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A healthy planet is one with clean water, fresh air, a nourishing ecosystem, and a stable and predictable climate. The health of our planet is all the more urgent today, as an ongoing global food crisis leaves nearly 350 million people facing high levels of food insecurity. The (WFP) works with communities to strengthen their resistance to worsening climate effects, through early-warning systems, physical and financial protection, and nature-based solutions. Between 2014-2021, WFP has supported communities in rehabilitating 1.6 million hectares of degraded land, building 111,000 water ponds and planting 60,000 hectares of forests. In Haiti, mother-of-three Rose participated in a WFP project to reduce landslides and conserve soil. Here are to help the planet.

To save our land, we must save our ecosystems. One million species are threatened with extinction, soils are turning infertile and water sources are drying up. presents  which is reviving lost land and forgotten villages as innovators marry science and tradition to bring rural economies and landscapes back to life.

presents peatlands, which are effective carbon sinks, absorbing more carbon from the atmosphere than they produce. The Congo Basin peat swamp forest stores around 29 billion tons of carbon and cover only 3% of the Earth's surface. However, despite their importance, the world’s peatlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. 

Plastic is predominantly produced from oil and gas, both of which are fossil fuels. The more plastic we make, the more fossil fuel is required, the more we intensify the climate crisis. Also, plastic products create greenhouse gas emissions across their whole lifecycle. If no action is taken, greenhouse gas emissions caused by plastic could account for to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Read more about climate change.

The world traded about in 2021 – enough to fill over 18 million trucks. The queue would wrap around the globe 13 times! Since , most of the products will end up littering our streets and flooding our seas. But nature abounds in sustainable materials (bamboo, sand, banana plants, algae) that could be used to make eco-friendly versions of straws, shopping bags, bottles, food wrappers and other plastic products.

Plastic substitutes could cut global plastic waste by – about 63 million tonnes less, or 3.5 million fewer trucks in the queue. “Besides the benefits to the planet, the shift offers economic opportunities,” said Henrique Pacini, an economist working on trade and environment issues. “But countries and companies have to work together and across borders to and reduce trade barriers."

Systemic change is needed to stop the flow of plastic waste ending up in the environment. Plastic waste — whether in a river, the ocean, or on land — can persist in the environment for centuries.  highlights how innovation in plastic recycling, waste collection, and trade is key to beating the plastic pollution crisis.

Iran’s wetlands, the ab-bandaans, serve as vital environments for the protection of biodiversity, indigenous culture, and related environmental and economic functions. highlights how the locals are having challenges conserving this important ecosystem as a result of overlooking traditional conservation methods leading to the rise of fertilizer runoff, toxic waste pollution and the presence of invasive species. Through the UNDP ICCA-GSI partnership, they have embarked on a project to document wetlands biodiversity, traditional conservation knowledge and practices, and the factors leading to biodiversity loss.

Meet Apollo, an influencer from the Metaverse with a message to share! The and Apollo have partnered to raise awareness about how we can combat climate change and protect Earth's environment. Here, you’ll learn about the , the difference between HFCs and CFCs and how we can take action to save our planet.

Wetlands cover only around 6% of the Earth’s land surface, but 40% of all plant and animal species live or breed in them. Wetland biodiversity matters for our health and our food supply, tourism, and jobs. But they disappear three times faster than forests and are Earth’s most threatened ecosystem. We must raise global awareness about wetlands to reverse their rapid loss and to conserve and restore them. World Wetlands Day (2 February) is the ideal time to increase people’s understanding of these critically important ecosystems.

Natural gas has long been billed as a good steppingstone to replace coal with renewable energy. As solar arrays and wind farms are being built, the theory goes, natural gas can be a stand-in for “dirtier” fuels, like coal and, in some cases, oil. But research indicates that emissions of methane – the main constituent of natural gas – that occur during its extraction and transport mean natural gas isn’t as climate-friendly as once thought. tells us about the role natural gas should play in reducing emissions and the transition to a renewable energy future.

reports that the ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades, with the global phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals already benefitting efforts to mitigate climate change. A UN-backed panel to the on Ozone Depleting Substances , published every four years, confirms the phase out of nearly 99% of banned ozone-depleting substances has succeeded in safeguarding the ozone layer, leading to notable recovery of the ozone layer in the upper stratosphere and decreased human exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun.

reports on the landmark agreement to guide action on nature through to 2030 resulting from the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (). 188 governments adopted the aiming to address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect indigenous rights. The plan includes concrete measures to halt and reverse nature loss, including putting 30 per cent of the planet and 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030. It also contains proposals to increase finance to developing countries – a major issue during talks.

In March, a recycled plastic gavel hammered down sealing a global resolution to work towards ending plastic pollution, long considered one of the planet’s most pressing environmental blights. The agreement was one of several major environmental accords forged in 2022, which observers have called a historic year for the planet. In pacts, many shepherded by , that unfolded from March to December, nations large and small committed to addressing everything from the fallout of climate change to a looming extinction crisis. Here's a closer look at 2022’s environmental milestones.

 of the planet’s remaining biodiversity is located in Indigenous Peoples’ lands. Here are examples of how Indigenous Peoples are conserving biodiversity with ’s support.

The United Nations recognizes 10 ground-breaking efforts from around the globe for their role in restoring the natural world. They were selected under the banner of the , a global movement coordinated by and , designed to prevent and reverse the degradation of natural spaces across the planet. The winning initiatives are eligible to receive UN-backed promotion, advice or funding. Together, the 10 flagships aim to restore more than 68 million hectares − an area bigger than Myanmar, France or Somalia − and create nearly 15 million jobs.