Climate and Environment

Litter is removed from a beach in Watamu in Kenya.
UNEP/Duncan Moore

New project to help 30 developing countries tackle marine litter scourge

8 April 2021
Global

A UN-backed initiative aims to turn the tide on marine litter, in line with the global development goal on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources. 

Women work in a vegetable garden in a village in Senegal. The village is part of the
© FAO/Eduardo Soteras

More climate action needed during ‘make-or-break year’ for people and planet 

31 March 2021
Global

The world needs “a major breakthrough” to slow the pace of climate change and build resilience to protect the most vulnerable from increasingly severe and frequent climate impacts, the deputy UN chief told a crucial high-level meeting on Wednesday, looking ahead to November’s COP26. 

Kenya has limited the use of single-use plastic.
UNEP/Florian Fussstetter

Plastic pollution disproportionately hitting marginalized groups, UN environment report finds

30 March 2021

Vulnerable communities disproportionately bear the brunt of environmental degradation caused by plastics pollution, and action is urgently needed to address the issue and restore access to human rights, health and well-being, according to a new UN report published on Tuesday.  

Fish swim around a coral reef in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt.
Coral Reef Image Bank/Alexander

Biodiversity at risk, threatens human survival, UN forum hears 

24 March 2021
Global

As the living tissue of the earth, biodiversity is “intimately linked to human health” the head of the UN’s scientific agency told a global forum on Wednesday, noting that “we are part of that living tissue”. 

A lighthouse off the coast of Florida in the United States.
Coral Reef Image Bank/David Gros

Oceans under threat like never before, warns World Meteorological Organization 

22 March 2021
Global

Climate change has hit the world’s oceans hard, UN weather experts said on Monday, in a call for lifesaving monitoring and early warning services that were interrupted by COVID-19 to be ramped up again, to protect shipping and coastal communities at risk. 

A young woman in India piles cow dung, to be dried for use as fuel for fire.
World Bank/Scott Wallace

Recognizing ‘historic tipping point’, UN begins push towards more sustainable energy future

10 March 2021
Global

Renewable energy is “crucial for building a sustainable, prosperous and peaceful future”, the UN chief said on Wednesday, launching an accelerated drive for clean energy and climate action. 

More than 900 million tonnes of food is thrown away every year.
Unsplash/Sanjog Timsina

Wasting food just feeds climate change, new UN environment report warns 

4 March 2021
Global

More than 930 million tonnes of food sold in 2019 landed in waste bins, according to new UN research, released on Thursday, in support of global efforts to halve food waste by 2030. 

A farmer harvests rice in Bantaeng, Indonesia.
CIFOR/Tri Saputro

2021: Critical year to ‘reset our relationship with nature’ – UN chief 

22 February 2021
Global

During this time of “crisis and fragility”, the UN chief told the United Nations Environment Assembly on Monday that human well-being and prosperity can be vastly improved by prioritizing nature-based solutions. 

A horse rider heads towards mountains in Kyrgyzstan .
© UNESCO

UN offers science-based blueprint to tackle climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution

18 February 2021
Global

Without nature’s help, “we will not thrive or even survive”, the UN chief said on Thursday, launching a major report on the environment. 

A young girl at a plant nursery in Indonesia.
CIFOR/Ricky Martin

First Person: ‘The world is in your hands and begins at your door’.

18 February 2021
Global

British celebrity gardener Monty Don, a UN advocate for plant health, is raising awareness of the links between human health, plant health and the well-being of the planet.