Celebrating the Earth Day, the Urgency of Saving the Earth

The Earth Day is celebrated on every 22 March all over the world. This commemoration was first celebrated in 1970. World Earth Day is celebrated to provide education and awareness to the world about the current condition of the earth.

Currently, the earth has experienced global warming of almost 1.2 degrees Celsius compared to the late 19th century. The temperature increase has accelerated in the last 40 years. Even in the last 7 years the record for the hottest year has always increased. Currently, 2016 and 2020 are the hottest years on record.

The increase in global temperature is due to increased emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and various other human activities. Carbon dioxide emissions can be generated from various human activities such as transportation, electricity, the food industry, clothing, automotive, and so on. This collection of gas emissions will exacerbate the greenhouse effect and result in global warming which leads to climate change.

The impacts of climate change are already being felt in all sectors. Climate change has and will result in physical and economic losses in many locations in the world. Not only that, the impact of climate change can even trigger extreme weather changes. Various natural disasters related to climate change have been felt in Indonesia, such as an increase in rainfall which caused flooding in many regions.

In the current situation, the role of forests has now become very essential for the survival of human life. Scientific studies have proven that forests have the ability to absorb the carbon that we have produced. Emission gas in the form of CO2 can be absorbed by plants as their main raw material to carry out photosynthesis and convert it into the form of carbohydrates, which are various types of food for several types of animals and humans. Therefore, preservation of forests should be an important agenda in the world in order to save the existence of the earth and everything in it in the future.

Belantara collaborates with the APP Sinarmas Japan branch through a project called the Forest Restoration Project: SDGs Together. This project will restore degraded peatland in Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve. Through forest restoration, we aim to participate in reducing carbon emissions from forest degradation.