A record 62 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was produced in 2022, 

Up 82% from 2010; On track to rise another 32%, to 82 million tonnes, in 2030; Billions of dollars worth of strategically-valuable resources squandered, dumped; 

Just 1% of rare earth element demand is met by e-waste recycling

Geneva / Bonn – The world’s generation of electronic waste is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling, the UN’s fourth Global E-waste Monitor (GEM) reveals today.

The 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated in 2022 would fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, roughly enough trucks to form a bumper-to-bumper line encircling the equator, according to the report from ITU and UNITAR.

Meanwhile, less than one quarter (22.3%) of the year’s e-waste mass was documented as having been properly collected and recycled in 2022, leaving US $62 billion worth of recoverable natural resources unaccounted for and increasing pollution risks to communities worldwide.

Worldwide, the annual generation of e-waste is rising by 2.6 million tonnes annually, on track to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030, a further 33% increase from the 2022 figure.

E-waste, any discarded product with a plug or battery, is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which can damage the human brain and coordination system.

The report foresees a drop in the documented collection and recycling rate from 22.3% in 2022 to 20% by 2030 due to the widening difference in recycling efforts relative to the staggering growth of e-waste generation worldwide.

Challenges contributing to the widening gap include technological progress, higher consumption, limited repair options, shorter product life cycles, society’s growing electronification, design shortcomings, and inadequate e-waste management infrastructure.

The report underlines that if countries could bring the e-waste collection and recycling rates to 60% by 2030, the benefits – including through minimizing human health risks – would exceed costs by more than US $38 billion.

It also notes that the world “remains stunningly dependent” on a few countries for rare earth elements, despite their unique properties crucial for future technologies, including renewable energy generation and e-mobility.

Additional data highlights are appended.

Comments

“Amidst the hopeful embrace of solar panels and electronic equipment to combat the climate crisis and drive digital progress, the surge in e-waste requires urgent attention.”
Nikhil Seth, Executive Director, UNITAR

“From discarded televisions to dumped telephones, an enormous amount of e-waste is generated around the world. The latest research shows that the global challenge posed by e-waste is only going to grow. With less than half of the world implementing and enforcing approaches to manage the problem, this raises the alarm for sound regulations to boost collection and recycling. The Global E-waste Monitor is the world’s foremost source for e-waste data allowing us to track progress overtime and to make critical decisions when it comes to transitioning to a circular economy for electronics”
Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau

“No more than 1% of demand for essential rare earth elements is met by e-waste recycling. Simply put: Business as usual can’t continue. This new report represents an immediate call for greater investment in infrastructure development, more promotion of repair and reuse, capacity building, and measures to stop illegal e-waste shipments. And the investment would pay for itself in spades.”
Kees Baldé, lead author, UNITAR

“Many in today’s society use multiple computers and phones, an ever-growing number of new appliances, monitors and sensors, e-bikes, e-scooters, clothes, toys, and furniture with embedded electronics, electric tools, and energy-saving equipment such as LEDs, photovoltaics, and heat pumps. Urban and remote areas are increasingly connected to the Internet, and a growing number of data centers cater to the needs of the digital transformation. In the face of all this, concrete steps are urgently needed to address and reduce e-waste. Improved e-waste management could result in a global net positive of US $38 billion, representing a significant economic opportunity while addressing climate change and health impacts.”

Ruediger Kuehr, Senior Manager, Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme, UNITAR / Adjunct Professor, University of Limerick (Ireland)

The Global E-waste Monitor shows that we are currently wasting US $91 billion in valuable metals due to insufficient e-waste recycling. We must seize the economic and environmental benefits of proper e-waste management; otherwise, the digital ambitions of our future generations will face significant risks.”

Vanessa Gray, Head, Environment & Emergency Telecommunications Division, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau

By the numbers:

62 million tonnes: e-waste generated in 2022, equal to the weight of 107,000 of world’s largest (853-seat), heaviest (575 tonne) passenger aircraft – enough to form an unbroken queue from New York to Athens, from Nairobi to Hanoi, or from Hong Kong to Anchorage

14 million tonnes (22.3%): estimated mass of e-waste trashed, mostly landfilled, in 2022

31 million tonnes: estimated weight of metals embedded in e-waste in 2022, along with 17 million tonnes of plastics and 14 million tonnes of other materials (minerals, glass, composite materials, etc.)

US $91 billion: The value of metals embedded in 2022 e-waste, including US $19 billion in copper, US $15 billion in gold, and US $16 billion in iron.

US $28 billion: value of secondary raw materials (mostly iron) reclaimed by “urban mining” of e-waste in 2022

900 million tonnes: Primary ore extraction avoided by reclaiming materials through documented e-waste recycling

93 million tonnes: CO2-equivalent emissions avoided by formal e-waste management – recaptured refrigerants (41 million tonnes), avoided metals mining (52 million tonnes)

Recycling rates

42.8%: Formally documented collection and recycling rates in Europe

<1%: Formally recycled e-waste in African countries

~50% (30 million tonnes): E-waste generated by Asian countries (of which relatively few have enacted legislation or established clear e-waste collection targets)

17.6 kg: Per capita e-waste generation in Europe, followed by Oceania (16.1 kg) and the Americas (14.1 kg). These regions also have the highest documented per capita collection and recycling rates (7.5 kg in Europe, 6.7 kg in Oceania and 4.2 kg in the Americas)

16 million tonnes: e-waste collected and recycled outside of formal systems in high- and upper-middle income countries that have developed e-waste management infrastructure.

18 million tonnes: e-waste managed mostly by the informal sector in low and lower-middle income countries with no e-waste management infrastructure. Any material values recovered by the informal sector are largely (perhaps more than) offset by extremely high health and environmental costs

5.1 million tonnes (8.2% of the global total): e-waste shipped across borders in 2022, of which ~3.3 million tonnes (65%) was shipped from high-income to middle- and low-income countries through uncontrolled, undocumented movements

E-waste by category, selected examples

33% (20.4 million tonnes): Proportion of e-waste made up of small devices (e.g. toys, microwave ovens, vacuum cleaners, e-cigarettes), of which 12% are recycled

4.6 million tonnes: e-waste in the small IT and telecommunication equipment category (e.g. laptops, mobile phones, GPS devices, routers), with only 22% documented collection and recycling rate

2.4 million tonnes: Expected mass of retired photovoltaic panels in 2030, four times as much as the 600,000 tonnes in 2022

Among the report’s many observations:

Typically, collection and recycling rates are highest for heavier and bulkier equipment categories, such as large devices, temperature exchange equipment, screens and monitors

81 countries had e-waste legislation in 2023, up from 78 in 2019. Of the 81 countries, 67 had a legal instrument governing e-waste management with provisions promoting extended producer responsibility (EPR)

The enforcement of e-waste policy, legislation, and regulation “remains a genuine challenge globally, and the stagnation of the global e-waste collection and recycling rate is likely exacerbated by the fact that only 46 countries have collection rate targets and only 36 have recycling rate targets.”

