Reimagine. Recreate. Restore

 

        For too long, we have been exploiting and destroying our 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 our wetlands. As much as 50 percent of our coral reefs have already been lost and up to 90 percent of coral reefs could be lost by 2050, even if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Ecosystem loss is depriving the world of carbon sinks, like forests and peatlands, at a time humanity can least afford it. Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown for three consecutive years and the planet is one pace for potentially catastrophic climate change.

            World Environment Day is globally celebrated every year on June 5 and is the United Nations’ principal amplifier to encourage awareness and action for the protection of the environment. The theme for this year is “Ecosystem  Restoration” and brings into focus the critical importance of preserving eco-fragility for collective well-being. The emergence of COVID-19 has also shown just 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 corona virus to spread. Ecosystem restoration means preventing, halting and reversing this damage to go from exploiting nature to healing it. It means repairing billions of hectares of land so that people have access to food, clean water and jobs. It means bringing back plants and animals from the brink of extinction, from the peaks of mountains to the depths of the sea. But it also includes the many small actions everyone can take, every day: growing trees, greening our cities, rewilding our gardens or cleaning up trash alongside rivers and coasts.                                 

                By simply putting your trash on the trash can or bin and by planting trees in your backyard can be a step to have a healthy ecosystem. These little things can make a big change for our surroundings. Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihood, counteract climate change and stop the biodiversity.

Reference/s: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/world-environment-day/, Retrieved on June                         29, 2021 

                      https://www.indiatvnews.com/lifestyle/news-world-environment-day-2021-awareness-and-action-are-needed-to-restore-the-ecosystem-709473, Retrieved on June 29, 2021

                      https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day, Retrieved on June 29, 2021