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Add to Preferred SourcesWith forest fires currently raging in Brazil, Angola, Indonesia, Russia and many other countries around the world, and climate marches planned in dozens of cities, environmental crises are receiving unprecedented global attention ahead of the 74th UN General Assembly.
Our planet is in crisis. Since 1970, wildlife populations have declined on average by 60%, while humanity’s impact and overexploitation of natural resources has grown exponentially. The consequences for people can be seen already through increasing fires, floods and extreme weather. Science tells us that, without urgent action, they will only get worse.
WWF together with many others is highlighting the unmissable opportunity that world leaders now have to course-correct. Next year, key international treaties – including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Nature Convention and the Climate Accord – will be renegotiated, presenting a crucial chance to place sustainability at the heart of our political, economic and social systems. We are calling for an ambitious new deal for nature and people, designed to bring multiple efforts together to safeguard futures.
Leaders must arrive at UNGA74 prepared to put their weight behind these efforts. Their targeted action now is essential to delivering prosperous future economies and a sustainable future.
Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International said: “This UN General Assembly meets at the start of a critical year for our planet and is a vital opportunity to focus global attention on the environmental emergency we face. The science is clear – ‘business as usual’ is not an option if we are to safeguard our future. Our current trajectory is destabilising our climate and pushing nature to the brink. At its core, it threatens our very survival. WWF is convening a meeting of world leaders on Monday 23 September – on the evening of the UN Climate Action Summit – to discuss the environmental emergency the world is now facing and call for an Emergency Declaration for Nature and People to be made at the 75th UN General Assembly next year.”
Efforts to respond to our environmental crises can only be successful if they address their interconnected nature. The latest Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report, released in May 2019, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land, released only last month, have reinforced the understanding that efforts to combat nature loss, tackle climate change and meet the SDGs must go hand-in-hand.
Original source: WWF
Published on 19 September 2019