Announcing World Environment Day, 5 June 2022...

World Environment Day 2022 is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and held annually since 1973, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach - celebrated by millions of people across the globe. This year's celebration is hosted by Sweden and “Only One Earth" is the campaign slogan, with the focus on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature” (UNEP, 2022).

“Only One Earth” was the slogan for the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50 years on, this truth still holds – this planet is our only home. With nature in emergency mode, this year's #OnlyOneEarth campaign urges each of us to celebrate the planet through collective environmental action. #OnlyOneEarth advocates for transformative environmental change on a global scale. The campaign shines a spotlight on climate action, nature action and pollution action while encouraging everyone, everywhere to live sustainably (UNEP, 2022).

While our individual consumption choices do make a difference, it is collective action that will create the transformative environmental change we need, so we can advance to a more sustainable and just Earth, where everyone can flourish. Please share your events and actions by taking part in the Earth Action Numbers, and using #OnlyOneEarth and #WorldEnvironmentDay on social media (UNEP, 2022).
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https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day
https://www.unep.org/
https://action.worldenvironmentday.global/
https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/get-involved/practical-guide
https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/get-involved/resources
https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/latest/live-updates
https://trello.com/b/7EYjAExk/world-environment-day-2022
https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/latest/associated-events
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CIPLOajR58
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1298.html
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/90-years-of-our-changing-views-of-earth/
https://explorer1.jpl.nasa.gov/galleries/earth-from-space/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/150721-pictures-eart…
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/nasa-captures-epic-earth-image
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/amazing-earth-satellite-images-from-2021/

According to The Guardian, just 100 companies in the world are contributing to a third of all global emissions ?. Thus, green industrial policies ? are key to reversing climate change ?️

On a different note, a study published on the Lancet stated that at the individual level, the most impactful actions that we can do to reduce our carbon footprint are 1. Shift to a more plant-based diet, 2. Use sustainable means of transport.
What are you ready to do to fight climate change? What do you think governments, private sector, civil society and communities should do to ensure a sustainable and inclusive recovery? Join the conversation now! ?

Some suggestions:
a. Enhance capacity for all sectors and stakeholders
b. Support society, jobs and small businesses that promote an inclusive and sustainable future
c. Reassess the distributional impact of public finance
d. Change the composition of investments towards low- and zero-carbon solutions
e. Accelerate innovation in low-carbon technologies
f. Make the environment a priority and bridge the commitment action gap

How can youth and grassroots projects contribute to achieving an healthy planet? Which actions can we make to support a sustainable transition and fight climate change?

Read this insightful blog to find out more and thanks a lot Wanjiku DK for sharing!

Urban Forests of Melbourne

Según Vidal (2020), "en 2008, Jones y un equipo de investigadores (2008) identificaron 335 enfermedades que surgieron entre 1960 y 2004, y al menos el 60% provenían de animales. Cada vez más, dice Jones, estas enfermedades zoonóticas están relacionadas con el cambio ambiental y el comportamiento humano. La interrupción de los bosques vírgenes impulsados por la tala, la minería, la construcción de carreteras a través de lugares remotos, la rápida urbanización y el crecimiento de la población está acercando a las personas a especies animales que nunca antes habían estado tan cerca".

Join us on Thursday 2 June to discuss the Zero waste vision and the particular role mayors and municipalities (can) play!

UNDP is co-organizing this official side event with Avfall Sverige and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). The side event can be followed through livestreaming (see below).

Waste Management – Mayors’ dialogue on targeting Zero Waste
Thursday, June 2, 2022
11:30-12:45 CEST, Stockholmsmässan, Room 5
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm+50 website: https://www.stockholm50.global/events/waste-management-urgent-issue-be-…
SparkBlue: https://www.sparkblue.org/event/waste-management-urgent-issue-be-addres…
Livestreaming link: https://youtube.com/video/cHV7JknLRSE/livestreaming (will go live during the side event)

Due to gender inequality, men and women experience the effects of climate change differently. This is especially true for women in developing countries that are expected to harvest crops ?, collect water ? and source fuel ?. Yet, lack of understanding and political commitment on these issues translates into gender being often absent from climate policies and green recovery plan – undermining the transformative potential of these interventions.

Similarly, what are the main challenges for a sustainable and inclusive recovery in your country? What are some ways in which we could address these obstacles?

Some options below:
a. Lack of knowledge and/or public awareness
b. Lack of political support and/or leadership
c. Inadequate access to finance
d. Insufficient community involvement and stakeholder partnership
e. Insufficient timely and reliable data to make informed decisions for recovering from COVID-19 and achieving the SDGs

In the news today "As Pakistan and India sweltered during the recent heatwave, the city of Jacobabad hit a record-breaking 51C. Normally the summer heat starts from the last week of May, but this year, for the first time according to the people here, the heat began in March. Now it will continue till August".

Read this insightful article to find out more about how nature based solutions, such as green corridors and parks, can mitigate heatwaves in urban contexts.

Thanks a lot Monica Troilo and Clément Charnaillat for sharing!

Intelligent Revolutions, a Possible Solution for Global Crises

Today, all human-caused crises such as climate change, military conflicts, vaccine injustice, racism, sexism, et cetera are deeply connected to human nature. Our endless hunger for something free, for example, has led to exploiting natural resources in such a greedy way as to bring about massive extinction everywhere, potentially causing our own extinction.
Why are most people reluctant to take action against the climate crisis? It's probably because candidates will hardly become leaders if asking the voters to do more work or to make less money. Besides, is it fair for a few nations to protect the global environment arduously while the rest of the world seems motionless? Is it necessary for a few individuals to sacrifice modern comforts for human future while a growing number of drug addicts, alcoholics and gluttons are wasting much more resources than the few can possibly save?
I think intelligence holds the key to overcoming the dark side of human nature and to promoting the bright side. Making continuous improvements on mental ability is our only way to survive and to thrive in the long term. Without major advances on intelligence in general population, I'm afraid that most would just keep doing business as usual in the midst of global warming. To make great leaps in our brainpower, intelligent revolutions are urgently needed.
To start the revolutions, I suggest providing everybody with so many books and films in digital form that most people would enjoy art and science for a whole life. All creative works should be free for everyone while their intellectual property must be protected.
If intelligent species ever fail in survival, it’s only because they haven’t got enough time to become intelligent enough. Let’s start intelligent revolutions sooner than later.