UNEP says green future at stake amid wildfires, noise pollutions
Baku, February 18, AZERTAC
The eruption of wildfires that has escalated against a backdrop of climate change, urban noise pollution and alteration of lifecycle presents existential threat to realization of a green future, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said in a new report launched on Thursday, according to Xinhua.
According to the fourth edition of UNEP's Frontiers report titled "Noise, Blazes and Mismatches: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern," the health of the planet and its inhabitants is at stake amid wildfires, noise pollution in urban centers and disruption in the natural systems.
Launched ahead of the resumed fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) to be held in a hybrid format in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi from Feb. 28 to March 2, the report calls for robust action on weather and human induced wildfires, noise pollution in cities alongside restoration of the natural lifecycle of species.
Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director, said the three ecological threats highlighted in the Frontiers report merit urgent action from governments and local communities in order to realize a green and sustainable future.
"Urban noise pollution, wildfires and phenological shifts - the three topics of this Frontiers report - are issues that highlight the urgent need to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss," said Andersen.
The report reveals that annually, an estimated 423 million hectares or 4.23 square kilometers of the Earth's land surface comprising mixed forest and savannah ecosystems were razed between 2002 to 2016.
According to the report, about 67 percent of the annual global area that was burnt by all types of fires occurred in Africa amid prolonged dry spells, poor land use practices and weak mitigation plans.
Globally, wildfires are expected to become more frequent and severe in the near future, with devastating effects on the human and ecosystems' health, according to the Frontiers report.
It warns that changes in fire regimes is expected to lead to massive biodiversity loss, endangering over 4,400 terrestrial and freshwater species besides escalating melting of glaciers and air pollution.
Some of the targeted interventions that could be rolled out to enhance response to wildfires include investments in lightning detection, early warning and blending of indigenous, modern firefighting techniques, says the report.
As noise pollution intensifies in global metropolises, physical, mental and emotional health of all age groups has plummeted, leading to premature deaths or disabilities, says the report.
It says that urban noise pollution can be managed through enhanced protection of green spaces, greater uptake of non-motorized transport like cycling and walking.
The report admitted that climate change has altered the life cycle of species including flowering of plants, breeding of birds, insects, water and land-based animals, thereby threatening food security.
It calls for restoration of habitats, establishing corridors to enhance ecological connectivity and genetic diversity in order to minimize climate-related disruptions on the lifecycle of species.
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