For more than 50 years UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has helped countries tackle desertification, which affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. This article takes a deep dive into UNEP’s work and looks at what it will take to hold back the planet’s deserts as climate change intensifies. 

The peatlands of the Congo Basin store vast amounts of planet-warming carbon, which if released into the atmosphere would supercharge climate change. An event, starting today at the 20th Meeting of the Parties of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership, will showcase how to conserve this crucial ecosystem. The peatlands of the Congo Basin cover about 145,500 square kilometers, making them the world’s largest continuous complex of tropical peatlands. 

Meet the #Smurfs ! 💙✨

Our special #SDG ambassador is joining the fun at Tours and Taxis in Brussels 🇧🇪!

Come say hi, snap a picture, and support#GenerationRestoration with us! 🌱🌍🎉@BruxellesEnv @UNODC_Brussels @UNHumanRightsEU #WorldEnvironmentDay pic.twitter.com/ALMzMbJ33r

— UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Europe 🌱 (@UNEP_Europe) June 2, 2024

In celebration of this year's World Environment Day, which focuses on land degradation, desertification, and drought, UNEP and Rotary International are joining forces to highlight water is life and all life depends on water.  



The Community Action for Freshwater, is the flagship initiative formed between UNEP and Rotary that aims to protect, restore, and sustain freshwater ecosystems. 



Join UNEP and Rotary colleagues to learn more about UNEP's work on freshwater ecosystems. Register and join the webinar which will take place on Monday, 3 June 6pm EAT, 5PM CET, 10AM CST. 

Just like music which brings people together across the decades, #GenerationRestoration is a shared moment where everyone of every age is joining forces for the planet. 

Get in the lyrical mood for #WorldEnvironmentDay with some selected songs about land curated by UNEP personnel and also including submissions from UNEP's fans and followers on social media. 

To mark this year’s World Environment Day, an ‘international recycling tour’ is taking place around the world and aims to highlight the importance of water can recycling in saving valuable resources and mitigating climate change.



Organized by Every Can Counts, a recycling non-profit, the event will see activities take place in 16 cities in Brazil, the UAE and across Europe. Dedicated recycling ambassadors – embodying the programme’s mission to promote the recycling of drink cans consumed outside the home – will wear recycling backpacks and invite people to recycle their empty cans on the go. 

 

Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, World Environment Day has grown to become one of the largest global platforms for environmental action, with tens of millions of people participating in the day every year. 



Each year World Environment Day focuses on a different theme and is hosted by a different country. Recent years have seen the focus on everything from plastic pollution and the illegal wildlife trade to air pollution and food waste.



Taking place on June 5, this year’s focus is on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience and is hosted by Saudi Arabia. 

Some 90 per cent of food production depends on soil, which also helps to regulate water flow, filter pollutants and support plant and animal diversity. But drought and land degradation – as well as pollution – are wreaking havoc on this crucial ecosystem.

The importance of healthy soil will be highlighted this World Environment Day. Ahead of the celebration learn a little more about the wonderful – and sometimes weird – world of soil.   

Some 90 per cent of food production depends on soil, which also helps to regulate water flow, filter pollutants and support plant and animal diversity. But drought and land degradation – as well as pollution – are wreaking havoc on this crucial ecosystem.

The importance of healthy soil will be highlighted this World Environment Day. Ahead of the celebration learn a little more about the wonderful – and sometimes weird – world of soil.   

Later this year, Saudi Arabia will again host a major environmental event: the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).



One of the three major treaties known as the Rio Conventions, the UNCCD unites governments, businesses and civil society in an effort to chart a sustainable future for land.



Taking place from 2-13 December, it is hoped the conference will accelerate action on drought resilience, and help spur the transition to greener societies and economies.