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Spotlight on chemicals and pollution action

UNEP

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.

Below are chemicals and pollution highlights from the United Nations System, from partners and from others helping to call attention to the fact that the future of humanity and our planet depends on action now. 

19 Jan 2024 22:29

Non-toxic alternatives to DDT for malaria control

 

Last updated at
15 Jan 2024 19:13

UNEP Chief at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

A man working on plastic
Photo: UNEP

UNEP Chief Inger Andersen authored a blog on plastics as part of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2024 in Davos, Switzerland. Read the blog.

Last updated at
04 Jan 2024 10:12

Quiz: How much do you know about lead poisoning?

Ice sheet with water body in background
Photo: AFP/Mint Images

Lead. This heavy metal is used in items like paint, car batteries, spices, ceramics, ammunition and barbells. 

However, lead can damage ecosystems and cause serious health problems in humans, including neurological issues and kidney damage. Lead can also enter the food chain and accumulate in organisms.

Take the quiz to learn more about how to avoid falling victim to lead poisoning.

Last updated at
28 Dec 2023 10:53

The Quadripartite launches a guide to support countries implement One Health approach

Infographic on One Health

The Quadripartite Collaboration on One Health releases - The guide to Implementing the One Health Joint Plan of Action at National Level (the Guide) to support countries to strengthen their One Health actions.

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.

Access the full Guide.

Last updated at
19 Dec 2023 23:36

Switching over: Transjakarta to electrify bus fleet, with support from UNEP

A row of electric buses
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. 

Read the full story

Last updated at
04 Dec 2023 11:32

COP28: Plastics are no lifeboat for the fossil fuel industry

Inger Andersen speaking on stage
Photo: UNEP

The following is an excerpt from a speech on the climate impact of plastic production delivered by Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme at COP28 in Dubai.

Fossil fuels are the greatest contributor to climate change. They are the slow-acting poison in the veins of our planet and economies. Yes, they jacked us up. Revved us up. Got us moving. Now they are killing us. And still, the addicts that we are, we produce and consume more fossil fuels than the Earth system can take. UNEP’s Production Gap Report 2023 found that the world is planning 110 per cent more fossil fuels in 2030 than is consistent with 1.5°C.

We must end the addiction, including in the plastics industry, because business-as-usual growth in plastics would burn through up to 20 per cent of the carbon budget for 1.5°C by 2040 – mainly from the production of primary polymers and conversion into products. There are other climate implications of plastics. We need healthy ocean and coastal ecosystems to store carbon and build resilience to climate change. Yet 80 per cent of all plastic currently ends up in the oceans, and plastic production is set to triple by 2060. There can be no adaptation in a sea of plastic. 

Read the full speech.

Last updated at
24 Nov 2023 13:46

Do you know what’s fuelling the world’s antimicrobial resistance crisis?

Failing to comply with prescribed doses of antibiotics can lead to AMR spread
UNEP/Lisa Murray

The misuse of antibiotics, a lack of access to clean water and sanitation and pollution from pharmaceutical companies and farming are some of drivers of the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) around the world.

“AMR is a complex and interconnected crisis. It requires preventative and management measures with a ‘One Health’ approach that recognizes that the health of people, animals, plants and the environment are closely linked and interdependent," said Jacqueline Álvarez, the Chief of the Chemicals and Health Branch at UNEP. “

To mark the final day of World AMR Awareness Week, take a moment to learn about what is fuelling the current AMR crisis that the World Health Organization (WHO) lists as “among top 10 threats for global health.”

Last updated at
24 Nov 2023 09:47

How much do you know about AMR?

What is antimicrobial resistance or AMR? How does it develop and spread? What is its impact on global public health? And what can we all do help combat it?

Watch this video to get a better understanding of what has been called a ‘silent killer’.

Last updated at
23 Nov 2023 09:53

The environment is key in the spread of AMR

Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance

Global attention to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been dominated by a focus on the health and agriculture sectors. Increasingly, however, it is becoming clearer that environment also plays a key role in the development, transmission and spread of AMR to humans, animals and plants.

UNEP’s 2022 report “Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance: Summary for Policymakers,” explores how pollution in the environment, biodiversity loss and climate change are all contributing to the proliferation of AMR.

Last updated at
22 Nov 2023 14:44

Pollution is a major drivers of the development and spread of AMR, here is how…

Pollution on city streets of Abidjan, Cote d'ivoire
Photo: UNEP/Ollivier Girard

Pollution from pharmaceutical manufacturing, livestock farming, aquaculture and the healthcare sector are key drivers of AMR.

Untreated or inadequately treated waste from drug manufacturing factories often ends up in the environment, contributing to the build-up of drug resistant microbes.

The overuse of drugs in agriculture remains a concern as farmers around the world continue to rely on antimicrobials to maintain the health of animals and, in some cases, promote their growth.



An estimated 75 per cent of antibiotics used in aquaculture or aquafarming may be lost into the surrounding environment which could result in higher local concentrations of these pollutants with subsequent effects on antimicrobial resistance.

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