UN chief calls for commitment to restoring planet

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the joint hybrid press conference to launch the State of the Global Climate in 2020 Report at the UN headquarters in New York, on April 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie E)

"We heedlessly plunder the earth's resources, deplete its wildlife and treat air, land and seas as dumping grounds. Crucial ecosystems and food chains are being pushed to the brink of collapse," said Guterres.

UNITED NATIONS, April 21 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for commitment to restoring the planet and to making peace with nature, in his message to mark International Mother Earth Day on Thursday.

This year's observance takes place at a time when the planet is "at a tipping point," while humanity continues to abuse the natural world, the UN chief said in the message.

"We heedlessly plunder the earth's resources, deplete its wildlife and treat air, land and seas as dumping grounds. Crucial ecosystems and food chains are being pushed to the brink of collapse," said Guterres.

Guards stand near the female northern white rhino called Najin inside an open enclosure at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki, Kenya, April 17, 2015. (Xinhua/Sun Ruibo)

"This is suicidal. We must end our war on nature and nurse it back to health," he noted.

Ending the war, said the secretary-general, calls for bold climate action to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, stronger steps to protect biodiversity, and reducing pollution and waste.

Guterres assured that these steps will not only safeguard the planet, "our only home," but also "create millions of new jobs."

People view ocean garbages displayed during the World Oceans Day event at Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver, Canada, June 8, 2019. (Xinhua/Liang Sen)

"Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance to set the world on a cleaner, greener, more sustainable path," he said.

"Let us all commit to the hard work of restoring our planet and making peace with nature," he said on the annual observance.