speech on nature environment

Climate Action: It’s time to make peace with nature, UN chief urges

Facebook Twitter Print Email

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has described the fight against the climate crisis as the top priority for the 21st Century, in a passionate, uncompromising speech delivered on Wednesday at Columbia University in New York.

The landmark address marks the beginning of a month of UN-led climate action, which includes the release of major reports on the global climate and fossil fuel production, culminating in a climate summit on 12 December, the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Nature always strikes back

Mr. Guterres began with a litany of the many ways in which nature is reacting, with “growing force and fury”, to humanity’s mishandling of the environment, which has seen a collapse in biodiversity, spreading deserts, and oceans reaching record temperatures.

The link between COVID-19 and man-made climate change was also made plain by the UN chief, who noted that the continued encroachment of people and livestock into animal habitats, risks exposing us to more deadly diseases.

And, whilst the economic slowdown resulting from the pandemic has temporarily slowed emissions of harmful greenhouse gases, levels of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are still rising, with the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere at a record high. Despite this worrying trend, fossil fuel production – responsible for a significant proportion of greenhouse gases – is predicted to continue on an upward path.

‘Time to flick the green switch’

The appropriate global response, said the Secretary-General, is a transformation of the world economy, flicking the “green switch” and building a sustainable system driven by renewable energy, green jobs and a resilient future.

One way to achieve this vision, is by achieving net zero emissions (read our feature story on net zero for a full explanation, and why it is so important). There are encouraging signs on this front, with several developed countries, including the UK, Japan and China, committing to the goal over the next few decades.

Mr. Guterres called on all countries, cities and businesses to target 2050 as the date by which they achieve carbon neutrality – to at least halt national increases in emissions - and for all individuals to do their part.

With the cost of renewable energy continuing to fall, this transition makes economic sense, and will lead to a net creation of 18 million jobs over the next 10 years. Nevertheless, the UN chief pointed out, the G20, the world’s largest economies, are planning to spend 50 per cent more on sectors linked to fossil fuel production and consumption, than on low-carbon energy.

Put a price on carbon

For years, many climate experts and activists have called for the cost of carbon-based pollution to be factored into the price of fossil fuels, a step that Mr. Guterres said would provide certainty and confidence for the private and financial sectors.

Companies, he declared, need to adjust their business models, ensuring that finance is directed to the green economy, and pension funds, which manage some $32 trillion in assets, need to step and invest in carbon-free portfolios.

Far more money, continued the Secretary-General, needs to be invested in adapting to the changing climate, which is hindering the UN’s work on disaster risk reduction. The international community, he said, has “both a moral imperative and a clear economic case, for supporting developing countries to adapt and build resilience to current and future climate impacts”.

Everything is interlinked

The COVID-19 pandemic put paid to many plans, including the UN’s ambitious plan to make 2020 the “super year” for buttressing the natural world. That ambition has now been shifted to 2021, and will involve a number of major climate-related international commitments.

These include the development of a plan to halt the biodiversity crisis; an Oceans Conference to protect marine environments; a global sustainable transport conference; and the first Food Systems Summit, aimed at transforming global food production and consumption.

Mr. Guterres ended his speech on a note of hope, amid the prospect of a new, more sustainable world in which mindsets are shifting, to take into account the importance of reducing each individual’s carbon footprint.

Far from looking to return to “normal”, a world of inequality, injustice and “heedless dominion over the Earth”, the next step, said the Secretary-General, should be towards a safer, more sustainable and equitable path, and for mankind to rethink our relationship with the natural world – and with each other.

You can read the full speech here .

Our planet is in a state of climate emergency.But I also see hope.There is momentum toward carbon neutrality. Many cities are becoming greener. The circular economy is reducing waste. Environmental laws have growing reach. And many people are taking #ClimateAction. pic.twitter.com/dDAHH279Er António Guterres, UN Secretary-General antonioguterres December 2, 2020

• climate change
• climate action

• News & Events
• Eastern and Southern Africa
• Eastern Europe and Central Asia
• Mediterranean
• Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
• North America
• South America
• West and Central Africa
• IUCN Academy
• IUCN Contributions for Nature
• IUCN Library
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species TM
• IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas
• IUCN World Heritage Outlook
• IUCN Leaders Forum
• Protected Planet
• Union Portal (login required)
• IUCN Engage (login required)
• Commission portal (login required)

Data, analysis, convening and action.

• Open Project Portal
• SCIENCE-LED APPROACH
• INFORMING POLICY
• SUPPORTING CONSERVATION ACTION
• GEF AND GCF IMPLEMENTATION
• IUCN CONVENING
• IUCN ACADEMY

The world’s largest and most diverse environmental network.

CORE COMPONENTS

• Expert Commissions
• Secretariat and Director General
• IUCN Council

• IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS
• REGIONAL CONSERVATION FORA
• CONTRIBUTIONS FOR NATURE
• IUCN ENGAGE (LOGIN REQUIRED)

IUCN tools, publications and other resources.

Get involved

Nature's Future, Our Future - The World Speaks

The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas has compiled the voices of a range of global organisations and world leaders on the importance of protecting and conserving nature amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the result of a global pandemic, we are witnessing an unprecedented call to transform human society and economies and thus reset the relationship between people and nature. This compilation aims to capture a critical moment, as we work together to build the momentum for transformative action to address the major crises of our planet by maintaining nature and ecosystems.

Photo: Rohit Singh / WWF

Photo: Holly Ingram

Photo: Richard Siggins

Photo: WACA

Photo: Mat Reding / Unsplash

To add to the compendium or submit a new statement on behalf of your organisation,  please use this form.

Antonio Guterres, Director General, United Nations

“Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century, it must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.”

Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund

“The best memorial we can build for those who lost their lives in the pandemic is that greener, smarter, fairer world.”

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility

“ When we look back in years to come, I truly believe that 2020, despite the suffering it unleashed on all of us, will be seen as the year where we took a decision, the proper decision, and a turning point happened.”

“I believe that the only way forward is to invest in nature and focus on a green recovery to prevent not just future pandemics but as well to prepare ourselves to fight ongoing environmental threats such as climate change, and biodiversity collapse.”

United Nations Decade of Restoration

“There has never been a more urgent need to restore damaged ecosystems than now. Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people. The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. It can help to end poverty, combat climate change and prevent a mass extinction. It will only succeed if everyone plays a part.”

HRH The Prince of Wales

“The current pandemic has brought unimaginable devastation to people's lives and livelihoods and national economies. At the same time, the green recovery offers an unprecedented opportunity to rethink and reset the ways in which we live and do business. I have long believed we need a shift in our economic model that places nature and the world's transition to net-zero at the heart of how we operate, prioritising the pursuit of sustainable inclusive growth in the decades to come.”

Dr Kathy MacKinnon

Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA)

WCPA has pulled together this compilation of quotes and extracts from speeches of world leaders to capture a critical moment. As the result of a global pandemic we are witnessing an unprecedented call to transform human society and economies and reset the relationship between people and nature.

This collection is a contribution to the work of IUCN and the World Commission on Protected Areas. Please do what you can to amplify these messages by disseminating them to your networks, sharing with colleagues and influencers, distributing to students, sending to politicians or distributing through social media or any other means of communication. Change only happens when voices are raised: - by speaking together, we can be heard.  We will try to keep the list evergreen and will set up a mechanism on the IUCN WCPA website to do so. 

The calls for urgent transformative change have come from many quarters: major international institutions, politicians, business leaders, academics and religious thinkers - as well as from civil society. At a dark time for the world, this provides hope of a more rational and just future, based on science and respect for all life. We need to ensure that the inspirational quotes   highlighted here will lead to positive action through   ambitious conservation targets and a more sustainable future, with protected areas and other nature-based solutions at the heart of greener economic stimulus packages post- pandemic

The imperative to attain genuine sustainability is not new: it was heard nearly 50 years ago at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, and is embedded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and many other charters. The climate crisis, the catastrophic decline of ecosystems and species, and now the global pandemic show beyond doubt that humanity has no choice but to respond vigorously to these combined threats. That means moving rapidly to zero emissions, protecting and restoring earth’s natural systems, and shaping all policies to secure a healthy planet.

Many of the quotes call for the better protection of natural ecosystems - through networks of protected and conserved areas. WCPA supports the calls for an international goal of protecting 30% of the oceans and land by 2030 under new targets for the Convention on Biological Diversity. Protected and conserved areas are key to maintaining healthy ecosystems, protecting diverse natural habitats and wild species. When governed and managed effectively, they also support human health and well-being, contributing to food and water security, disaster risk reduction, climate mitigation and adaptation and local livelihoods. And we now know that they can also help to protect us against the scourge of future pandemics. 

This compendium was compiled by the WCPA Vice Chair for Oceania, Penelope Figgis with assistance from other WCPA members, including the WCPA Task Force on COVID-19 and Protected Areas. WCPA will publish a Special Issue of the journal PARKS at the end of February containing papers on the impact of the Covid pandemic on protected and conserved areas and how society can move forward to a greener nature-centred recovery.  The Special Issue will be available as a download at: https://parksjournal.com/

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

United Nations

Antonio Guterres, Director General

"The State of the Planet" address Columbia University, December 2020

“Let’s be clear: human activities are at the root of our descent towards chaos.

But that means human action can help solve it.

Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.

In this context, the recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity. We can see rays of hope in the form of a vaccine. But there is no vaccine for the planet. Nature needs a bailout. In overcoming the pandemic, we can also avert climate cataclysm and restore our planet.

This is an epic policy test. But ultimately this is a moral test.”

“But we must remember: there can be no separating climate action from the larger planetary picture. Everything is interlinked – the global commons and global well-being. That means we must act more broadly, more holistically, across many fronts, to secure the health of our planet on which all life depends. Nature feeds us, clothes us, quenches our thirst, generates our oxygen, shapes our culture and our faiths and forges our very identity.

2020 was supposed to have been a “super year” for nature but the pandemic has had other plans for us. Now we must use 2021 to address our planetary emergency… we must act more broadly, more holistically, across many fronts, to secure the health of our planet on which all life depends. Nature feeds us, clothes us, quenches our thirst, generates our oxygen, shapes our culture and our faiths and forges our very identity.”

https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2020-12-02/address-columbia-university-the-state-of-the-planet

United Nations Congress on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

September 2020

At the first‑ever global summit dedicated to biodiversity held virtually on 30 September, various leaders said the COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for countries to put bold and ambitious environmental action at the heart of their post‑coronavirus economic recovery strategies.

One of the tools at countries’ disposal is BioTrade – the collection, production, transformation and commercialisation of goods and services derived from biodiversity under BioTrade Principles and Criteria , a set of guidelines that emphasise environmental, social and economic sustainability.

“Linking trade, biodiversity and sustainable development is a compulsory pathway towards more resilience at community, private sector and, ultimately, national levels in post-COVID-19 recovery efforts,” said UNCTAD economic affairs officer Lorena Jaramillo.

https://unctad.org/system/files/information-document/ditc-ted-1410202-3scc-CallAction-2.pdf

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General, & Pedro Sanchez, President of Spain

OECD Opinion, December 2020

The third priority is to support a transformative recovery and develop a new narrative on economic growth. National recovery and resilience plans constitute unique opportunities not just to jump-start our economies, but also to undertake bold and transformative action to make them more equal, cohesive and environmentally sound, in line with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. The COVID-19 crisis has increased inequalities, while climate change, biodiversity loss and other environmental emergencies loom large. Analysis by the OECD shows that ambitious climate action to decarbonise our economies can be a source of growth, incomes and jobs.

The Climate COP26 in Glasgow and the UN Biodiversity Conference, both to be held in 2021, will be tests for our collective determination. Our single, most important intergenerational responsibility is to protect the planet. This new narrative also requires fostering an economic and productivity growth model based on fair wages, decent working conditions and enhanced social dialogue.

Over the last decade, the OECD has been a leading voice in promoting an approach to economic growth that combines inclusiveness and environmental sustainability. Building on solid evidence and data, we need to work together to develop this narrative further, measuring outcomes beyond GDP, and developing a consensus around a new economic framework that reconciles people, prosperity and the planet.

We are living in extraordinary times. The challenges ahead are too significant for any one country to tackle them alone. Only through collective action will we be able to address them and “build back better” towards more resilient, more inclusive and greener economies and societies. With a long-term vision, a strong ambition and an enlightened sense of mission, as we celebrate the OECD’s 60th Anniversary, let us draw inspiration from its history and its accomplishments, to deliver better policies for better lives for the generations to come.”

https://www.oecd.org/newsroom/a-multilateral-agenda-for-a-strong-resilient-green-and-inclusive-recovery-from-covid-19-opinion-article-by-pedro-sanchez-and-angel-gurria.htm

World Health Organisation (WHO)

“On the occasion of World Environment Day, WHO calls for a healthy and green recovery from COVID-19 that places the protection and restoration of nature central.

A recently launched WHO Manifesto calls for decisive action to address the root causes of the COVID-19 pandemic by reducing social inequalities and ecosystem degradation, and transforming the way we relate to the environment in which we live.”

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/world-environment-day-2020

WHO has published a set of Prescriptions for a healthy, green recovery from COVID-19 , of which the first prescription is to “Protect and preserve the source of human health: Nature.” An open letter to the G20 leaders from over 40 million health professionals also urged for a healthy recovery from COVID-19 where nature is thriving. A healthy recovery, the letter states, needs to double down on pollution, climate change and deforestation, in order to prevent “unleashing new health threats upon vulnerable populations”.

World Economic Forum (WEF)

Akanksha Khatri, Head of the Nature Action Agenda

F uture of Nature and Business Report, July 2020

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented job losses and economic uncertainty. As governments and businesses look to stimulate growth, a new study from the World Economic Forum found that ‘nature-positive’ solutions can create 395 million jobs by 2030.

The F uture of Nature and Business Report provides blueprints for businesses to tap into a $10.1 trillion business opportunity, focusing on industry actions that are nature-positive, meaning that they add value to nature.

The report states there is “no future for business as usual.” It finds that while fighting climate change is essential, it is “not enough,” and “a fundamental transformation” is needed across the socioeconomic systems of: food, land, and ocean use; infrastructure and the built environment; and extractives and energy. http://sdg.iisd.org/news/wef-report-makes-case-for-nature-positive-economy/

“We can address the looming bio-diversity crisis and reset the economy in a way that creates and protects millions of jobs,” said Akanksha Khatri, Head of the Nature Action Agenda, World Economic Forum. “Public calls are getting louder for businesses and government to do better. We can protect our food supplies, make better use of our infrastructure and tap into new energy sources by transitioning to nature-positive solutions.”

https://www.weforum.org/press/2020/07/395-million-new-jobs-by-2030-if-businesses-prioritize-nature-says-world-economic-forum/

Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)

Qu Dongyu, Director General

World Environment Day Speech, June 2020

“The 2020 World Environment Day theme is “Time for nature” and it focuses on biodiversity. Biodiversity provides essential infrastructure to support all life on earth and it is also a key base of the ecosystem. More importantly, it is a base, genetic base for food diversity.

It is an excellent opportunity to rethink the relationship among humans, animals, and the environment. The recent events, from the locust infestations across East Africa, to the fall army worm, and now the global disease pandemic, demonstrates the interdependency of humans, animals and the environment.”

FAO launched its flagship report on the State of World Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture. This report highlights the need to protect our natural resources including biodiversity and the need to conserve and use genetic resources to increase productivity.

We know that we can produce enough food to feed the world and protect the environment at the same time. Eradicating hunger is essential.

The FAO adopted its Strategy on Mainstreaming Biodiversity across agriculture sectors, a strategy that automatically aims at reducing the negative impact of agriculture practices on biodiversity, to promote sustainable agriculture practices and to conserve, enhance, preserve and restore biodiversity as a whole.

http://www.fao.org/director-general/speeches/detail/fr/c/1288134/

United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

Achim Steiner, Administrator

Launch of the 2020 Human Development Report , December 2020

“Scientists call this emerging era, the Anthropocene – or the age of humans. And in it, as the 2020 Human Development Report (HDR) sets out, humanity is waging a war against itself.

Consider this: the total mass of the things humans have made - like buildings, roads and bottle tops — now exceeds the total mass of all living things on the planet, from tiny bacteria to giant whales, according to new research.

Today, humans literally have the power to alter the atmosphere and the biosphere in which we live. The power to destroy, and the power to repair. No species has ever had that kind of power before. With it, we humans have achieved incredible things, but we have also taken the Earth and all the people on it to the brink.”

This year, constrained by mostly pre-pandemic data, we decided to try something new. We added countries’ consumption and carbon footprints to the Human Development Index (HDI). The result is a less rosy but clearer analysis of human progress.

Plotting out the data on a graph reveals a profound insight: there are countries that leave a minimal imprint on the planet. There are countries with prosperous populations. But not one nation in the world sits in both camps. In the graphs used to illustrate this data in the report we have, quite literally, an ‘empty box’. Filling this empty box is the next frontier for human development.

