Happy World Environment Day! #OnlyOneEarth
In the universe are billions of galaxies. In our galaxy are billions of planets. But there is Only One Earth!
Today is the World Environment Day, the biggest International day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually since 1973, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet.
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Each year, World Environment Day is hosted by a different country where the official celebrations take place. China was the host country for 2019’s celebration, under the theme of air pollution, during which President Xi Jinping stressed China’s willingness to share its experience with other countries.
2022 is a historic milestone for the global environmental community. It marks 50 years since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, widely seen as the first international meeting on the environment. The host country for 2022 is Sweden. “Only One Earth” was the slogan for the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50 years on, this truth still holds – this planet is our only home.
How much do you know about the biggest crises facing our earth?
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With nature in emergency mode, the #OnlyOneEarth campaign for World Environment Day 2022, wants you to celebrate the planet through collective environmental action. On this important day, find out how much you know about the biggest crises facing our earth.
01
It is still possible to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century.
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We are on course to more than double this limit, and there is a 50 per cent chance that global warming will exceed 1.5°C in the next two decades. However, with urgent action and a multi-sector, multi-actor approach, there is still time to act. Today, 192 countries are signatories to the Paris Agreement, which sets long-term goals to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century.
According to UNEP's Emissions Gap Report 2021: The Heat is On, countries can reach this target by showing leadership and halving annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Achieving decarbonization and moving to net-zero emissions and renewable energy will be integral to limiting long-term and irreversible warming.
02
Reaching net-zero emissions will immediately halt global warming.
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UNEP's research shows that even under the most optimistic scenario of reaching net-zero QUIZ: Triple planetary crisis Quiz warming will continue in at least the short to medium term. Just 1.5°C of global warming will leave an estimated 2.3 billion people vulnerable to heatwaves, highlighting why urgent action is necessary.
Investments in renewable energy can deliver high economic multipliers, have high potential to crowd-in private investment and are an important step on the road to economy-wide decarbonization. The sooner we can achieve net-zero, the fewer long-term impacts global warming will cause.
03
Half of the world’s population breathes clean air.
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Nine out of 10 people had to breathe unclean air in 2019. and air pollution causes about 7 million premature deaths every year - one in nine of all deaths. This is one of the most significant environmental health risks of our time and highlights the need for governments to implement stricter air quality policies.
A recent UNEP report revealed that only 57 per cent of countries have a legal definition for air pollution, and only 31 per cent have legal mechanisms for managing or addressing transboundary air pollution.
All major pollutants impact the climate, and most share common sources with greenhouse gases. Improving air quality will improve human and environmental health while mitigating climate change.
UNEP's research shows that if governments from 1,000 European cities adopted legislation to meet World Health Organization air quality standards, they would prevent 52,000 deaths annually. Reducing air pollution to the lowest levels in those cities could save 205.000 lives a year.
04
The amount of plastic pollution and waste entering aquatic ecosystems is gradually decreasing?
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Without urgent changes, UNEP's research shows that annual plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14 million tons in 2016 to 23-37 million tons by 2040. Marine litter and plastic pollution endanger human, wildlife and ecosystem health and alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems' ability to adapt to the climate crisis.
This also negatively impacts the economy - the ocean generates USD 2.5 trillion in goods and services a year and directly contributes to approximately 31 million full-time jobs.
Governments can address this issue by banning single-use plastics, improving waste and recycling infrastructure, and altering product designs to use less plastic.
05
Individuals and civil society play a key role in solving the triple planetary crisis?
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By adjusting our personal consumption choices and actively urging governments and corporations to make the large-scale changes necessary to curb global warming we can help address the triple-planetary crisis.
On a personal level, we can reuse items more frequently, properly dispose of them and reduce the amount we consume. On the public-facing front, we can raise awareness and demand change by writing letters, organizing meetings, arranging political debates and urging governments and corporations to sign treaties and agreements focused on net-zero emissions and environmentally friendly behaviour.
06
Corporations can help curb global warming by drastically increasing investment in environmental initiatives?
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The gap between required and actual expenditure on adapting to global warming is widening, and the private sector only accounts for 14 per cent of total investment. By 2050, adaptation expenditure could reach USD 280-500 billion annually.
By greatly increasing investment in the deployment of nature, corporations can find solutions for sustainable development.
Natural resources and the environment provide critical benefits to the private sector so corporations can invest in environmental protection to ensure they - and the planet - continue to thrive.
Financial institutions can also ensure their investments are environmentally friendly and dedicated to net-zero targets. The UNEP Finance Initiative convenes alliances dedicated to these goals in asset ownership, banking and insurance.
07
Urbanization is one of the main drivers of environmental change?
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Cities occupv just 3 per cent of the Earth's land but account for 60-80 per cent of energy consumption and 75 per cent of carbon emissions. By 2050. nearly 70 per cent of the global population will live in urban areas, with 90 per cent of urban growth expected to take place in low-income and middle-income countries.
With proper mitigation - such as through implementing policies addressing buildings' emissions and optimizing public transportation - cities can be an integral part of the solution in fighting the climate crisis.
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From reports of rising temperatures to increased natural disasters, unsustainable consumption habits to endangered spices, do we sometimes feel anxious or even depressed when reading climate-related news? But this time, we’d like to share a few inspiring stories with you. The world is far from being a lost cause!
China's giant pandas are no longer endangered!
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Home to more than 1,800 giant pandas living in the wilderness, China reported in 2021 that the iconic bears are no longer officially “endangered”. Thanks to conservation efforts, they are now classified as just “vulnerable”. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, an independent tracking group, made a similar assessment several years earlier.
Partial credit for the improvement in the giant panda population can be traced to an expanded network of protected areas in the world’s most populous country, covering about 18% of China’s landmass, according to Chinese authorities.
Man creates environmental charity with €200m lottery win rather than 'buying sports cars’
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A huge lottery payout is being used to “protect the living and watch over our own future,” a move that’s been called exceptionally generous. The €200m EuroMillions jackpot has been used to set up an environmental foundation which will protect forests and boost biodiversity.
But the man behind the environmental philanthropy doesn’t want any recognition, instead choosing to remain anonymous. Guy, who has been identified by French media as a retiree living in the south of France, won €200m in December 2020.
Scientists developed an enzyme that can eat plastic
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More than 90% of plastic disposed of in the United States is not recycled. Instead, it ends up in landfills. We send more than 30 million tons of the stuff to waste facilities across the country every year, where it sits for hundreds of years and slowly decomposes while releasing harmful greenhouse gasses. A hungry, hungry enzyme might change all that.
Researchers at the University of Texas have discovered a plastic eating enzyme variant that can break down plastic in as little as 24 hours. This could help cut down on the overflowing waste piling up at landfills across the country that results in plastics making their way into our waterways and doing harm to the environment.
It’s getting cheaper and easier to cut emissions, the IPCC report showed
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Scaling up the last decade of progress made in reducing emissions could see emissions halved by 2030 at affordable costs, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has forecast. The body pointed to increasing evidence of climate action and greater reliance on renewables, thanks to their falling cost paired with effective clean energy policies.
Its latest report suggests that limiting warming to 1.5℃ is out of reach, but a sub 2℃ target is feasible if action is taken rapidly across the board, with the biggest gains to come from the energy and land sectors.