UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday asked for global action to stop "a senseless and suicidal war on nature" and address climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
"I want to be clear. Without nature's help, we will not thrive or even survive. For too long, we have been waging a senseless and suicidal war on nature. The result is three interlinked environmental crises: climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution that threaten our viability as a species," he told a press conference for the launch of a UN Environment Programme report, "Making Peace with Nature."
"Human well-being lies in protecting the health of the planet. It's time to re-evaluate and reset our relationship with nature."
Human beings are overexploiting and degrading the environment on land and sea. The atmosphere and the oceans have become dumping grounds for waste. Governments are still paying more to exploit nature than to protect it. Globally, countries spend some 4 trillion to 6 trillion U.S. dollars a year on subsidies that damage the environment, he noted.
The interlinked climate, biodiversity and pollution crises require urgent action from the whole of society -- from governments, but also from international organizations, businesses, cities and individuals, said Guterres.