UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) North America Office is working to address our most pressing environmental challenges by targeting the following issue areas:
Climate change is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time and adds considerable stress to our societies and to the environment. UNEP is working on climate adaptation and mitigation measures to build climate-resilient and energy efficient communities for all.
Air pollution is the world's single greatest environmental risk to health, killing about 7 million people per year, often disproportionately impacting frontline communities. UNEP is focused on improving air quality and eliminating harmful chemicals through the BreatheLife campaign.
Ecosystems are under unprecedented pressure, and there has never been a more urgent time for restoration. UNEP leads on the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, along with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to promote and build healthy ecosystems.
Plastic waste is one of the biggest threats to the world’s oceans today. More than eight million tons of plastic leak into the ocean each year – equivalent to dumping a garbage truck full of plastic every minute. UNEP is committed to reducing plastic pollution through the Clean Seas campaign.
We depend on nature to sustain livelihoods, but as a region of avid consumers, we also depend on nature to support our lifestyles. UNEP is working to reduce resource extraction and consumption by supporting the move to a circular economy.
Our future now depends on our behavior and how we choose to run our homes, what food we eat, what we buy, how we get around and how we care for our planet. UNEP supports sustainable lifestyles through a series of awareness raising campaigns.
