Nine out of 10 people globally breathe polluted air, causing about 7 million premature deaths every year. On 7 September 2020, the United Nations observed the first International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. This article is part of UNEP’s continuing coverage of air pollution and its impact globally.

In Chiang Rai, Thailand, a city perched on the banks of the Mekong River, a group of some 90 residents and university students came together to pick up trash on 19 September.

Like millions of others, they were marking World Cleanup Day, an annual event that encourages communities to tidy up litter from rivers, beaches, cities and even the seafloor.

An estimated one-third of food produced globally is lost or wasted from farm to table. This is about 1.3 billion tonnes of food – an amount that would occupy more land surface area than China and India combined.  Instead of feeding people, it affects ecosystems and biodiversity, generating eight per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Approximately one-third of all food produced for human consumption gets lost or wasted – around 1.3 billion tonnes every year. This amounts to roughly US$680 billion in developed countries and US$310 billion in developing countries, with a carbon footprint of about 3.3 billion tonnes of CO₂, which is equivalent to 8 per cent of global greenhouse emissions.

Food loss and waste generate an estimated 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions while using land and water resources needlessly and increasing pressure on biodiversity. Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for a halving of food waste at retail and household level, and a reduction of food loss across the supply chain.

Looking for easy and simple ways to make high-impact, achievable steps to reduce your carbon pollution and persuade others to do the same? Here are 16 actions:

UNEP’s novel ‘World Environment Situation Room’ provides real-time data on PM2.5 levels across the planet, informing scientists, policy-makers and citizens alike.

Prince William launched a new global award for the environment today designed to help address some of the planet’s most pressing challenges, from pollution to climate change. The Earthshot Prize will provide over £50 million to support ground-breaking solutions to environmental problems over the next 10 years – a critical decade for the Earth, say experts.

Across Myanmar, artisanal miners hunt for gold flecks in rivers and pit mines. The work is physically taxing and the income meagre. For many, the sprinkling of particles they find will only offer a few extra dollars of daily income.

COVID-19 has exposed how the degradation of ecosystems is not only undermining Earth’s life-supporting systems, including the regulation of disease but also leaving our societies and economies tremendously vulnerable to sudden shocks.