Selected report infographics (available at https://bit.ly/3wcjfz5)

Media coverage highlights:

The Global E-waste Monitor

Since 2014, the Global E-waste Monitor (www.globalewaste.org) has been the world’s foremost source of up-to-date data and reporting on progress in policy, regulation, and offering projections.

The 2024 edition is a collaborative product of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership with support from the Fondation Carmignac.

Earlier global and regional reports: https://ewastemonitor.info

Join the conversation on social media using hashtag #eWaste

The UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), unitar.org

As a dedicated training arm of the United Nations System, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) provides innovative learning solutions to individuals, organizations and institutions to enhance global decision-making and support country-level action for shaping a better future. UNITAR was created in 1963 to train and equip young diplomats from newly independent UN Member States with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate through the diplomatic environment. Over the years, UNITAR has acquired unique expertise and experience in designing and delivering a variety of training and learning activities, benefiting learners mainly from developing countries. With the strategy fully aligned with the 2030 Agenda, we support Governments and other stakeholders to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

The Bonn, Germany-based Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme, hosted by UNITAR, provides world-class research and action on e-waste. SCYCLE aims to enable societies to reduce the environmental burden caused by the production, consumption and disposal of ubiquitous goods.

The International Telecommunication Union, itu.int

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 Member States and a membership of over 1,000 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations. Established in 1865, it is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to cutting-edge wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite-based earth monitoring as well as converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world.

Fondation Carmignac, fondationcarmignac.com

Fondation Carmignac was founded in 2000 by Edouard Carmignac, a French entrepreneur, CEO and Chairman of asset management company Carmignac. Today, it is structured around three main pillars: the Carmignac Photojournalism Award, which annually funds the production of investigative photo reportage on human rights violations and geo-strategic issues, the Carmignac Collection, which has over 300 works of contemporary art, and Villa Carmignac, an art venue offering annual exhibitions and a rich cultural programme in a 2000-square-meter gallery set in a 15-hectare estate at the heart of a protected site on Porquerolles island.

Fondation Carmignac contributes to the Global E-waste Monitor photographs by laureates of the 13th edition of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award. Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and photojournalists Muntaka Chasant and Bénédicte Kurzen explore the complexities of e-waste trafficking from European ports to Ghana scrapyards, revealing its complex, globalized cycle and highlighting the opportunities and environmental impact of the e-waste economy.

* * * * *

Media coverage highlights

The Associated Press, via The Washington Post, United States (46,834,485)UN says e-waste from trashed electric devices is piling up and recycling isn’t keeping pace https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/20/electronic-waste-kenya-united-nations-ewaste-environment/736f825e-e6c4-11ee-9eba-1558f848ec25_story.html

Reuters, United Kingdom
World ‘losing the battle’ against electronic waste, UN findshttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-13219285/World-losing-battle-against-electronic-waste-UN-finds.html

Agence France Presse, via Yahoo! News, United States (20,965,545)Rising scourge of e-waste a ‘catastrophe’ for environment: UNhttps://www.yahoo.com/news/rising-scourge-e-waste-catastrophe-151400470.html

ANSA, Italy (17,787,503)Rifiuti elettrici ed elettronici -3,1% nel 2023, meno tvElectrical and electronic waste -3.1% in 2023, less TVhttps://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/economia/2024/03/21/rifiuti-elettrici-ed-elettronici-31-nel-2023-meno-tv_1f53a287-1538-4467-9a78-c81f9c820036.html

Deutsche Presse Agentur, via DIE WELT, Germany (16,339,581)Die Welt produziert Jahr für Jahr mehr Elektroschrott GermanyThe world produces more electronic waste every year https://www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/infoline_nt/wissenschaft_nt/article250670507/Die-Welt-produziert-Jahr-fuer-Jahr-mehr-Elektroschrott.html

Scripps News, United States, via MSN.com (132,453,294)The world’s e-waste problem is getting worse, the UN sayshttps://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/the-world-s-e-waste-problem-is-getting-worse-the-un-says/ar-BB1kkepL
Daily Mail, United Kingdom (76,191,155)
The vast scale of Earth’s e-waste: 62 million tonnes of phones, TVs and vapes were discarded worldwide in 2022 – weighing the equivalent of 6,000 Eiffel Towers, report reveals https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-13218177/waste-phones-tvs-gadgets-quantity.html

CBS News, United States (44,417,564)There’s so much electronic waste in the world it could span the equator – and it’s still growing https://www.cbsnews.com/news/electronic-waste-ewaste-span-equator-growing/

Livemint, India (30,717,494)Electronic waste increasing at concerning rate: Reporthttps://lifestyle.livemint.com/smart-living/environment/electronic-waste-recycling-pollution-itu-technology-report-111711022324740.html

Le Monde, France (25,370,042)« Explosion » des déchets électroniques menace l’environnement et la santé, alerte l’ONU“Explosion” of electronic waste threatens the environment and health, warns the UNhttps://t.co/EWFKMNA9iE

La Repubblica, Italy (21,211,147)Nel 2022 abbiamo generato 62 milioni di tonnellate di rifiuti elettroniciIn 2022, we generated 62 million tons of e-wastehttps://www.repubblica.it/green-and-blue/2024/03/20/news/raee_rifiuti_elettronici_produzione_globale_riciclo-422345465/

Salon, via Yahoo! News, United States (20,965,545)Silicon mountain: Our obsession with electronics is drowning the world in e-waste https://www.yahoo.com/news/silicon-mountain-obsession-electronics-drowning-093005426.html

O Globo, Brazil (18,416,874)Afundando na sucata: lixo eletrônico cresce cinco vezes mais rápido do que reciclagem, diz ONUSinking in scrap: electronic waste grows five times faster than recycling, says UN https://oglobo.globo.com/economia/tecnologia/noticia/2024/03/23/afundando-na-sucata-lixo-eletronico-cresce-cinco-vezes-mais-rapido-do-que-reciclagem-diz-onu.ghtml

Full coverage summary: click here

News release in full, click here

As part of global efforts to slow climate change by tackling methane, the UN today announced a new satellite-based system to detect emissions of the climate warming gas and allow governments and businesses to respond.

The Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), launched at the 27^th United Nations Climate Change Conference, is a data-to-action platform set up as part of the UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) strategy to get policy-relevant data into the right hands for emissions mitigation. 

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, contributing at least a quarter of today’s climate warming. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we must cut methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 – the goal of the Global Methane Pledge – to keep the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach.

Developed in the framework of the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway – with initial funding from the European Commission, the US Government, Global Methane Hub, and the Bezos Earth Fund – MARS will allow UNEP to corroborate emissions reported by companies and characterize changes over time. MARS will be implemented with partners including the International Energy Agency, and the UNEP-hosted Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

“As UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report showed before this climate summit, the world is far off track on efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

“Reducing methane emissions can make a big and rapid difference, as this gas leaves the atmosphere far quicker than carbon dioxide. The Methane Alert and Response System is a big step in helping governments and companies deliver on this important short-term climate goal.”

