Tag: UNEP

This new report paints a worrying picture about the future of coral reefs

Stuart Mitchell

Like an overmatched boxer, the world’s coral reefs are being pummeled by climate change, and the onslaught may soon prove debilitating. That was the main finding of a report released earlier this week by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, whose partners include the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report found that a succession of marine heatwaves over the last three decades has triggered the loss of at least 9.5 per cent of the world’s corals. Those that remain face a daunting future of potentially deadly underwater heat. “This…

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Greening lands, feeding people: UN to announce three World Restoration Flagships at UNCCD COP17

Stuart Mitchell

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will announce three new World Restoration Flagships during a high-level event at the 17th UN Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The three initiatives, in Brazil, the Sahel region, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are restoring degraded ecosystems in regions facing drought, desertification and climate change. Together, they aim to restore almost 5 million hectares by 2030 — an area equal to nearly 7 million football fields — while boosting…

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AI helping UN detect methane emissions and spark real reductions in climate-warming gas

Stuart Mitchell

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is helping turn satellite observations into methane mitigation action in the oil and gas sector. These mitigation efforts have delivered a climate benefit comparable to removing the annual emissions of almost 24 million gasoline-powered passenger cars, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, Spotlighting Opportunity: How Artificial Intelligence is Accelerating Methane Action, highlights how UNEP’s International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) is using AI, through its Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), to identify major methane emissions and rapidly notify governments and…

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UNEP, partners ramp up efforts to address major methane leaks as UN chief urges rapid cuts

Stuart Mitchell

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Bloomberg Philanthropies have announced efforts to help countries raise their response rate to major methane leaks around the world to 80 percent by 2030, ensuring that the causes of emissions seen from space are investigated and put on a path to mitigation. To date, only 10 early moving countries have achieved an 80 percent response rate. The announcement follows UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ call for urgent action to scale up methane mitigation, which underscores the importance of rapid reductions this decade across major emitting…

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Global chemicals fund helps countries turn commitments into action

Stuart Mitchell

As global chemical production is projected to double by 2030, countries are under growing pressure to strengthen systems that protect people and the environment from harmful chemicals and pollution. Yet many still face major gaps in the financing, technical capacity and institutional readiness needed to reduce exposure, strengthen monitoring, improve legislation and advance safer and more sustainable alternatives.  Exposure to harmful chemicals and pollution contributes to millions of deaths and significant disease burden every year. Addressing these risks increasingly requires stronger national systems, better coordination across sectors and sustained investment that can turn global commitments into practical…

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