Unep

The UNEP is the UN system’s voice for the environment. UNEP serves as a catalyst, advocate, educator, and facilitator to promote environmental stewardship and long-term development. The UNEP-led Green Economy Initiative, which was started in 2008, comprises numerous components whose general goal is to provide analysis and policy assistance for investing in green sectors and greening environmentally unfriendly industries. UN Environment Programme | UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was founded in 1972 to oversee and coordinate environmental operations within the UN system. UNEP fosters worldwide collaboration on environmental issues, gives direction to UN entities, and invites the international scientific community to formulate policy for many of the UN’s environmental programmes through its scientific advisory committees. The UNEP headquarters is in Nairobi, Kenya, has also enlisted the help of the commercial sector to boost the sustainable use of the natural resources. UNEP basically responses to environmental issues. Earth watch, a worldwide monitoring system meant to simplify the flow of environmental information across states, is one of UNEP’s most well-known initiatives. Members who join this company are competent to recognise severe environmental concerns and take appropriate action. For example, UNEP was instrumental in kicking off talks to reduce ozone-depleting substances. The UNEP provides technical support for several international treaties, i...

UNEP Noise, Blazes and Mismatches: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern, the sixth report, draws attention to emerging environmental concerns with the potential to wreak regional or global havoc, if not addressed early. Disrupting natural life cycles The latest report, released days before the UN Environment Assembly ( “Urban noise pollution, wildfires and phenological shifts – the three topics of this Frontiers Report – are issues that highlight the urgent need to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss,” said Ms. Andersen. Noise pollution: A raucous killer Unwanted, prolonged and high-level sounds from road traffic, railways, or leisure activities, impair human health and well-being, according to the report. Chronic annoyance and sleep disturbance caused by traffic can result in severe heart diseases and metabolic disorders with the very young, and mostly affect the elderly and marginalized communities near busy roads. Noise pollution also threatens animals by altering the communication and behaviour of various species, including birds, insects, and amphibians. The report encourages urban planners to prioritize noise reduction by investing in urban infrastructure that creates positive soundscapes such as tree belts, green walls, and more green spaces in cities – also offering diverse health benefits. London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone, Berlin’s new cycle lanes on wide roads, and Egypt’s national plan to combat noise, are p...

Slashing emissions of methane is the single fastest way to tackle climate change in the short term, says International Methane Emissions Observatory, an independent entity launched in 2021 to integrate data and track progress against commitments from companies and governments, indicates that while more companies are now part of a large effort to reduce methane, further progress is needed to reliably quantify industry emissions. “As UNEP’s recent Emissions Gap Report showed, the world is far off track to keep climate change to 1.5°C,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. "Companies are making progress, but they must move faster and harder. We need more companies to act, and they must be bolder", she added. Methane bubbles trapped in ice. Oil and Gas Methane Partnership The report covers the second year of progress of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0), UNEP’s flagship mechanism to help companies target mitigation actions and allocate capital efficiently. Sixty members are on the programme’s “Gold Standard” pathway – having committed in their implementation plans to sequentially improve the quality of their reported data – and are showing progress in moving towards measurement-based estimates of methane emissions. However, twelve member companies are not on track: two lost their Gold Standard status compared to last year, seven did not achieve it either year, and three companies reporting for the first time in 2022, did not achieve it. Meanwhile, ...

Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi meets Maurice Strong, who chaired the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Gandhi saw UNEP’s potential at a time when other countries doubted its value. Credit: Yutaka Nagata/UN Photo The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will be 50 next year. But the globe’s green watchdog, which helped to create the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), very nearly didn’t exist. During talks hosted by Sweden in 1972, low- and middle-income countries were concerned that such a body would But the idea of UNEP had powerful supporters, too. India’s prime minister, Indira Gandhi, foresaw its potential in enabling industry to become cleaner and more humane. And the host nation made a wise choice in picking Canadian industrialist Maurice Strong to steer the often fractious talks to success. He would become UNEP’s first executive director. Two decades later, Strong re-emerged to chair the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which created three landmark international agreements: to protect biodiversity, safeguard the climate and combat desertification. UNEP has chalked up some impressive achievements in science and legislation. In 1988, Strong’s successors would go on to identify emerging green-policy issues and nudge them into the mainstream. UNEP has pushed the world of finance to think about how to stop funding polluting industries. It has also advocated working with China to green its rapid industrial growth — i...

And as the foremost global voice on the environment, it provides both leadership and partnership to improve life for people and planet, including through its work with the REEFolution Foundation and local communities in developing countries in using hands-on methods to restore and conserve coral reefs, as pictured. Carbon dioxide (CO2) stays in the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years, methane for around a decade, and nitrous oxide for approximately 120 years. Pictured here is a member of Vietnam’s Quang Chu commune, in Bac Kan province, where they fertilize their crops with home-made biochar - agricultural waste products such as wood chips, plant residues or manure. This has helped the soil retain nutrients, increase yields and prevents harmful GHGs getting into the atmosphere.

Page navigation • Current Page 1 • Page 2 • Page 3 • Page 4 • • In January 2022, UNEP FI and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) merged the UNEP FI investment membership with PRI’s signatory base. UNEP FI and PRI now draw on PRI’s over 4,000 signatories to jointly offer leadership projects and initiatives through the