04-03-2021 | 16:02 PM
Making Peace with Nature
Context
The first UNEP synthesis report is titled: “Making Peace with Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies” and is based on evidence from global environmental assessments.
Key Findings of the report
Climate change raises the likelihood of the Arctic Ocean becoming ice-free in summer, further disrupting ocean circulation and Arctic ecosystems.
Climate change induces increases in wildfires and water stress and combines with the loss of biodiversity to degrade land and increase drought in some areas.
Of the total 8 million plant and animal species, more than one million are increasingly at risk of extinction.
Particularly, coral reefs are vulnerable to climate change and are projected to decrease to 10-30% of their former cover at 1.5°C of warming and to less than 1% at 2°C of warming, compromising food provision, tourism and coastal protection.
Nine million people die prematurely due to pollution every year.
Every year, up to 400 million tons of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other industrial wastes enter the world’s waters.
According to the report, human prosperity is strained by widening inequalities, whereby the burden of environmental decline weighs heaviest on the poor and vulnerable and looms even larger over today’s youth and future generations. Inequity in economic growth has left 1.3 billion people poor.
Current and projected changes in climate, biodiversity loss and pollution make achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) even more challenging.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP is a leading global environmental authority established on 5th June 1972.
It’s Headquarter is at Nairobi, Kenya.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for global environment protection.
Major Reports of UNEP are Emission Gap Report, Adaptation Gap Report, Global Environment Outlook, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy Planet.
