Foreign Desk Report
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for commitment to restoring the planet, and to making peace with nature, in his message marking International Mother Earth Day, which was celebrated on Thursday.
This year’s observation is taking place as the planet is at “a tipping point”, he said, as humanity continues to abuse the natural world.
“We heedlessly plunder the Earth’s resources, deplete its wildlife and treat air, land and seas as dumping grounds. Crucial ecosystems and food chains are being pushed to the brink of collapse”, the UN chief stated.
“This is suicidal. We must end our war on nature and nurse it back to health”. The Secretary-General said ending this war calls for “bold climate action” to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Stronger steps to protect biodiversity, and reducing pollution and waste, are also needed. Guterres assured that these steps will not only safeguard the planet, “our only home”, but will also create millions of new jobs.
“Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance to set the world on a cleaner, greener, more sustainable path”, he said. “On International Mother Earth Day, let us all commit to the hard work of restoring our planet and making peace with nature”.
