State of climate science: the need for urgent and ambitious climate action Human-caused climate change has resulted in widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere. The year 2023 was the warmest on record by a large …
Critical energy transition minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential components in many of today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies – from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles and battery …
The meeting comes ahead of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity in Cali, Colombia. At this key October global gathering, countries are expected to adopt an international plan designed to bolster biodiversity and …
Let me also take a moment to focus on another critical process that UNEP’s Member States started. I am, of course, talking about the final round of negotiations on the instrument to end plastic pollution. More than two years ago, the UN Environment …
07 September, Abidjan - African Environment Ministers meeting in Abidjan have called for the establishment of a legally binding protocol on drought management under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), with a special focus on Africa. The …
Cambodia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago have united to drive the transformation and eliminate the environmental impact of fashion and construction. Fashion and construction are among the top three sectors …
The agreement on what is known as digital sequence information (DSI) says companies that use genetic data – including those in the pharmaceutical and agriculture sectors – should pay into what is now called the “Cali Fund”. To be operated by the UN, it …
At COP16, leaders will also discuss the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a landmark agreement designed to safeguard and restore nature. It includes a target on biodiversity-inclusive urban planning, encouraging local …
The Montreal Protocol is rightly hailed as a multilateralism success story. It united the world to phase out ozone-depleting substances putting the ozone layer on the path to recovery and protecting all life on Earth. On this World Ozone Day, we also …
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first-ever guidance on antibiotic pollution from manufacturing. The new guidance on wastewater and solid waste management for antibiotic manufacturing sheds light on this important but neglected …
Climate change, the loss of nature, pollution and waste: the impacts of a triple planetary crisis are scarring Africa’s landscapes, depleting the continent’s oceans and freshwater sources, and raising urban air pollution to hazardous levels. Some of the …
Ground-level ozone, a gas, forms when fuel vapours, chemical solvents and other pollutants are heated by the sun. It is the main ingredient in smog and has been linked to a litany of respiratory problems, including asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. …
Hassaan Mohamed, the Deputy Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy of Maldives, knows what runaway climate change would mean for his country. “Climate change impacts are the most severe things we face right now,” Mohamed said recently. “It is …
Over half of critical mineral projects are on or near Indigenous Peoples’ land. Some 70 per cent of cobalt resources are in areas with high environmental, social and governance challenges. There are other concerns, including around concentrations in …
When: 30 August - 6 September Where: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire Meeting dates UNCCD regional preparatory meeting: 30 August - 2 September Major Groups and Stakeholders meeting: 1 – 2 September AMCEN Expert Segment: 3 – 4 September AMCEN Ministerial Segment …
One Caribbean island nation, Antigua and Barbuda, is at the forefront of this push. It has backed a UN General Assembly resolution requesting the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the obligations of states in respect of climate change.
Nairobi, 28 August 2024 – In half the world’s countries one or more types of freshwater ecosystems are degraded, including rivers, lakes and aquifers. River flow has significantly decreased, surface water bodies are shrinking or being lost, ambient water …
“Paris has shown that it is possible to bring even the most polluted rivers back to life,” said Dianna Kopansky, Head of the Freshwater and Wetlands Unit of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). “But if we’re to ward off a looming freshwater …
My thanks to the Organising Committee for the Atomic Bomb Exhibitions for this important exhibition, which highlights the impact of nuclear weapons and associated radiation on human health and the environment. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki stand …
Ongoing climate change, caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is happening on a timescale of decades to centuries and is driving environmental changes worldwide. In contrast, the air pollution that occurs near the Earth’s …
