It affects every corner of our planet – from the poles to the tropics, and from the mountains to the oceans. People and nature worldwide are already feeling the effects: water supplies are shrinking, extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity, forests are burning, and coral reefs are dying.
It uses most of our natural resources - 69% of all our water and 34% of our land. It has caused 75% of deforestation, 30% of topsoil erosion and contributes at least 24% of greenhouse gas emissions. And yet, we don't even eat all the food we produce - around one third of it is lost in the supply chain or thrown away.
They are also home to a wondrous array of wild species, from tiny plankton to the biggest creature that’s ever existed – the blue whale. But the ocean is in crisis. Centuries of overuse and neglect threaten to leave us with a vast blue wasteland.
Water is our most precious resource. We can't live without it, there's no substitute for it, and there's only so much of it to go round. Of all the water on Earth, just 2.5% is fresh water, and most of that is locked up in ice or deep underground. We rely on freshwater for farming, industry, and for the sustenance of 7 billion human beings and all life on land.
We all need healthy forests. They help keep our climate stable, absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. They regulate our water supply and improve its quality. They provide a home to more than half of all species found on land, and we rely on them too! Over 1 billion people live in and around forests, depending on them for fuel, food, medicines and building materials.
Maintaining the complex balance of animal life on Earth ensures the health of the natural systems we depend on for water, food, clean air, fertile soils and a stable climate. We need to reverse this loss of nature and biodiversity to create a future where wildlife and people can thrive together.
