World Environment Day: UN calls on countries to restore one billion hectares of land

This year's World Environment Day theme is 'Ecosystem restoration' and the UN are calling on countries to meet commitments to restore one billion hectares of land.

Since 1974, World Environment Day has been celebrated every year on 5 June, engaging governments, businesses and citizens in an effort to address pressing environmental issues.

This year's theme is Ecosystem Restoration and the UN has released a new report which highlights that humanity is using about 1.6 times the amount of services that nature can provide sustainably.

That means conservation efforts alone are insufficient to prevent large-scale ecosystem collapse and biodiversity loss. Global terrestrial restoration costs – not including costs of restoring marine ecosystems – are estimated to be at least USD 200 billion per year by 2030. The report outlines that every 1 USD invested in restoration creates up to USD 30 in economic benefits.

In the report’s foreword, UNEP Executive Director, Inger Andersen, and FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, said: This report presents the case for why we must all throw our weight behind a global restoration effort. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, it sets out the crucial role played by ecosystems, from forests and farmland to rivers and oceans, and it charts the losses that result from a poor stewardship of the planet,” 

To celebrate the release of the report and World Environment Day, Climate Action spoke to Zitouni Ould-Dada, Deputy Director, Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment at the FAO, to discuss why World Environment Day is so important and how you can get involved.

Want to watch more content? Last year, Climate Action hosted the Great Food Challenge with the FAO, putting nature at the heart of net zero solutions. You can watch some key sessions below or watch on demand here.

 Virtual Panel - SDG 1, 2 & 10: Investing in a future free from hunger, poverty to build climate resilience

Food Security and the Global Recovery with David Nabarro

Climate Smart Agriculture: Investing in the future of food 

This year, millions of people will be celebrating digitally, worldwide. Click here to find out more on how you can get involved.