In addition to supporting MARS, the Global Methane Hub and the Bezos Earth Fund are providing funding for other UNEP IMEO activities. These include baseline studies and initial work on agricultural methane emissions, where integrating multi-scale ground measurements with emerging satellite capacity is expected to provide improved quantification. 

First public global system connecting methane detection to notification processes 

MARS will be the first publicly available global system capable of transparently connecting methane detection to notification processes. It will use state-of-the-art satellite data to identify major emission events, notify relevant stakeholders, and support and track mitigation progress.

Beginning with very large point sources from the energy sector, MARS will integrate data from the rapidly expanding system of methane-detecting satellites to include lower-emitting area sources and more frequent detection. Data on coal, waste, livestock and rice will be added gradually to MARS to support Global Methane Pledge implementation.

“Cutting methane is the fastest opportunity to reduce warming and keep 1.5°C within reach, and this new alert and response system is going to be a critical tool for helping all of us deliver on the Global Methane Pledge,” said John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

Components of the Methane Alert and Response System 

MARS will use data from global mapping satellites to identify very large methane plumes and methane hot spots and attribute the emissions to a specific source. UNEP will then notify governments and companies about the emissions, either directly or through partners, so that the responsible entity can take appropriate action. 

If requested, MARS partners will provide technical or advisory services such as help in assessing mitigation opportunities. UNEP will continue to monitor the event location and make the data and analysis available to the public between 45 and 75 days after detection. 

Additional comments

“We are seeing methane emissions increase at an accelerated rate. With this initiative, armed with greater data and transparency, companies and governments can make greater strides to reduce methane emissions and civil society can keep them accountable to their promises,” said Dr. Kelly Levin, Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change at the Bezos Earth Fund.

“The science is clear. We need to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030, to keep 1.5°C alive. Fortunately, action on methane emissions is one of the most cost effective and impactful actions a country can take,” said Marcelo Mena, CEO Global Methane Hub.

“Therefore Global Methane Hub is pleased to partner with UNEP and the Bezos Earth Fund, on providing critical resources – to the MARS initiative – that can enable the identification and rapid response to major methane emissions from the energy sector, as well as take the first steps in enabling satellite observations to address methane emissions from the agricultural sector.”

“To keep the global temperature rise limited to 1.5 degrees, it is crucial that we tackle methane emissions,” said Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the European Commission. “These emissions often peak in specific areas for limited amounts of time, for example in the energy sector due to leaks, venting, and flaring. Early detection of these peaks makes it possible to respond faster. The Methane Alert and Response System does just that. Thanks to funding and free satellite data from Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth Observation programme, the system will enable every country to take rapid action to reduce methane emissions.”

Said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency: “The Methane Alert and Response System is an important new tool to help pinpoint major methane leaks. As IEA analysis has highlighted, transparency is a vital part of the solution to tackle the methane problem, and this new system will help producers detect leaks and stop them without delay if and when they occur.”

Coverage highlights

The White House, United States (7,411,454) FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Initiatives at COP27 to Strengthen U.S. Leadership in Tackling Climate Change https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/11/11/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-new-initiatives-at-cop27-to-strengthen-u-s-leadership-in-tackling-climate-change/

The Associated Press via The Washington Post, United States (69,597,834) UN to seek out methane emitters with data from space  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-to-seek-out-methane-emitters-with-data-from-space/2022/11/11/fdb339be-6192-11ed-a131-e900e4a6336b_story.html

Reuters, via Yahoo! News, United States (65,235,264) COP27: U.N. to hunt sources of climate-warming methane from space https://news.yahoo.com/cop27-u-n-hunt-sources-050244256.html

Endgadget, via Yahoo! News, United States (65,235,264) UN initiative will use satellites to detect methane emission hotspots https://news.yahoo.com/un-global-methane-detection-system-070057307.html

Yale Environment 360 via Yahoo! News, United States (65,235,264) UN Launches Satellite-Based System to Pinpoint Global Methane Hot Spots https://news.yahoo.com/un-launches-satellite-based-system-161900323.html

China News Agency via Sohu 搜狐新闻, Mainland China (64,389,184) COP27边会：多国专家呼吁采取紧急措施加强全球甲烷排控  https://www.sohu.com/a/604711381_123753

The Indian Express, India (54,343,514) COP27: UN to set up system to track methane emissions from space https://indianexpress.com/article/world/climate-change/cop27-united-nations-satellite-methane-monitoring-system-8263980/

Naver, Korea (44,416,857) COP27 Methane Detection  https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/077/0005773635

ABC News, United States (22,852,738) UN launching satellite-based system to detect methane https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/launching-satellite-based-system-detect-methane/story?id=93055245

MarketWatch, United States (23,546,449) Jeff Bezos helping fund U.N. effort to tag and alert methane emitters with data from space https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jeff-bezos-helping-fund-u-n-effort-to-tag-and-alert-methane-emitters-with-data-from-space-11668171352

Euronews, France (21,703,341) Decarbonisation, methane and record highs: 5 key things that happened today at COP27 https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/11/11/decarbonisation-methane-and-record-highs-5-key-things-that-happened-today-at-cop27

China Daily – Global, Mainland China (245,309) Experts urge immediate action on methane mitigation  http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202211/11/WS636dec57a3104917543292fa.html

Full coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here

Even the Arctic, previously all but immune, faces rising wildfire risk; Wildfires and climate change are “mutually exacerbating”; Governments are called to radically shift their investments to focus on prevention and preparedness

Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by the end of 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal. 

The paper calls for a radical change in government spending on wildfires, shifting their investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness. 

The report, Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires, finds an elevated risk even for the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected by wildfires. The report is released before representatives of 193 nations convene in Nairobi for the resumed 5^th session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), between 28 February and 2 March, 2022. 

The publication calls on governments to adopt a new ‘Fire Ready Formula,’ with two-thirds of spending devoted to planning, prevention, preparedness, and recovery, with one third left for response. Currently, direct responses to wildfires typically receive over half of related expenditures, while planning and prevention receive less than one per cent. 

To prevent fires, authors call for a combination of data and science-based monitoring systems with indigenous knowledge and for a stronger regional and international cooperation.

Current government responses to wildfires are often putting money in the wrong place. Those emergency service workers and firefighters on the frontlines who are risking their lives to fight forest wildfires need to be supported. We have to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities, and strengthen global commitment to fight climate change” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director.

Wildfires disproportionately affect the world’s poorest nations. With an impact that extends for days, weeks and even years after the flames subside, they impede progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and deepen social inequalities:

• People’s health is directly affected by inhaling wildfire smoke, causing respiratory and cardiovascular impacts and increased health effects for the most vulnerable; 
• The economic costs of rebuilding after areas are struck by wildfires can be beyond the means of low-income countries;

• Watersheds are degraded by wildfires’ pollutants; they also can lead to soil erosion causing more problems for waterways;
• Wastes left behind are often highly contaminated and require appropriate disposal.

