Preventing, controlling and managing pollution is central to improving health, human well-being and prosperity for all.
UNEP drives capacity and leadership in sound management of chemicals and waste while working to improve ways to reduce waste through circularity and pollutants released to the air, water, soil and the ocean.
28 Feb
2024
15:11
Making rubbish a resource to end wasteful culture
Photo: UNEP
"This report shows that the direct cost of waste management was US$252 billion in 2020, which rises to US$361 billion when externalities are included. These externalities include the costs of pollution, resulting in poor health and greenhouse gas emissions from waste. Unless we take urgent action, total annual costs could almost double as waste generation rises," said Inger Andersen at the launch of the Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 report.
"However, we can’t keep coming at the waste problem by trying to manage what we throw away. Open burning of waste is a disaster. Dumpsites are a disaster. Recycling can’t cope with the sheer volume of waste. To realize the vision of a zero-waste society, we need to redefine what waste is. A lot of what we throw away is a valuable resource, so we must start rethinking the design and delivery of products and services to keep resources in the economy," Ms. Andersen added.
Dirty air alone is responsible for 6.7 million deaths globally every year, while conservative estimates suggest that in 2019, 5.5 million people died from heart disease linked to lead exposure.
To stem the pollution crisis, countries agreed in 2022 to establish a new body that would provide policymakers with robust, independent information on chemicals, waste and pollution.
Negotiators are finetuning the details of this new science-policy panel. Once operational, it will complete a trifecta of similar scientificbodies designed to counter the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
The assembly brings together 193 Member States, intergovernmental organizations, the broader UN system, civil society groups, the scientific community and the private sector to shape global environmental policy.
Glitched out. Phased out. Scratched up. Smashed in.
Every year, more than 50 million tonnes of e-waste are produced—equivalent to 7 kilogrammes for every person on Earth. Let's each take action to #BeatWastePollution.
Recognizing the multitude of risks that a changing climate is having and will continue to have on the health of all life on earth, the launch took place at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The launch coincided with the first-ever health day at COP28 as well as a climate and health high-level ministerial meeting.
The Guide is an operational addendum to the 2022 One Health Joint Plan of Action, signaling a strategic objective to country-focused implementation. The guide outlines three pathways – governance, sectoral integration, and evidence and knowledge – and five steps to achieve One Health implementation.
Switching over: Transjakarta to electrify bus fleet, with support from UNEP
Photo: UNEP
Puffing out pollutants and releasing greenhouse gases in the middle of a Jakarta traffic jam – this, for now, is the fate of most public buses in Jakarta. Provincial authorities are looking to change that – and with the support of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and its partners, replace the 10,000-strong fleet of the city’s bus company, Transjakarta, with electric buses by 2030.
So far, 100 new buses have been purchased under a pilot scheme, of which just over 50 are already on the streets of the capital, with the others awaiting their licenses. There is now a commitment, underpinned by a decree from the governor of Jakarta Province, to replace the rest. The plan was developed by Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), a non-governmental organization engaged by UNEP.