The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the Sun, helping preserve life on our planet. As the treaty turns 35 on Ozone Day, we remember how the Montreal Protocol ended one of the biggest threats ever to face humanity as a whole: the depletion of the ozone layer. When the world found out that ozone-depleting gases used in aerosols and cooling were creating a hole in the sky, it came together and phased out these gases. Now the ozone layer is healing, allowing it to continue to shield humanity from the Sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
Natural Resources and the Environment
This year’s International Day of Clean Air for blue skies focuses on the transboundary nature of air pollution, stressing the need for collective accountability and action. It also highlights the need for immediate and strategic international and regional cooperation for more efficient implementation of mitigation policies and actions to tackle air pollution. We all breathe the same air, and one atmosphere protects and sustains us all. Pollution is a global problem that we must act together to combat. #TheAirWeShare
Indigenous peoples use language in a powerful way to describe Mother Nature. presents five unique words indigenous peoples use to describe the natural environment.
Brazil’s north-eastern semi-arid region, known as sertão, is a land rich in culture and enchanting landscapes, but the harsh climate and lack of water make it difficult to earn a living here. Over recent decades, modern ingenuity has combined with traditional mutual aid systems to help communities. Key to any project’s success is the focus on nature-based solutions and working with local people. is an international financial institution and a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.
The (WHO) has revealed new information on the extent to which tobacco damages both the environment and human health, calling for steps to make the industry more accountable for the destruction it is causing. Every year the tobacco industry costs the world more than 8 million human lives, 600 million trees, 200 000 hectares of land, 22 billion tonnes of water and 84 million tonnes of CO2. The WHO report “†highlights that the industry’s carbon footprint.
We must act now to halt the loss of biodiversity. ’s provides a set of recommendations and practical actions to help improve the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity for food and agriculture.
"Remember it is people that propel social progress, develop science and technology and, through their hard work, continuously transform the human environment. We are both creature and moulder of our environment." These words are spoken directly from the 1972 Declaration on the Human Environment, which was adopted by the UN Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm, 16 June 1972. On 2 and 3 June 2022, another crucial international environmental meeting will be held in Stockholm, Sweden. commemorates the 1972 conference and celebrates 50 years of global environmental action.
There are billions of galaxies in the universe. In our galaxy, there are billions of planets. But there is , so let’s take care of it. With nature in emergency mode, World Environment Day 2022 seeks to celebrate the planet through collective environmental actions for the , and the . Share your events and actions by taking part in the , take inspiration from the and get involved with the .
On 2 and 3 June 2022, world leaders and other representatives including youth, gather in Sweden for – an international meeting to drive action towards a healthy planet for the prosperity of all. The event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm - which marked a new era of global cooperation. comes at a crucial time as the Earth is in emergency mode, and urgent action is needed to address the of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
The harmful impact of the tobacco industry on the environment is vast and growing adding unnecessary pressure to our planet’s already scarce resources and fragile ecosystems. Tobacco kills over 8 million people every year and destroys our environment, further harming human health. This year’s campaign for (31 May) aims to raise awareness on the environmental impact of tobacco – from cultivation, production, distribution and waste. It will give tobacco users one extra reason to quit.
Through nuclear techniques, contributes to biodiversity while supporting countries to reach their strategic objectives towards food security, sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services.
50 billion tons: enough to build a wall 27 metres wide and high around planet Earth - sand must be recognised as a strategic resource and its use needs to be rethought, finds a new report by .
Phayvieng Vongkhamheng was born at the end of the Laotian wet monsoon season in 1984. From a young age, Mr. Vongkhamheng had the impression that village life and wilderness intermingled symbiotically. Mr. Vongkhamheng is now the Assistant Project Manager for the . With support, the project has been promoting sustainable land and forest management in dry forest ecosystems and protection of critical wildlife habitats with its biodiversity.
Biological diversity resources are the pillars upon which we build civilizations. Fish provide 20% of animal protein to feed about 3 billion people. Over 80% of the human diet is provided by plants and 80% of people living in rural areas in developing countries rely on plantâ€based medicines. This International Day of Biological Diversity (22 May) highlights biodiversity as the answer to several sustainable development challenges. Biodiversity is the foundation to build back better from climate, health, food, and water security to sustainable livelihoods.
For centuries, bees along with other pollinators, enable the production of an abundance of a wider variety and better quality of fruits, nuts and seeds, contributing to food security and nutrition. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity. This year, for World Bee Day (20 May), calls to celebrate the diversity of bees and beekeeping systems in a .