This may sound daunting. But the way forward is not rocket science. It comes down to the incentives, social norms, and nature-based solutions that will reset how people and planet interact. And the choices leaders make today as they build forward better from COVID-19 will be fundamental.

https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/speeches/2020/rbec-launch-of-the-2020-human-development-report.html

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Audrey Azoulay, Director-General

Launch of Strategic Direction for UNESCO, December 2020

If we are to build sustainable societies, the environment must be preserved through the promotion of science, technology, and natural heritage. Respondents to the World in 2030 survey named climate change and biodiversity loss the greatest challenge to peaceful societies this decade – and also called for the relationship between humans and nature to be rethought… the second great challenge of our time lies in the imperative need for humanity to find a sustainable way of interacting with nature.

“Through our new strategy, we must respond to this challenge, mobilising knowledge, but also education and culture, and disseminating information, to achieve a decisive change in humanity's relationship with its environment.”

One way of achieving this – one with growing global consensus – will be to protect 30% of the planet for nature. UNESCO’s networks of biosphere reserves, geoparks and natural World Heritage sights, says Azoulay, are tried and tested tools to this end. Recently, 25 new sites have been designated as biosphere reserves. Other important UNESCO projects that help improve the relationship between humans and nature include a new agreement with Italy to establish a network of international experts for nature preservation, and the UN Decade of Ocean Science, for which UNESCO has a leading role.

https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-director-general-audrey-azoulay-charts-new-strategic-direction

UN Human Rights Council

Right to a healthy environment: good practices: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment , December 2019

“In the present report, the Special Rapporteur highlights good practices in the recognition and implementation of the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The term “good practice” is defined broadly to include laws, policies, jurisprudence, strategies, programmes, projects and other measures that contribute to reducing adverse impacts on the environment, improving environmental quality and fulfilling human rights. The good practices address both the procedural and substantive elements of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The procedural elements are access to information, public participation, and access to justice and effective remedies. The substantive elements include clean air, a safe climate, access to safe water and adequate sanitation, healthy and sustainably produced food, non-toxic environments in which to live, work, study and play, and healthy biodiversity and ecosystems.”

European Central Bank

Christine Lagarde, President, with Sir David Attenborough, natural historian

International Monetary Fund Podcasts, May 2019

In nature, everything is connected. This is equally true of a healthy environment and a healthy economy. We cannot hope to sustain life without taking care of nature. And we need healthy economies to lift people out of poverty and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In our current model these goals sometimes seem to collide, and our economic pursuits encroach too closely on nature. But nature—a stable climate, reliable freshwater, forests, and other natural resources—is what makes industry possible. It is not one or the other. We cannot have long-term human development without a steady climate and a healthy natural world.

The bottom line is that when we damage the natural world, we damage ourselves. The impact of our growing economic footprint threatens our own future directly. By some estimates, more than 50 percent of the world’s population is now urbanised, increasing the likelihood of people losing touch with nature.

With the projected rise in ocean levels and increase in the average temperature of the planet, large swaths of land, even whole countries, will become uninhabitable, triggering mass climate-induced migration. Never has it been more important to understand how the natural world works and what we must do to preserve it.

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Podcasts/All-Podcasts/2019/05/02/nature-is-our-capital

European Commission

Ursula von der Leyen, President

“The recovery plan turns the immense challenge we face into an opportunity, not only by supporting the recovery but also by investing in our future: the European Green Deal and digitalisation will boost jobs and growth, the resilience of our societies and the health of our environment. This is Europe's moment. Our willingness to act must live up to the challenges we are all facing. With Next Generation EU we are providing an ambitious answer.”

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_940

We Mean Business Coalition

150 global companies with a combined market capitalisation of over US$ 2.4 trillion and representing over 5 million employees signed a statement urging governments around the world to align their COVID-19 economic aid and recovery efforts with the latest climate science. They reaffirmed their own science-based commitments to achieving zero carbon economy and call on governments to match their ambition.

Ignacio Galán, Chairman and CEO, Iberdrola, said: “The world must be united to tackle the current health crisis. And, as we emerge from this crisis, we must focus economic recovery on activities aligned with key priorities, such as the fight against climate change, and reactivating economic activity and employment quickly and sustainably. Companies like ours remain committed to investing billions in clean energy, creating jobs and long-term economic and environmental benefits. Pursuing environmental sustainability will be essential for long-term economic recovery.”

The business voices are convened by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and its Business Ambition for 1.5 C campaign partners, the UN Global Compact and the We Mean Business coalition.

https://sciencebasedtargets.org/news/over-150-global-corporations-urge-world-leaders-for-net-zero-recovery-from-covid-19

World Resources Institute

Charles Barber, Senior Biodiversity Advisor

Report Chair, COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet & Prosperity , October 2020

CEOs from 22 leading conservation and sustainable development organisations, including the World Resources Institute, have come together in unparalleled consensus to urge policymakers to integrate nature into COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. The group preleased a set of recommendations for policymakers, COVID-19 Response and Recovery: Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world that the destruction of our natural environment has a profound impact on human wellbeing – these issues are interconnected.

Our community of experts agrees that taking a nature-based approach is absolutely essential for nature and is often the most effective way of tackling the corresponding public health and economic crises.

"The Nature-Based recommendations for policymakers provide a concise and practical roadmap for governments and other stakeholders to confront the intertwined challenges of COVID-19, biodiversity loss, climate change and sustainable development.”

https://www.wri.org/news/2020/10/statement-covid-19-response-and-recovery-nature-based-solutions-people-planet-prosperity

Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)

“In the midst of our global response to COVID-19 , the world is in need of an economic transformation, one that promotes both the sustainable wellbeing of individuals as well as the environment in tandem. We have arrived at a turning point. The challenges we face now, together, are tremendous. But in the face of current adversity, and the near halt of our global economy, we have a collective opportunity to join together for a brighter, more sustainable future. The decisions that policymakers, businesses and individuals choose now will determine if we prosper and accelerate a more sustainable world, or not.”

https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/statements/statement-partnership-action-green-economy-choices-we-make-now-will

INTERNATIONAL LEADERS

Joseph Biden

President, United States of America

On signing an Executive order calling for the reversal of many negative environmental policies and for a renewed commitment to environmental and human health 20 January 2021

“Our Nation has an abiding commitment to empower our workers and communities; promote and protect our public health and the environment; and conserve our national treasures and monuments, places that secure our national memory. Where the Federal Government has failed to meet that commitment in the past, it must advance environmental justice. In carrying out this charge, the Federal Government must be guided by the best science and be protected by processes that ensure the integrity of Federal decision-making. It is, therefore, the policy of my Administration to listen to the science; to improve public health and protect our environment; to ensure access to clean air and water; to limit exposure to dangerous chemicals and pesticides; to hold polluters accountable, including those who disproportionately harm communities of colour and low-income communities; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; to bolster resilience to the impacts of climate change; to restore and expand our national treasures and monuments; and to prioritise both environmental justice and the creation of the well-paying union jobs necessary to deliver on these goals.

To that end, this order directs all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to immediately review and, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, take action to address the promulgation of Federal regulations and other actions during the last 4 years that conflict with these important national objectives, and to immediately commence work to confront the climate crisis.”

https://whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-public-health-and-environment-and-restoring-science-to-tackle-climate-crisis/

Angela Merkel

Federal Chancellor, Germany

One Planet Summit, January 2021

“Natural habitats are being destroyed every day. We risk losing around a quarter of most plant and animal species. These drastic losses have a grave impact on life and quality of life, including for us humans. And so, we must step up our efforts to protect biodiversity and natural habitats – not some time or other, but now, and not somehow or other, but monumentally. If we do not, the consequences will soon be irreversible.”

“We humans can only truly flourish on a healthy planet with a rich and healthy tapestry of animals and plants. This is the core of the One Health approach. We have worked with France to launch the One Health High-Level Expert Panel. This panel aims to facilitate cooperation between the WHO, the FAO, World Organisation for Animal Health and the UN Environment Programme.”

https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/opening-statement-by-federal-chancellor-dr-angela-merkel-at-the-one-planet-summit-for-biodiversity-1836134

Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister, Canada

World Environment Day, June 2020

“Biodiversity and healthy ecosystems are vital to our health and continued prosperity. This year, as we practice physical distancing and spend more time than usual in our homes to keep our families and communities safe during COVID-19, we are reminded of how important nature is to our well-being and everyday lives. As we look toward restarting our economy, we need to continue investing in the protection of our natural surroundings and the fight against climate change—because if you do not have a plan for the environment, you cannot have a plan for the economy. I encourage Canadians to do their part in creating a more equitable and sustainable world, and to take action to protect our environment. To take care of ourselves, we must take care of nature.

“Together, we can build a world that is cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable – today and for future generations.”

https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2020/06/05/statement-prime-minister-world-environment-day

“ If we do not act, the ecosystems on which we depend for our water, air, and food could collapse. .... We must work together to prevent future global health crises. By adopting measures to protect nature, fight climate change, and promote scientific knowledge, we will make 2021 a defining year in our collective efforts to save the planet.”

https://www.oneplanetsummit.fr/en

Greta Thunberg

Youth Advocate for Action Climate Change

World Economic Forum, January 2021,

“For me, hope is the feeling that keeps you going, even though all odds may be against you. For me hope comes from action not just words. For me, hope is telling it like it is. No matter how difficult or uncomfortable that may be.

And again, I’m not here to tell you what to do. After all, safeguarding the future living conditions and preserving life on earth as we know it is voluntary. The choice is yours to make.

But I can assure you this. You can't negotiate with physics. And your children and grandchildren will hold you accountable for the choices that you make. How's that for a deal?”

“Planting trees is good, of course, but it’s nowhere near enough of what needs to be done, and it cannot replace real mitigation or rewilding nature.”

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/01/greta-thunberg-message-to-the-davos-agenda/

Sir David Attenborough

International filmmaker and conservation icon

From the film ‘A life on our Planet’, September 2020

“To restore stability to our planet, we must restore its biodiversity, the very thing that we’ve removed. It’s the only way out of this crisis we’ve created – we must rewild the world.”

President, China

United Nations (UN) Summit on Biodiversity. September 2020

“The loss of biodiversity and the degradation of the ecosystem pose a major risk to human survival and development. COVID-19 reminds us of the interdependence between man and Nature. It falls to all of us to act together and urgently to advance protection and development in parallel, so that we can turn Earth into a beautiful homeland for all creatures to live in harmony.”

“At present, there exists an acceleration of the global extinction of species. The loss of biodiversity and the degradation of the ecosystem pose a major risk to human survival and development. COVID-19 reminds us of the interdependence between man and Nature. It falls to all of us to act together and urgently to advance protection and development in parallel, so that we can turn Earth into a beautiful homeland for all creatures to live in harmony.”

“The industrial civilisation, while creating vast material wealth, has caused ecological crises as manifested in biodiversity loss and environmental damage. A sound ecosystem is essential for the prosperity of civilisation. We need to take up our lofty responsibility for the entire human civilisation, and we need to respect Nature, follow its laws and protect it.”

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-09-30/Full-text-Xi-Jinping-s-speech-at-UN-summit-on-biodiversity-Udo37GZogE/index.html

CEO of BlackRock

Annual letter to company leaders, January 2021

The CEO of the world's largest asset manager, BlackRock, which manages some $7 trillion for investors has urged global companies to publicly disclose their plans for how they will operate in a world with net-zero emissions by 2050. The CEO highlighted climate change as a business and investing priority in his annual letter to company leaders. He also called for a single global standard for sustainability disclosures, saying it would "enable investors to make more informed decisions about how to achieve durable long-term returns”.

“We know that climate risk is investment risk” “But we also believe the climate transition presents a historic investment opportunity.”

“I have great optimism about the future of capitalism and the future health of the economy -- not in spite of the energy transition, but because of it.”

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/blackrock-ceo-urges-companies-present-plans-net-economy/story?id=75488492

Volkan Bozkir (Turkey)

President, UN General Assembly

Opening the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, 30 September 2020

“Humanity’s existence on Earth depends entirely on its ability to protect the natural world around it. Yet every year, 13 million hectares of forest are lost, while 1 million species are at risk of extinction. Meanwhile, species of vertebrates have declined by 68 per cent in the past 50 years. “Clearly, we must heed the lessons we have learned and respect the world in which we live,” he said, describing COVID‑19 as an opportunity to do just that through a post‑pandemic green recovery that emphasises the protection of biodiversity can lead to a more sustainable and resilient world.”

United Nations Summit on Biodiversity

Leaders Pledge for Nature

Political leaders participating in the UN Summit on Biodiversity, representing 82 countries from all regions and the European Union, September 2020

“We are in a state of planetary emergency: the interdependent crises of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and climate change - driven in large part by unsustainable production and consumption - require urgent and immediate global action. Science clearly shows that biodiversity loss, land and ocean degradation, pollution, resource depletion and climate change are accelerating at an unprecedented rate. This acceleration is causing irreversible harm to our life support systems and aggravating poverty and inequalities as well as hunger and malnutrition. Unless halted and reversed with immediate effect, it will cause significant damage to global economic, social and political resilience and stability and will render achieving the Sustainable Development Goals impossible. Biodiversity loss is both accelerated by climate change and at the same time exacerbates it, by debilitating nature’s ability to sequester or store carbon and to adapt to climate change impacts. Ecosystem degradation, human encroachment in ecosystems, loss of natural habitats and biodiversity and the illegal wildlife trade can also increase the risk of emergence and spread of infectious diseases. COVID-19 shows that these diseases have dramatic impacts not only on loss of life and health but across all spheres of society.”

https://www.leaderspledgefornature.org/

His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali

President, Guyana

Statement on behalf of The Group of 77 and China at the virtual UN Summit on Biodiversity, September 2020

“This Summit should galvanise the necessary political will for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework in line with the 2030 Agenda and energise stakeholders for the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity under the theme “Ecological civilisation: building a shared future for all life on Earth.”

Relaying the concerns of the G77, President Ali stated that “our development challenges have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact will continue to be felt well into the future. The pandemic is also jarring reminder of the important relationship between people and nature. There must be urgent and significant actions to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt biodiversity loss, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. The international community must strengthen efforts to counter these trends and protect the ecosystems, on both land and water.”

Speaking in his national capacity President Ali reminded of the important ecosystem services provided by Guyana’s forest and Guyana’s commitment to low carbon development. Since 1929, Guyana has used protected areas as models for sustainable livelihoods and living in harmony with nature.

https://www.g77.org/statement/getstatement.php?id=200930

Mary Robinson

Former President of Ireland

“We will not reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement without fully embracing nature-based solutions and protecting at least 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.”

H.E. Barbara Creecy

Minister of Environment of South Africa & President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment

8th special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, December 2020

“Whilst this Pandemic is having a profound negative impact on sustainable development and our efforts to combat environmental degradation and eradicate poverty, it also presents opportunities to set our recovery on a path of transformative sustainable development. Many governments and regions are prioritising a green recovery as part of their stimulus packages to address the crisis.”

“Now more than ever, it is imperative to work together as Africa and take collective and resolute action to deal with the socio-economic and environmental fallout from this crisis, for the benefit of the Continent. There is indeed a compelling case for the environment and rich natural resources of the African Continent, if utilised in a sustainable manner, to contribute significantly to the Continent’s recovery from the impacts of the Pandemic.”

https://www.gov.za/speeches/opening-remarks-he-barbara-creecy-minister-environment-forestry-and-fisheries-south-africa

Pacific Island Nations

Protected Areas and Conservation Conference Major Statement November 2020

The 10th Pacific Islands Conference on Protected Areas and Conservation was held online in November 2020. As part of the high-level segment of the Conference Ministers and heads of organisations of the Pacific Island Roundtable (PIRT) endorsed the Vemoore Declaration committing to urgent action for nature conservation. This Declaration aligns to the Conference Action Tracks and also essentially endorses the new Framework for Nature Conservation in the Pacific Islands region.

“We, representatives of the governments of Pacific Island countries and territories, our partner countries, and the Heads of Organisations of members of the Pacific Islands Round Table for Nature Conservation, gathered for the High-Level Session of the 10th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, declare that the global biodiversity crisis is urgent, and that transformative action must not be delayed.

This crisis is an existential threat to our Pacific Ocean, our Pacific Islands, and to ourselves as Pacific peoples. We join world leaders that met at the UN Summit on Biodiversity 2020 and recognised the current planetary emergency of interdependent crises of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and climate change that requires urgent and immediate global action. We note with grave concern that none of the global 2011-2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets have been fully met.

The Blue Pacific collectively calls for all countries to adopt a strong deal for nature and people, to reverse or halt the loss of our natural ecosystems and put nature on a path to recovery by 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the dependency of all our societies on healthy and resilient natural ecosystems. Our necessary social and economic recovery from the pandemic is a regional and global opportunity to transform our collective relationship with the natural world, and to build back better. We recognise the potential of our Pacific Islands to lead the world in ecological stewardship, drawing on our rich indigenous heritage and the close relationship of our communities with the land, sea and sky.

https://www.sprep.org/publications/vemoore-declaration-commitments-to-nature-conservation-action-in-the-pacific-islands-region-2021-20251

Boris Johnson

Prime Minister, United Kingdom

Announcing Covid Green Recovery Plan, November 2020

“We will use science to rout the virus, and we must use the same extraordinary powers of invention to repair the economic damage from Covid-19, and to build back better. Now is the time to plan for a green recovery with high-skilled jobs that give people the satisfaction of knowing they are helping to make the country cleaner, greener and more beautiful.”

