World Environment Day has been celebrated since 1972 and is the United Nations' main vehicle for encouraging global awareness and action for the environment.The 2024 day, hosted by Saudi Arabia, focuses on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience with the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”
According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, up to 40% of the planet's land is degraded , directly affecting half the world's population and threatening about half of global GDP ($44 trillion).
The number and duration of droughts have increased by 29% since 2000 : without urgent action, droughts could affect more than three-quarters of the world's population by 2050.
Land restoration is a key pillar of the United Nations Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a call for the protection and revival of ecosystems around the world , critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.