Tag: UNEP

UNEP and ICAO launch $82.5 Million project to eliminate harmful firefighting foams in African airports

Stuart Mitchell

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have jointly launched the Fortifying Infrastructure for Responsible Extinguishment (FIRE) project, which aims to phase out the use of toxic fluorinated firefighting foams and replace them with safer alternatives at major airports in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.   FIRE – a $82.5 million initiative with a $10 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and $72.5 million in co-financing from partners – will phase out firefighting foams containing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), hazardous “forever…

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Advocates hope new ban will temper market for toxic skin-lightening cosmetics

Stuart Mitchell

When Iya Kande’s youngest son turned two months old, she began using a skin-lightening soap on his face and body.  Kande, whose last name has been changed to protect her identity, lives in northern Nigeria. She was hoping a fairer complexion would ingratiate the boy with his grandmother, who like many in the region had come to equate light skin with beauty.   But within weeks, the child’s skin began to blister and break out in rashes. It wasn’t until months later that Kande learned the cause. The soap was laced…

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UNEP releases guidelines to curb the environmental impact of data centres

Stuart Mitchell

As the environmental impact of data centres and servers explodes, driven by economic growth and rapid advancements such as AI, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today released new procurement guidelines to help governments and other authorities reduce the energy and water consumption of such centres.  The Sustainable Procurement Guidelines for Data Centres and Servers, from UNEP’s United for Efficiency (U4E) initiative, focus on key performance criteria and operating conditions for selecting energy-efficient data centres and computer servers.   These guidelines seek to fill a key gap: very few countries currently…

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Civil Society Calls for Plastic Production Cuts on World Environment Day

Stuart Mitchell

On last months World Environment Day, civil society leaders around the world are holding participating countries accountable to their shared commitment to ratify a plastics treaty that targets the full lifecycle of plastics– including production.  The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is #BeatPlasticPollution, a campaign led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The choice of this theme is particularly timely given that what is hoped to be the final round of negotiations for an international plastics treaty will be held later this year, on August 5-14 in…

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World Environment Day 2025 mobilizes commitment, action to end plastic pollution globally

Stuart Mitchell

Communities, civil society, businesses, and governments around the world today marked World Environment Day under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution, with official celebrations held in the Republic of Korea’s Jeju Province. Plastic pollution permeates every corner of the planet. By 2040, plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow by 50 per cent, and that pollution creeps into our bodies through the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air that we breathe. World Environment Day 2025 calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution. It comes exactly two months before…

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