A Diola woman in a traditional dance Kumpo in a Sacred Forest near Kaguit village, Senegal
Photo Credit: Siempreverde22/iStock/Getty Images

Earth Day

Over 1 billion people spread across 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities each year. This makes the day as the largest civic observance in the world. On Wednesday, the 21st of April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, called for the commitment to restore the planet. His message included advice on making peace with nature as we mark International Mother Earth Day which is celebrated each year on the 22nd of April. Currently, our planet is on a tipping point as we humans continue to abuse the natural world. We continue to plunder the resources on earth and deplete its wildlife, damp in sea and ocean waters and this sets ecosystems and food chains on the brink of collapse.

It is suicidal and we must all end our war on nature and work to nurse it back to health. What this means is taking bold climate action in order to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 Degrees Celsius. For us to adapt to the changes to come means that we take stronger steps to protect biodiversity. It also means reducing pollution by building circular economies which will help to drive down waste. Taking these steps will safeguard the only home we have and at the same time, create millions of new jobs.

The recovery from COVID-19 is a chance to set the world on a path that is cleaner, greener and more sustainable and on this day, we can all commit to the hard work of restoring our planet and making peace with nature.

The theme this year, #RestoreOurEarth will be focusing on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. In this way, the theme rejects the notion that mitigation or adaptation are the only ways to address climate change. It is up to each and every one of us to Restore Our Earth not just because we care about the natural world, but because we live on it. We all need a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health & survival, and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity. https://www.earthday.org/toolkit-earth-day-2021-restore-our-earth/