Wildfires and climate change are mutually exacerbating. Wildfires are made worse by climate change through increased drought, high air temperatures, low relative humidity, lightning, and strong winds resulting in hotter, drier, and longer fire seasons. At the same time, climate change is made worse by wildfires, mostly by ravaging sensitive and carbon-rich ecosystems like peatlands and rainforests. This turns landscapes into tinderboxes, making it harder to halt rising temperatures.

Wildlife and its natural habitats are rarely spared from wildfires, pushing some animal and plant species closer to extinction. A recent example is the Australian 2020 bushfires, which are estimated to have wiped out billions of domesticated and wild animals. 

There is a critical need to better understand the behaviour of wildfires. Achieving and sustaining adaptive land and fire management requires a combination of policies, a legal framework and incentives that encourage appropriate land and fire use.

The restoration of ecosystems is an important avenue to mitigate the risk of wildfires before they occur and to build back better in their aftermath. Wetlands restoration and the reintroduction of species such as beavers, peatlands restoration, building at a distance from vegetation and preserving open space buffers are some examples of the essential investments into prevention, preparedness and recovery.

The report concludes with a call for stronger international standards for the safety and health of firefighters and for minimising the risks that they face before, during and after operations. This includes raising awareness of the risks of smoke inhalation, minimising the potential for life-threatening entrapments, and providing firefighters with access to adequate hydration, nutrition, rest, and recovery between shifts. 

The report was commissioned in support of UNREDD and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. UNEP will be exploring how further investments can be made to reduce fire risks in critical ecosystems around the world.

• The full report is available post-embargo here: https://bit.ly/3p7UiP0

Coverage highlights:

Associated Press, United States: UN: Wildfires getting worse globally, governments unprepared
Spanish

Agence France Presse, France
World must brace for more extreme wildfires: UN
French
Spanish
Portuguese
German

Reuters, United Kingdom
1) Extreme wildfires are here to stay – and multiply
2) EXPLAINER: ‘Catastrophic’ wildfire risk is growing. Here’s how to cut it

Press Association, United Kingdom: Wildfires getting worse worldwide, with governments unprepared – UN report

Agencia EFE, Spain: Naciones Unidas advierte que el número de incendios forestales aumentará en un 50 % para el 2100

LUSA, Portugal: Peritos da ONU alertam para aumento da intensidade e frequência dos incêndios

Anadolu Agency, Turkey: UN: Šumski požari se pogoršavaju, svijet nepripremljen

Xinhua / 新华网, Mainland China: UNEP calls for investments to mitigate wildfires amid threat

AAP Australia: Extreme wildfires here to stay

News sites

United States

Washington Post
1) Risk of uncontrollable wildfires will rise and spread globally, United Nations warns
2) Editorial: Opinion: The extreme wildfires raging around the world could become a lot worse

New York Times: Climate Change Could Increase Risk of Wildfires 50% by Century’s End

Wall Street Journal: Wildfires Will Become More Intense and Frequent, U.N. Study Finds

The Hill: Wildfire incidence to increase by 50 percent by 2100: UN study

CNN International: Wildfires are getting more extreme and burning more land. The UN says it’s time to ‘learn to live with fire’

Bloomberg: Extreme Wildfire Impacts to Rise Dramatically by 2100, UN Says

Los Angeles Times: Wildfires are getting worse across the globe. How does California compare?

The Verge: Firefighting strategies need an extreme makeover, UN warns

Forbes:
1) Climate Change Could Drive Wildfire Risk Up 50% By End Of Century, UN Warns
2) Wildfires Could Increase 50% This Century. Here’s What To Do About It

BBC United Kingdom: Global warming and land use change to drive more extreme wildfires

The Guardian United Kingdom: Wildfires likely to increase by a third by 2050, warns UN

The Independent, United Kingdom: Global warming ‘turning landscapes into tinderboxes,’ UN wildfires report warns

El Confidencial, Spain: El número de incendios aumentará un 50% de aquí a 2100 y los Gobiernos no están preparados

stern, Germany: UN-Bericht Extreme Waldbrände werden in kommenden Jahren drastisch zunehmen

Der Spiegel, Germany: KatastrophenExperten warnen vor extremem Anstieg von Waldbränden

FAZ, Germany: Schwere Wald- und Buschbrände sollen massiv zunehmen

CGTN, Mainland China: Wildfires to increase by 50% by 2100: UN Environment Programme report

Naver, Korea: UN 기후변화로 2050년엔 산불 30% 증가한다

Tribunnews, Indonesia:
1) PBB: Dunia Bersiap Hadapi Kebakaran Hutan yang Lebih Ekstrem
2) PBB: Jumlah Kasus Kebakaran Hutan di Dunia akan Meningkat karena Pemanasan Global

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia: Longer fire seasons, warmer nights predicted as firefighters reach technological limits

NRK Norway: Varsler 30 til 50 prosent flere katastrofebranner i fremtiden

Sciences et Avenir, France: Le monde n’est pas prêt à affronter les méga-feux appelés à augmenter

Television

CNN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy3ijaYbJvg
Reuters TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQYHC2470zY
Associated Press Television: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ysq031QxAZI
AFP TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e1dqLAQZcI
ANSA TV, Italy, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muqNLc5XQ-c
Adnkronos, Italy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNz5sUV1_vs
PBS Newshour, USA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl1SdsvZNFQ
CBC Television, Canada, The National https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFHig_KeGmM

Newspapers in print

USA
New York Times, United States, Pages 1, 5
Wall Street Journal, United States, Page 9
Washington Post United States Page 16
New York Daily News United States Page 13
Baltimore Sun United States Page: 7
Philadelphia Inquirer United States Page 9
Chicago Tribune United States Page 18
Los Angeles Times United States Page 2
San Francisco Chronicle United States Page 2
Dallas Morning News United States Page 3

The Guardian United Kingdom Page: 27
Deutsche Welle, Germany Page 33
Millennium Post, India Page: 8
Hindustan Times (Delhi) India Page: 4
The Straits Times Singapore Page: 19
Manila Standard Philippines Page: 6
ABC Spain Page: 37
The Irish Times Ireland Page 1
Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review Turkey Page: 1
El Heraldo (Colombia), Page: 1

Full coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here

Of the 18 science news releases produced in 2021, 16 were environment-themed: food waste, e-waste, oceans, biodiversity, dams, and floods. And one announced 14 living male relatives of Leonardo da Vinci, advancing a project investigating his DNA. 

2 minute slideshow: Click here

These releases generated over 9,200 news articles, published at thousands of online news sites in scores of countries and dozens of languages, ~33 billion potential public impressions in all, according to the Meltwater news search engine, which estimates actual impressions via online news sites at 825 million. Millions of additional impressions were also generated via print newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and social media.

With thanks to the researchers and collaborators behind these stories, and to the many journalists who covered them, the following releases were the most noted last year.

Electronic waste generated in the Commonwealth of Independent States + Georgia rose by 50% between 2010 and 2019, roughly the world average, but overall just 3.2% was collected and safely managed, well below the 17.4% average worldwide, according to the UN’s first report dedicated to the e-waste issue in the 12 former Soviet Union countries.