“Green and growth can go hand-in-hand. So let us meet the most enduring threat to our planet with one of the most innovative and ambitious programmes of job-creation we have known.”

https://www.ft.com/content/6c112691-fa2f-491a-85b2-b03fc2e38a30

Ban Ki-Moon

Former UN Secretary General

Quoted in BCG article ‘How Government Can Fuel a Green Recovery’, September 2020

“World leaders are committing unprecedented funds to recovery packages. Their choices will shape our economies and societies for decades, and determine whether we breathe clean air, create a sustainable low-carbon future and possibly even survive as a species.”

https://www.bcg.com/en-au/publications/2020/how-governments-can-fuel-green-recovery

Helen Clark

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand

Former Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme

“Although biodiversity loss continues globally, many countries are significantly slowing the rate of loss by shoring up protected natural areas and the services they provide, and in expanding national park systems with tighter management and more secure funding.”

http://www.morefamousquotes.com/authors/helen-clark-quotes/

Johnson Cerda

Indigenous Kichwa of the Ecuadorian Amazon

“Many Indigenous communities rely on nature for everything — from food and water to their livelihoods and culture. Though they account for only 5 percent of the world’s population, Indigenous peoples use or manage more than a quarter of Earth’s surface and protect 80 percent of global biodiversity. Indigenous peoples manage 35 percent of intact forests and at least a quarter of above-ground carbon in tropical forests.

Because of this intimate relationship with nature, we are the first ones to feel the impact of the climate crisis.”

“Rather than trying to take over lands or make all of the decisions of how to protect a certain area, governments and environmental organisations must instead work with Indigenous peoples to ensure that everyone’s interests are taken into account. Indigenous peoples have centuries’ worth of traditional knowledge to contribute to the fight to stop climate change and biodiversity loss. We all want to achieve the same goal — and the first step is making sure our voices are heard.”

https://www.conservation.org/blog/indigenous-leaders-to-tackle-climate-change-we-must-first-address-racial-inequality

Svenja Schulze

Federal Environment Minister, Germany

“I am committed to an ambitious strategy for the international conservation of biodiversity in line with the One Health approach to protect nature and our health.

The IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services shows that the global loss of biodiversity is dramatic. Natural habitats are being altered and destroyed. People are encroaching on these habitats, and biodiversity is declining drastically in many regions of the world.

The current situation in particular shows that these kinds of crises can only be contained or prevented through international coordination together with global partners. This can be achieved through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, for example, in the context of major campaigns such as the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration . Or by establishing binding international laws. The 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity next year represents an opportunity.

The international community can show that it has learned from the coronavirus pandemic. It can adopt a new global biodiversity strategy that includes the necessary measures for the global conservation of biodiversity, which will also reduce the risk of future pandemics.

The focus is reconciling economic activities with nature conservation, preserving ecosystems and protecting habitats.”

https://www.bmu.de/en/speech/speech-by-svenja-schulze-on-biodiversity-and-pandemic/

High Ambition Coalition

Statement on Resilient Recovery, June 2020

“The COVID-19 crisis has shown the intrinsic linkages between planetary and human health, and the urgent need to strengthen our global response to systemic threats. As we continue our efforts to address the ongoing climate crisis, an ambitious recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that supports the vulnerable, creates jobs, and sets us on track to limit global warming to 1.5 °C is both possible and necessary.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has also created an unprecedented moment for countries to reset their economies with climate-conscious recovery policies – and the HAC has once again heeded a call for ambitious action. At a June 2020 HAC virtual ministerial meeting, leaders endorsed the UN Secretary General’s six climate related principles for COVID recovery and called for solidarity measures in support of developing countries and encourages a target of 60% of recovery spending to focus on “the green economy and low-carbon professions

https://www.highambitioncoalition.org/statements/green-recovery-statement-2020

C40 Mayors’ Statement for a Green and Just Recovery

“Around the world, C40 Cities connects 97 of the world’s greatest cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700+ million citizens and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air we breathe.”

“In July we released the C40 Mayors’ Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery defining our vision, putting forward concrete policies and initiatives and calling for action by all governments and institutions to support our efforts. In less than four months, we have made crucial progress, showing what can be achieved when we act quickly, unlock funds and shift to a new green and just paradigm. Since then, we have taken bold action in our cities, including: the launch of the first city-led Green New Deal in Asia , funding programs supporting green start-ups and entrepreneurs, additional investments worth millions of dollars in zero emissions mobility, more liveable and affordable housing and resilient infrastructure. We are developing new programs to create thousands of new green jobs, upskill and train workers and have passed temporary protections for gig and essential workers. We have created dozens of kilometres of new, permanent walking and cycling lanes and have accelerated planting new trees and increasing greening in our cities.

In addition, 12 cities with 36 million residents are calling on city and pension funds with over US$295 billion in total assets to divest from fossil fuels. As mayors and representatives of many of the world’s leading cities representing over 700 million people and 25% GDP worldwide, we know we cannot achieve ambitious climate change goals alone. Therefore, we are committed to working with every citizen, company, government agency and international institution to deliver real outcomes. Our collective prize will be returning to a safer and healthier climate, achieving a more equitable economy, and recovering faster from the pandemic.

https://c40-production-images.s3.amazonaws.com/other_uploads/images/2684_C40_GREEN_RECOVERY_STATEMENT.original.pdf?1603819872

INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTIONS

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Extracts IUCN Statement on Covid 19, April 2020

A crisis, especially one of this intensity, inspires reflection and evokes difficult questions. Beyond the human tragedy, much attention has turned towards humanity’s relationship with the natural world and the impact of our activities. With an economic catastrophe resulting from the sudden and drastic halt of activity, many have observed that, beyond the human tragedy, our footprint on the planet has temporarily become lighter.

No doubt, this is a sign that we are capable of doing things differently, but to look on this as a positive outcome would be a grave mistake. The cost has been and will be enormous in terms of lost jobs, hardship and suffering. Furthermore, it is clear that the COVID-19 outbreak is also bringing new threats to indigenous peoples and rural communities, as well as exacerbated violence, in particular against women and girls as quarantine conditions make unsafe homes even more dangerous.

We can rebuild, but let us rebuild smarter. As a community we have been speaking of the need for transformational change – let us work together now to ensure we follow a thoughtful sustainable path. IUCN will continue to engage with women and men across communities to build and implement safe and gender-equitable solutions.

To draw a lesson from this ongoing tragedy, we should all vow to revisit the way we work. We must look at how we can reduce our footprint on the natural world by continuing to use the tools we are using now.

https://www.iucn.org/news/secretariat/202004/iucn-statement-covid-19-pandemic

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Director

Speaking at the launch UN’s Global Biodiversity Outlook report, September 2020

“As nature degrades new opportunities emerge for the spread to humans and animals of devastating diseases like this year’s coronavirus. The window of time available is short, but the pandemic has also demonstrated that transformative changes are possible when they must be made.”

“Earth’s living systems as a whole are being compromised, and the more humanity exploits nature in unsustainable ways and undermines its contributions to people, the more we undermine our own well-being, security and prosperity.”

The report amplifies the UN’s support for nature-based solutions , hailed as one of the most effective ways of combatting climate change. Alongside a rapid phase-out of fossil fuel use, they can provide positive benefits for biodiversity and other sustainability goals.

And, in relation to health concerns, and the spread of diseases from animals to humans, the report calls for a “One Health” transition, in which agriculture, the urban environment and wildlife are managed in a way that promotes healthy ecosystems and healthy people.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/09/1072292

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)

UNEP and FAO briefing of UN Member Countries on the Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, December 2020

“There has never been a more urgent need to restore damaged ecosystems than now due to the rising impacts of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a monumental task and everyone has a role to play. Ecosystems support all life on Earth, and their restoration can create jobs, build up resilience, and address climate change and biodiversity loss, all at the same time.

“Now, more than ever and over the next ten years, every action counts. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has proclaimed the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration following a proposal for action by over 70 countries from around the world. The Decade runs from 2021 through 2030, coinciding with the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals and with the timeline scientists have identified as the last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change.”

https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/stories/un-environment-and-fao-brief-member-states-new-york-upcoming-un-decade-ecosystem

Wildlife Conservation 20 (WC20),

Recommendations to Global Leaders at the G20 Summit in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, November 2020

Political and financial commitments to avert environmental crises that negatively impact people and our planet have yet to be translated into effective action. Government sectors need to be coordinated and engage wider society to ensure effective implementation of strategies that promote a realignment of our relationship with nature. There is an urgent need for partnerships and unified policy and strategy among institutions dealing in ecology and wildlife conservation, zoonotic diseases, animal and human health, food safety, trade, finance and relevant regulatory and enforcement agencies.

https://tinyurl.com/y3d73p7a

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

Robert Watson, Chair

On release IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, May 2020

“The overwhelming evidence of the IPBES Global Assessment, from a wide range of different fields of knowledge, presents an ominous picture. “The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.”

“Despite progress to conserve nature and implement policies, the Report also finds that global goals for conserving and sustainably using nature and achieving sustainability cannot be met by current trajectories, and goals for 2030 and beyond may only be achieved through transformative changes across economic, social, political and technological factors.”

Extracts from Media Release IPBES Workshop on Biodiversity and Pandemics, October 2020

“The same human activities that drive climate change and biodiversity loss also drive pandemic risk through their impacts on our environment. Changes in the way we use land; the expansion and intensification of agriculture; and unsustainable trade, production and consumption disrupt nature and increase contact between wildlife, livestock, pathogens and people. This is the path to pandemics.”

“Pandemic risk can be significantly lowered by reducing the human activities that drive the loss of biodiversity, by greater conservation of protected areas, and through measures that reduce unsustainable exploitation of high biodiversity regions. This will reduce wildlife-livestock-human contact and help prevent the spillover of new diseases”

https://ipbes.net/sites/default/files/2020-12/IPBES%20Pandemics%20Report%20Media%20Release.pdf

The Nature Conservancy

“One of the many things we’ve learned from the global shock of COVID-19 is just how intertwined humanity is with nature. A wildlife-borne pathogen has infected more than 70 million people, disrupted global supply chains, spotlighted inequities and exposed new vulnerabilities in our financial systems: the costs of our broken relationship with nature are startlingly clear.

As we set our collective vision toward global recovery in 2021, recognising and making decisions based on nature’s value will be essential for building a better world. Whether it’s for our physical health or our fiscal health, it’s clear that we need nature now.”

Recent analyses suggest that the cost of preventing further pandemics over the next decade by protecting wildlife and ecosystems would equate to just two per cent of the estimated financial damage caused thus far by COVID-19. The profits – legal and illegal – that are generated from the commercial trade in wildlife are negligible in comparison to the tens of trillions of dollars of economic devastation that we are now witnessing, and are even more negligible when limited to wildlife trade and markets for human consumption.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/nature-mainstream-global-recovery-2021/

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Inger Anderson, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNEP

Foreword to CBD Global Outlook Report 2020

“Now, we must accelerate and scale-up collaboration for nature-positive outcomes – conserving, restoring and using biodiversity fairly and sustainably. If we do not, biodiversity will continue to buckle under the weight of land- and sea-use change, overexploitation, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species. This will further damage human health, economies and societies – with particularly detrimental effects on indigenous peoples and local communities.

“We know what needs to be done, what works and how we can achieve good results. If we build on what has already been achieved, and place biodiversity at the heart of all our policies and decisions – including in COVID-19 recovery packages – we can ensure a better future for our societies and the planet.”

Global outlook https://www.cbd.int/gbo/gbo5/publication/gbo-5-en.pdf

WWF-International

Marco Lambertini, Director-General

January 2020

“The initiatives and funding announced at the One Planet Summit provide critical momentum on nature ahead of major global environmental agreements to be made later this year and, crucially, start the process of turning commitments into action. However, a step change in both ambition and urgency is still needed if we are to secure a sustainable future for both people and the planet.

“Science tells us that our broken relationship with nature is increasing our vulnerability to pandemics, threatening our economies, and undermining our efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Never has the need for urgent action been clearer, but world leaders are yet to demonstrate that they have grasped the scale of the crisis at hand. We urge them to take the necessary steps to deliver a transformative biodiversity agreement in Kunming that secures a nature-positive world this decade while supporting climate action.”

https://tinyurl.com/yxgn44h4

14 Leaders of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy

The Ocean Panel represents nations of highly diverse oceanic, economic and political perspectives. It is supported by the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean.

“We, the 14 members of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (the Ocean Panel), are heads of state and government representing people from across all ocean basins, nearly 40% of the world’s coastlines and 30% of exclusive economic zones. We recognise that the ocean is the life source of our planet and is vital for human well-being and a thriving global economy.”

“The ocean is home to many complex ecosystems facing significant threats. The actions we take now can safeguard the ocean’s capacity to regenerate, in order to deliver substantial economic, environmental and social value and offer powerful solutions to global challenges. Rapid action must be taken today to address climate change, acidification, ocean warming, marine pollution, overfishing, and loss of habitat and biodiversity. Failure to act will jeopardise global health, well-being, and economic vitality and exacerbate inequalities.”

https://www.oceanpanel.org/ocean-action/files/transformations-sustainable-ocean-economy-eng.pdf

https://www.oceanpanel.org/about#members

Conservation International

Herbert Lust , Vice President, Managing Director for Europe

Statement on the 11th Petersburg Climate Dialogue Commitments, April 2020

“We know public and economic health are linked to the health of our planet. Not only will balanced ecosystems help prevent the future spread of disease, they will help prevent other global crises like climate change. Thus, it is urgent that we rethink our relationship with nature and invest in smart solutions as we navigate an uncertain economic future and recover from the current pandemic.

“It is very positive to see biodiversity prioritised alongside climate change at the top of the global agenda during the Petersburg conference. It is important to acknowledge the challenges we face in advancing these priorities in what we hoped would be a ‘super year for nature.’ A green recovery will not always be easy but challenging does not mean impossible. Together, we can chart a course that keeps nature at the forefront of the global economic recovery.

https://www.conservation.org/press-releases/2020/04/30/conservation-international-statement-on-the-11th-petersberg-climate-dialogue-commitments

The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco at launch of the coalition of over 50 governments from across six continents aiming to secure a global agreement to protect the lands and oceans of the planet.

“The ecosystems we rely on for our water, our air, our food are at risk of collapse. Our survival depends on nature’s survival. Scientists say we must act boldly and urgently.

That is why Monaco has joined forces with many countries across the world to form the High Ambition Coalition. Together we are championing a global deal to save the planet and ourselves - Lets Act now!”

https://www.hacfornatureandpeople.org/hac-launch-hub-page#

WWF Global Biodiversity Framework

WWF and major conservation bodies releasing Nature Positive by 2030, August 2020

“We are causing a catastrophic loss of species and exacerbating already dangerous levels of climate change. In the next year Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) can deliver the change needed by securing an ambitious new global biodiversity framework that will transform our world to become nature-positive by 2030, for people and the planet. With high level commitment and action on biodiversity we can achieve all Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and transition to a more prosperous, safe and healthy world now and in the future.”

“To create a global biodiversity framework that is a tool for transformative change, we need leadership at the highest level of state or government in both its development and implementation, through a whole-of-government approach. All government ministries, not just the Ministry of Environment, need to unite behind an ambitious mission, goals and targets that remove the sectoral drivers of biodiversity loss and decrease our ecological footprint.”

https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/1049/d87f/9d99cfe30a0b06281d24d84a/covid-19-response-and-recovery-joint-policy-recs-nov-9-en.pdf

Global Steering Committee of the Campaign for Nature

Report launch: A Key Sector Forgotten in the Stimulus Debate: The Nature-Based Economy , July 2020

“We have formed this group with the overarching purpose of calling on world leaders to support a new global goal to protect at least 30 percent of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. Scientists are telling us that this is the minimum amount needed to halt global biodiversity loss, which threatens up to one million species with extinction and is considered by the World Economic Forum to be one of the top five risks facing the global economy.

We believe that the issue of land and marine conservation is timelier than ever. The coronavirus pandemic has further underscored the need to protect more of the natural world, as studies have shown that the destruction of nature increases the risk of infectious disease outbreaks.

We also believe that nature conservation must both be a core element of the economic rescue plans that global leaders are developing to respond to the emerging global recession, and a cornerstone of creating a resilient new economy.

WWF Living Planet Report

“At a time when the world is reeling from the deepest global disruption and health crisis of a lifetime, this year’s Living Planet Report provides unequivocal and alarming evidence that nature is unravelling and that our planet is flashing red warning signs of vital natural systems failure. The Living Planet Report 2020 clearly outlines how humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives.”

