The theme “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration” is in the spotlight on World Environment Day 2024. The campaign focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resistance.
It also aims to accelerate effective action by governments and businesses to combat desertification. It is estimated that global land degradation has now reached almost 40%. This phenomenon has a direct impact on half the world’s population and threatens half the world’s GDP, according to the United Nations. Action is urgently needed, as increasingly severe droughts could affect more than three quarters of the world’s population by 2050.
Restoration is one of the means favored by the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030). A video of the campaign is available in English with French subtitles.
See also the practical guide of that day in English, Spanish and French.
The 2024 event is organized by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
World Environment Day was created at the Stockholm Conference in 1972. It is supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022.
A website is available in several languages, including English, Español and French, and provides a wealth of relevant information.