Nature is sending us clear signals, we need to change our ways – environment minister

The Minister for Environment, Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, told participants at a webinar, organized in celebration of World Environment Day (WED) that nature is sending signals so that people change their ways. The webinar was held under this year’s theme; Biodiversity: Time for nature; attracted different panel discussants from government, the United Nations and other partners in green growth. “Nature is sending us clear signals that we need to change our ways and reverse the trend of biodiversity loss. We can only do this if we put nature at the heart of everything we do,” Mujawamariya noted. “Our lives depend on the invaluable services provided by biodiversity and nature. The air we breathe, the water we drink, food security, nature-based medicines, tourism revenues, and our livelihoods all come from nature,” she added. Celebrated every June 5th, the WED is a day dedicated to global awareness and action to protect the environment. A UN report on biodiversity indicates that around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction, some of them within decades. It also portrays that since 1980, greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 100%, raising average global temperatures by at least 0.7 degrees Celsius. 50 per cent of agricultural expansion occurs at the expense of forests and 290 million hectares of native forest cover have been lost due to clearing and wood harvesting, from 1990 to 2015, among other things nature has lost. This has affected the world in many ways, like; climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops and flooding, among others. Environment and Covid-19 Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some countries went on lockdown. This resulted in significant reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. However, masses of non-recyclable waste have risen because recyclers temporarily halted their works fearing the virus; maintenance and monitoring of natural ecosystems have been temporarily halted. Take-away food packages, face masks and gloves among others are being used way more than the virus-free days, and this threatens the waste management. Also, tourism activity to natural areas has ceased. “Without a doubt, there is a strong connection between the pandemic, the way we treat our environment and climate change, Mujawamariya explains. “Deforestation, air pollution, improper waste management, human-wildlife conflict and private sector production systems and supply chains have all played a role, she adds.

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Nature is sending us clear signals, we need to change our ways – environment minister