“It is time we answer nature’s SOS. Not just to secure the future of tigers, rhinos, whales, bees, trees and all the amazing diversity of life we love and have the moral duty to coexist with, but because ignoring it also puts the health, well-being and prosperity, indeed the future, of nearly 8 billion people at stake”.

https://www.zsl.org/sites/default/files/LPR%202020%20Full%20report.pdf

Covid-19 Response and Recovery Nature-Based Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity

Recommendations for Policymakers November by 22 major environmental organisations, November 2020

“COVID-19 highlights the critical connection between the health of nature and human health. This connection must be better reflected in our priorities, policies and actions. The root causes of this pandemic are common to many root causes of the climate change and biodiversity crises. Confronting these intertwined crises requires an integrated approach and unprecedented cooperation to achieve an equitable carbon-neutral, nature-positive economic recovery and a sustainable future. Our organisations’ recommendations to policymakers for meeting this challenge are offered below (recommendation 1).

I. Halt degradation and loss of natural ecosystems as a public health priority. Human activities are destroying, degrading and fragmenting nature at an unprecedented rate, directly affecting our resilience to future pandemics. By throwing ecosystems off balance, human activities have turned natural areas from our first line of defence into hot spots for disease emergence. Reversing this trend is critical for preventing the next pandemic long before it can enter human communities.

Mark Willuhn, Director, Alianza Mesoamericana de Ecoturismo

“We are learning how to unlearn”

Syed Hasnain Raza, Independent Wildlife & Conservation Filmmaker

"Our Ecosystems are under severe threat from human intervention, its better we understand this sooner that we draw our bread and butter from our Ecosystems. In other words it's right to say Healthy Ecosystems are equal to Healthy Economies. In this anthroprocene we must realise the importance of healthy Ecosystems and survival of species that keep them healthy. We need to move forward with Nature Based Solutions, Climate Change Adaptation and Ecosystems Based Adaptation but this all needs awareness first at every possible level."

Related content

The BIODEV2030 project, launched in early 2020 supports the country's development ambition, while…

IUCN welcomes with relief and gratitude the negotiated decisions on fishing subsidies made…

Addressing gender-based violence and environment linkages to deliver improved rights-based, gender-…

Sign up for an IUCN newsletter

Environment

A collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of Environment.

Video playlists about Environment

A playbook for protecting the planet

In the Green: The Business of Climate Action

5 questions about climate change

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Talks about environment.

How do gas masks actually work?

An updated action plan for solving the climate crisis — and a look at progress to date

How to live with fire

A climate solution? The wisdom passed down through generations

What Earth in 2050 could look like

Let your garden grow wild

How to choose clothes for longevity, not the landfill

Meet mini-grids — the clean energy solution bringing power to millions

The unsung heroes fighting malnutrition

How business can improve the world, not just the bottom line

What's the point of digital fashion?

How poop turns into forests

Can nanoparticles help fight hunger?

Is climate change slowing down the ocean?

The Herds, a vast act of theater to spark climate action

The climate solutions worth funding — now

Exclusive articles about environment, 9 must-watch adventure, fantasy and romance movies you didn’t know were about climate, 8 illustrations that show a hopeful climate future (ps: but we need to act now), charcoal may be great for barbecues — but it’s bad for the planet.

My Speech Class

Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

104 Environmental Speech Topics [Persuasive, Informative]

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

Environmental speech topics and essay writing on angles of view regarding different aspects of our ecology for public speaking. Hope these helpful ideas will sparkle your fantasy!

In this article:

Informative

Environmental.

• The danger of ocean oil spills.
• Recycling should be mandatory.
• Why oil needs to be conserved.
• Why we should use reusable bags.
• Why palm oil should be banned.
• Ban mining in environmentally sensitive areas.
• Disposable diapers are hazardous to the environment.
• The environment is more important than genetics in determining how a person will turn out.
• The danger of oil drilling in Alaska.
• Fishing regulations are necessary to preserve the environment.
• Endangered species need protection.
• We need to invest more in alternative fuels.
• Endangered oceans deserve protection.
• We should strive for a paperless society.
• Conserve our global resources.
• Rain forests need to be protected.
• The principal threats of land degradation in Asia / Africa / South America (choose one continent for your thesis focus).
• Ocean acidification (a decline in the pH degree of ocean waters) endangers marine organisms.
• The main causes of massive coral bleaching (the whitening of corals).
• The advantages of an intercropping system for sustainable plant production.
• Environmentalists are misusing the term sustainable development.
• Why we should be concerned about ozone depletion in Earth’s stratosphere.
• Bottom trawling (dragging huge nets along the sea floor) is killing for the benthic ecological organisms.
• The benefits of microbes to humans.
• Make you own Carbon Footprint and realize how polluting you are.
• Why the carbon tax should be the next stage in our capitalist world.
• How to manage E-waste streams in modern India.
• Emissions trading or exchangeable emission permits work contra-productive in the urgency to blow back global warming.
• Debt-for-nature swaps are natural friendly policies.
• Renewable energy technologies like wind energy, hydroelectricity, biomass and solar power should be stimulated by the government.
• How to apply green ecological sustainable computing (or green IT) at your home PC or Mac.
• The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the worst man-made mishap in American history. Environmental persuasive speech topics can also be found after that big crash at sea – e.g. in Nigeria.
• We should handle with care the dangers and risks of exhausting our fossil fuel resources on earth, and protect the innocent sea life.
• Global warming demands more joined global action than Kopenhagen did.
• Encourage livestock owners to adopt sustainable grazing systems.
• Environmental damage of energy consumption force us to use energy alternatives.
• Mankind is responsible for the large loss of biodiversity in nature.
• Avoid using plastic bags.
• Buy natural and organic produced, and fair trade products.
• Our ever-expanding consumerism has killed the earth.
• Sacrifice a little bit of the economic growth for the good of the environment.
• Give tax cuts to companies to develop solar, wind and forms of hydrogen energy.
• There should be a green tax on aviation fuel.
• Why stores need to stop supplying plastic bags
• Are green jobs really green and environmentally friendly?
• TV news program weather forecasts are not accurate at all.
• The only effective litter prevention method is to force recycling.
• Recycling helps with green house effects.
• Only energy efficient household appliances should be sold.
• Nuclear power is a good alternative energy source.
• Keep your thermostat at 68 F in Winter and 72 F in Summer.
• Hunting sports harm the biodiversity.
• Hundreds of thousands of species will go extinct by 2060.
• Buying durable goods will save the world.
• We are wasting the opportunity to waste less.
• Water pollution will be the world’s biggest problem in the next years.
• Natural disasters stimulate economic growth.
• We are killing the rainforest, our planet’s lungs.
• The change of our climate pattern is not natural.
• The effects of global warming are not overestimated by scientists and green activists.
• Restrict every household to 50 gallon can on trash and yard waste a week.
• Rural development is the main cause of wildfires and extensive damage in the past years.
• Energy alternatives are the only solution to the environmental damage.
• Paying higher energy prices is a sacrifice we have to make for cleaner fuels.
• Construction plans must include an environment-section.
• Promote earthfriendly cars by tax benefits.

Why can’t the discussion about nuclear energy just be about the sole bare facts instead of political bias all the time?

6 additional persuasive environmental speech topics

Persuasive environmental speech topics to increase the quality of your persuasive communication skills, detailed layouts on Natural Resources, Radio Active Waste Management, and Intensive Farming  are even applicable on essay writing goals.

Can We Write Your Speech?

Get your audience blown away with help from a professional speechwriter. Free proofreading and copy-editing included.

Examine the opportunities I offer, and assemble you own speaking text based on the sample series of reasons below.

That logic reasoning process in the end will result in a nice and substantial blueprint, and a sample argumentation scheme for a debate on good persuasive environmental speech topics.

Excessive Use of Natural Resources Leads to Depletion In The End.

Radioactive materials are – without exception I would state – firm persuasive environmental speech topics and essay discourse themes for students. E.g.:

Radio Active Waste Management.

Intensive farming has many pros and cons. In the next example I deal with the cons. Note that each of them could be used as single persuasive environmental speech topics for a debate or essay:

The Disadvantages of Intensive Farming.

You also could take the opposite side and defend the pro-intensive farming arguments by attacking and replacing them for reasons in favor of the supporters of intensive farming. That will provoke immediate discussion among your listeners. Furthermore I would like to share alternative options for persuasive environmental speech topics:

• Endangered species;
• Marine debris and microplastics;
• The sea level rise.

Endangered species – The international list of protected animals. E.g. the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN. Sharpen your persuasive communication skills and judge the conditions for protection.

Marine debris and microplastics – More and more are our ocean, seas, lakes and rivers polluted. Littering: plastic bottles, bags, and so on. Persuade your audience to act. Let them support coastal volunteer operations to remove and prevent debris.

The sea level rise – What is bad about it? What are the predictions of meteorologists regarding the reported weather and climate changes? What should we do to stop it? Is it possible to stop the rise of the sea level anyway?

• The fundamentals of logistics for oil and gas exploration.
• Wildlife protection programs.
• Plants, animals and organisms that live in the ocean.
• The greatest rainforests in the world.
• Facts and figures of littering in our community
• Domestic water waste treatment plans.
• Safety issues of nuclear power plants.
• Local communities can contribute to maintenance of fragile ecosystems.
• Global concern about climate change rose dramatically after Al Gore made his documentary.
• The importance of sustainable development for future generations.
• What is at stake with greenhouse carbon gas emissions?
• Water is the upcoming hot issue in the Middle East.
• Availability and purity of water.
• The Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai – the smart innovative energy reuser.
• South-American tropical forests.
• Global climate change is not only caused by humans.
• We need a healthy environment.
• The effects of global warming.
• Why conserving energy is important.
• The negative aspects of a polluted environment.
• The great Pacific garbage patch.
• The ways that water pollution is harmful.
• The effects of industrial and household waste.
• What is global warming?
• The benefits of organic farming.
• Why drought is a serious problem.
• The pollution of today’s world.
• The importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
• The effects of environmental degradation.
• Why should we save birds.
• Why we should save the Ganges.
• How to recycle different materials.

212 Speech Topics For College Students [Persuasive, Informative, Impromptu]

414 Funny and Humorous Speech Topics [Persuasive, Informative, Impromptu]

Leave a Comment

I accept the Privacy Policy

Reach out to us for sponsorship opportunities

Vivamus integer non suscipit taciti mus etiam at primis tempor sagittis euismod libero facilisi.

© 2024 My Speech Class

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Speech on Save Environment

Save Environment Speech For Students

Speech on Save Environment is an important topic for students. Students can avail a well-written speech on the topic ‘save environment speech’ and learn how to write the speech that will impress the audience.

Long Speech

Good morning to one and all present here. I am glad to be given the opportunity to present a speech on Save Environment. Our environment is where we live. There must be harmony between the environment and living beings. In the present scenario, due to overpopulation, the environment is under distress. The situation is alarming as our natural environment is overexploited to meet human needs. It is because of many human activities that we are not able to maintain a healthy balance with nature.

The threat we are facing includes manmade disasters and global warming. These threats are real and have raised an alarming situation. We need to come together to save our environment. This speech on saving nature throws light on why it is needed by mankind to protect and preserve the environment. Our environment offers everything from clothing, water, food to shelter. All living beings are a part of the ecosystem. Hence, it becomes our responsibility to take care of the natural habitat.

Environmental pollution is one of the biggest issues that the modern world faces today. To meet the wants of society, we are putting too much pressure on the natural environment. This leads to damage to nature. The soil is losing its fertility, and in most places, soil pollution makes it difficult to grow crops. Even air and water pollution is the effect of mass urbanization and industrialisation. Controlling the pollution is a need of the hour, however, this still gets neglected by us. I am delivering the speech to save the earth to make you aware of what can be done by each one of us sitting here. We can make our earth a better place to live by taking simple steps like planting a tree, throwing waste in proper bins, saying no to plastic bags, etc. Rather than complaining about pollution, such small steps must be taken to make our environment sustainable.

Environmental problems are also the result of vast technological advancements in the last few years. The overuse of resources to build IT infrastructure is responsible for the loss of the natural environment. Government and international organizations must take proper steps to control pollution and save our mother earth. Environmental protection policies must be strictly enforced. Everyone has to come together to save our mother nature. 

Saving our environment is much more important today than ever before. The degrading quality of earth life is what we all are familiar with. However, the early signs of the upcoming destruction are visible. The harsh weather conditions, increased carbon dioxide emissions, melting of glaciers, etc. are the major concerns that needed immediate attention. Let us all do what we can to save our environment and preserve our resources for future generations.

Short Speech

Good morning to all. Today, I am going to give a short speech on saving the environment. We are all aware of how the environment is important to us. We cannot afford to harm the environment any longer. In today’s modern world, our planet earth is affected significantly. However, if we want to live in harmony with nature, we cannot put the entire pressure on the environment. Living beings, for their survival, depend completely on the natural and manmade environment. It is impossible to live without the resources that the atmosphere provides. In such a situation, it becomes critical to save mother nature from getting over-exploited due to the increasing population. 

We all know that factors like overpopulation, deforestation, etc. are responsible for environmental destruction. Small steps taken by us can go a long way. We must try to use as much public transport as possible to protect the air we breathe. We must throw garbage in the right bins so that proper disposal of waste and waste management can be done. We need to make efforts in the right direction to conserve our natural resources and habitat. Some of the ways by which we can achieve this are to use renewable energy, avoid plastic bags, plant more trees etc. 

Mother nature offers so much to us. We must protect the environment and nature and be a part of sustainable development programmes.

10 Lines Speech

A heartfelt welcome to each one present here. I am here to deliver a speech on saving the environment and saving a life. It is no hidden fact that our environment is affected largely due to human activities. It is facing a threat at an alarming rate. We have over-exploited nature due to our greed. This has caused a natural imbalance. However, we can still do something and protect our environment from all the damages. We must plant more and more trees, throw garbage in the dustbins, avoid using plastic bags, etc. It cannot be denied that our natural environment is such an important part of our ecosystem. It is important to educate people about how the environment is getting damaged. Then only we can have green earth to live in.

Main Causes of Environmental Degradation

Pollution, in any form, is destructive to the environment, whether it be in the form of air, water, land, or noise.

Rapid population increase limits natural resources, resulting in environmental degradation.

Increasing population equals more need for food, clothing, and housing. More land is needed to grow food and provide housing for people. Deforestation occurs, as a result, contributing to environmental degradation.

Deforestation is also caused by using forest areas for agriculture, livestock grazing, fuelwood harvesting, and logging. When forest size decreases, deforestation contributes to global warming by releasing carbon into the atmosphere.

The exhaust gas released by industries is one of the primary sources of pollution. Lead is found in large concentrations in the environment due to a range of substances such as gasoline, paints, ceramics, and batteries.

In recent years, there has been a massive increase in the number of private vehicles. The higher the number of cars, the higher the rate of pollution that causes smog. Lower-level ozone, which is detrimental, is caused by hydrocarbons emitted by engines.

Speech on plant trees, saving mother earth is important for students as it will make them aware of how to use natural resources and how a healthy balance can be maintained between the environment and human life.

FAQs on Speech on Save Environment

1. What is the best way to prepare a speech?

Giving a speech in class pushes students to step outside of their comfort zone, especially if they are required to take a stand on a social issue. Students gain courage, conviction, and fluency when they learn to face their insecurities and reply articulately to opposition with practice. The following tips will help students in delivering a great speech:

The size of the audience is one of the most primary considerations when giving a speech. High school students should consider the audience and the context for the speech before digging into stacks of research resources.

Students should slim down their attention and write a clear thesis statement that will act as a road map for the rest of the presentation. The speakers should then choose two or three major topics that they can address in the time allocated.

Decide the basic goal of your speech or presentation if you're informing, presenting, or entertaining.

When practising, keep track of your time from beginning to end and read the complete speech numerous times.

It can be beneficial to incorporate hand gestures to explain points in your speech. Hand gestures will not only help you communicate with the audience, but they will also assist you to remember important points.

A few people in the audience will have questions about your speech. Consider some of the products you might receive. Then jot down your responses and practice expressing them aloud.

2. How to create awareness about environmental pollution among people?

You must first ensure that you have a good understanding of environmental-related issues before you can begin promoting environmental consciousness in your community. Do some online research to learn about the root of pollution in your neighbourhood. Share your information with as many people as possible so that they are aware of the effects of pollution and how to avoid them. Creating an environmental group is another way to raise awareness. Various social media platforms can be used as tools to assist you in educating more people. The number of environmental challenges appears to be infinite, and while they are all crucial, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Choose one subject to concentrate on at a time.

3. What are the most important methods to conserve the environment?

Reduce the amount of waste you generate. Conserve natural resources and landfill space by following the three "R's" that are – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Deforestation must be controlled or, ultimately, stopped.

The less water you consume, the less drainage and wastewater end up in the ocean.

Afforestation must be fostered, and public awareness must be promoted.

Energy-efficient light bulbs reduce greenhouse gas release. Also, flip the light switch off when you leave the room.

Fuelwood and timber wood should be used wisely.

In your house and office, use non-toxic materials.

We should maintain grazing lands and produce cover crops to keep soils from blowing away.

Using public transportation, walking, or riding a bike to class are all preferable options that assist the environment, save money, and provide exercise.

4. What is the importance of the environment for Human life?

The environment offers us a variety of producing resources, both renewable and non-renewable. It offers food, shelter, and air, as well as meeting all human needs.