The regional e-waste total jumped from 1.7 Mt to 2.5 Mt (an average 8.7 kg per citizen), with Russia generating the most e-waste in both absolute and per inhabitant terms.

The findings are published in the first-ever “Regional E-waste Monitor, CIS + Georgia,” produced by the Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme, co-hosted by the UN University (UNU) and the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

According to the study, the region’s e-waste spans a variety of products but three categories dominate: temperature exchange equipment (e.g. heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration units), and large equipment (e.g. washing machines or ovens) and small equipment (e.g. kitchen equipment or vacuum cleaners) account for 77%.

The annual growth rate in the region has slowed in nearly all categories but remains positive. Only screens and monitors, and small IT equipment, show negative growth rates.

“E-waste constitutes one of the fastest growing waste streams in today’s global environment and poses a significant threat to both health and sustainable development,” says Ruediger Kuehr, Director of the Sustainable Cycles Programme (SCYCLE).

“However, few countries collect internationally comparable e-waste statistics, and many countries lack the capacity to collect e-waste data at both the regional and national level. We need this data to track changes over time, establish national and international policies, limit e-waste generation, prevent illegal dumping, and promote recycling.”

This Regional E-waste Monitor for the CIS + Georgia is the first of its kind, reviewing e-waste statistics, legislation, and management, created with the aim of enhancing understanding and interpretation of the problem and facilitating the environmentally sound management of e-waste.”

“Such a summary allows for international comparisons and contributes to the development of more effective regional e-waste management systems,” he adds.

10 tonnes of gold

Co-author Kees Balde of the United Nations University underlines that managing e-waste could be an economic opportunity in the region by creating enterprises and thus jobs in the recycling sector.

E-waste generated in the CIS + Georgia in 2019 alone contained 10 tonnes of gold, half a tonne of rare earth metals, 1 million tonnes of iron, 85,000 tonnes of copper, 136,000 tonnes of aluminum, and 700 tonnes of cobalt – representing a total value of US $2.6 billion in secondary raw materials.

Meanwhile, hazardous substances in the region’s 2019 e-waste included at least 2.4 tonnes of mercury, 1.1 tonnes of cadmium, 8,100 tonnes of lead, and 4,000 tonnes of brominated flame retardants — threats to human and environmental health.

“E-waste collection rates need to increase across countries in the region, just as they need to increase elsewhere across the world,” says Dr. Balde. “This improvement can be realised through mandatory handover of e-waste to licenced facilities. Also needed are mandatory reporting obligations for all actors collecting e-waste.”

UBA president Dirk Messner emphasizes that “E-waste is one of the most challenging waste streams all over the world. The amount of electrical and electronic equipment put on the market is rising constantly and thus e-waste does. In Germany we, too, are facing the challenge to boost our collection rates to treat e-waste in the proper way. Policy makers worldwide need a comprehensive analysis of the e-waste situation – both regionally and on a national level. We are happy that through the Advisory Assistance Programme (APP) we have supported this important project. It has been a fruitful exchange and knowledge transfer for both sides.”

Other key findings in the report:

• Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) placed on the market in the region increased by 10% — from 2.9 Mt (10.4 kg/inh) in 2010 to 3.2 Mt (11.0 kg/inh) in 2019.
• The CIS+ countries collected and managed 79 kt (0.3 kg/inh) of e-waste in 2019 – 3.2% of the e-waste generated — and most of the rest ends up in landfills, with informal recyclers cherry picking some valuable components.
• Belarus and Russia have large domestic EEE production industries; the other countries mostly import the EEE placed on the market.
• E-waste collection for environmentally sound management takes place in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine.
• Belarus has the highest e-waste collection per inhabitant and a collection rate: 33.6% (2.7 kg/inh), followed by Kazakhstan (8.8%; 0.6 kg/inh).
• Some countries (e.g. Georgia, Kyrgyzstan) have no e-waste collection due to a lack of organised, separate collection infrastructure for e-waste (and/or lack official data).
• All 12 countries in the region have well-developed legal and regulatory waste management frameworks, but 6 have no specific legislation nor Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems
• Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine have adopted e-waste-specific legislation or regulation
• Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia regulate e-waste through bylaws in national legislation (i.e. specifically mentioning e-waste in their general waste law)
• Armenia and Ukraine are drafting Extended Producer Responsibility systems for e-waste, and Uzbekistan has drafted e-waste legislation
• In most countries, the Ministry of Environment is the responsible government entity. Municipalities and other waste management authorities, as well as state-owned private companies, collect e-waste for further management, mostly landfilling
• Producers/importers also collect e-waste under the EPR, but informal operators also exist in the region and focus on valuable e-waste fractions

The report notes several initiatives and campaign strategies created in the region to create awareness of e-waste collection and recycling with active participation from both the public and private sectors. In some of the 12 countries, the projects and initiatives are conceived and driven by NGOs’ foreign donor funds. These projects that were mapped do not comprise a complete overview in the region, but nonetheless focus on:

• Establishing legal measures
• National studies to map the e-waste situation
• Initiatives to increase e-waste collection points
• Initiatives to export e-waste for environmentally sound management
• Awareness raising campaigns

The report calls on the 12 countries in the region to:

• Introduce and enforce a robust legal and policy framework focused on environmentally sound management of e-waste, or
• Monitor and reinforce existing systems to make them more efficient and effective

Also called for:

• Adequate financing of the systems, monitoring, and cooperation of all stakeholders — essential for ensuring that the policies setup for e-waste management is sustained.
• Strengthened transnational cooperation to reduce the burden of large investments

The report concludes with detailed individual country profiles and elaborates on seven recommendations, headlined:

• Prevent more
• Be more aware
• Collect more
• Pollute less
• Pay adequately
• Work more safely, and
• Train more

* * * * *

About

Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) encompasses all products powered by a battery or plug, including laptops, mobile phones, servers, fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, cooking and other kitchen appliances, many toys, and musical instruments. EEE is increasing rapidly, and spreading quickly in emerging sectors such as electric transport, clean energy production, and smart cities, which base their services on EEE and sensors.

The Regional E-waste Monitor for the CIS + Georgia is produced by the Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programmeco-hosted by the United Nations University (UNU) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The project was funded by the German Federal Environment Ministry’s Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) for environmental protection in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and other countries neighbouring the European Union. It was supervised by the German Environment Agency (UBA). Workshops during the project were co-funded by the International Telecommunication Union and the International Solid Waste Association and were co-organised by UNEP.

