This planet is our only home, it must absolutely be preserved – Guterres

“We absolutely must preserve the purity of its atmosphere, the richness and diversity of life on Earth, its ecosystems and its limited resources. But we can’t. We ask too much of our planet, in order to preserve lifestyles that are not sustainable. Earth’s ecosystems cannot provide us with everything we currently expect of them,” Guterres said.

He noted that the Earth was not the only one to suffer from it: “We suffer from it too”. According to him, a healthy planet is essential, both for its inhabitants and for the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Earth provides food, clean water and medicine, regulates the climate and protects us from extreme weather events. “It is essential to manage nature wisely and ensure equitable access to the services it provides, especially for the most vulnerable people and communities,” said the UN chief.

© UNDP Mali

Food security in Mali is linked to climate security.

Ecosystem degradation

More than 3 billion people suffer from the degradation of ecosystems. Pollution causes nearly 9 million premature deaths every year. More than a million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction, many in the decades to come.

In addition, nearly half of humanity lives in climate-hazardous areas – these people are 15 times more likely to die from the effects of climate change, such as extreme heat, flooding and drought. There is a one in two chance that over the next five years the global average temperature rise will exceed the 1.5 degree Celsius limit set by the Paris Agreement. And by 2050, the number of people displaced each year by climate change could exceed 200 million.

Red flags

According to the Secretary-General, “we can no longer ignore the alarm signals which sound a little louder every day”. He noted that participants at the Stockholm Environment Summit this week reaffirmed that a healthy planet is needed to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“Each and every one of us must assume our responsibilities in order to avoid a catastrophe due to the triple crisis which combines climate change, pollution and loss of biodiversity”, said Mr. Guterres, for whom governments must urgently give prioritize climate action and environmental protection by taking policy actions that promote sustainable progress.

“Companies must put sustainability at the heart of their decisions, for the good of humanity as well as for the good of their bottom line,” he said, adding that “each and every one of us must do the choices that matter, whether it’s the policies we support, the food we eat, the means of transport we choose or the companies we give our money to”.

“We can all make environmentally friendly choices that will contribute to the change we need,” Mr. Guterres said, noting that women and girls, in particular, can be powerful agents of change.

The Secretary-General said that the United Nations is also committed to playing a leading role in global cooperation efforts, “because the only viable solution is to live in harmony with nature, not to try to bend it”.

Everyone must mobilize

The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Inger Andersen, recalled that the world day was born at the 1972 United Nations conference in the Swedish capital, starting from the principle that “we must mobilizing to protect the air, land and water we all depend on… [et] that the power of people matters, and matters a lot”.

“Today, in a present and future of heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires, pandemics, dirty air and plastic-filled oceans, more action is needed than ever. as we race against time,” she said.

Ms Andersen put the blame “on all of us”. According to her, politicians must look beyond elections; financial institutions must finance the planet and companies must take nature into account.