With growing actions and global dynamic commitment, UN Environment report echos positive approach
United Nations, Mar 4: The Environmental issues are major concerns for global powers today. In today’s world, sustainable development is in higher trends now. UN Environment today released its 2018 Annual Report, highlighting the organization’s work on issues from fighting pollution of the air and sea to helping nations meet their goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The UN Environment is a UN’s dedicated global agency who work for Sustainable development and environmental issues.
The report, released online ahead of March 2019’s UN Environment Assembly, shows that the pace of action on many interlinked environmental issues is accelerating.
World Environment Day 2018 inspired action on plastic pollution, reaching hundreds of millions of people in over 190 countries as India pledged to phase out single-use plastics by 2022.
On this occasion, UN Environment Acting Executive Director Joyce Msuya said, “While 2018 was a challenging year, we saw hope in growing action and global commitment to new ways of doing business that tackle the environmental challenges we face, Our role in highlighting best practices, advocating action and bringing together governments, civil society and businesses once again proved critical.”
UN Environment partnered with the World Health Organization to host the first global meeting on air pollution, which kills millions of people each year while supporting nations to improve air quality through electric mobility, fuel efficiency, and many other concepts.
Addressing the work of UN Environment, UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “UN Environment has been and will continue to be, a crucial actor in supporting nations to deliver on their environmental commitments”.
Organizations and countries - convened by UN Environment - came together to save the Cuvette Central Peatlands in the Congo Basin, which is home to 14 globally threatened species and stores the carbon equivalent of three years of global greenhouse gas emissions.
The report shows UN Environment’s impact in many other areas, including making the cooling industry more climate-friendly, helping communities in Darfur to reduce resource conflicts in a changing climate and training authorities so they can better enforce environmental laws.
The Highlights of UN Environment’s 2018 Annual report-
· 127 countries have adopted legislation to regulate plastic bags.
· 27 countries had enacted legislation banning specific products, materials or production level.
· 27 countries have instituted taxes on the production of plastic bags.
· 30 countries charged consumers fees for plastic bags.
· 63 countries had mandates for producers responsibility on a single use of plastic, including deposit refunds, product take back and recycling targets.
· 8 countries had established a ban on microbeads through national laws and regulations.
· Reduction of plastic pollution is priority issues for the UN Environment in 2018, helped nations and individuals make a huge commitment to giving up single-use plastic.
· The United Nations collaborative programme on reducing emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD) was first to join the UN Global initiative on climate change. On 2018, UN-REDD celebrates 10 years.
· Forty-five banks and financial institutions endorsed the principles for responsible banking, drafted under the leadership of the Finance Initiative. UN Environment launched the first Tropical Landscapes Bond, worth US$95 million, in collaboration with BNP Paribas, the World Agroforestry Centre, and partners. The bond will restore 80,000 hectares of tropical forests in Indonesia.
· World Environment Day 2018 targeted plastic pollution, with global host India leading the way by pledging to give up single-use plastics by 2022. The world’s biggest day for global environmental action reached hundreds of millions of people in more than 190 countries and 60 languages. It engaged 6.5 million people online, including 90 celebrities from all parts of the world, and inspired thousands of events across the globe, from beach clean-ups to zero-waste marathons.
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