• Global investment 11 per cent down compared to 2017, driven in part by falling solar costs • Renewable energy investment in most of the developing world increased 6 per cent to USD 61.6 billion, a record high • Investment in Europe rose 39 per cent to USD 61.2 billion Global investment in renewable energy…
Celebrated every year on June 5, World Environment Day is the United Nations’ biggest annual event for positive environmental action to encourage worldwide awareness of the need to protect our planet. Since the first World Environment Day in 1974, the event has grown to become a global platform for positive public outreach on the environment…
The most comprehensive and rigorous assessment on the state of the environment completed by the UN in the last five years was published recently, warning that damage to the planet is so dire that people’s health will be increasingly threatened unless urgent action is taken. The report, which was produced by 250 scientists and experts…
The global fight against plastic pollution comes into sharp focus at the Fourth UN Environment Assembly this month in Nairobi, Kenya, with the launch of three reports each addressing different aspects of, and solutions for, the growing impact of plastics on the world’s marine environments. The report, Plastics and Shallow Water Coral Reefs, spotlights the…
• The size of the global chemical industry exceeded US$5 trillion in 2017 and is projected to double by 2030. • The benefits of action to minimize the adverse impacts of chemicals have been estimated in the high tens of billions of United States dollars annually. • International treaties and voluntary instruments have reduced the…
The first ever global assessment of environmental rule of law finds weak enforcement to be a global trend that is exacerbating environmental threats, despite prolific growth in environmental laws and agencies worldwide over the last four decades. Despite a 38-fold increase in environmental laws put in place since 1972, failure to fully implement and enforce…
An international law enforcement operation against maritime pollution has revealed hundreds of violations and exposed serious cases of contamination worldwide. Codenamed 30 Days at Sea, the month-long (October 2018) operation saw some 276 law enforcement and environmental agencies across 58 countries detect more than 500 offences, including illegal discharges of oil and garbage from vessels,…
The Republic of Korea, Singapore and Malta come out on top of biennial survey of growth in the wealth of nations, the preliminary findings of which were presented by UN Environment and partners on November 26 in Paris. The Inclusive Wealth Report 2018, the full findings of which will be released in coming weeks, shows…
The latest Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion reveals a healing ozone layer, global warming reduction potential, and options for more ambitious climate action. The quadrennial review from the Scientific Assessment Panel of the Montreal Protocol will be presented here at the 30th Meeting of the Parties to this historic accord. Its findings confirm first and…
A Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste and pollution at the source has been signed by 250 organisations including many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN Environment, and…