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United Nations Development Programme
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Nature

The health of our environment plays a large role in the resources available, our weather, and climate change. To ensure that humans can benefit from nature, we must take care of it and ensure that it is healthy. If not, the effects of climate change will become worse and humans will no longer be able to benefit from the Earth’s ecosystem services; climate change is a direct threat to a child’s ability to survive, grow, and thrive.

Do you know how much danger the climate is in? Click on the Nature mission image to find out!

Source: UN Report, 2019

Almost 33% coral reefs and sharks threatened with extinction
7% less intact forests in just 13 years (2000-2013)
1 Million species threatened to extinction
16 - 21CM RISE IN SEA LEVEL

How can you stop nature from being destroyed?

Restoring and conserving land has a large impact on greenhouse gas emissions and has the capability of capturing 23 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂). In addition to reducing greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, land restoration and conservation have positive effects on ecosystems, such as regulating surface temperatures and rainfall, and protecting native communities.

Wildlife is forced to adapt due to climate change’s effect, just like humans. Unfortunately, not all can adapt as well as others and some are being harmed. As a result, local extinctions are happening across the globe. Protecting individual species from climate change is important, but protecting their habitat, as part of wildlife protection, is more effective in protecting more than one species.

Buying illegal timber will incentivize industries to continue deforestation in a harmful and unsustainable way. Trees that take decades to grow, never get a chance to grow back, and as a result, are not able to reduce greenhouse gasses. Buying illegal timber is not in line with the 1.5⁰C plan.

How will you look after the ocean and waterways?

Keeping our oceans and waterways healthy will lead to ecosystems being more resilient against climate change. To do that, we need to stop allowing pollution into the water in the first place. The pollution already in the water will also have to be removed. In addition, areas of our oceans and waterways need to be protected to have fewer human disturbances. This will let ecosystems recover and allow people to continue harvesting key ecosystem services. An example of this is sustainable fishing that keeps fish stocks healthy, allows habitats to stay intact and provides key ecosystem services.

Eco-friendly tourism encourages the protection and restoration of certain ecosystems as clean and pristine ecosystems benefit the tourists and create livelihoods for people working in the tourism sector. As a result, it helps ensure that ecosystems are taken care of and protected. However, ensuring that oceans and waterways are healthy is more effective because it will allow ecosystems to recover and will have farther stretching effects than eco-friendly tourism.

Dumping pollution in waterways will continue to harm ecosystems. It will also harm humans because of intoxicating water and food sources.

Climate change is worse for women and girls. How can you help?

It is important to involve groups of people, such as local communities and indigeneous peoples, as environmental stewards, in the fight against climate change. These groups have invaluable knowledge, experience, and resources to combat climate change. For example these groups have effective environment management systems, experience working within their communities, and large social networks that allow them to push and implement environmentally friendly solutions. In many cases women play an outstanding role in this endeavor.

Not all women are given the same opportunities or education as men. By supporting inclusive and quality education for girls and young women, there is a higher chance to unleash their potential. They will then feel equipped to contribute to change in their communities and speak up, if the environment allows it and is safe. This will allow future environmental stewards to grow and have influence. However, this is one long term solution to help our future environmental stewards. Currently there are already a lot of people that can help implement climate change solutions, such as the local communities, indigenous peoples and environmental stewards.

Cutting funding for women’s hospitals will affect the quality of health for girls and women. This will give less chance for future environmental stewards to grow who can implement environmentally friendly solutions and support communities in combating climate change. As a result, it is not in line with the 1.5⁰C plan.

Only 15% of land is protected. How can you stop the loss of nature?

Restoring and conserving land has a large impact on greenhouse gas emissions and has the capability of capturing 23 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂). In addition to reducing greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, land restoration and conservation have positive effects on biodiversity and ecosystems, such as regulating surface temperatures and rainfall.

Building urban parks and green urban infrastructure can make urban communities more resilient to climatic effects. They are able to protect biodiversity, reduce the effects of a heat island, and reduce carbon emissions. However, parks can not substitute forests. Forests are much larger and are able to hold more biodiversity and reduce more carbon emissions. As a result, it is crucial to protect our current forests in order to stop the loss of biodiversity.

Cutting down all the trees will harm many ecosystems by destroying habitats and would increase the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere since trees would not be able to uptake greenhouse gasses.

What is your top priority for the ocean and waterways?

Keeping our oceans and waterways healthy will lead to ecosystems being more resilient against climate change. To do that, we need to stop allowing pollution into the water in the first place. The pollution already in the water will also have to be removed. In addition, areas of our oceans and waterways need to be protected to have fewer human disturbances. This will let ecosystems recover and allow people to continue harvesting key ecosystem services. An example of this is sustainable fishing that keeps fish stocks healthy, allows habitats to stay intact and provides key ecosystem services.

Plastics harm marine ecosystems because animals end up getting entangled in the plastic or eat it by accident. By using less plastic, we will help protect marine ecosystems. However, this is one of many things that threaten our oceans and waterways. As a result, ensuring that our oceans and waterways stay healthy by not polluting them in the first place will have greater effect than using less plastic.

Building larger fishing boats will encourage further fishing and can put more stress on marine ecosystems. This can cause severe damage to ocean ecosystems by killing off fish populations. As a result, building bigger fishing boats is not in line with the 1.5⁰C plan.

Local and indigenous groups are often environmental stewards. How can you help?

It is important to involve groups of people, such as local communities and indigineous peoples, as environmental stewards, in the fight against climate change. These groups have invaluable knowledge, experience, and resources to combat climate change. For example these groups have effective environment management systems, experience working within their communities, and large social networks that allow them to push and implement environmentally friendly solutions. In many cases women play an outstanding role in this endeavor.

Many indigenous and local groups have historic and traditional knowledge that helps reduce climate change. Learning and using this knowledge could help other communities in also reducing climate change. Supporting local and indigenous communities, however, has a greater impact, as they will be able to best reduce climate change in their own region due to their own knowledge of the area.

Polluting communities will harm people and will not help in fight against climate change. As a result, it is not in line with the 1.5⁰C plan.

TRANSPORTATION
FARMS & FOOD
ENERGY
GREEN ECONOMY
PROTECTING PEOPLE
NATURE

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