Over the 4 billion years of life on earth, we have had 5 mass extinctions.

It has been 65 million years since the last catastrophe. It wiped the dinosaurs and 75% of all species from the face of the world.

Yet, life always has a way of reviving. The last 10,000 years, have had steady equilibrium between nature and man with a reliable climate keeping clockwork seasonal changes.

However, in the last 40 years we have elevated the earth’s climate 4 degrees centrigrade, venturing towards a 6th mass extinction.

It is not the planet that is in danger, but humankind. Life will survive. But man may not.

In just 40 years we have destroyed half the world´s forests, cutting down 15 billion trees, a year; 40% of Summer sea ice has melted with climate change; we have overfished 30% of our fish stock; half the fertile land is now farmland… wildlife has been cut down to half its previous amount; only 4% corresponds to animal biodiversity: 70% of the birds, are domestic chickens; mankind’s overpopulation accounts for 1/3 of all mammals.

In one lifetime, human beings have overrun the world, accelerating global decline.

At this rate, by 2030, the amazon rainforest will be a savannah, gravely altering global water cycle; the Artic will be ice free in the Summer, speeding global warming; frozen soil’s release of methane will elevate the  climate, making oceans hotter by 2050. Their acidity will kill coral reefs and account for food shortage; insects will disappear, affecting pollination and soil production. Part of the world will be uninhabitable. This is how things stand, today.

But NEWS of this week’s Climate Summit, with the United States’ return to the multilateral climate governance process, that includes 40 world leaders, galvanizes hope. Their joint willingness to tackle the climate crisis and aim to reduce world climate 1.5-degrees C., is the milestone set for joint commitment at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow.

I loved Chinese President Xi Jinping’s opening speech that set the tone of the meeting:

— We must be committed to harmony between man and Nature. “All things that grow live in harmony and benefit from the nourishment of Nature.” We must treat Nature with respect and protect it, and follow its laws, lest our failure invite its revenge.

— We must be committed to green development. To protect the environment is to protect productivity, and to improve the environment is to boost productivity — the truth is as simple as that.

— We must be committed to systemic governance, protecting the ecosystem. Mountains, rivers, forests as well as farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts all make indivisible parts of the ecosystem and require proper balance of all elements and aspects of Nature.

— We must commit to a people-centered approach. The environment concerns the well-being of people in all countries. We need to take into full account people’s longing for a better life and a good environment as well as our responsibility for future generations.

— We must be committed to multilateralism. We need to work on the basis of international law, follow the principle of equity and justice, and focus on effective actions.

— We must be committed to a common goal but with differentiated responsibilities.

“When people pull together, nothing is too heavy to be lifted.” Climate change poses pressing, formidable and long-term challenges to us all. Yet I am confident that as long as we unite in our purposes and efforts and work together with solidarity and mutual assistance, we will rise above the global climate and environment challenges and leave a clean and beautiful world to future generations.