Close your eyes and imagine a world without trees. No forests to cool the air. No shade on blistering days. No roots holding soil in place, no leaves filtering pollution, no canopies sheltering wildlife. Imagine rivers drying faster, cities growing hotter, and silence where birdsong once lived.
This future is no longer hypothetical. According to the first-ever Global Tree Assessment, 38% of the world's tree species are now at risk of extinction.
Sign now to urge UNEP to lead urgent global action to protect trees and restore the ecosystems that depend on them.
For the first time, scientists have assessed the majority of the world's tree species, and the results are concerning. More than 16,000 tree species are threatened across 192 countries. Trees now account for over a quarter of all species listed on the IUCN Red List, with more threatened tree species than all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians combined.
But this is not a story only about loss. It is also a moment of clarity and possibility.
Trees are incredibly resilient when given the chance. Forests can recover. Species can rebound. Communities around the world have already shown that reforestation, habitat protection, and Indigenous-led stewardship work. The science exists. The solutions exist. What is needed now is leadership and coordination at a global scale.
As the UN's leading environmental authority, UNEP is uniquely positioned to turn this warning into action by mobilizing governments, strengthening protections for threatened tree species, aligning climate and biodiversity strategies, and treating trees as essential infrastructure for life on Earth, not expendable resources. A world with trees is still within reach if we choose it.
Sign now to demand that UNEP lead bold, coordinated global action to protect the world's trees and the life they sustain.
