2023-04-22 14:00:48
The UN Secretary General, Antnio Guterres, calls on citizens around the world to ask their leaders to “make peace” with nature instead of “destroying” it.
Guterres makes this consideration in a message on the occasion of the International Mother Earth Daywhich is celebrated this Saturday and whose origin dates back to 1970when the protection of the environment was not a priority on the political agenda.
According to the United Nations, the world loses 10 million hectares of forest every year, an extension similar to Iceland, and about a million species of animals and plants are in danger of extinction. In addition, healthy ecosystems help protect people from disease because species diversity makes it more difficult for pathogens to spread.
In his message, Guterres points out: “From the air we breathe and the water we drink to the soil we feed on, the health of human beings depends on the health of Mother Earth. And yet, it seems that we are committed to in destroying it.Our actions are destroying forests, jungles, agricultural lands, wetlands, oceans, coral reefs, rivers, seas and lakes.”
“Biodiversity is crumbling, with a million species on the verge of extinction. We must put an end to these relentless, senseless wars against nature. We have the necessary tools, knowledge and solutions. But we must act more quickly,” he added.
Guterres is committed to “accelerating climate action with stronger and faster reductions in emissions” so that the planet does not warm more than 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial era. “We must also radically increase investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities, which have contributed the least to the crisis,” he adds.
The UN headline stresses that healthy ecosystems, from oceans and rivers to forests and grasslands, are “essential” in the fight against climate change. “Let’s get down to business to implement the landmark United Nations agreement on biodiversity and make sure we that 30% of the planet’s land and water are protected by 2030″apostille.
“At every step, governments must set the tone. But companies, institutions and civil society also play a crucial role,” he stresses, before adding that it is convenient “to learn from the wisdom, knowledge and leadership accumulated over a long period of time.” time for indigenous peoples”.
“On this Earth Day, I urge people around the world to speak up – in schools, workplaces and faith communities and on social media platforms – and demand that their leaders do the peace with nature,” he says.
vulnerable passes
On the other hand, the last eight years (from 2015 to 2022) were precisely the warmest on Earth since instrumental records of world temperatures began in 1850, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN agency specializing in weather, climate and water.
This WMO flagship report, produced by dozens of experts, highlights the continued advance of climate change “from the mountain tops to the ocean depths.”
In addition, at least 93% of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change are in debt or are at serious risk of indebtedness, according to the NGO Alianza por la Solidaridad-ActionAid, which calls on financial institutions to cancel the debt of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and “a radical reform” of world debt management is carried out to “put an end to this double crisis.”
The obligation of indebted countries to pay their debts to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and private banks before spending can raise “worrying issues” for the Alliance for Solidarity-ActionAid, especially in the cost of rebuilding, adapting and mitigating in the face of frequent and increasingly intense climatic disasters.
The report indicates that nine of the countries most vulnerable to climate change are already heavily in debt, 40 nations vulnerable to global warming are at moderate or high risk of debt problems, and only four countries affected by climate catastrophes are at low risk of debt.
Lastly, one in three Spanish citizens -specifically, 31% – agree that taxes be increased to fight climate changeor, according to the latest annual study carried out by Ipsos on the occasion of International Mother Earth Day.
The work is based on a survey of 21,231 people aged 16 or older in 29 countries between the months of January and March. 30% of the citizens surveyed support increasing taxes to combat climate change, while 38% disagree. Spain is the second European country with the highest rate (31%), only behind the United Kingdom (32%).
According to the criteria of
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