30 May 2024 12:00 am Views - 234
On Tuesday (28), the UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara caused a stir when he said there were plans to postpone both the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections. However, other sources denied any such move and said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe had assured that elections would be held. So, while President Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) government are focused on elections, they should also dedicate time for issues such as climate change as it no doubt affects the entire country and its people.
On June 5, the United Nations (UN) marks one of the most important days in its calendar: World Environment Day. This day has been held annually on June 5 since 1973 and is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is marked by millions of people across the world.
In a statement, the world body highlighted that ecosystems are threatened all over the world. From forests and drylands to farmlands and lakes, natural spaces on which humanity’s existence depends are reaching a tipping point. According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40 per cent of the planet’s land is degraded, directly affecting half of the world’s population.
The UN adds that land restoration is a key pillar of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, which is critical to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is why World Environment Day 2024 focuses on land restoration, halting desertification and building drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.” We cannot turn back time, but we can grow forests, revive water sources, and bring back soil. We are the generation that can make peace with land, the UN said in its statement.
Did you know, every five seconds, the equivalent of one football pitch of soil is eroded; yet, it takes 1,000 years to generate 3 centimetres of topsoil? Trees in urban areas can cool the air by up to 5°C, reducing air conditioning needs by 25 percent. Lakes, rivers and wetlands hold 20–30 percent of global carbon despite occupying only 5–8 percent of its land surface.
This year (2024) will mark the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. The sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification will be held in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, from 2 to 13 December, 2024.
Explaining why people should hold campaigns to mark this day, the UN stresses that time is running out, and nature is in emergency mode. To keep global warming below 1.5°C this century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Without action, exposure to air pollution beyond safe guidelines will increase by 50 percent within the decade and plastic waste flowing into aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040.
Former Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, pointed out that saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, and advancing economic growth are one and the same fight. “We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women’s empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.””