UNEP’s 2024 Champions of the Earth recognizes six bold environmental leaders

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced recipients of the 2024 Champions of the Earth, honoured for their outstanding leadership, brave actions and sustainable solutions to tackle land degradation, drought and desertification. This year’s laureates include a minister of Indigenous Peoples, an environmental defender, a sustainable agriculture initiative, an Indigenous rights advocate, a scientist focused on afforestation and a pioneering ecologist. The annual Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s highest environmental honour, recognizes trailblazers at the forefront of efforts to protect people and planet. Since 2005, the award has recognized…

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Nature-based Solutions can generate up to 32 million new jobs by 2030, but investments in skills needed

Investing in nature-based solutions (NbS) could create up to 32 million new jobs by 2030. This is according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Launched at the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions 2024 report calls for increased and more targeted investments to the countries with most potential for use of…

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72 Nations Lead Global Recycling Momentum for UNEP-Recognized Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Transport Packaging

The Global EPS Sustainability Alliance (GESA) has confirmed that 72 countries engaged in varying levels of recycling EPS Transport Packaging in 2023, with many achieving recycling rates above 30%. The data summary comes ahead of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) INC-5 negotiations taking place next week, where UN Member States will continue to negotiate policy considerations to address global plastic pollution. Of the 72 countries engaged in EPS sustainability efforts, 54% have reported their respective recycling rates. A significant portion achieved rates exceeding 30%, including the regions of North America and Europe, and countries like…

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UNEP’s Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate launches at COP29

The UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) announced the establishment of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) today in Baku.  Launched at the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change at COP29, with UNEP’s GlobalABC as its secretariat, the ICBC is a significant step toward implementing the Chaillot Declaration. The ministerial declaration is a collaborative global policy framework launched in March 2024 – and endorsed by more than 70 countries – that engages stakeholders across the buildings sector in climate action.   Responsible for 37 per…

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New air quality management platform to support global clean air action

Ahead of this year’s International Day of Clean Air and blue skies, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) has developed and launched an Air Quality Management Exchange Platform (AQMx) designed to help air quality professionals everywhere tackle air pollution. The platform is a one-stop-shop that provides the latest air quality management guidance and tools proposed to meet WHO Air Quality Guidelines interim targets. Air pollution knows no borders, and with 99 percent of the global population breathing polluted air, the fight against it involves everyone. This silent and invisible killer is causing more than 8…

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