3 minute read
CO-CREATING A BETTER FUTURE
CO-CREATING A BETTER FUTURE
As we near COP26, we are reminded of the climate crisis and the irrefutable damage that our planet is facing.
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As the Greenland icesheet melts and the Amazon dries out, the Earth will no longer mask our warming and instead accelerate it if current conditions aren’t reversed.
What we need now, more than ever, is a sense of dynamism and urgency. Humanity has never faced such a desperate challenge as the one presented by climate change, and extraordinary solutions will be required if catastrophe is to be avoided.
Six years on from the 2015 Paris Agreement, COP26 is a key moment to reflect on our progress but also ramp up commitments to ensure that our climate action targets will be met in the short, medium, and long terms. With 30,000 delegates due to attend the conference from almost every country in the world, now is the time to look towards the future and realise the solutions we need to make together to reverse this disaster before it’s too late.
Human activities are increasingly influencing the climate and the earth’s temperature – there is no doubt that human contribution has impacted the future of our planet.
Global cooperation is necessary if we are to address what is truly the greatest challenge of all time. Whether we succeed in building a sustainable future depends on how we approach the challenge of designing and implementing solutions to this intractable problem.
- Sir David Attenborough
At this critical moment, when our biodiversity faces unprecedented pressure, the São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health was launched earlier this month. Signed by over 250 organisations from more than 47 countries representing all sectors of society, it calls upon key stakeholders to take urgent action to safeguard a healthy and equitable future for humanity and protect all life on Earth.
Dr. Nicole de Paula is just one of the many people supporting this declaration. As a pioneer in the field of planetary health, she is bridging the gaps between the health and environmental sectors through gender-just solutions. Founder of the Women Leaders for Planetary Health, Nicole champions the socioeconomic advancement of women through environmental conservation and public health policies to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals a reality by 2030.
The São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health demonstrates that while everyone has their own unique role, only by working together as a global community, rooted in planetary health principles, can we co-create a better future that optimises the health and well-being of people and the living world.
That principle alone is just what we must recognise to understand how to achieve these goals and build a better world together.
The fate of the world depends on humanity’s response to climate change, and it’s up to you to play your part in this. Each of us has a responsibility for the planet in which we live, and with that, we must have a proactive mindset to create a sustainable future together. We each need to advocate for a better world so that we can improve the health and wellbeing of people and the planet and create a future we’re all proud of.
In this edition of WHIS Inspire, we look at climate change, pandemic recovery and SDG acceleration worldwide, along with the ways in which we are making a positive impact through the inspiring work of changemakers in our communities.
We want to inspire readers and enable them to discover the various accomplishments around the globe and learn how to support a healthier, happier world.
