World Environment Day 2024: ‘Nature plays crucial role in farming’
5th June 2024
Today marks World Environment Day 2024. This year’s theme is ‘land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience’.
World Environment Day 2024 has just launched under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”
The global celebration, set to take place on 5th June, is hosted by Saudi Arabia. 2024 also marks the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
Free asset
The CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, Martin Lines, said: “Many farmers are now recognising that nature underpins their business and production.
“Healthy soil biology and the presence of pollinators and predatory insects in our landscape can reduce costs and make farming more sustainable.
“At this important time, farmers are acknowledging the crucial role nature plays in our business.
“Nature is a free asset, and if we enhance and value it, we can unlock its full potential for our farms.”
Inaction is too costly
Speaking ahead of today’s celebration, the secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres, pointed out that “humanity depends on land”.
He added: “Yet, all over the world, a toxic cocktail of pollution, climate chaos, and biodiversity decimation are turning healthy lands into deserts, and thriving ecosystems into dead zones.
“They are annihilating forests and grasslands, and sapping the strength of land to support ecosystems, agriculture, and communities.
“That means crops failing, water sources vanishing, economies weakened, and communities endangered – with the poorest hit hardest.
“Sustainable development is suffering. And we are trapped in a deadly cycle – land use is responsible for eleven percent of the carbon dioxide emissions heating our planet. It’s time to break free.
Mr Guterres added that countries around the world must deliver on all their commitments to restore degraded ecosystems and land.
“We must drastically scale-up finance to support developing countries to adapt to violent weather, protect nature, and support sustainable development.
“Inaction is too costly. But swift and effective action makes economic sense. Every dollar invested in ecosystem restoration creates up to thirty dollars in economic benefits,” he concluded.
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