as circular water resource use, sustainable food production, and resilient urban development.
Saudi Arabia, the host for the 2024 global commemoration, will also host the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) in December.
UN Chief’s Special Address
In New York, Secretary-General Guterres will deliver a special address on climate change at the American Museum of Natural History. He will present new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Joining him will be his Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, Michael Bloomberg, and Sean Decatur, President of the Museum. The event will commence at 10 am (New York time) on Wednesday, with live coverage starting an hour earlier.
Baburajan Kizhakedath