50 years following the first UN Conference on the Environment (Stockholm 1972), accelerated global warming, the loss of natural habitat and biodiversity, as well as the problem of pollution, continue to constitute a triple planetary emergency.
This first conference in Stockholm, considered the first world summit on the environment, marked the beginning of global efforts to protect the planet, leading to the creation of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Day environment world.
This year, the celebration of World Environment Day (June 5) comes the day following “Stockholm+50”, the International Conference on the Environment held on June 2 and 3 under the theme “Stockholm+ 50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”.
Under the theme #OneEarth, the World Day campaign calls for collective and transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore the planet.
Climate is warming too fast for people and nature to adapt, experts and conservationists say, habitat and ecosystem loss threatens nearly a million of species, while pollution continues to poison the air, land and water.
From the Sahel to Central America, climate change is causing displacement and increasing the vulnerability of people forced to flee, warns the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), stressing that displacement is one of the worst consequences most devastating effects of the climate emergency.
On the other hand, according to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published last February, human-induced climate change has widespread negative effects and causes loss and damage to the nature and people.
The increase in extreme weather events is causing irreversible effects on natural and human systems, experts warned in this report.
From the Swedish capital, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, called for action in the face of this triple planetary crisis caused by the climate emergency “which kills and displaces more people every year”, the loss of biodiversity, which threatens “more than three billion people” and pollution and waste, “which cost some nine million lives a year”.
Speaking at “Stockholm+50”, the UN chief argued that all nations should do more to protect the fundamental human right to a clean and healthy environment for all, focusing in particular on “poor communities, women and girls, indigenous peoples and future generations.
At the same summit, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Inger Andersen, conceded that although many agreements related to environmental challenges have been signed since 1972, the practical results remain well below now, citing the inequity, injustice and “signs of distress” of the triple planetary crisis.
“But we also know what we have to do. And we know how to do it”, she assured, referring to scientific solutions for just and equitable transformational changes in the economy, financial systems, lifestyles and governance.
“Stockholm+50 is a chance for the world to commit, once and for all, to achieving these transformations,” she said.
To do this, transformative options need to be available, affordable, and appealing to people so they can make better decisions every day.
While many of these options can only be put in place by larger entities, such as governments, financial institutions and international organisations, the role of individuals and civil society is equally important in advocating, raising awareness and supporting initiatives.
Although there have been successes in protecting the planet since 1972, including saving the ozone layer, the UN SG stressed that Earth’s natural systems cannot meet our demands .
“Get us out of this mess!” He exclaimed, addressing the participants at Stockholm+50.
With MAP