WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Agriculture article 

World Environment Day : We can tackle climate change through ecosystem restoration 

We need to invest in research on ecosystems; we need governance that is multi-disciplinary and multi-agency and we need to protect what is left, if ecosystem collpase is to be prevented

A recent Union Ministry of Earth Sciences report on climate change concluded that India has already witnessed a rise in temperature, a decrease in rainfall, a rise in extreme weather events; and this trend is expected to continue apace in coming decades. As the world scrambles to put together a plan to mitigate climate change by reducing carbon emissions, we also need actions that help us cope with its inevitable impact.

The ecosystems are all around us and they protect us from sea level rise and coastal storms (mangroves), reduce the severity of floods and droughts (wetlands, forests, rivers) and sustain our food systems (grasslands, coral reefs, pollinators). Recognising the importance of ecosystem, United Nations (UN) has declared 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and it is the theme for this year’s World Environment Day (June 5).