Embracing Action this Earth Day
With peace among people the foundation for building a future where people and nature thrive, on this Earth Day let’s take a moment to think about the people of Ukraine and the atrocities they’re facing. Every day the conflict continues, the catastrophic humanitarian crisis deepens, and an environmental crisis looms larger. As we support colleagues and affected communities in Ukraine, our work must go on.
Alarming new data from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, underscores a dire warning of climate inaction and outlines clear and attainable solutions that would help avoid the worst of climate change's future impacts—if we act now.
Climate change threatens the safety of our communities and will likely lead to increased global conflicts and nature degradation. Every fraction of degree matters. We are way off track to limit warming to 1.5°C and avoid the worst risks of climate change. We must slash emissions to slow the pace of global warming and give adaptation efforts a fighting chance. We need an energy revolution to phase out polluting fossil fuels. And, we need all parts of society—from governments and businesses to the financial sector and individuals—to take action and support solutions to tackle the climate crisis. To that end, WWF welcomes the proposed SEC rule to standardize climate disclosure. My colleague Marcene Mitchell and I share in this blog post why we believe this rule can be an integral part of transitioning to a nature-positive, net-zero economy.
At the same time, we’re reminded of how critical nature is to our health, as described in our new report The Vitality of Forests, which synthesizes a mounting body of evidence that documents how human health depends on forests. The report justifies why the public, policymakers, and private sector should be interested in forests beyond their aesthetic, climate, or biodiversity potential. The evidence demonstrates that public health and forests are entwined—and that across each of nature’s contributions to human health, forest conservation, protection, and management can improve people’s lives, the health of their communities, and the planet.
Before I close on this Earth Day, I want to thank all of you and your teams for your work in helping safeguard the Earth. I’m particularly proud of our WWF staff who live their passion for sustainability every day, which you can read more about in our Behind the Scenes with WWF Staff series.
Recent profiles include Mary Jo Snavely, a manager with our Private Sector Engagement team, who is exploring how WWF can influence finance sector companies toward new types of corporate engagement and Akiva Fishman, manager of Private Sector Interventions to Tackle Deforestation and Forest Degradation, who helps companies set and implement policies to eliminate deforestation from their commodity sourcing—and relishes any moment he can get outside.
The collaborative passion, experience, and influence among companies, organizations and individuals can be powerful in creating meaningful difference in our planet’s future. Together, we can make great strides in addressing climate change impacts. Embrace action and have a Happy Earth Day!
Best regards,
Sheila
Sheila Bonini
Senior Vice President, Private Sector Engagement
World Wildlife Fund