June 5 is annually marked as 'World Environment Day,' an observance followed over the past five decades since 1973 under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme. The theme presented by the UN for the year is "Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience." Whether you believe it or not, nature is in emergency mode now, and time is running out. Ecosystems are threatened all over the world. From forests and dry lands to farmlands and lakes, natural spaces on which humanity's existence depends are all reaching a tipping point. Are we slowly heading towards a calamity which is the worst of its kind? Is this not a pressing issue that needs to be addressed?

Grasslands, shrublands, and savannas cover approximately half of the world's terrestrial surface. They are home to millions of people, extending from Eurasia and Patagonia to Africa and Australia. According to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), up to 40% of the planet's land is degraded, directly affecting half of the world's population. The number and duration of droughts have increased by 29% since 2000. Assuming the present situation continues, droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world's population by 2050.

We are undoubtedly living in a time of poly and planetary crises. Land plays a crucial role in the climate system. In fact, our land is our future. Everyone needs to be aware that land is the planet's essential carbon sink. Land surfaces such as forests regulate the planet's temperature, and help store carbon. But our land is under acute pressure from deforestation, urbanisation, industrial development, agricultural expansion and unsustainable farming practices. They also undermine the land's ability to sustain food production, maintain fresh water and forest resources, and regulate climate and air quality.

A changing climate exacerbates land degradation through drought, desertification, and other extreme weather events that increase in frequency and intensity with the planet's warming. In the last decade, land-based ecosystems absorbed around 30% of the carbon emissions from human activities such as burning fossil fuels. This justifies the urgent need to develop a land restoration policy centred on nature. Land restoration is the fundamental pillar of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Worrying land degradation

Land degradation is the single greatest cause of biodiversity loss, destroying the habitats of many animals and plants. Severe degradation, such as drought and desertification, can also devastate communities, leading to social and economic instability. It is estimated that up to 250 million people could be displaced by 2050 due to climate change-induced desertification.

Land degradation decreases the soil's ability to store carbon. When forests are cleared or burned, they release the carbon they have stored. A 2018 UN report found that deforestation alone accounted for about 10% of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. As the planet warms, extreme weather events occur, leading to land degradation.

Emptying the bread baskets

Droughts lead to soil erosion and reduce crop yields. Floods and landslides can destroy agricultural lands and infrastructure. Tropical storms can uproot trees and damage crops. Heat waves cause significant agricultural losses. All these and other factors cause great losses in breadbasket regions and pose a potential threat to food security.

Climate change causes rising sea levels, leading to coastal flooding and erosion. This, in turn, brings immeasurable economic, social, and environmental unrest. If efforts are not made to restore and protect land, nearly 70 gigatonnes more carbon will be emitted by 2050 due to land use change and soil degradation, thus representing almost 17% of current annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustain the farmers 

Farmers are the backbone and pillar of any nation and sustainable society, on whose strength the economy stands. They work hard to produce and supply food for everyone. They are the founders of human civilisation, the magicians who sustain the economy from the mud. John F Kennedy once said: "The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."

India is a country of farmers, directly and indirectly, dependent on agriculture. Farmers contribute significantly to India's gross domestic product. Their present contribution to GDP is 14%, though it was as high as 51% during 1950-1955. This happened due to visionless policies, lower mechanisation, inaccessibility of good seeds, lack of a proper distribution system and unfair pricing practices adopted by brokers and markets.

What, then, is the way forward? The legendary agricultural scientist, MS Swaminathan, widely regarded as the father of the 'Green Revolution' in India, sounded a prescient warning extremely relevant today: "If agriculture goes wrong, nothing else will have a chance to go right in the country". The way forward is to improve land degradation through restoration that includes agro-forestry, grazing management, protecting biodiversity-sensitive areas, and protecting the ecosystem by using efficient irrigation systems, crop rotations and sustainable land management practices.

Part of the human right to life 

The natural environment is part of the human right to life. Climate action is the central nerve of sustainable development goals. Very recently, the Indian Supreme Court in MK Ranjitsinh v. Union of India (2024) recognised citizens' right to a healthy environment and to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. Protection of nature and the environment is not only fundamental in the governance of the country but also a fundamental duty cast on the citizens. Though Article 48A or Article 51A(g) are not justiciable for that view of the matter, they are still indications that the Constitution recognises the importance of a natural world.

India participated in the Kyoto Protocol, which came into force in 2005. It obligates member states to establish binding emission reduction targets. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopted by the General Assembly in 1994, also places a similar obligation on member States.

A Report stated that in India, protected areas such as National Parks and Sanctuaries notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 occupy less than 5% of India's geographical regions. In fact, it is this 5% that provides ecosystem services for human survival. Ignoring this consideration, human intervention through indiscriminate activities in protected areas continues unabated, causing irreversible damage to Mother Nature. Another Report in the field highlighted that 60% of earth's ecosystems are experiencing terminal loss, whether it is wetlands, amazon forests, sea life, elephants and tigers, rivers and lakes, glaciers or aquifers, which is seriously impacting human life.

Forests constitute the biodiversity treasury, and they are being destroyed to make way for what are styled as 'development projects'. Ultimately, we gloss over nature's destruction with soothing words like 'compensatory afforestation'.

Clearing troubled waters 

Economic development should not be allowed to take place at the cost of nature and ecology or by causing widespread environmental destruction and violation. Both development and the environment must go hand in hand. Development should not be at the cost of the environment and vice versa. Development should carefully ensure the protection of the environment.

The judiciary should act proactively and firmly to secure climate justice by addressing the growing concerns over greenhouse emissions. Courts should not be influenced by the Chevron doctrine of judicial deference or silence in environmental matters, leaving everything to the regulators and their discretionary judgments and interpretations. The expansive definition of "air pollutant" given by the American Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) is the guiding light to futuristic interpretations of greenhouse gases. Justice Paul Stevens held that greenhouse gases fit within the definition of "air pollutant" under the Clean Air Act and Environmental Protection Act and declared that the Environmental Protection Agency has the statutory authority to regulate the emission of these gases.

In Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw (1999), the US Supreme Court recognised citizens' right to bring a lawsuit when harmed or threatened by pollution, not only to stop the pollution but also to prevent future law violations. In Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian (2020), the Court wrote that the Environmental Protection Agency must approve landowners' restoration efforts. However, in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (2023), an extremely narrow interpretation was given by the Court concerning wetlands by holding that it is covered by the Clean Water Act only if they have a "continuous surface connection" to larger water bodies, thereby meaning that wetlands directly adjoining rivers, lakes and other water bodies alone could be regulated by the Clean Water Act.

Measure the value of nature

Earth is our paradise, and we must protect it. Atharvaveda says: "Man's paradise is on earth; this living world is the beloved place of all; It has the blessings of nature's bounties; live in a lovely spirit".

The already endangered and wounded planet should show signs of healing. For this, it is imperative that global warming be kept below 1.5 degrees Celsius in this century. This can be achieved only by reducing annual greenhouse emissions. We must make peace with nature and reframe a world where economies and development are focused on nature, health, and well-being.

A ground-breaking shift in approach focusing on climate action and biodiversity protection is the need of the hour. Everyone must measure the value of nature before it's too late. It is now a wake-up call to action for nations, communities and individuals to safeguard our land and natural habitats by promoting environmental stewardship. We must strive towards a sustainable future, concentrating on mainstreaming lifestyles, restoring ecosystems, and building resilient infrastructure. Only then can we conquer the dream of a cleaner, greener, bluer future.