The German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) is Germany’s central environmental authority. It employs more than 1,400 people at 13 locations. In addition to ‘purely scientific work’, the enforcement of environmental law – for example the Chemicals Act or the Plant Protection Act – and providing information to the general public about environmental protection issues are key areas of the agency‘s daily work. UBA is a partner and point of contact in Germany for a number of international institutions, for instance the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Environment Agency.
www.umweltbundesamt.de/en

UBA supports the development of human resources and institutional capacities in the environmental sector in its partner countries in a variety of ways. The purpose of the Advisory Assistance Programme (AAP) is the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experience to the target region in order to strengthen environmental administration bodies, raise environmental standards and prepare for environmental investments. UNU’s and UNITAR’s project that provides the 1st regional e-waste report for Commonwealth of Independent States + Georgia fits ideally into these goals.
www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/advisory-assistance-programme

United Nations University (UNU) is an autonomous component of the UN General Assembly dedicated to generating and transferring knowledge and strengthening capacities relevant to global issues of human security, development, and welfare. The University
operates through a worldwide network of research and training centres and programmes, coordinated by the UNU Centre in Tokyo.
www.unu.edu

The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations, with a mission of developing the individual, institutional, and organisational capacity of countries and other United Nations stakeholders through high quality learning solutions and related knowledge products and services as a means for enhancing global decision-making and providing support at the country level in overcoming global challenges.
www.unitar.org

The SCYCLE Programme, in transition from UNU to UNITAR, envisions enabling societies to reduce the environmental load from production, use, and disposal of ubiquitous goods, especially EEE, to sustainable levels by means of independent, comprehensive, and practical research and training, providing more thorough fact bases for policy development and decision making. SCYCLE leads the global e-waste research and related trainings, and advances sustainable e-waste management strategies based on life-cycle thinking.
www.scycle.info

* * * * *

Coverage highlights:

ТАSS, Russia, Количество электронных отходов на свалках СНГ за 10 лет выросло в полтора раза (The amount of e-waste in landfills in the CIS has grown by one and a half times over 10 years), click here

National Geographic Россия, Russia (1,061,937)
Объем электронных отходов на свалках СНГ стремительно растет, (The volume of e-waste in landfills in the CIS is growing rapidly), click here

IndoAsian News Service, India, (via ProKerala), E-waste in Commonwealth of Independent States rises 50% in decade, click here

腾讯网 (TenCent News), Mainland China, 年将10吨黄金当垃圾扔掉，这些国家正在造成巨大浪费 (Throwing away 10 tons of gold as garbage every year, these countries are causing huge waste), click here

Central Asia Media, Russia, Узбекистан среди лидеров в СНГ по количеству электронных отходов на свалках – исследование ООН, (Uzbekistan among CIS leaders in terms of the amount of e-waste in landfills – UN study), click here

Фергана, Russia, Казахстан и Узбекистан — в лидерах СНГ по объему электронных отходов на свалках (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are among the leaders of the CIS in terms of the volume of electronic waste in landfills), click here

Караван, Kazakhstan, ООН обратила внимание на проблему электронных отходов на свалках в Казахстане, (UN drew attention to the problem of e-waste in landfills in Kazakhstan), click here

Repost, Uzbekistan, За 10 лет количество электронных отходов на свалках СНГ выросло в 1,5 раза: большая их часть приходится на Россию, Украину, Казахстан и Узбекистан, (Over the past 10 years, the amount of electronic waste in landfills in the CIS has grown by 1.5 times: most of it comes from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), click here

Tashkent Times, Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan among leaders in e-waste in landfills in CIS, click here

Kant KG, Kyrgyzstan, ООН назвал Узбекистан одним из лидеров в СНГ по количеству электронных отходов на свалках (UN names Uzbekistan one of the leaders in the CIS in terms of the amount of electronic waste in landfills), click here

El Ágora, Spain, Asia central y el este de Europa, puntos negros de los desechos electrónicos (Central Asia and Eastern Europe, e-waste hot spots), click here

Full coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here

Unprecedented changes in climate and biodiversity, driven by human activities, have combined and increasingly threaten nature, human lives, livelihoods and well-being around the world. Biodiversity loss and climate change are both driven by human economic activities and mutually reinforce each other. Neither will be successfully resolved unless both are tackled together.

This is the message of a workshop report, published today by 50 of the world’s leading biodiversity and climate experts.

The peer-reviewed workshop report is the product of a four-day virtual workshop between experts selected by a 12-person Scientific Steering Committee assembled by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the first-ever collaboration between these two intergovernmental bodies.

The report finds that previous policies have largely tackled biodiversity loss and climate change independently of each other, and that addressing the synergies between mitigating biodiversity loss and climate change, while considering their social impacts, offers the opportunity to maximize benefits and meet global development goals.

“Human-caused climate change is increasingly threatening nature and its contributions to people, including its ability to help mitigate climate change. The warmer the world gets, the less food, drinking water and other key contributions nature can make to our lives, in many regions” said Prof. Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-chair of the Scientific Steering Committee.

“Changes in biodiversity, in turn, affect climate, especially through impacts on nitrogen, carbon and water cycles,” he said. “The evidence is clear: a sustainable global future for people and nature is still achievable, but it requires transformative change with rapid and far-reaching actions of a type never before attempted, building on ambitious emissions reductions. Solving some of the strong and apparently unavoidable trade-offs between climate and biodiversity will entail a profound collective shift of individual and shared values concerning nature – such as moving away from the conception of economic progress based solely on GDP growth, to one that balances human development with multiple values of nature for a good quality of life, while not overshooting biophysical and social limits.”

The authors also warn that narrowly-focused actions to combat climate change can directly and indirectly harm nature and vice-versa, but many measures exist that can make significant positive contributions in both areas.

Among the most important available actions identified in the report are:

