Frontiers 2016: Emerging issues of environmental concern

Authors: UN Environment

For more than 10 years, UNEP has sought to identify and draw attention to emerging issues of environmental concern. In the past, this was done through the UNEP Year Book series. The UNEP Frontiers’ report advances this work, signaling environmental issues and solutions for effective and timely responses. Some issues may be local, relatively small-scale issues today, with a potential to become an issue of regional or global concern if not addressed early.

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What emerging issues are presented in the Frontiers’ 2016 report?

The Financial Sector chapter highlights the critical role that this sector can play in sustainable development.
In this edition, the Zoonotic Diseases chapter emphasizes the role that human activities play in creating a bridge for diseases to cross from animals to humans.
The Microplastics chapter draws attention to the devastating impacts of plastic pollution in the environment.
The Loss and Damage chapter explores the adverse effects of climate change that cannot be avoided through mitigation measures or managed through adaptation.
The Poisoned Chalice chapter discusses the accumulation of toxins in our crops and the impact that has on our plants, our health, and our animals.
The Exotic Consumerism chapter talks about the illegal global trade of wild animals and the impacts it has.

A per chapter breakdown of this report is available on the right column of this page. To view this report in Chinese, please click on "Languages" on top right of header

Further Resources

Zoonoses: Blurred Lines of Emergent Disease and Ecosystem Health

In 2016, UNEP, through the Frontiers’ report, alerted the world on zoonotic diseases – those that jump from animals to humans – and they account for 60% of all human infectious diseases. Just 4 years later, the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly around the world. A link to that report can be found here

Microplastics: Trouble in the Food Chain

In 2016, the Frontiers’ report highlighted the ubiquity and impacts of plastic pollution in our environment. In 2020, UNEP released a report showing the technologies that could address the risks of plastic and microplastic contamination of our water bodies.