World Environment Day 2024: Let's Stop Our Fertile Soil from Turning to Dust 🌱
Hey there, Earth lovers! 🌎 Did you know that Wednesday marks World Environment Day 2024? It's one of the biggest global events focused on our environment, coordinated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Every year, millions of people—from governments to businesses, from civil society to schools—come together to raise awareness and take action on environmental issues. It's all about protecting our planet's future! 💚🌱
This year's theme is super important: \"Our Land, Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration.\" It highlights the need to restore our land, fight desertification, and boost our resilience to drought. Let's get our hands dirty (in a good way)! 🌾🚜
A Silent Crisis 🔇
Land degradation, desertification, and drought aren't just fancy words—they're a silent crisis hitting people worldwide. Caused mainly by human activities and climate change, these issues are turning fertile soil into dust. Not cool! 😓
According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40% of the Earth's land is degraded, affecting around 3.2 billion people globally. Moreover, projections suggest that by 2050, over three-quarters of the world's population could be affected by drought. 😱💧
Imagine this: an estimated 4.8 to 5.7 billion people will live in areas that are water-scarce for at least one month each year. Up to 216 million people could be forced to migrate by 2050 due to drought and other factors like water scarcity, declining crop productivity, sea-level rise, and overpopulation. That's like the entire population of Brazil and Mexico combined! 🇧🇷🇲🇽
What's causing all this? Besides drought and climate extremes, it's deforestation, turning grasslands into croplands, and overusing water and soil in drylands. We're pushing our land to the limit! 🌳➡️🚜
As our land loses fertility, it can't support rich biodiversity anymore. That means crop failures and a threat to global food security. Yikes! 🍽️🚫
Be Part of the Solution 🙌
But guess what? We can change this! By restoring our land and adopting sustainable practices, we can protect our future. Let's be the generation that makes a difference. After all, it's \"Our Land, Our Future.\" Let's rise up, #GenerationRestoration! 🌍✨
Reference(s):
World Environment Day 2024: Stop fertile soil from turning to dust
cgtn.com