• Stopping the loss and degradation of carbon- and species-rich ecosystems on land and in the ocean, especially forests, wetlands, peatlands, grasslands and savannahs; coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, kelp forests and seagrass meadows; as well as deep water and polar blue carbon habitats. The report highlights that reducing deforestation and forest degradation can contribute to lowering human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, by a wide range from 0.4-5.8 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent every year.
• Restoring carbon- and species-rich ecosystems. The authors point to evidence that restoration is among the cheapest and quickest nature-based climate mitigation measures to implement – offering much-needed habitat for plants and animals, thus enhancing resilience of biodiversity in the face of climate change, with many other benefits such as flood regulation, coastal protection, enhanced water quality, reduced soil erosion and ensuring pollination. Ecosystem restoration can also create jobs and income, especially when taking into consideration the needs and access rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
• Increasing sustainable agricultural and forestry practices to improve the capacity to adapt to climate change, enhance biodiversity, increase carbon storage and reduce emissions. These include measures such as diversification of planted crop and forest species, agroforestry and agroecology. Improved management of cropland and grazing systems, such as soil conservation and the reduction of fertilizer use, is jointly estimated by the report to offer annual climate change mitigation potential of 3-6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
• Enhancing and better-targeting conservation actions, coordinated with and supported by strong climate adaptation and innovation. Protected areas currently represent about 15% of land and 7.5% of the ocean. Positive outcomes are expected from substantially increasing intact and effectively protected areas. Global estimates of exact requirements for effectively protected and conserved areas to ensure a habitable climate, self-sustaining biodiversity and a good quality of life are not yet well established but range from 30 to 50 percent of all ocean and land surface areas. Options to improve the positive impacts of protected areas include greater resourcing, better management and enforcement, and improved distribution with increased inter-connectivity between these areas. Conservation measures beyond protected areas are also spotlighted – including migration corridors and planning for shifting climates, as well as better integration of people with nature to assure equity of access and use of nature’s contributions to people.
• Eliminating subsidies that support local and national activities harmful to biodiversity – such as deforestation, over-fertilization and over-fishing, can also support climate change mitigation and adaptation, together with changing individual consumption patterns, reducing loss and waste, and shifting diets, especially in rich countries, toward more plant-based options.Some focused climate mitigation and adaptation measures identified by the report as harmful to biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people include:
• Planting bioenergy crops in monocultures over a very large share of land areas. Such crops are detrimental to ecosystems when deployed at very large scales, reducing nature’s contributions to people and impeding achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals. At small scales, alongside pronounced and rapid reductions in fossil-fuel emissions, dedicated bioenergy crops for electricity production or fuels may provide co-benefits for climate adaptation and biodiversity.
• Planting trees in ecosystems that have not historically been forests and reforestation with monocultures – especially with exotic tree species. This can contribute to climate change mitigation but is often damaging to biodiversity, food production and other nature’s contributions to people, has no clear benefits for climate adaptation, and may displace local people through competition for land.
• Increasing irrigation capacity. A common response to adapt agricultural systems to drought that often leads to water conflicts, dam building and long- term soil degradation from salinization.
• Any measures that focus too narrowly on climate change mitigation should be evaluated in terms of their overall benefits and risks, such as some renewable energies generating surges of mining activity or consuming large amounts of land. The same applies to some technical measures too narrowly focused on adaptation, such as building dams and sea walls. Although important options for mitigating and adapting to climate change exist, these can have large negative environmental and social impacts – such as interference with migratory species and habitat fragmentation. Such impacts can be minimized, for instance, by developing alternative batteries and long-lived products, efficient recycling systems for mineral resources, and approaches to mining that include strong considerations for environmental and social sustainability.

The report authors stress that while nature offers effective ways to help mitigate climate change, these solutions can only be effective if building on ambitious reductions in all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. “Land and ocean are already doing a lot – absorbing almost 50% of CO2 from human emissions – but nature cannot do everything,” said Ana María Hernández Salgar, Chair of IPBES. “Transformative change in all parts of society and our economy is needed to stabilize our climate, stop biodiversity loss and chart a path to the sustainable future we want. This will also require us to address both crises together, in complementary ways.”

Highlighting the significance of the co-sponsored workshop, Dr. Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC, said: “Climate change and biodiversity loss combine to threaten society – often magnifying and accelerating each other. By focusing on synergies and trade-offs between biodiversity protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation, this workshop advanced the debate on how to maximize benefits to people and the planet. It also represented an important step in collaboration between our two communities.”

“It may be impossible to achieve win-win synergies, or even manage the tradeoffs between climate and biodiversity actions in every single patch of a landscape or seascape,” said Prof. Pörtner, “But achieving sustainable outcomes becomes progressively easier when integrating a mix of actions at larger spatial scales, through cross-border collaboration and joint consultative spatial planning, which is why it is important to also address the lack of effective governance systems and mechanisms to improve integration between solutions for climate change and biodiversity.”

###

The Governments of the United Kingdom and of Norway co-hosted the virtual workshop. “This is an absolutely critical year for nature and climate,” said Lord Zac Goldsmith, UK Minister of State for Pacific and the Environment. “With the UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, and the Glasgow Climate Change Conference in the UK, we have an opportunity and responsibility to put the world on a path to recovery. This hugely valuable report by the experts of IPBES and IPCC makes it clear that addressing biodiversity loss and climate change together offers our best chance of doing so.”

Sveinung Rotevatn, Norwegian Minister for Climate and Environment added: “Policies, efforts and actions to solve the global biodiversity and climate crises will only succeed if they are based on the best knowledge and evidence, which is why Norway welcomes this expert workshop report. It is clear that we cannot solve these threats in isolation – we either solve both or we solve neither.”

Paying tribute to the work of all the authors and expert reviewers, the Executive Secretary of IPBES, Dr. Anne Larigauderie, also recalled the recent and tragic passing of Prof. Robert Scholes, the other Co-Chair of the workshop’s Scientific Steering Committee, and his many contributions to both the IPCC and IPBES.

It is important to note that the workshop report has not been subjected to IPBES or IPCC review, and that IPBES and IPCC co-sponsorship of the workshop does not imply IPBES or IPCC endorsement or approval of the workshop or its conclusions.

The report is available at http://www.ipbes.net/biodiversityclimatescience

* * * * *

Coverage highlights:

The New York Times: click here

The Guardian, click here

Associated Press, click here

Reuters, click here

Deutsche Presse Agentur, click here

Agencia EFE, click here

BBC, click here

Le Monde, click here

EL PAÍS, click here

Süddeutsche Zeitung, click here

New Scientist, click here

MSN News, click here

France24, click here

Independent, click here

The Hindu, click here

Full news release, click here

Coverage summary, click here

Wasted in 2019: 931 million tonnes of food sold to households, retailers, restaurants and other food services; Study finds food waste is a global, not just developed world, problem; Food Waste Index report helps countries track progress on UN SDG

An estimated 931 million tonnes of food, or 17% of total food available to consumers in 2019, went into the waste bins of households, retailers, restaurants and other food services, according to new UN research conducted to support global efforts to halve food waste by 2030.

The weight roughly equals that of 23 million fully-loaded 40-tonne trucks — enough bumper-to-bumper to circle the Earth 7 times.

The Food Waste Index Report 2021, from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organization WRAP, looks at food waste that occurs in retail outlets, restaurants and homes – counting both food and inedible parts like bones and shells. The report presents the most comprehensive food waste data collection, analysis and modelling to date, and offers a methodology for countries to measure food waste. 152 food waste data points were identified in 54 countries.

The report finds that in nearly every country that has measured food waste, it was substantial, regardless of income level. It shows that most of this waste comes from households, which discard 11% of the total food available at the consumption stage of the supply chain. Food services and retail outlets waste 5% and 2% respectively.

On a global per capita-level, 121 kilograms of consumer-level food is wasted each year, with 74 kilograms of this happening in households. The report also includes regional and national per capita estimates.

Food waste has substantial environmental, social and economic impacts. For example, at a time when climate action is still lagging, 8%-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed, when losses before consumer level are taken into account.

“Reducing food waste would cut greenhouse gas emissions, slow the destruction of nature through land conversion and pollution, enhance the availability of food and thus reduce hunger and save money at a time of global recession,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “If we want to get serious about tackling climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, businesses, governments and citizens around the world have to do their part to reduce food waste. The UN Food Systems Summit this year will provide an opportunity to launch bold new actions to tackle food waste globally.”

With 690 million people affected by hunger in 2019, a number expected to rise sharply with COVID-19, and three billion people unable to afford a healthy diet, consumers need help to reduce food waste at home.