Agriculture and the growing of crops and vegetables are facilitated by the ecosystem. Our waste products were thrown away and composted for use in agriculture.

Human life would not survive without the sun, water, air, and soil that make up the environment. It helps to keep life going by ensuring genetic variation and biodiversity.

Mountains, lakes, rivers, deserts, and a plethora of other amazing natural components are only beautiful because the environment exists.

The environment offers us fertile land, clean water, fresh air, animals, and a variety of other necessities for survival.

5. Where can I get the Essays/Speeches on important topics for school?

Students can access the important materials to write a speech/essay for their school competition from Vedantu. Both online and offline study resources include a free download option that students can use to meet their specific needs. Students can also get various sample papers and revision notes for all the subjects from Vedantu. These study materials are designed by subject matter experts to help students enhance their academic performance. The PDF is also prepared with the understanding of crucial concepts in mind, as our focus is on the student's overall growth.

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• Speech Writing /

Speech on Environmental Awareness for Students in English

• Updated on  
• Feb 29, 2024

A speech on environmental awareness is an important topic for everyone to address environmental challenges. This speech topic can highlight the causes and consequences of global warming, GFGs, groundwater depletion, melting of ice caps and glaciers, etc. Here we have highlighted some samples of speech on environmental awareness for students.

Table of Contents

• 1 1-Minute Speech on Environmental Awareness
• 2 2-Minute Speech on Environmental Awareness
• 3 10 Lines on Environmental Awareness

Checkout our 160+ Best & Easy English Speech Topics for School Students

1-Minute Speech on Environmental Awareness

‘Good morning to everyone present her. Today, I stand before you to present my speech on environmental awareness. Environment refers to the world around us. If we have to keep ourselves safe, we must keep our environment safe. Therefore, environmental awareness is an important topic and we must take our decision in the right direction.

Overpopulation, degradation of the natural environment, pollution of rivers and water bodies, deforestation, etc. are major factors affecting our natural environment. Nature is paying the price of careless human activities. 

From individuals to large organizations,  everyone must work hand in hand to enact and enforce policies that prioritize environmental sustainability. Using public transport can help reduce air pollution. Using the blue dustbin for dry waste and the green dustbin for wet waste can help in waste management. Avoiding single-use plastics, switching off appliances when not in use, using renewable energy like solar and wind energy, and planting more trees can greatly improve environmental health.’

‘So let’s take care of our mother nature and work on a greener, healthier, and sustainable environment because our environment’s health is our health.’

Also Read: Speech on Capitalism: History, Meaning, Examples and Growth

2-Minute Speech on Environmental Awareness

‘Good morning my teacher and my friends. Today, I stand before you to present my speech on environmental awareness. We only have one home; our environment. Yet, we are damaging it at an alarming rate. According to a report released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 881 animal species have gone extinct since 1900.’

‘Environment awareness is important because it helps us understand the current state of the environment, including the causes and consequences of environmental problems, is fundamental to environmental awareness.’ 

‘The environment is losing its natural strength. The average surface temperature is rising, trees are cut down, animal habitats are lost, and smoke is released into the air and water bodies. Our environment has gifted us with everything we needed; food, clothes, shelter, etc. Yet, today, we are the biggest threat to the natural environment. It is all because of our careless attitude towards Mother Nature.’ 

‘Taking care of our natural environment is our primary responsibility. Small steps like banning single-use plastics, switching off-lights appliances when not in use, closing water taps, etc. Also, adopting sustainable practices in daily life, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, using eco-friendly products, and supporting environmentally friendly initiatives can significantly improve environmental health.’

In 2019, the government of India banned single-use plastics like polyethylene bags and plastic bottles. Experts suggest that instead of using plastic bags, we can look for alternatives and eco-friendly options like paper bags or jute bags. 

‘In the end, I would like to conclude by saying that adapting to environmentally friendly activities should be our top-most priority. By polluting the air that we breathe, water that we drink, and food that we eat, we are not only damaging the environment but our health too.’

10 Lines on Environmental Awareness

Here are 10 lines on environmental awareness. Feel free to add them to your speech writing topics.

• Environmental awareness means understanding the impact of human activities on the planet.
• It focuses on the need for sustainable practices to protect natural resources and ecosystems.
• Awareness campaigns inform individuals about climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
• Responsible waste management and recycling contribute to environmental conservation.
• Governments play a vital role by enacting and enforcing eco-friendly policies.
• Renewable energy adoption helps reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change.
• Conservation of natural habitats and biodiversity is crucial for a balanced ecosystem.
• Education is a key tool in fostering a sense of environmental responsibility.
• Small, everyday actions, like reducing energy consumption and water usage, make a significant impact.
• A collective effort is essential to ensure a greener, sustainable future for generations to come.

Ans: Good morning to everyone present her. Today, I stand before you to present my speech on environmental awareness. Environment refers to the world around us. If we have to keep ourselves safe, we must keep our environment safe. Therefore, environmental awareness is an important topic and we must take our decision in the right direction.

Ans: Overuse of land, overpopulation, deforestation, industrial waste, air, water and noise pollutants, etc. are the major factors responsible for environmental degradation.

Ans: Environmental awareness means understanding the impact of human activities on the planet. The environment is losing its natural strength. The average surface temperature is rising, trees are cut down, animal habitats are lost, and smoke is released into the air and water bodies. Adapting to environmentally friendly activities should be our top-most priority. Damaging the environment means damaging our health.

Related Articles

This was all about the speech on environmental awareness. For more information on such creative and inspiring speech topics for your school, visit our speech writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Connect With Us

25,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today.

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

• Environment
• Climate change and energy

Environment Secretary speech at Delamere Forest on restoring nature and building back greener

Environment Secretary George Eustice delivers speech at an online event hosted by The Wildlife Trusts

Thank you very much Craig. It’s a great pleasure to finally get out of London and to be able to visit Delamere Forest here in Cheshire. A thousand hectares of woodland – the largest area of woodland in Cheshire. Also home to the Lost Mosses project of woodland both ancient and more recent.

I think the events of the last twelve months have led people to appreciate the difference that nature makes to our lives more than ever before. There is an increased awareness of the link between our own health, and economic prosperity, and that of the planet– as highlighted by the recent Dasgupta Review on the economics of biodiversity.

And restoring nature is going to be crucial as we build back greener from the pandemic, and in what is a huge year for the environment we will use our COP26 and G7 presidencies to take a leading role on the world stage.

Nature is going to be key pillar of our work as host of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26. We were the first major economy in the world to set a net zero emissions target in law. To meet that target we must protect and restore nature, with nature-based solutions forming a key part of our approach to tackling climate change.

The UK is sadly one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. Over the last 50 years, much of the UK’s wildlife-rich habitat has been lost or degraded, and many of our once common species are in long-term decline. Between 1932 and 1984, we lost 97% of our species-rich grassland. Five species of butterfly have disappeared from England in the last 150 years. And our farmland bird indicator stands at less than half its value of 1970 – following a precipitous decline during the 1980s and 1990s, and further losses since.

We want not only to stem the tide of this loss, but to turn it around and leave the environment in a better state than we found it. I want us to put a renewed emphasis on nature’s recovery.

And, that is why today we will be amending the Environment Bill to require an additional legally binding target for species abundance for 2030, aiming to halt the decline of nature. This is a huge step forward, and a world leading measure in the year of COP15 and COP26. We hope that this will be the Net Zero equivalent for nature, spurring action of the scale required to address the biodiversity crisis.

To recover species, we’ll need to work on habitats both within protected sites and in the wider countryside, meaning a single target for 2030 will drive wide-ranging improvements to the state of nature. We will develop this target alongside the longer term legally binding targets we are already developing and set the final target in secondary legislation, following the agreement of global targets at the UN Nature Conference CBD COP15 in the autumn. The 2030 target goes hand-in-hand with other actions to create real global change for our environment. This includes playing a leading role in developing a far-reaching and transformative framework for biodiversity to be adopted at CBD COP15 and driving forward the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.

Now if we are to deliver this ambitious new target and actually reverse the downward trend we have seen in recent decades, we need to change our approach and we need to change it right now. We must move the emphasis away from processes that simply moderated the pace of nature’s decline, and instead put in place the governance regime that can deliver nature’s recovery. We need to create space for the creative public policy thinking that can deliver results, rather than relying on change being set principally by litigation and case law.

In Natural England, we have exceptional technical expertise on habitats and our protected sites but this precious expertise is often distracted by highly prescriptive legal processes. I would like to get to a position where our talented staff in Natural England have fewer distractions and are able to prioritise the interventions that will make a big difference. I want them to have more freedom to exercise judgement, rather than being stewards for a process.

And that is why we are also taking a power in the Environment Bill to re-focus the Habitats Regulations to ensure our legislation adequately supports our ambitions for nature, including our new world leading targets. We want to ensure that the targets and governance framework in the Environment Bill becomes our compass in future. The existing habitats regulations predate the Environment Bill and the target we are setting today.

We have already set out some important changes in the Environment Bill to switch the focus to nature’s recovery. We have the requirement for new environmental targets including on biodiversity and water quality; a requirement for an Environment Improvement Plan; Local Nature Recovery Strategies supported with new funding under biodiversity net gain; and Natural England are making progress with a more strategic approach to nature recovery through their support for delivering the Nature Recovery Network. We will also be exploring ways to make Site Improvement Plans on protected sites and the Local Nature Recovery Strategies more prominent in the decision-making process.

While we are seeking a power to make some changes to the Habitats Regulations, we will take a cautious approach to reform.

I recognise, of course, that our existing regulations are established. And of course, there will always be a need for some form of assessment and screening process. I have therefore asked Lord Benyon to chair a small working group together with Tony Juniper, Christopher Katkowski QC and Rebecca Pow to consider changes that might be appropriate.

We will also consult the new Office for Environmental Protection on any proposal before it is brought forward. And of course work with conservation groups before any regulatory changes might be made. In addition, later this year, we also plan to bring forward a Green Paper setting out how we plan to deliver this, and how we plan to deliver our other objective of protecting 30 percent of terrestrial land by 2030.

Today we are also publishing our peat strategy.

Peatlands are our biggest terrestrial carbon store and home to some of our rarest species, including bitterns, swallowtail butterfly, carnivorous sundews, hen harriers and short-eared owls. But only 13% of our peatland is in a near-natural state. Areas like the Great North Bog peatlands currently store 400 million tonnes of carbon, but due to damage and degradation, our peatlands are emitting 10 million tonnes of carbon per year. That is why I am setting out a plan to restore, sustainably manage and protect our peatlands.

This will enable us to restore at least 35,000 hectares of peatland by 2025, supported by our new Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme which will invest over £50 million over the next four years. That’s a tripling in average historic rates of annual restoration, providing a strong foundation for long-term investment.

Healthy peatlands can help us adapt to the effects of climate change. Restored upland peatland reduces flood risk, storing water and releasing it over a longer period of time, reducing high flows downstream during storms.

A new Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme will also launch this year and will include planning grants and annual bidding opportunities. We have invested £2.7 million in the Great North Bog, a landscape approach to restoration across nearly 7,000KM2 of upland peat. We will set a target for peatland restoration as part of the forthcoming Net Zero Strategy which will be consistent with our obligations to meet Carbon Budget 6.

We have already brought forward legislation to introduce new restrictions on managed burning on protected blanket bog, with a ban on burning unless covered by a licence in limited circumstances granted by the Secretary of State. This is protecting some 142,000 hectares of England’s upland deep peat. We will also phase out the use of peat in horticulture, publishing a consultation in 2021 on banning the sale of peat and peat containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament.

In areas like the Pennines, we will be developing incentives under our future agriculture policy to support projects that deliver both the capital required to achieve re-wetting of land, and preserve it for the future.

Today, I am also outlining measures to better protect our existing trees and woodland and set us on the path to ensure that we have at least 12% of woodland cover by the middle of the century.

It is our ambition that all woodlands in England will improve the environment, acknowledging that our woods and trees are vital habitats. This plan aims to see current planting trends for majority native broadleaf woodlands continue, given the additional benefits they provide for nature. The iconic oak tree alone supports 2,300 species, of which 326 are dependent on oak trees for their survival. Trees are also important for sequestering carbon. Indeed woodlands currently sequester about 4% of the UK’s gross emissions.

Over £500 million of the £640 million Nature for Climate Fund will be dedicated to trees. We aim to treble woodland creation rates by the end of this Parliament, reflecting England’s contribution to meeting the UK’s overall target of planting 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this Parliament. We will make sure that the right trees are planted in the right places and that more green jobs are created in the forestry sector.

And from that £500 million, a series of funds will support the creation and management of woodland. This includes £25 million for Woodland Creation Partnerships this year, a further £6 million for the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, a £2.7 million Local Authority Treescape Fund over the next year, and substantial funding for the England Woodland Creation Offer which will launch this spring and will support traditional methods of tree establishment, as well as natural colonisation, agroforestry and critically riparian planting, with new riverwoods providing corridors for biodiversity as well as flood prevention benefits.

We will create at least three new community forests, which, together with existing community forests, will enable the planting of 6,000 hectares of new woodland around our towns and cities by 2025, building on the 500 hectares planted in the last year. We will also work with landowners and woodland users to develop and implement a plan to improve the quantity and quality of public access to new and existing woodland.

We will also better protect our existing trees and woodlands, particularly our veteran trees and ancient woodlands. The oldest tree in England is estimated to be 2,000 to 3,000 years old, forming a vital part of our natural history. We plan to introduce a new category for ‘long-established woodland’, recognising how woods that are old but not yet ancient are also significant in their own right and offer tremendous benefits for biodiversity.

We will provide significant funding between now and 2025 to build nursery capacity – supporting UK public and private sector nurseries and seed suppliers to enhance the quantity and quality of domestic tree production. We will create a new Centre for Forest Protection and develop a Woodland Resilience Implementation Plan to improve the ecological condition of woodlands and increase resilience to climate change, pests and disease.

To drive higher international standards of biosecurity, we will publish a new Great Britain Plant Biosecurity Strategy by 2022. This will be supported by a Trees and Woodland Science Advisory Group to provide independent advice.

We also want to upskill the current supply chain, so we will encourage sector engagement with government schemes, charities and businesses to develop new technical and higher technical professional education routes into the forestry sector

We also want people to be involved in our ambitious plans, and that is why we are encouraging everyone to get involved in the Queen’s Green Canopy, a unique, UK-wide tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, by inviting people to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.

Now along with the decline of nature in recent years, species abundance has shown a long-term downward trend. We want to see a more nature rich Britain, with further action to bend the curve of species loss in this country. We will recover threatened species and provide opportunities for reintroductions through a range of projects.

This will include a partnership project between Natural England, the RSPB and the Knepp Estate which will look at the feasibility of reintroducing the red backed shrike as breeding birds in England. We will also undertake a feasibility study for reintroduction of Golden Eagle in England.

After a successful release in Devon, we are now looking positively towards the reintroduction of beavers and further releases of this iconic species in England. Our consultation, to be issued later this summer, will outline our approach to this, and the management of beavers in the wild. We will particularly consider reintroductions where the benefits are clear, where there are strong partnerships and agreement from stakeholders. Our approach will acknowledge the potential of beavers as a keystone species whilst working closely with local communities.

We will also establish an England Species Reintroduction Taskforce which will bring together experts, landowners and NGOs to prioritise, share knowledge, find consensus and build collaborative projects, towards a more ambitious approach to recovering and restoring some of these iconic species in England. It will consider reintroductions of iconic species we have lost entirely, such as wildcats, as well as the release of declining species, such as the curlew, into areas from which they have been lost to help populations recover.

Now it is important that reintroductions are carried out properly and fully take biodiversity, social and economic impacts into account. That is why we will publish a reintroductions code of best practice guidance, emphasising our commitment to seeing good quality projects delivering for species reintroductions.

In conclusion, the actions I have set out for peat, trees and species represents a huge step forward in our efforts to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss in the terrestrial environment. They also demonstrate the Government taking early action on the recommendations of the Dasgupta Review. But they are by no means the full extent of our ambition for nature.

This all goes hand in hand with our new agricultural policies. The Sustainable Farming Incentive, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery components will pay farmers for environmentally sustainable actions, support nature’s recovery and deliver ecosystem recovery.

We will continue to explore opportunities to build and strengthen our approach to climate change and to reverse biodiversity loss in line with our new leading target. We will be at the forefront of driving international ambition and action on nature at the CBD COP15, the G7 and on nature-based solutions at COP26.

If we do all of these things then we will leave our environment in a better state for future generations – and we will succeed in turning the tide on the decline that we have seen in recent decades.

Related content

Is this page useful.

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.

Save Environment Speech for Students and Children

Save environment speech.

Our environment is under distress and it is not a hidden fact anymore. The threat it is facing right now is alarming and it is our duty to save it before it gets too late. As inhabitants of this earth, everyone must come together to do their bit to save our environment. After all, it is because of our activities that our ecological balance has been disturbed. We must make sure that instead of over-exploiting the environment’s resources, we must conserve them. It is important to note that even the littlest of actions impact the environment directly or indirectly. Read Save Environment Speech here.

