SDG15 Life on Land

In this training, attendees will learn to use a freely-available QGIS plugin,Trends.Earth, created by Conservation International (CI) and have special guest speakers from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and UN Habitat. Trends.Earth allows users to plot time series of key land change indicators. Attendees will learn to produce maps and figures to support monitoring and reporting on land degradation, improvement, and urbanization for SDG indicators 15.3.1 and 11.3.1.

This training will focus on addressing SDG 15, whose focus is to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.” In this webinar, participants will learn how to access and apply satellite data relevant to land indicators, such as estimating total forest area and forest change. The webinar will include an overview of the SDGs, as well as an introduction to image classification and change detection.

Myanmar is widely considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world in terms of the impacts of climate change. More intense and frequent floods, cyclones and droughts have caused immense loss of life and damage to infrastructure and the economy and put its renowned biodiversity and natural resources under increasing pressure.

Compared to many other countries in the region, Myanmar is currently much less prepared to respond to the challenges of global heating.

Society is experiencing extreme climate events and rapid biodiversity loss, alongside a rise in fake news and rapid technological innovation. How can we connect the dots between today’s biggest societal issues, the state of the planet now, and the future we are shaping? Our Future on Earth 2020 is a report synthesizing the latest Earth science alongside current events.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, an unprecedented coalition has come together to launch “Earth School,” which provides free, high-quality educational content to help students, parents and teachers around the world who are currently at home. Initiated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and TED-Ed, Earth School takes students on a 30-day “Adventure” through the natural world.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Earth Day movement and promote climate action in office environments, the United Nations are organizing a free webinar on practical steps to green workplace environments.

Building on the successful experience of the United Nations in greening their facilities and operations in Bangkok, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will share best practices and provide guidance on how to get started on climate action in the workplace, and what main operational areas to target.

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Earth Day movement and promote climate action in office environments, the United Nations are organizing a free webinar on practical steps to green workplace environments.

Building on the successful experience of the United Nations in greening their facilities and operations in Bangkok, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will share best practices and provide guidance on how to get started on climate action in the workplace, and what main operational areas to target.

Poor terrain conditions as result of climate change, made it hard for farmers to cultivate their land during the dry season. In terms of labour and indigenous knowledge women play a key role in the agricultural sector in India, but very often it is not recognised by the overall community as they lack the power to make decisions. The livelihoods of women farmers who don’t have land rights are particularly insecure in these conditions.

The area around Toda Ladi in Jaipur was a wasteland, totally barren and uncultivable. Because of lack of vegetation and water scarcity, land degradation and desertification were on the rise. Villagers, mainly women, would cut down the already scarce vegetation, to collect wood for cooking and fodder for their cattle, leading to worsening deforestation.