This is different to World Environment Day held in June and recognises that Earth and its ecosystems are our home,
and it is essential to achieve harmony with biodiversity, animals and the Earth's living, life supporting systems.
From the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres:
When Mother Earth sends us a message …
Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suffering. Oceans filling with plastic and turning more acidic.
Extreme heat, wildfires and floods, as well as a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, have affected millions of people.
Now we face COVID-19, a worldwide health pandemic linked to the health of our ecosystems.
Climate change, man-made changes to nature, as well as disruptions to biodiversity, such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture and livestock production or the growing illegal wildlife trade,
can increase contact and the transmission of infectious diseases from animals to humans (zoonotic diseases) like COVID-19.
For every new infectious disease that emerges in humans every 4 months, 75% come from animals, according to the UN Environment.
This shows the close relationships between human, animal and environmental health.
Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people.
Restoring our damaged ecosystems will help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent mass extinction.
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which will be officially launched on World Environment Day 2021 (5 June),
will help us stop, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and every ocean.
We will only succeed if everyone plays a part.
Let’s remember on this International Mother Earth Day that we need a shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.
Let’s promote harmony with nature and the Earth. Join the global movement to restore our world!
https://www.un.org/en/observances/earth-day
Felicity Maher
Sustainability Officer
