It’s fair to say that 2023 has been a difficult year in many ways. Apart from destructive conflicts in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, and Sudan, 2023 is predicted to be the hottest year ever recorded on Earth, surpassing various climate records.
Despite everything that happened, 2023 also witnessed two important actions being taken to safeguard the environment.
After 20 years, countries agreed a treaty to protect the oceans
In June, the United Nations adopted a treaty that was agreed upon by over 190 countries in May, aiming to protect the biodiversity of oceans beyond national borders after lengthy discussions spanning over 20 years.
Currently, a mere 1.2 percent of the vast high seas, comprising the majority of Earth’s oceans, are safeguarded, leaving extensive areas vulnerable to various dangers such as climate change, excessive fishing, contamination, mining, and more.
The agreement will enable countries to establish marine protection areas in the high seas for the first time, but it may take a while for U.N. member states to officially adopt the agreement and initiate the process of designating these areas. Moreover, enforcing the agreement could present challenges.
The agreement has been seen as a positive step towards the aim of safeguarding 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030, a target set at a U.N. conference on biodiversity in 2022.
Brazil deforestation falls after reaching 15-year high
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva resumed the presidency of Brazil earlier this year and saw positive developments during his initial six months in office. The government successfully removed numerous illegal gold miners from Indigenous territories, and deforestation decreased by 50 percent according to official reports.
There are concerns about the president’s ability to achieve his goal of ending deforestation by 2030, especially with the government’s plans for a significant railway project and a long highway.
European countries and the United States have proposed to resume funding that was halted by Brazilian President Bolsonaro, in order to combat deforestation in the Amazon. This would be a significant move for the rainforest, as it plays a crucial role in storing large amounts of carbon and removing even more from the atmosphere annually.
Studies have shown that positive news can help protect against negative emotions and promote feelings of hope and action. With that in mind, Clean-Future 🙂 has pen down positive advancements from 2023 that you might not be aware of.
Reference- The Washington Post, India Today, National Geographic, BBC, Reuters,The Guardian