A key outcome of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio were international environmental agreements, which define the international community’s commitments towards biodiversity, climate change and desertification. Since Rio, the conventions on Biodiversity and Climate Change have expanded to include new legal mechanisms — the Biosafety and Kyoto Protocols, while in 2007, the Convention to Combat Desertification adopted the ten year strategic plan and framework to enhance the implementation of the Convention.

Continuously furthering the implementation and commitment to each of these agreements is crucial for collectively securing our future and the future of the planet. Sustainable development approaches have become ever more important globally, as they help humankind to abate biodiversity loss, climate change and desertification.

Yet sustainable development approaches also help humans cope with the inevitable negative consequences of the three phenomena. By identifying synergies between the agreements, the co-benefits of responses to biodiversity, climate change and desertification can be harnessed. Reforestation, for example, not only prevents erosion and reverses desertification, but also mitigates CO2 emissions and increases biodiversity. This calendar visualizes the sheer beauty and spectacular diversity of our planet. At the same time, it pictures the planet’s and our fragility. It reminds us that, for the sake of future generations, we need to change the way we develop into something that is beneficial to our environments, societies and economies.