INVEST in nature.
CHANGE our habits.
LISTEN to young people.
What are three things that can save the world? UN Environment Programme’s Inger Andersen shares her thoughts as the United Nations kicks off its #UN75 celebrations.
To mark its 75th anniversary in 2020, the United Nations has launched the biggest-ever global conversation on the role of global cooperation in building the future we want.
Just when we need collective action more than ever, support for global cooperation is flagging. In many countries, public trust in traditional institutions is in decline and relations between countries are under strain. Dialogue – and action – on global issues could not be more urgent. Through these conversations, the UN aims to build a global vision of 2045 – its centenary, increase understanding of the threats to that future, and support enhanced international cooperation to realise that vision. – UN75
The UN Environment Programme is supporting this effort by providing scientific and technical expertise on issues related to its mandate including the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, pollution and the environmental dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals.
No corner of the globe is immune from the devastating consequences of climate change. Rising temperatures are fueling environmental degradation, natural disasters, weather extremes, food and water insecurity, economic disruption, conflict and terrorism. Sea levels are rising, the Arctic is melting, coral reefs are dying, oceans are acidifying, and forests are burning. It is clear that business as usual is not good enough. As the infinite cost of climate change reaches irreversible highs, now is the time for bold collective action.
Climate change is the defining crisis of our time and it is happening even more quickly than we feared. But we are far from powerless in the face of this global threat. As Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out in September 2019, “the climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win”.
