1003. International Mother Earth Day

Mother Earth is calling for urgent action. Nature is being damaged, and oceans are choked with plastic and becoming acidic. Heat waves, wildfires, and floods are affecting the lives of millions of people.

Factors such as climate change, human alterations to nature, deforestation, land use change, over-intensive agriculture, and crimes involving biodiversity disturbance, including illegal wildlife trade, are accelerating the pace of global destruction.

International Mother Earth Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009 to raise awareness that "the Earth and its ecosystems are our home" and that “we need to promote harmony between nature and the Earth.”

This year's International Mother Earth Day marks the third time that the event has been held in conjunction with the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, which runs from 2021 to 2030 with the aim of advancing the UN's environmental goals. A healthier ecosystem ensures the well-being of both Earth and its inhabitants. By restoring damaged ecosystems, we contribute to poverty reduction, climate action, and preventing mass extinctions. Everyone’s commitment is required.

Our food systems also significantly impact biodiversity loss and climate change. However, without an awareness of how individual consumption affects ecosystems of production sites and global health, it will be difficult for individuals to have an incentive to commit to global environmental conservation. To foster change in awareness and behavior, let’s disseminate information about the relationship between food systems and planetary health across different scales, from the individual to the global level.

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Information Program)