On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 4th, people around the globe are celebrating while the Earth faces three major global emergencies: rapid climate warming that humans and nature cannot adapt to; loss of habitats and other pressures estimated to threaten the extinction of one million species; and pollution continuing to poison our air, land, and water.
Currently, over 3 billion people are affected by ecosystem degradation. Pollution leads to approximately 9 million premature deaths each year. Over 1 million species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction, with many facing extinction within decades.
Additionally, nearly half of humanity is now in climate danger zones, where the likelihood of death from climate events such as extreme heat, floods, and droughts is 15 times higher than in other areas. There is a 50% chance that the global average temperature will exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius limit set by the Paris Agreement in the next five years. By 2050, over 200 million people may be displaced annually due to climate disruption.
UN Secretary-General Guterres emphasizes, "We can no longer afford to ignore the alarm bells ringing incessantly in our ears. Our only way out is to cooperate with nature, not fight against it."
There are billions of galaxies in the universe, with billions of planets in our Milky Way alone, but there is only one Earth. Let's join hands to protect it.