Need to Save Environment

The degrading quality of life on earth is well-known to all. It is all around us, one just needs to start noticing the signs. The harsh weather patterns are proof that our environment needs saving more than ever.

The occurrences of natural calamities are increasing day by day which is resulting in loss of lives. Further, the melting of the glaciers is another alarming point as to why we need to save the environment.

In addition to that, the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is proving to be more harmful than ever. If we do not take immediate action, we will have to face grave consequences at the hands of nature.

It is rather important to note that by saving the environment, we will be saving mankind. We have to do this for our survival and not the earth’s survival. Mother earth has survived for millions of years and will continue to do so. It is mankind that is at risk, so we must start now.

Get the Huge list of 100+ Speech Topics here

Ways to Save Environment

We need to start with the proper handling of waste materials. To do so, one must begin with recycling and proper disposal of waste items. The use of coal must be reduced and we must switch to reusable power like hydro or solar power.

This way, we can adopt a healthy and greener lifestyle. On a bigger level, we see that cities must be planned as per the available water resources. This will help in the conservation of water resources. Avoid using hot water, and make do with cold water when possible. Further, the farmers must use organic fertilizers in place of pesticides.

Further, air pollution must be reduced at all costs. Everyone must avoid taking their personal cars or bikes if possible. Try carpooling or taking public transport for the same. Do not waste electricity so as to prevent global warming.

Switch off fans and light when not in use, unplug electrical appliances as well. Try to use recycled products so no unnecessary waste is produced. Moreover, avoid the use of plastic and switch to greener alternatives. For instance, use reusable bags and containers. Do not litter the roads and prevent your loved ones from doing so too.

Most importantly, plant trees as many as you can. As the amount of carbon dioxide present in the air and the rate of deforestation happening is very disruptive. So, as the trees will enhance the air quality, we must encourage the planting of trees. Moreover, it is equally important to discourage deforestation.

Every year, we are losing our forests which carry the potential to make the air cleaner. It must begin with us and our children. Teach them from a young age to be responsible for the environment and work to save it for a better and greener future.

Read Essays for Students and Children here !

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

Speech for Students

• Speech on India for Students and Children
• Speech on Mother for Students and Children
• Speech on Air Pollution for Students and Children
• Speech about Life for Students and Children
• Speech on Disaster Management for Students and Children
• Speech on Internet for Students and Children
• Speech on Generation Gap for Students and Children
• Speech on Indian Culture for Students and Children
• Speech on Sports for Students and Children
• Speech on Water for Students and Children

16 responses to “Speech on Water for Students and Children”

this was very helpful it saved my life i got this at the correct time very nice and helpful

This Helped Me With My Speech!!!

I can give it 100 stars for the speech it is amazing i love it.

Its amazing!!

Great !!!! It is an advanced definition and detail about Pollution. The word limit is also sufficient. It helped me a lot.

This is very good

Very helpful in my speech

Oh my god, this saved my life. You can just copy and paste it and change a few words. I would give this 4 out of 5 stars, because I had to research a few words. But my teacher didn’t know about this website, so amazing.

Tomorrow is my exam . This is Very helpfull

It’s really very helpful

yah it’s is very cool and helpful for me… a lot of 👍👍👍

Very much helpful and its well crafted and expressed. Thumb’s up!!!

wow so amazing it helped me that one of environment infact i was given a certificate

check it out travel and tourism voucher

thank you very much

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Speech on Save Nature

Nature is your truest friend, always giving, asking for little in return. Its beauty calms your mind, while its resources sustain your life. Yet, nature faces grave threats today.

You hold the power to safeguard nature, to ensure it thrives for future generations. Remember, when you save nature, you save yourselves.

1-minute Speech on Save Nature

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, the world is our home. It is a gift of nature. Yet, we sometimes forget to look after it. We should care for it like a precious gift, just like we care for our favorite toys or books.

Look around. You see trees, rivers, animals, birds, and the clear sky. They are a part of nature. We breathe fresh air from trees. We drink water from rivers. Birds fill our mornings with sweet songs. Animals are our friends. Nature makes life beautiful.

But, are we being good friends to nature? We cut trees for buildings. We waste water. We throw trash everywhere. We harm animals. We make the air dirty with smoke. Nature is crying. We are losing our friends in nature.

We need to act now to save nature. Each one of us can help. How? Plant a tree. Save water. Don’t waste food. Pick up the trash. Love and respect animals. These little actions can make a big change.

Remember, when we save nature, we save ourselves too. Trees give us clean air. Rivers give us clean water. Animals and birds make us happy. Nature keeps us healthy and happy.

It’s time to be brave. It’s time to be kind. Let’s join hands to save nature. Let’s make our world a better place. We have only one world. Let’s love and protect it. Together, we can save nature. Together, we can make a difference.

Also check:

• Essay on Save Nature
• 10-lines on Save Nature

2-minute Speech on Save Nature

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I stand before you today to talk about a topic close to all our hearts – saving nature. Think about this. Have you ever seen a tree and felt a sense of peace? Have you ever watched a butterfly fluttering about and felt pure joy? That’s the magic of nature. It’s not just about plants and animals. It’s about us too. We need nature just as much as it needs us.

Now, picture a world with no trees, no birds, no rivers. Scary, isn’t it? That’s what will happen if we don’t act now. Nature is in danger, and we are the cause. Our actions, big and small, are hurting nature. We cut trees, we pollute the air and water, we waste resources. All these actions are like a wound on nature’s body.

So, what can we do? The first step is to understand that every action counts. When we throw garbage, it doesn’t just disappear. It goes somewhere. It can end up in the ocean, hurting the fish. Or it can pile up on land, attracting rats and flies. So, let’s start by reducing our waste. Let’s recycle and reuse.

The second step is to conserve water. Water is life. Without water, there would be no life on earth. Yet, many of us waste water without a second thought. We leave the tap running while brushing our teeth. We water our plants during the hottest part of the day when most of it will just evaporate. Let’s be mindful of how we use water. Let’s save it for our future.

Next, let’s plant trees. Trees are like the lungs of the earth. They clean the air and give us oxygen. But we’re losing trees at an alarming rate. We can change this. Let’s plant a tree every chance we get.

Lastly, let’s respect all life. Every creature in nature, from the smallest insect to the biggest elephant, has a role to play. They all contribute to the balance of nature. When we kill them or take away their homes, we disturb this balance. Let’s treat all creatures with kindness and respect.

In conclusion, saving nature is not a choice, but a necessity. Nature is our home. If we don’t take care of our home, where will we live? So, let’s do our part. Let’s make a promise today, to ourselves and to future generations. Let’s promise to protect and preserve nature. Let’s save our home, our nature. Thank you.

• Speech on Save Mother Earth
• Speech on Save Life
• Speech on Save Forest

We also have speeches on more interesting topics that you may want to explore.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Read Greta Thunberg's full speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit

Teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg spoke at the United Nations on Monday about climate change, accusing world leaders of inaction and half-measures.

Here are her full remarks:

My message is that we'll be watching you.

This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!

You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words and yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!

For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you're doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.

You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency, but no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that. Because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act then you would be evil and that I refuse to believe.

The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50 percent chance of staying below 1.5 degrees and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control.

Fifty percent may be acceptable to you, but those numbers do not include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of equity and climate justice.

They also rely on my generation sucking hundreds of billions of tons of your CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist.

So a 50 percent risk is simply not acceptable to us, we who have to live with the consequences.

How dare you pretend that this can be solved with just business as usual and some technical solutions? With today's emissions levels, that remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone within less than eight and a half years.

There will not be any solutions or plans presented in line with these figures here today, because these numbers are too uncomfortable and you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is.

You are failing us, but the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.

We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up and change is coming, whether you like it or not.

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Nature has a mixtape. The U.N. hopes young people will listen to it

Claire Murashima

Artists UMI (left) and Louis VI (right) teamed up with the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live to re-release songs with nature sounds for Earth Day. Ryusei Sabi, Orson Esquivel. hide caption

Artists UMI (left) and Louis VI (right) teamed up with the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live to re-release songs with nature sounds for Earth Day.

When London-based hip hop artist Louis VI looked at social media over the past few years, he kept seeing the same image: orange skies from wildfire smoke.

"It was one of those strange, eerily beautiful phenomenons that's, you know, Mother Nature going like, 'Yo, this is not right,'" he said.

The verses in his song, 'Orange Skies,' explore themes of environmental decay.

"Calling climate justice, it's about time

'Cause our Black people on the front line

Ain't you seeing what I'm seeing

Hurricanes and fires blazing, flooding in Savannah basin."

The song was originally released last year with vocals and instruments, but it's been remixed with a new featured artist: nature.

The new track was created as part of an advocacy and fundraising project called Sounds Right, a partnership between the United Nations and artists like Ellie Goulding, Brian Eno, and the estate of the late David Bowie. Songs produced for the project will generate streaming royalties for conservation organizations.

Artist Louis VI's song 'Orange Skies' (feat. NATURE) protests environmental degradation. Orson Esquivel hide caption

Artist Louis VI's song 'Orange Skies' (feat. NATURE) protests environmental degradation.

Louis VI's remix features rainforest sounds in protest of deforestation that can be caused by palm oil production in Southeast Asia, where the sounds were recorded.

Manufacturers, he said, are "clearing spaces in the jungle [in Borneo, an island in Southeast Asia] to plant a monoculture of palm oil trees, which is really bad for biodiversity and also makes it more susceptible to fire."

Why deforestation means less rain in tropical forests

After the verse, "Chopping down our forests 'til we cough smoke," there's a five-second recording of a chainsaw before the music resumes.

"I purposely put in sounds that weren't necessarily just beautiful because I wanted a range of sounds of nature," said Louis VI. The sounds, collected by the label Biophonica, also include an orangutan, cicadas, and a blue-headed hummingbird, among others.

'Orange Skies' ends on the dire note of a fire consuming a rainforest. The sound drowns out the vocals.

Why reaching young people matters

The project was created by the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live , an arm of the U.N. that aims to engage people — especially young people — through pop culture.

"It's one of the most powerful ways to reach people in their everyday lives and bring them into conversation about the biggest issues of our time, including biodiversity conservation," said Gabriel Smales, the global program director for Sounds Rights at UN Live, who helped launch the initiative.

A 2024 Harvard survey of around two thousand 18-to-29-year-olds in the U.S. found that nearly half of respondents felt that the government should "do more to curb climate change, even at the expense of economic growth," though only 6% of respondents listed environmental issues as their top concern.

Coping with climate change: Advice for kids — from kids

Efforts to raise awareness about climate change among young people are key to conservation efforts, according to Raisa "Ray" Barrera, the D.C. area program manager at the Student Conservation Association . The nonprofit connects youth with conservation projects like planting trees and building trails.

"I'd love to say that 100% of the youth that come into our programs are well aware of the environmental impacts of climate change," Barrera said. "But I'd be lying if I said that."

Smales, of UN Live, said that the scale of the climate crisis can feel insurmountable, and young people don't always know what to do, "but we have a really simple concept where by listening to a track featuring the sounds of nature, you'll be directing royalties back to conservation initiatives."

'We want to help': Why climate activists are trying something new

Louis VI hopes that his song has enough nature sounds to give those listeners a childlike sense of wonder towards the outside world — but is catchy enough to have widespread appeal.

Louis VI hopes to draw in listeners with his music, and inspire them with the nature sounds in 'Orange Skies.' Orson Esquivel hide caption

Louis VI hopes to draw in listeners with his music, and inspire them with the nature sounds in 'Orange Skies.'

"At the end of the day," Louis VI said, "The music is what needs to bring people in. It's the sugar around the slightly more difficult-to-swallow medicine of the subject."

He said one of his fears is being in nature — and hearing complete silence.

"When people seek peace and silence, I don't actually think they're looking for true silence," Louis VI said. "What they're actually looking for is the sound of nature, because we evolved for that to mean that all's OK. When you hear birdsong, you know that there's no predator around."

Nature as meditation

Rather than reflecting the realities of environmental destruction like Louis VI's track, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter UMI takes a different approach.

"The deepest intention I have with my music is for it to be a feeling, where people don't even realize it's happening, but they feel soothed, they feel at ease," she said.

Pod Corner: 'The Anti-Dread Climate Podcast'

UMI starts her live shows with a meditation to calm her audience. Because being in nature has given her such a sense of peace, she wants listeners to experience that feeling.

"Nature is everything," UMI said, adding that she often goes outside when she has writer's block.

Singer-songwriter UMI hopes her music will help listeners feel calm. Eddie Mandell hide caption

Singer-songwriter UMI hopes her music will help listeners feel calm.

"Something about being barefoot in the grass helps calm my mind when I'm feeling anxious," UMI said. "I feel like you can't help but to care about something that does so much for you."

The remix of her 2023 song 'wherever u r' features V from the K-pop band BTS, as well as some of the roughly five-thousand voice memos she said she's collected on her phone.

"If I see something beautiful, if I'm in a beautiful moment, I think I'm more interested in capturing the sound than the image of it," UMI said.

And now — listeners can hear them too.

The songs ( feat. NATURE ) can be found on major music streaming platforms.

This story was edited for radio by Phil Harrell and our digital editors were Obed Manuel and Erika Aguilar.

• United Nations
• nature conservancy

1 Minute Speech on Nature Conservation In English

A very good morning to one and all present here. Today, I will be giving a short speech on the topic of ‘Nature Conservation’.

Mahatma Gandhi had said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”. However, man has indeed succumbed to greed and is mercilessly disrupting Earth, as in, Nature in itself.

We need to immediately put a stop to this. Conserving nature is extremely crucial in today’s times, bearing in mind the state of our future generations to come. Without nature and the resources it provides, the survival of the human race as a whole would cease to exist. And that is what will happen, given the rapid destruction of nature taking place.

Before pointing fingers at others and waiting for someone to save nature, let us all take small initiatives to help nature conservation. Let’s plant trees. Let’s save electricity. Let’s save water. Let us consume fuels such as petroleum less. Let us also use ACs less and conserve nature. 

Thank you. 

Related Posts:

• 4 Minute Speech on Nature In English
• Why is it so hard to write an essay?
• Random Idiom Generator
• Random Phrasal Verb Generator
• Random University Name Generator
• Of Friendship Essay | Summary by Francis Bacon

Saturday, May 04, 2024 8:03 am (Paris)

• Environment
• Climate change

Climate change and the environment take a back seat in Emmanuel Macron's speech on Europe

On Thursday, the French president integrated climate concerns with other challenges, including energy, competitiveness, and production.

By  Matthieu Goar

Time to 3 min.

• Share on Twitter
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Facebook
• Share by email
• Share on Linkedin

Subscribers only

The challenge has been mentioned numerous times, but never described as a top priority for the upcoming European term. While the presidency had been trying to build up momentum for a few days around this speech designed to "guide and influence the European Union's next strategic agenda," French President Emmanuel Macron spoke only in passing about climate and environmental issues at the Sorbonne University, in Paris, on Thursday, April 25.

"We have heard a lot of criticism, particularly of the Green Deal [a package of legislative measures voted on since 2019] (...) But Europe is the only political area in the world that has planned its transitions," he said, without offering any new proposals for achieving the 55% drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the stated objective of the 27 member states.

In a large auditorium, Macron outlined climate issues by integrating them with other challenges, including energy, competitiveness, and production. After taking action to "overcome our dependence on Russian fossil fuels," the EU must now pursue the "deployment of renewable energies and [the] deployment of nuclear power" to build "an atomic Europe."

"The sooner we make the transition, the sooner we will regain this competitiveness," he said while calling for investing in electricity interconnections across Europe. "This is what will make Europe a true electricity powerhouse (...) a Europe where carbon-free electrons can freely circulate (...) whether it is produced using renewable energy or nuclear power."

No new idea

While extensively referring to "green" technologies and industry, Macron also hoped that Europe would one day be "the first continent with zero plastic pollution." He also sang the praises of biodiversity, "a treasure that we have inherited and that we are going to pass on." Although he did make some headway on a subject eagerly awaited by those involved in the climate cause – funding, which he said would require a "major collective budgetary investment plan" and even a monetary policy incorporating a "decarbonization policy" – he did not unveil any new ideas.

This interweaving of climate issues with other challenges reflects the analysis developed by Macron and his associates within the French political arena. For several months now, and particularly since the agricultural crisis at the beginning of the year , the Elysée palace has taken the view that it is crucial to highlight the economic opportunities arising from ecological transition while mentioning constraints as little as possible so as not to fuel far-right populism.

You have 46.82% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil.

Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois

Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil.

Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil.

Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur, téléphone ou tablette).

Comment ne plus voir ce message ?

En cliquant sur «  Continuer à lire ici  » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte.

Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici ?

Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil. Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte.

Y a-t-il d’autres limites ?

Non. Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez, mais en les utilisant à des moments différents.

Vous ignorez qui est l’autre personne ?

Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe .

Lecture restreinte

Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article

Pour plus d’informations, merci de contacter notre service commercial.

