World Environment Day: Global actions highlighting the urgency to protect the planet in the spotlight – VivAfrik

In a statement issued in Stockholm, the Swedish capital, the United Nations indicated that individuals, communities, civil society, companies and governments around the world celebrated Sunday 5 June 2022 World Environment Day under the slogan “One Earth”, with official celebrations in Stockholm and the announcement by the host country Sweden of Ban the issuance of new licenses for coal, oil and gas extraction with effect from July 1, 2022, to protect people and the planet.

“Creating the green jobs of tomorrow by accelerating the climate transition is one of the main priorities of the Swedish government. Announcement of the ban during the official celebrations of World Environment Day, as part of our efforts to implement our climate ambitions, we have to take action against activities,” said Swedish Minister for Climate and Environment Annika Strandhl. Which have a negative impact on our health and our environment.

Our message to the global community is clear. In the statement, she added, the global race winners will be those who speed up the transition, not those who are left behind and clinging to fossil fuel addiction.

According to the document, tens of millions of people around the world have joined the global conversations on social media, calling for urgent action to conserve and restore the environment. Tens of thousands of people organized their own activities, including planting millions of trees, picking up trash, and taking action to show that there was only one land.

“In 2022, it’s 49^{The tenth} Whenever World Environment Day is celebrated. Created after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972, World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5, in a different country. This year’s theme, “One Earth,” echoes the first World Environment Day in 1973. It calls for collective and transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore our planet.”

For his part, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, hinted in his message on the occasion of World Environment Day, that “50 years ago, world leaders gathered at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and were committed to protecting the planet. But we are far from achieving that. We can no longer Ignore the alarm bells that ring more and more every day.”

“The recent Stockholm+50 Environment Meeting confirmed that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals revolve around a healthy planet. We must all take responsibility to avoid the catastrophe caused by the triple crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

The official event, which took place at the Tekniska Museum in Stockholm, included a discussion between Ms. Strandhäll and Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNDP), and young people.

The triple planetary crisis is accelerating, and why? Because we consume 1.7 planets a year. We only have one land. “We have to accept that we are not doing enough to protect it,” Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program said at the event.

“I stand before you because we have to do better. We know what needs to be done. Science has told us we have to end fossil fuels. We need to bring nature back to its full glory. We need to transform our food systems. We need to make our cities green.” .

The statement said that countries and societies have taken measures around the world on the occasion of World Environment Day to bring about real change in their environment. Interfaith leaders gathered to sign a historic call for climate-responsible finance. These organizations will only work with financial institutions that comply with the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the LiFe initiative to raise awareness of sustainable lifestyles

On World Environment Day, the New Zealand government announced that Styx Living Laboratory and its partners will receive $4.12 million in Job for Nature funds to protect the Styx River (Pūharakekenui).

Remember that Argentina has adopted the national strategy on invasive alien species, including joint management plans with Chile, while Paraguay will launch the Paraguay + Verde project to combat climate change after receiving financial support from $50 million from the Global Environment Facility.

On World Environment Day, Singapore-based Quest Global, one of the world’s fastest growing engineering services companies, announced Quest Global Pledge, a global campaign for reforestation. In partnership with One Tree Planted, the company will plant 500,000 trees worldwide by 2025, the statement said.

In collaboration with the United Nations Association of Canada and with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, an official event will launch the Aboriginal Conservation Studies Program across Canada.

Uruguay has announced that it will begin participatory processes to work on its second Nationally Determined Contribution to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Moctar FICOU / VivAfrik