Air Quality & Goal 15 - Life on Land

Goal 15 targets life on land by protecting, restoring and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, such as through sustainably managed forests, combating desertification and reversing land degradation.

Nicknamed the lungs of the Earth, forests and land ecosystems, in general, are vital for increasing air quality and reducing air pollution. Trees take carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in their plant tissues, and can filter out other air pollutants by confining particulate matter in their leaves.

This means that the preservation and conservation of terrestrial ecosystems have a significant linkage to improved air quality globally. It is vital that actions for improved air quality have a significant focus on afforestation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.

By conserving the lungs of the Earth, we can reduce our GHG emissions as well as adverse effects on human health.

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