Tag: UNEP

Global annual finance flows of $7 trillion fueling climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crises

Stuart Mitchell

Close to $7 trillion is invested globally each year in activities that have a direct negative impact on nature from both public and private sector sources – equivalent to roughly 7 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – according to the latest State of Finance for Nature report released today at COP28 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners. The report finds that in 2022, investments in nature-based solutions totaled approximately $200 billion, but finance flows to activities directly harming nature were more than 30 times larger.…

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GCF and UNEP partner to protect mangroves and coastal ecosystems in Dominica and Mozambique

Stuart Mitchell

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will boost support for global mangrove protection with the announcement of two mangrove conservation and coastal management projects in Dominica and Mozambique. Coastal communities in Dominica and Mozambique are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly intense tropical storms. Mangroves, often overlooked and underappreciated, can play a crucial role as ‘green infrastructure’ and in integrated ecosystem-based approaches to coastal protection. More than a haven for diverse marine life, mangroves are powerful allies to increase the climate resilience…

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As a new era of environmental rule of law takes shape, UN recommends good practices

Stuart Mitchell

Environmental rule of law around the world is rapidly transforming due to technological innovation, the COVID-19 pandemic, public concerns over climate change and the rise of racial and social justice movements. A report published today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) provides a series of recommendations to governments. The report, Environmental Rule of Law: Tracking Progress and Charting Future Directions, provides a comprehensive assessment of developments since the release of the first Global Report on Environmental Rule of Law in 2019. Through collecting and analysing data from a survey of…

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IFC Announces Support for UNEP-GlobalABC Buildings Breakthrough Target

Stuart Mitchell

 IFC announced its support of the Buildings Breakthrough Target (BBT), an initiative co-led by the Government of France (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion) and the Kingdom of Morocco (Ministry of National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing and City Policy), and coordinated under the umbrella of the UNEP-hosted Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC). IFC will become the first private sector-focused development financial institution globally to endorse the Buildings Breakthrough Target via its two climate innovations: EDGE (“Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies”) Green Building market transformation program and…

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New app helps young people turn tide on plastic pollution

Stuart Mitchell

Beneath the picturesque turquoise waters of Trinidad and Tobago, plastic pollution is wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Every year, more than 88,600 tonnes of plastic waste is deposited into the ocean around the Caribbean nation, harming marine life and ultimately impacting human health. “Plastic is everywhere. And plastic is overwhelming us,” says Sarah Sobrian, a 28-year-old environmental campaigner and member of RSC, a technology non-profit. A new app is aiming to help young people in Trinidad and Tobago, along with other small-island developing states, counter the damage done by plastic…

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