Two days left to restore nature; how you can help
Two campaigns that you may want to support: restoring nature in the EU and eight actions for the ocean in the US
If you follow The Planet, I assume that you love the beauty of nature. And you are probably deeply concerned about the sixth mass extinction that human activity has created. I will regularly write about both themes, our joy and our worries.
Like you, I know the frustrating feeling that nobody hears your voice. A million animal and plant species are hanging by a thread, and daily you read about those species that we have lost forever. We are all witness to the destruction of nature through logging, intensive agriculture, and overfishing. Who listens to you?
This weekend, everyone can hear your voice.
I just signed a petition to the European Commission of BirdLife Europe, the European Environmental Bureau, and the WWF European Policy Office. The petition is part of their campaign #RestoreNature.
Now that I write this, it is very early on Saturday morning in Europe, and (I just checked this) 93,668 people have signed the petition. Restore nature is within reach of their aim of 100,000 supporters. You can help to make this happen by signing the petition.
A bit of background
The good news is that the European Commission will propose a new law to make nature restoration legally binding for EU countries. But the bad news is that as it stands, there is no definition of what this will mean. Therefore, the Commission is asking the public to give their opinion about nature restoration across the EU.
This weekend is your last chance to give feedback to the European Commission.
The key message in the petition to the European Commission is simple: Only through meaningful, transformative change at land and sea can we bring back the biodiversity we desperately need. It will help us mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis and prevent the future spread of diseases. You can find more information about this campaign and sign the petition on the #RestoreNature website.
The #RestoreNature campaign is not just about citizens from within the EU. Anyone from outside the EU can also demand that the EU develops a good law, one that can help reverse the fate of Nature in Europe and beyond, and that can start giving land, sea, and water back to nature. This EU law can be a real game-changer for people and nature, but only if it is grounded in science. Failing that, it risks ending up as an empty green-washing tool.
At stake is the survival of our precious wetlands, peatlands, grasslands, forests, floodplains, rivers, and oceans. But also our climate, our health, and the survival of humankind. We also need to bring nature back; our survival depends on it.
While I was writing this evening about #RestoreNature, I received a request for support to another campaign: A call, coordinated by Only One, on President Biden to take eight actions for the ocean.
The Only One platform started in 2019 as a new home for stories, solutions, and community action to protect the ocean, tackle the climate crisis, and fuel the movement for a more just, equitable planet. If you enjoy photography, storytelling, web design, or the ocean's spectacular beauty, do have a look at their beautiful website. It shows you what's at stake and why we need to act.
I don't plan to make this newsletter a platform for activism. However, like the #RestoreNature campaign, I assume that most of you would like to be informed about this campaign. Please let me know what you prefer; this is your newsletter; I aim to write what you would like to read.
If you made it this far and are still not tired of signing up, I would, of course, welcome you to sign up just one more time: for the free email version of The Planet or -even better- to support independent writing by subscribing to this newsletter.
Glad for your information on those important petitions. Just finished viewing David Attenborough’s video presentation on extinction of the biodiversity of this planet. It is time for politicians to wake up and realize this is a dire situation and we can no longer ignore it.
I certainly love your notes, photos, and sketches. However, I also like to hear about actions we can take to help this lovely blue marble on which we live. Thanks for sharing those petitions, signed and shared.
It's a sunny Saturday morning! I have signed on with both, #Restorenature, to restore Nature in Europe, and with Only One, to restore marine life and protecting the ocean from now on! A conscious effort not to mess with Nature landscapes and Ocean realms . . .