The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to extend the basis for educated thought and responsible behavior by individuals, enterprises, and communities in protecting and enriching the environment.

The pandemic that has afflicted the world for nearly 1.5 years has demonstrated the devastating effects of ecosystem degradation. We have created ideal circumstances for infections, particularly coronaviruses, to spread by reducing the area of natural habitat for animals.

The global epidemic, which lasted more than 1.5 years, revealed the negative effects of environmental degradation.

Humans have been abusing and ruining the planet’s ecosystems for far too long. A football field’s worth of forest is destroyed every three seconds, and half of the world’s wetlands have been lost in the previous century. Even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius, half of the world’s coral reefs have already perished, with up to 90% of coral reefs certain to perish by 2050.

At a time when humankind can least afford it, ecosystem loss is depriving the globe of carbon sinks like forests and wetlands. Global greenhouse gas emissions have increased for three years in a row, putting the world at risk of catastrophic climate change. We must now reassess our relationship with the living world, with natural ecosystems and biodiversity, and try to restore it.

Activities in Geneva in 2021

Events

The Geneva Environment Network will commemorate World Environment Day on June 7 with a high-level event co-hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on nature-based solutions, as well as other activities involving diverse stakeholders throughout the week. This section includes lists of events hosted by partners in Geneva.

2021 Host Country: Pakistan

Every year, a different country holds official World Environment Day activities, and Pakistan is this year’s host.

With a “10 Billion Tree Tsunami,” Pakistan’s government plans to grow and maintain the country’s forests during the next five years. Planting trees in urban areas such as schools, universities, public parks, and green belts, as well as restoring mangroves and forests, are all part of the initiative.

Through the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami, Pakistan is participating in the Bonn Challenge, a global initiative linked to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.