On June 22, every year, stakeholders from all over the world celebrate Rainforests Day.
This is a day set aside to raise awareness and disseminate data and figures about where the world is and where it needs to be in the fight against climate change.
Here are the reactions of participants in this year’s celebrations from around the world:
US Department of State|Science Diplomacy, in a tweet:
As we celebrate #WorldRainforestDay, we remember that forests are home to 80 percent of land-based biodiversity, and they’re essential to life on Earth – helping regulate climate and providing clean air, water, and stable soils.
Coalition for Biodiversity Conservationists of Nigeria, in a tweet:
“Although they (rainforests) only make up two percent of the Earth’s surface, rainforests are home to an estimated 50 percent of all life.
“Rainforests play a key role in maintaining the water cycle and stabilizing our #climate, but are threatened, mostly by human activities.”
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Callie Broaddus, Executive Director, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust:
“This generation and the generations after ours, we are inheriting a world that is less biodiverse than the world our parents came into—and that isn’t fair.
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“Equity means justice between generations. Intergenerational justice and equity mean thinking about the next 7 generations and all who will come after us. There is no future without biodiversity.”
Sakshi Muralikrishna, Youth for Our Planet: “You are directly affecting the rainforest, whether you live down the street or hundreds of miles away from it.”
Centre for Community Advancement and Development, in a tweet:
“Rainforest are not only stunning, but they also benefit humans, animals, and ecosystems greatly. “We must preserve rainforests if we want to live on a sustainable planet.”
Rosanna Ruiz, The Morpho Institute:
“We are not trying to fix something, we are trying to embrace something that has been around for a very long time.
“It is hearing stories from indigenous peoples themselves and being a part of that story.” Benson Kanyembo, a 2019 Tusk Ranger Award winner, in a tweet: “World Rainforest Day is a day to honour, promote and raise awareness about the world’s rainforests.
“Deforestation is responsible for global carbon dioxide emissions, resulting in climate change.” Greening Burundi, a nonprofit environmental organization in Burundi, in a tweet:
“This day is dedicated to protecting rainforests by raising awareness and encouraging action to protect them. “If we don’t save our rainforests then we will have to face tough times for sure.” John Perkins, a sustainable author and activist, in the “Gamechangers: New models for scalable impact”:
“We are at an incredibly important, pivotal time. “I encourage everyone to become part of this movement because nothing will bring greater joy.”
Celina Chien, Reserva: The Youth Land Trust: Tropical rainforests are “terrestrial life at its most concentrated and extraordinary.”
