Making peace with nature: where actions equal science
Photo by Max Kukurudziak/ Unsplash / 18 Feb 2021
Statement prepared for delivery at the media launch of ‘Making Peace with Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies’.
This new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP),
Making Peace with Nature, provides the most-compelling scientific case yet for why we must tackle the three planetary crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste as one linked challenge. The report gathers the sum of knowledge from major scientific assessments to deliver one clear, unified message: we are destroying the planet, placing our own health and prosperity at grave risk.
Albania: How a lagoon became a frontline defence against climate change
Photo by UNEP / Lisa Murray / 28 May 2020
When Albert Pati moved closer to the sea to open a beach bar overlooking the Mediterranean in Albania, he never imagined that the sea would also be moving closer to him, now eroding the soil around his restaurant floor.
Even before the outbreak of COVID-19, families and businesses around the Adriatic Sea were faced with a serious threat. One of the countries hardest-hit by coastal erosion in Europe, almost a third of Albania’s 427km coastline is being eroded by violent waves. And the challenge is accelerating at an alarming speed due to climate-induced storm surges and rising sea levels.
How faith-based organizations are restoring nature
Many ecosystems around the world, from forests to coral reefs, are in decline, victims of pollution, climate change and resource extraction.
But faith-based organizations are increasingly stepping in to help repair these natural spaces. In many cases, religious leaders have become environmental influencers, championing nature-based solutions that experts say are crucial to saving the ecosystems that underpin human society.
“Faith communities – motivated by spiritual values and driven by an ethical responsibility – wield enormous social and political influence when it comes to promoting action to restore ecosystems,” says Iyad Abumoghli, Director of the Faith for Earth Initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Multilateral environmental governance for a sustainable tomorrow
Unsplash / Jason Wong / 15 Feb 2021
Statement prepared for delivery at the Fifth-Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives
Thank you Chair,
Environmental governance stands tall
I am honoured to address you as we embark on a unique and intense two days – at the Fifth Meeting of the Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives. Acknowledging that virtual meetings are not always easy, a few weeks ago, the UN Secretary-General noted that we simply cannot allow the pandemic to keep us from working together on the crucial pathway to Glasgow. I am proud that as we stand on the cusp of a first-ever virtual 5