‘Access to information is the basis of democracy’ – Interview with environmental journalist Miriam Jemio on World Press Freedom Day

On world press freedom day, un women spoke with miriam jemio, an environmental journalist from bolivia, on pressing issues and safety of journalists..

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to LinkedIn
• Share to E-mail

The climate crisis is the most pressing issue of our times, impacting our lives and entire ecosystems. It threatens progress on gender equality, human rights, and sustainable development. By 2050, climate change will push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty .

Exposing the climate and biodiversity crisis is the first step towards beginning to find solutions. Yet, dis- and misinformation campaigns continue to challenge scientific knowledge and information about the unfolding crisis, clouding people’s understanding and risking our future. Against this backdrop, the freedom and safety of journalists reporting from the front lines of the climate crisis is critical.  This year, World Press Freedom Day (3 May) is focusing on the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the face of the environmental crisis.

On this occasion, UN Women interviewed Miriam Jemio, an independent environmental journalist from La Paz, Bolivia. Jemio was among 163 Bolivian journalists who received training in design thinking and reporting on gender-based violence through a Media Lab project by UN Women and the Foundation for Journalism in December 2023.

The importance of environmental journalism in the face of dis- and misinformation

Miriam Jemio has been a journalist for nearly three decades. For most of her career, she has almost exclusively covered environmental issues, because she considers them to be as important as political or economic issues.

For Jemio, it is incredibly important to reflect the socio-environmental crises that indigenous and rural women are facing, with empathy and sensitivity. “It is essential to cover indigenous issues, because they are a vulnerable population”, she said. “Two decades ago, I had the opportunity to visit many rural municipalities and when I compare their condition today with what I had seen then, there have been very few changes.”

“Therefore, it is necessary to make their needs visible, to show where the State is not fulfilling its duty, and to show the specific ways that the indigenous peoples face social and environmental problems.”

Jemio reported from COP 15 events in 2009, highlighting the stories of indigenous peoples from the Amazon who were facing the impacts of climate change.

“Coverage of environmental issues is essential in the face of the crises we face as humanity, and to combat the disinformation that preys on the public”, she said. “We have to show who is behind the disinformation, expose their interests, and provide verified information to the public so that they can make informed decisions, and we can protect the planet that houses all of us.”

But there is another challenge that haunts her: “how to motivate our audience to take action. We are now turning to "solutions journalism" to inspire action”, she said.

The climate crisis impacts women differently

“Extractivism and the climate crisis have profound socio-environmental impact on indigenous populations, but these impacts affect women differently (than men),” said Jemio. “Women are the ones to face and respond to the effects of climate change, but their role is not understood, much less made visible.”

She gives the example of indigenous women in the Chiquitanía (a region in eastern Bolivia), whose traditional care responsibilities for their families include fetching water. “Water is increasingly scarce, making it more difficult for them to access it. In the Chiquitanía, there are seasons when women have to travel to another community or even to the nearest city to bring water to their homes.”

“And when excessive rainfall causes flooding, women are the first to respond to save their children and animals. In many communities, indigenous women grow kitchen gardens to cover their nutritional needs. When they lose their crops (because of lack of water or during floods) they do not have enough to cook and feed their families.”

Safety of journalists and press freedom

“In Bolivia, due to the polarization in the country, several journalists have been verbally and physically attacked in recent years. Environmental journalists are in the crosshairs of the mining actors and journalists are often labeled as being "with" or "against" the government”, shared Jemio.

In 2019, while doing a live broadcast, Jemio was verbally and physically assaulted by a group of protesters. “I felt very vulnerable, it was a mixture of rage and helplessness, because I could not defend myself and I had to flee”, she recalled.

“The security to do our work must be provided by the State”, Jemio stressed. Her message on World Press Freedom Day is clear: “Access to information is the basis of democracy. That is what we are losing if journalists cannot safely cover issues such as the climate crisis, deforestation, biodiversity loss, extractive activities… the public will not have the information they need to take action on issues that affect their lives.”

• Climate change
• Indigenous women
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Environmental protection
• Communications and media

Related content

In the Pacific coast of Colombia, guardians of the mangrove sow seeds of change

Op-ed: Improving women’s access to decent jobs

Speech: Gender equality – just, prudent, and essential for everything we all aspire to

StarTribune

Readers write: the nature of war, smoking in minneapolis, pollution, presidential immunity.

Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here .

A letter writer ( Readers Write, April 26 ) says that "When compared to all the other ills of the world, there is none worse than war. War is hell." He then laments that his "Democratic U.S. representatives continue to fund war against Palestine, against Russia ... ." Israel is not fighting against Palestine; they are fighting against Hamas. And Israel did not start the war, Hamas did. Similarly, Ukraine did not start the war against Russia; Russia invaded Ukraine. The U.S. is supporting Israel and Ukraine in defending themselves. Without our support, there would still be wars; however, there would be a much higher chance that Israel and Ukraine would be defeated.

The writer makes the mistake of thinking that there is a choice between war and peace. That isn't correct. When your country is attacked, the choice is between fighting back and being slaughtered.

James Brandt, New Brighton

A reader wrote that he was giving up support for the Democratic Party because he claims it has become the "party of war," and that the "party of Trump" was a better alternative. He was right to use that name for the former Republican Party, but to conclude that it is the "lesser of two evils" is beyond ridiculous.

Our support of Ukraine seems justifiable given that Vladimir Putin chose to wage this war against unarmed civilians. The war in Israel is a complicated, detestable situation, but it doesn't define the current state of American politics. We no longer have a valid basis for comparing the ideologies of the two major parties. We have one party that still respects the rule of law and attempts to govern from that perspective, and yes, its policies leave a lot of room for disagreement. The other party has been hijacked by an individual who defers to Putin and who is incapable of considering anyone's need ahead of his own insatiable desires. The GOP now has no platform, no ideology, not even a moral compass. A vote for the Republican nominee or any of his sycophantic enablers is an endorsement of the worst of human nature. A vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as the reader intends, is the same as a vote for Trump. We must at least have a functioning political party in power in order to debate and shape foreign policy.

Bob Worrall, Roseville

SMOKING IN MINNEAPOLIS

There are consequences to the commercial tobacco ordinance.

A response to the writer of a recent letter on smoking in Minneapolis ( Readers Write, April 24 ): I have a few thoughts (at my advanced age, made hasty by time remaining). The foremost is an observation that a quick search of the web reveals there are no less than six free medical smoker cessation programs in the Twin Cities you have available for your father to attend. It would be a good son's gesture if you help him do so.

On the subject of the cigar shops, while the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) does prohibit indoor smoking, even in one's own home if it is used for business, as you noted it does allow sampling of products. On that note, personally, when I come to cities I stop and sample a cigar — sampling meaning sitting down and smoking it to the end. The aim of sampling is to see how it smokes (the burn and ash color), and I note the ever-changing flavor profile and finally review its end remaining colors. So yes, I smoke the entire $20-to-$50 or more cigar to properly sample it so I know if I want to purchase a box for hundreds, sometime thousands of dollars, or not. So, the question is, if you were a cigar smoker, would you not do the same sampling before purchasing a box and contributing heavily to the tax coffers?

The other error in banning sampling lounges is that the consequences are great. Under MCIAA, the law does not prohibit outdoor smoking, regardless of the distance from building openings such as doors or windows. The city's cigar shops have already indicated they would simply install half walls, as allowed under the MCIAA, and continue their business in a year-round patio setting. Unlike the current indoor setting with state-of-the-art filtering and ventilation, the patio setting would simply let the smoke out onto the sidewalk walkers, pets and baby carriages, into adjoining windows, doors and cars passing by. To conclude, please be cautious how you advocate to change laws that are working, without knowing all of the facts and consequences first.

Robert W. Kuhn, Rochester

ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION

Minnesota is prioritizing pfas pollution prevention.

Minnesota leads the nation in protecting public health and the environment from all PFAS chemicals ( "We regulate a tiny fraction of the 12,000 'forever chemicals," StarTribune.com, April 23). While federal regulations are rolling out for individual types of PFAS, Minnesota's superfund law allows us to hold polluters responsible for all types of PFAS.

Thanks to action from the Minnesota Legislature and the Walz-Flanagan administration, we're prioritizing PFAS pollution prevention by helping manufacturers transition to safer alternatives while implementing a new law that phases out nonessential use of PFAS by 2032. Some products, including cookware, carpets and dental floss, must be PFAS-free by January 2025.

Preventing PFAS pollution is in the best interest of public health and public funds, which too often must be used for costly cleanup expenses. While these chemicals cost between $50 and $1,000 per pound to purchase, removing and destroying them from wastewater costs between $2.7 million and $18 million per pound. All Minnesotans will benefit as we turn off the tap of PFAS entering the environment.

Katrina Kessler, St. Paul

The writer is commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY

How did we get here.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor: If a president says a rival is corrupt and orders their assassination, "is that within his official acts for which he can get immunity?"

Trump lawyer D. John Sauer: "It would depend on the hypothetical, but we can see that could well be an official act."

What have we become? Talking about presidential pardonable assassination of a political rival as cavalierly as ordering a cheeseburger? Sad and terrifying.

Franklin C. Feinberg, St. Louis Park

On April 25, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about the scope of presidential immunity. There was general agreement that there should be immunity for "official acts." There was disagreement of what constitutes an "official act." There was also question about whether an official act loses that status if it is motivated by private personal benefit to the president. And there were many other twists to consideration of when absolute immunity should apply after a president leaves office and whether a former president should be entitled to pre-prosecution court relief on the immunity issue before suffering the expense and inconvenience of a criminal prosecution.

The resolution of these, and likely many related issues, seems complex and incapable of resolution without a specific factual scenario. The wise course of action for the Supreme Court is to decide only the facts of the case before it. It would be unwise for the court to attempt to state a broader immunity rule. What the court should do is simply to state that there is no immunity for the allegations of the case before it. The allegations and clear evidence of Trump's conduct shows intent to obstruct constitutional election process and state election procedures. There should be no need for a remand to the trial court to decide immunity claims in this case.

Thomas Wexler, Edina

The writer is a retired judge.

• Winning streak reaches 11 as Twins top Red Sox 5-2

I attended the Trump trial

• Old new burger alert: Edina's Convention Grill is back
• Sharon Lubinski, first openly gay U.S. marshal and longtime MPD leader, dies at 71

Kudos to St. Cloud's longtime mayor

Readers Write: Ethnic studies curriculum, public notice laws, student protests

Editorial cartoon: Israel and Palestine

Lyme disease: It only takes one bite

• Minneapolis residential property taxes could rise steeply in 2025 May. 3
• Protesters hold dueling Gaza rallies at University of Minnesota May. 3
• Readers Write: Ethnic studies curriculum, public notice laws, student protests • Letters
• Readers Write : America's melting pot; no more politics as usual; Jason Lewis; gun legislation; Stan Lee • Letters
• Readers Write: Presidential immunity, Sen. Nicole Mitchell • Letters
• Readers Write: Presidential debates, campus protests, reading • Letters
• Readers Write: No-knock warrants, the power of photography, climate change • Letters

© 2024 StarTribune. All rights reserved.

Lowenstein Clinic Calls on UN to Prevent Censorship and Protect Speech of Environmental Defenders at Annual COP Conference

Green Advocates International and the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School have called for stronger protection of environmental defenders’ free speech at the world’s largest forum for international climate negotiations, the Conference of the Parties (COP). 

The organizations have jointly submitted an input report to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) to call for changes within the U.N. framework to protect climate defenders’ full and free participation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s annual COP meetings. 

The submission seeks to inform OHCHR’s 2024 report on intimidation and reprisals. It details ongoing issues facing environmental defenders attending the annual COP meeting, including intimidation and repression of their speech while at COP, and reprisal upon return to their home country. COP meetings are currently the preeminent forum for international climate negotiations and involve discussion on climate change and other related environmental issues. The most recent COP meeting was held in early December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The submission evaluates how the U.N. and host country treat environmental defenders, many of whom face extreme threats at home. 

“We thought it was important to highlight the special risks that environmental defenders take on when coming to COP,” explained Lowenstein Clinic member Chloe Miller ’25. “Defenders represent the communities hardest hit by the climate crisis, and yet they are afforded the least visibility and protection at the most significant site for climate negotiations.” 

Even so, as the climate crisis worsens, attendance by civil society and environmental defenders has increased. 

“Defender presence at COP is undeniably important and must be a priority for the UNFCCC,” said Peter Quaqua, Coordinator of the Mano River Union Civil Society Natural Resources Rights and Governance Platform and Head of the Secretariat of the Environmental Rights Legal Framework Coalition for Africa.

“Through meetings and demonstrations at COP, we can elevate issues uniquely faced by our communities that otherwise go undiscussed,” said Radiatu Haja Sheriff Kahnplaye, Policy Advisor for the Natural Resources Women Platform, a women’s social movement across West Africa.

The team’s research finds critical gaps in protections for environmental defenders. Most notably, State parties and the UNFCCC itself do not appear to recognize the speech rights of attendees at COP, as reflected in the UNFCCC’s own guidelines. 

“The failure to affirm basic rights had knock-on effects across COP28,” said clinic member Shehla Chowdhury ’25. “We were struck by the widespread chilling of defenders as well as overt censorship at COP28.” 

The submission notes that defenders are placed in a double bind when COP occurs in a host country that does not respect freedom of speech and association more generally. As a result, attendees feel they must confine their actions to the U.N.-run space, even though that means abiding by restrictive UNFCCC rules on speech. A particular sticking point was the UNFCCC’s bar on criticism of specific countries and companies. 

“The UNFCCC tells us we are welcome — but only if we give up our rights to tell the truth,” said Atuheire Brian, Executive Director of the African Initiative on Food Security and Environment. 

“With so many rules around what we could and could not say and cameras placed across the venue, it was hard to feel like you could really speak freely at any point,” added Ina-Maria Shikongo, a climate activist and active member of Fridays For Future.

To protect the critical voices of environmental defenders in climate negotiations, the submission urges the UNFCCC to take several immediate measures. “One easy starting point is to make public the U.N.’s agreement with the host country,” said Ding Yuan ’25. “It is simply unfair to ask environmental defenders to take on the real risks of repression without at least knowing whether the host country has agreed to observe the most basic protections of free speech.” 

The submission also urges the UNFCCC Secretariat to incorporate clearer protections for speech and assembly into COP guidelines and to make space for defenders in the negotiations themselves.

“To safeguard the critical voices of activists in climate negotiations, I implore the UNFCCC to strengthen host country agreements, incorporate substantive speech protections into COP guidelines that have impeded the full participation of climate activists, and increase the participation of environmental defenders in negotiations,” said Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr., Founding President of the Global Climate Legal Defense Network and Founder of Green Advocates International. “International law, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, affirm a human right to free speech. The U.N. must ensure these rights are honored within the spaces they manage.”

The clinic team, comprising Shehla Chowdhury ’25, Chloe Miller ’25, Sonya Schoenberger ’24, and Ding Yuan ’25, worked on a yearlong project that evaluated risks facing global climate defenders under the supervision of Hope Metcalf, Executive Director for Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale and Alfred Brownell, Tom and Andi Bernstein Visiting Human Rights Fellow at Yale Law School. 

Seven environmental activist coalitions co-signed on the submission, including the African Climate Platform, the Alliance for Rural Democracy, the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom, the Egyptian Organization for Environmental Rights, the Environmental Rights Legal Framework Coalition for Africa, the Mano River Union Civil Society Natural Resource Rights and Governance Platform, and the Natural Resource Women Platform. 

In the Press

Yale law school media freedom and information access clinic: foia lawsuit against the army west point athletics association, u.s. forces thought they killed a terrorist. they got the wrong man., human rights clinic calls on un to prevent censorship and chilling climate conference, universities face balancing act in weighing response to campus protests, related news.

Corey Guilmette ’16 Works to Mitigate Criminal Convictions at Civil Survival

Two Years of Work by Challenging Mass Incarceration Clinic Helps Secure Sentence Modification

Government Drug Purchases A Significant Investment, Though Prices for Patients Remain High, Experts Say

Developer pulls application to build landfill near Lake Worth following resident outcry

After months of opposition from residents and Tarrant County officials, the company seeking to build a new landfill near Lake Worth rescinded its application for an environmental permit on May 1, according to a state database.

Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez celebrated the move Thursday, calling BAP Kennor LLC’s decision a “tremendous victory” for his constituents living along Silver Creek Road, where the facility was planned.

“For the past six months, we have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to continue the fight to protect our Silver Creek community,” Ramirez said in a statement . “There is still much work ahead, but today’s announcement is a promising step in the right direction.”

Hundreds of residents turned out for a December public meeting hosted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the agency responsible for permitting and regulating landfills in the state.

State Rep. Charlie Geren, who requested the meeting and met with residents to hear their concerns, joined Ramirez, Fort Worth City Council member Macy Hill and Mayor Mattie Parker in opposing the permit application. They cited concerns about the possibility of landfill waste contaminating nearby water sources and an increased amount of traffic congestion and street repairs on a two-lane road already taxed by rapid population growth.

Frank Pugsley, who represented BAP Kennor at the public meeting, told residents that the facility would be engineered to protect human health and the environment. He argued that the project would reduce the amount of material headed to landfills and decrease illegal dumping by giving companies another location to bring waste.

