Almost 3.6 billion people, or around half of the world’s population, lack access to a proper toilet and sanitation system. World Toilet Day, which is held annually on November 19, celebrates the toilet, while raising the plight of those who don’t have access to proper sanitation.

For many countries around the world, from the US and the UK to China and Japan, July was one of the hottest months since global record-keeping began in the 1800s. The global heatwaves sparked deadly wildfires and displaced thousands of residents from their homes.

Single-use plastic products (SUPPs) may epitomize convenience, but with the damage they cause through production, distribution and litter, they are a major threat to environmental and human health.

The open burning of plastic waste, consumption of plastic-contaminated seafood and creation of harmful microplastics are just some reasons why SUPPs should be phased out.

At the intersection of greater environmental awareness, stricter public health measures and the return of the tourism industry lies an enduring threat: plastic pollution.

• Latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report finds new and updated Nationally Determined Contributions only take 7.5% off predicted 2030 emissions, while 55% is needed to meet the 1.5°C Paris goal
• Latest climate promises for 2030 put the world on track for a temperature rise this century of at least 2.7°C
• Net-zero commitments could shave off another 0.5°C, if these pledges were made robust and if 2030 promises were made consistent wi

Air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to public health globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued stricter recommendations on safe air pollution levels, in a bid to curb the millions of premature deaths and loss of millions more healthy years of life caused by air pollution.

Nairobi/New York/Brussels/Rome, 31 October 2021 – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with support from the European Union, today launched a new Observatory to drive action on reducing methane emissions – a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for at least a quarter of the current climate warming.The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) was launche

As over 190 world leaders and tens of thousands of government representatives, businesses and citizens gather at the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow this week and next, we unpack what to expect and delve into the latest climate science from the United Nations Environment Pr

UNEP is at the front in support of the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the global temperature rise well below 2°C, and aiming to be safe for 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. 

Air pollution is an invisible killer with a stranglehold on many parts of our fragile planet. Nine out of 10 of us breathe air containing levels of pollutants that exceed World Health Organization limits.