BLOG – Our Land, Our Future – World Environment Day 2024
World Environment Day on the 5th June brings together millions of people from across the globe, engaging them in the effort to protect and restore the Earth.
In 2024 World Environment Day focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”
Land restoration is vital to our climate resilience. By restoring, enhancing and protecting greenspaces we:
- Increase levels of biodiversity
- Enhance ecosystems by allowing nature to grow and thrive
- Increase the number of species and wildlife seen across the country
Question:
The UK currently has the lowest biodiversity score in Europe, scoring 14th out of the 14 countries surveyed for nature connectedness (source: BBC), however if we restored and protected native woodland, peatlands, heaths and species-rich grasslands over 30% of Britain, 12% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions could be captured (source: Rewilding Britain).
Restoring nature in more built up areas like towns and cities not only help with biodiversity but rewilding can reduce the impacts of heat, providing natural shade and canopies, reducing average temperatures by 0.5 degrees.
Urban greening also reduce the impacts and incidence of flooding as landscapes rich in vegetation and tree coverage can absorb water and rain runoff.
Lastly, increasing the amount of greenspace in our communities can have many health and well-being benefits, promoting healthier behaviours and improving mental health (source: National Library for Medicine).
Here in Greater Manchester, we wanted to use the opportunity to celebrate some of the great land restoration projects taking place across the city, specifically those in urban areas that are helping turn grey spaces green and increase resilience against flooding and excess heat.
Check out some of our favourite nature restoration projects!
More importantly, we wanted to hear your views on what more should be done locally.
Please let us know your thoughts on the question below and share this webpage or our social media posts with everyone you know:
Question:
Check this webpage again on the 5th July to see people from across Greater Manchester had to say!
Previous insights
Parting With Plastic
In May 2024, as part of Earth Day, we asked Greater Manchester residents for their ideas on how we could reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040.