Representatives for BAP Kennor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If the application had been approved by state officials, BAP Kennor would have built a recycling center to accept up to 450 tons of construction and demolition waste per day, including metals, woods, lumber, green waste, plastics and concrete.

Don Brewer was among the 50-plus residents who spoke out against the permit last December as a prominent advocate of the “Save Silver Creek” campaign . While he’s excited to see the company pull its application, Brewer is worried that BAP Kennor may pursue other options to build a landfill facility.

“I’m real happy and real cautiously optimistic,” Brewer said.

The site at 3411 Silver Creek Road previously operated as a gravel quarry and landfill, though the landfill permit became inactive in 1985 . Last summer, company officials successfully transferred an existing municipal solid waste disposal permit from the land’s previous owners to BAP Kennor.

That landfill permit is now active, as are stormwater and aggregate production permits, according to a state environmental commission database. BAP Kennor’s rescinded application would have allowed the facility to process — separate, sort, shred, grind and bale — waste at the site.

“TCEQ did not remove the Type IV permit that says technically, right now, they can start hauling trash in there,” Brewer said.

The only way to guarantee that BAP Kennor doesn’t try to use its active permits or re-apply for a processing permit is to purchase the land, Brewer said. He and other residents have formed a new group, the Lake Worth Conservancy , to rally neighbors around the cause of preserving open space in the lake’s watershed, including BAP Kennor’s property.

Preserving the property for parkland would take substantial federal, state or local dollars, Brewer said. He asks: If Congress could give $1 million in federal funds to Harold Simmons Park in Dallas, why not for Lake Worth?

“We’re curious to see if we can find a way to get access to some more funds to help sweeten up the pot, to get them to walk away,” Brewer said. “To me, that’s what’s going to be the final deal, when that property leaves their possession and becomes a county property. Because at that point in time, then it’s a done deal. There’s no way that (the permit) could ever be activated.”

Haley Samsel is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. You can reach them at  [email protected] .

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy  here .

This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

America’s Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed

Universities spent years saying that activism is not just welcome but encouraged on their campuses. Students took them at their word.

Listen to this article

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.

N ick Wilson, a sophomore at Cornell University, came to Ithaca, New York, to refine his skills as an activist. Attracted by both Cornell’s labor-relations school and the university’s history of campus radicalism, he wrote his application essay about his involvement with a Democratic Socialists of America campaign to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act . When he arrived on campus, he witnessed any number of signs that Cornell shared his commitment to not just activism but also militant protest, taking note of a plaque commemorating the armed occupation of Willard Straight Hall in 1969.

Cornell positively romanticizes that event: The university library has published a “ Willard Straight Hall Occupation Study Guide ,” and the office of the dean of students once co-sponsored a panel on the protest. The school has repeatedly screened a documentary about the occupation, Agents of Change . The school’s official newspaper, published by the university media-relations office, ran a series of articles honoring the 40th anniversary, in 2009, and in 2019, Cornell held a yearlong celebration for the 50th, complete with a commemorative walk, a dedication ceremony, and a public conversation with some of the occupiers. “ Occupation Anniversary Inspires Continued Progress ,” the Cornell Chronicle headline read.

As Wilson has discovered firsthand, however, the school’s hagiographical odes to prior protests has not prevented it from cracking down on pro-Palestine protests in the present. Now that he has been suspended for the very thing he told Cornell he came there to learn how to do—radical political organizing—he is left reflecting on the school’s hypocrisies. That the theme of this school year at Cornell is “Freedom of Expression” adds a layer of grim humor to the affair.

Evan Mandery: University of hypocrisy

University leaders are in a bind. “These protests are really dynamic situations that can change from minute to minute,” Stephen Solomon, who teaches First Amendment law and is the director of NYU’s First Amendment Watch—an organization devoted to free speech—told me. “But the obligation of universities is to make the distinction between speech protected by the First Amendment and speech that is not.” Some of the speech and tactics protesters are employing may not be protected under the First Amendment, while much of it plainly is. The challenge universities are confronting is not just the law but also their own rhetoric. Many universities at the center of the ongoing police crackdowns have long sought to portray themselves as bastions of activism and free thought. Cornell is one of many universities that champion their legacy of student activism when convenient, only to bring the hammer down on present-day activists when it’s not. The same colleges that appeal to students such as Wilson by promoting opportunities for engagement and activism are now suspending them. And they’re calling the cops.

The police activity we are seeing universities level against their own students does not just scuff the carefully cultivated progressive reputations of elite private universities such as Columbia, Emory University, and NYU, or the equally manicured free-speech bona fides of red-state public schools such as Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin. It also exposes what these universities have become in the 21st century. Administrators have spent much of the recent past recruiting social-justice-minded students and faculty to their campuses under the implicit, and often explicit, promise that activism is not just welcome but encouraged. Now the leaders of those universities are shocked to find that their charges and employees believed them. And rather than try to understand their role in cultivating this morass, the Ivory Tower’s bigwigs have decided to apply their boot heels to the throats of those under their care.

I spoke with 30 students, professors, and administrators from eight schools—a mix of public and private institutions across the United States—to get a sense of the disconnect between these institutions’ marketing of activism and their treatment of protesters. A number of people asked to remain anonymous. Some were untenured faculty or administrators concerned about repercussions from, or for, their institutions. Others were directly involved in organizing protests and were wary of being harassed. Several incoming students I spoke with were worried about being punished by their school before they even arrived. Despite a variety of ideological commitments and often conflicting views on the protests, many of those I interviewed were “shocked but not surprised”—a phrase that came up time and again—by the hypocrisy exhibited by the universities with which they were affiliated. (I reached out to Columbia, NYU, Cornell, and Emory for comment on the disconnect between their championing of past protests and their crackdowns on the current protesters. Representatives from Columbia, Cornell, and Emory pointed me to previous public statements. NYU did not respond.)

The sense that Columbia trades on the legacy of the Vietnam protests that rocked campus in 1968 was widespread among the students I spoke with. Indeed, the university honors its activist past both directly and indirectly, through library archives , an online exhibit , an official “Columbia 1968” X account , no shortage of anniversary articles in Columbia Magazine, and a current course titled simply “Columbia 1968.” The university is sometimes referred to by alumni and aspirants as the “Protest Ivy.” One incoming student told me that he applied to the school in part because of an admissions page that prominently listed community organizers and activists among its “distinguished alumni.”

Joseph Slaughter, an English professor and the executive director of Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights, talked with his class about the 1968 protests after the recent arrests at the school. He said his students felt that the university had actively marketed its history to them. “Many, many, many of them said they were sold the story of 1968 as part of coming to Columbia,” he told me. “They talked about it as what the university presents to them as the long history and tradition of student activism. They described it as part of the brand.”

This message reaches students before they take their first college class. As pro-Palestine demonstrations began to raise tensions on campus last month, administrators were keen to cast these protests as part of Columbia’s proud culture of student activism. The aforementioned high-school senior who had been impressed by Columbia’s activist alumni attended the university’s admitted-students weekend just days before the April 18 NYPD roundup. During the event, the student said, an admissions official warned attendees that they may experience “disruptions” during their visit, but boasted that these were simply part of the school’s “long and robust history of student protest.”

Remarkably, after more than 100 students were arrested on the order of Columbia President Minouche Shafik—in which she overruled a unanimous vote by the university senate’s executive committee not to bring the NYPD to campus —university administrators were still pushing this message to new students and parents. An email sent on April 19 informed incoming students that “demonstration, political activism, and deep respect for freedom of expression have long been part of the fabric of our campus.” Another email sent on April 20 again promoted Columbia’s tradition of activism, protest, and support of free speech. “This can sometimes create moments of tension,” the email read, “but the rich dialogue and debate that accompany this tradition is central to our educational experience.”

Evelyn Douek and Genevieve Lakier: The hypocrisy underlying the campus-speech controversy

Another student who attended a different event for admitted students, this one on April 21, said that every administrator she heard speak paid lip service to the school’s long history of protest. Her own feelings about the pro-Palestine protests were mixed—she said she believes that a genocide is happening in Gaza and also that some elements of the protest are plainly anti-Semitic—but her feelings about Columbia’s decision to involve the police were unambiguous. “It’s reprehensible but exactly what an Ivy League institution would do in this situation. I don’t know why everyone is shocked,” she said, adding: “It makes me terrified to go there.”

Beth Massey, a veteran activist who participated in the 1968 protests, told me with a laugh, “They might want to tell us they’re progressive, but they’re doing the business of the ruling class.” She was not surprised by the harsh response to the current student encampment or by the fact that it lit the fuse on a nationwide protest movement. Massey had been drawn to the radical reputation of Columbia’s sister school, Barnard College, as an open-minded teenager from the segregated South: “I actually wanted to go to Barnard because they had a history of progressive struggle that had happened going all the way back into the ’40s.” And the barn-burning history that appealed to Massey in the late 1960s has continued to attract contemporary students, albeit with one key difference: Today, that radical history has become part of the way that Barnard and Columbia sell their $60,000-plus annual tuition.

Of course, Columbia is not alone. The same trends have also prevailed at NYU, which likes to crow about its own radical history and promises contemporary students “ a world of activism opportunities .” An article published on the university’s website in March—titled “Make a Difference Through Activism at NYU”—promises students “myriad chances to put your activism into action.” The article points to campus institutions that “provide students with resources and opportunities to spark activism and change both on campus and beyond.” The six years I spent as a graduate student at NYU gave me plenty of reasons to be cynical about the university and taught me to view all of this empty activism prattle as white noise. But even I was astounded to see a video of students and faculty set upon by the NYPD, arrested at the behest of President Linda Mills.

“Across the board, there is a heightened awareness of hypocrisy,” Mohamad Bazzi, a journalism professor at NYU, told me, noting that faculty were acutely conscious of the gap between the institution’s intensive commitment to DEI and the police crackdown. The university has recently made several “cluster hires”—centered on activism-oriented themes such as anti-racism, social justice, and indigeneity—that helped diversify the faculty. Some of those recent hires were among the people who spent a night zip-tied in a jail cell, arrested for the exact kind of activism that had made them attractive to NYU in the first place. And it wasn’t just faculty. The law students I spoke with were especially acerbic. After honing her activism skills at her undergraduate institution—another university that recently saw a violent police response to pro-Palestine protests—one law student said she came to NYU because she was drawn to its progressive reputation and its high percentage of prison-abolitionist faculty. This irony was not lost on her as the police descended on the encampment.

After Columbia students were arrested on April 18, students at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study decided to cancel a planned art festival and instead use the time to make sandwiches as jail support for their detained uptown peers. The school took photos of the students layering cold cuts on bread and posted it to Gallatin’s official Instagram. These posts not only failed to mention that the students were working in support of the pro-Palestine protesters; the caption—“making sandwiches for those in need”—implied that the undergrads might be preparing meals for, say, the homeless.

The contradictions on display at Cornell, Columbia, and NYU are not limited to the state of New York. The police response at Emory, another university that brags about its tradition of student protest, was among the most disturbing I have seen. Faculty members I spoke with at the Atlanta school, including two who had been arrested—the philosophy professor Noëlle McAfee and the English and Indigenous-studies professor Emil’ Keme—recounted harrowing scenes: a student being knocked down, an elderly woman struggling to breathe after tear-gas exposure, a colleague with welts from rubber bullets. These images sharply contrast with the university’s progressive mythmaking, a process that was in place even before 2020’s “summer of racial reckoning” sent universities scrambling to shore up their activist credentials.

In 2018, Emory’s Campus Life office partnered with students and a design studio to begin work on an exhibit celebrating the university’s history of identity-based activism. Then, not long after George Floyd’s murder, the university’s library released a series of blog posts focusing on topics including “Black Student Activism at Emory,” “Protests and Movements,” “Voting Rights and Public Policy,” and “Authors and Artists as Activists.” That same year, the university announced its new Arts and Social Justice Fellows initiative, a program that “brings Atlanta artists into Emory classrooms to help students translate their learning into creative activism in the name of social justice.” In 2021, the university put on an exhibit celebrating its 1969 protests , in which “Black students marched, demonstrated, picketed, and ‘rapped’ on those institutions affecting the lives of workers and students at Emory.” Like Cornell’s and Columbia’s, Emory’s protests seem to age like fine wine: It takes half a century before the institution begins enjoying them.

N early every person I talked with believed that their universities’ responses were driven by donors, alumni, politicians, or some combination thereof. They did not believe that they were grounded in serious or reasonable concerns about the physical safety of students; in fact, most felt strongly that introducing police into the equation had made things far more dangerous for both pro-Palestine protesters and pro-Israel counterprotesters. Jeremi Suri, a historian at UT Austin—who told me he is not politically aligned with the protesters—recalls pleading with both the dean of students and the mounted state troopers to call off the charge. “It was like the Russian army had come onto campus,” Suri mused. “I was out there for 45 minutes to an hour. I’m very sensitive to anti-Semitism. Nothing anti-Semitic was said.” He added: “There was no reason not to let them shout until their voices went out.”

From the May 1930 issue: Hypocrisy–a defense

As one experienced senior administrator at a major research university told me, the conflagration we are witnessing shows how little many university presidents understand either their campus communities or the young people who populate them. “When I saw what Columbia was doing, my immediate thought was: They have not thought about day two ,” he said, laughing. “If you confront an 18-year-old activist, they don’t back down. They double down.” That’s what happened in 1968, and it’s happening again now. Early Tuesday morning, Columbia students occupied Hamilton Hall—the site of the 1968 occupation, which they rechristened Hind’s Hall in honor of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza—in response to the university’s draconian handling of the protests. They explicitly tied these events to the university’s past, calling out its hypocrisy on Instagram: “This escalation is in line with the historical student movements of 1968 … which Columbia repressed then and celebrates today.” The university, for its part, responded now as it did then: Late on Tuesday, the NYPD swarmed the campus in an overnight raid that led to the arrest of dozens of students.

The students, professors, and administrators I’ve spoken with in recent days have made clear that this hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed and that the crackdown isn’t working, but making things worse. The campus resistance has expanded to include faculty and students who were originally more ambivalent about the protests and, in a number of cases, who support Israel. They are disturbed by what they rightly see as violations of free expression, the erosion of faculty governance, and the overreach of administrators. Above all, they’re fed up with the incandescent hypocrisy of institutions, hoisted with their own progressive petards, as the unstoppable force of years’ worth of self-righteous rhetoric and pseudo-radical posturing meets the immovable object of students who took them at their word.

In another video published by The Cornell Daily Sun , recorded only hours after he was suspended, Nick Wilson explained to a crowd of student protesters what had brought him to the school. “In high school, I discovered my passion, which was community organizing for a better world. I told Cornell University that’s why I wanted to be here,” he said, referencing his college essay. Then he paused for emphasis, looking around as his peers began to cheer. “And those fuckers admitted me.”

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

• View all journals
• Explore content
• About the journal
• Publish with us
• Sign up for alerts
• Research Highlight
• Published: 01 May 2024

Speech recognition and processing

An electrocorticography-based speech decoder for neural speech prostheses

• Silvia Conti 1  

Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering ( 2024 ) Cite this article

12 Accesses

1 Altmetric

Metrics details

• Neural decoding

Neural speech prostheses based on brain–computer interface (BCI) systems and machine learning technologies are fundamental tools for helping restore speech loss due to neurological deficits. Despite the progress, advances in speech decoding are still hampered by the limited timeframe of data available for training personalized models and the inherent variability in speech production. Now, writing in Nature Machine Intelligence , Adeen Flinker and colleagues introduce an electrocorticography (ECoG)-to-speech framework that overcomes data scarcity and enhances natural-sound speech synthesis.

The approach is based on a specific acoustic space that can synthesize speech using differentiable digital signal processing and an acoustic pre-training that is blind to the neural data and enable to decode realistic vocalizations with limited data. The training process involves semi-supervised learning that initially uses only speech signals, followed by supervised learning based on ground-truth spectrograms (using measures of spectrogram difference and short-time objective intelligibility, STOI). The team used various deep learning architectures (including 3D ResNet, 3D Swin Transformer and LSTM) that reply on different causality directions for the ECoG decoder and trained the models using a portion of the data and validated them on the remaining set. Robust decoding performance were achieved across participants with both high-density and low-density electrode sampling on the cortex and high accuracy was demonstrated across different models, with causal decoding with convolutional architectures showing superior performance.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles

111,21 € per year

only 9,27 € per issue

Buy this article

• Purchase on Springer Link
• Instant access to full article PDF

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Original article

Chen, X. et al. A neural speech decoding framework leveraging deep learning and speech synthesis. Nat. Mach. Intell. 6 , 467–480 (2024)

Article   Google Scholar  

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering https://www.nature.com/natrevelectreng/

Silvia Conti

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Silvia Conti .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Conti, S. An electrocorticography-based speech decoder for neural speech prostheses. Nat Rev Electr Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44287-024-00054-5

Download citation

Published : 01 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s44287-024-00054-5

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Quick links

• Explore articles by subject
• Guide to authors
• Editorial policies

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.