Countries can raise climate ambition by including food waste in Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement, while strengthening food security and cutting costs to households. This makes food waste prevention also a primary area for inclusion in COVID-19 recovery strategies.

A global problem

“For a long time, it was assumed that food waste in the home was a significant problem only in developed countries,” said Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP. “With the publication of the Food Waste Index report, we see that things are not so clear cut.

“With only 9 years to go, we will not achieve SDG 12 Target 3 if we do not significantly increase investment in tackling food waste in the home globally. This must be a priority for governments, international organisations, businesses and philanthropic foundations.”

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 12.3 aims at halving per-capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains. One of the two indicators for the target is the Food Waste Index.

A growing number of countries have measured food waste in recent years. The reports finds that 14 countries already have household food waste data collected in a way that is compatible with the Food Waste Index. A further 38 countries have household food waste data where small changes in methodology, geographical coverage or sample size would allow them to create an SDG 12.3-compatible estimate. A total of 54 countries had data for at least one of the three sectors covered by the report.

The new global consumer-level food waste estimates were generated from existing data points and extrapolations based upon the estimates observed in other countries. With 75% of the world’s population living in a country with a directly observed food waste estimate at the household level, confidence of the estimate in this sector is higher. With far lower direct estimates at the retail and foodservice level, confidence in estimates in these sectors is lower.

Data on the breakdown between food and inedible parts wasted is available only in a few high-income countries and shows a fifty/fifty split on average at the household level. The proportion of inedible parts is an important knowledge gap and may be higher in lower-income countries.

To build on the work of the report, UNEP will launch regional working groups to help build countries’ capabilities to measure food waste in time for the next round of SDG 12.3 reporting in late 2022, and support them to develop national baselines to track progress towards the 2030 goal and design national strategies to prevent food waste. This week, WRAP has launched the UK’s first national Food Waste Action Week (1-7 March), driving home the message that wasting food feeds climate change.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About WRAP

WRAP is a global NGO based in the UK. It is one of the UK’s top 5 environmental charities and works with governments, businesses and individuals to ensure that the world’s natural resources are used sustainably. Founded in 2000 in the UK, WRAP now works around the world and is a Global Alliance Partner of The Royal Foundation’s Earthshot Prize.

Coverage highlights

Newswires

The Associated Press, via Washington Post, United States (109,105,960)
17% of food production globally wasted, UN report estimates

Bloomberg, United States (57,014,799)
In One Year a Billion Tons of Food Got Wasted — Mostly at Home

Agence France Presse

• English
  Nearly a fifth of all food reaching consumers wasted: UN
• Portuguese
  Cerca de 20% dos alimentos são desperdiçados no mundo, diz ONU
• French
  Près de 20 % de la nourriture gaspillée dans le monde
• Spanish
  Casi un 20% de los alimentos se desperdician en el mundo, según la ONU

Reuters, United Kingdom

• English, UN report says 17% of food wasted at consumer level
• Spanish, El 17% de los alimentos se desperdicia a nivel del consumidor: informe ONU

Agencia EFE, Spain
ONU: el mundo desperdició 931 millones de toneladas de alimentos en 2019

Europa Press, Spain
La ONU alerta de que se desperdicia el 17% de todos los alimentos disponibles en el mundo

Kyodo News, Japan
家庭の食品ごみ、年5.7億トン 国連発表、日本は1人64キロ

TT Nyhetsbyrån, Sweden
FN-rapport: 17 procent av all mat slängs

Inter Press Service, Italy
How Households Increased Food Waste is Feeding Climate Change

Press Trust of India
India Wasted Over 68 Million Tons Of Food In 2019: UN Report

Indo Asian News Service, India
17% of all food available at consumer level is wasted: UN

Bernama, Malaysia
Food waste: Amount thrown away totals 900 million tonnes

Xinhua, China
UNEP says hunger elimination target in peril amid surging food waste

SAPO, Portugal
Em 2019, foram desperdiçadas 931 milhões de toneladas de alimentos

HINA, Croatia
U svijetu se godišnje baci milijardu tona hrane. Diljem svijeta, gladno je 700 milijuna ljudi

News sites

The Guardian, United Kingdom
People wasting almost 1bn tonnes of food a year, UN report reveals

BBC News, United Kingdom
Food waste: Amount thrown away totals 900 million tonnes

The Independent, United Kingdom
Massive impact of food waste on climate with nearly a billion tons binned each year, finds UN report

New Scientist, United Kingdom
Over one-sixth of all food produced ends up being thrown in the bin

Forbes, United States
The Enormous Scale Of Global Food Waste [Infographic]

New York Daily News, United States
17% of world’s food production was wasted in 2019: UN

Voice of America, United States
Food Waste Problem Needs Better Data: UN Report

Christian Science Monitor, United States
Food waste: New UN report tries to measure what we throw away

Deutsche Welle, Germany

• English: True scale of global food waste remains unclear
• Spanish: ONU: el 17 por ciento de los alimentos termina en la basura
• Turkish: Gıda atığı sorunu alarm veriyor

El País, Spain
El insostenible desperdicio alimentario: el 17% de los alimentos acaba en la basura

Russia Today (RT.com), Russia
Nearly a fifth of all food produced around the world ends up in the bin, UN report says

Times Of India

• Over one-sixth of total food produced globally ends up in waste bins
• At 50 kg per person per year, food wastage in Indian homes less than that in neighbouring countries
  In print, Page 22
  50kg of food wasted per person per year in Indian homes: UNEP
  also
  Times of India YouTube Channel
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMLtejS6Dq0

India Times, India
931 Mn Tonnes Of Food Was Wasted Globally In 2019, An Indian Household Wasted 50 Kgs: UN Report

Hindustan Times, India
17% of total food available globally wasted in 2019: Here’s what the UN said

CGTN, Mainland China
Food equivalent to 23 million fully-loaded trucks wasted in 2019

Libération, France
Environ 17% des denrées alimentaires atterrissent à la poubelle

La Croix, France
Le gaspillage alimentaire mondial serait deux fois plus important qu’estimé

Spektrum der Wissenschaft, Germany
Knapp eine Milliarde Tonnen Lebensmittel werden weggeworfen

Down To Earth, India
17 per cent of all food available at consumer levels was wasted in 2019, reveals Food Waste Index

COSMOS Magazine, Australia
Waste not, want not

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya
UN: 17pc of all food available at consumer levels is wasted

Clarín, Argentina
ONU: Se desperdician 17% de los alimentos en el mundo

UOL Notícias, Brazil
Mundo desperdiçou 931 milhões de toneladas de alimentos em 2019, indica ONU

Euronews, France
More than 900 million tonnes of food is thrown away each year, says UN

Sveriges Radio, Sweden
I snitt slänger du 74 kilo mat per år

Newspapers in print
Major titles:

The Guardian UK, Page 12: Billion tonnes of food goes to waste each year, UN report reveals

The Guardian USA, USA, Page 15: People wasting almost 1bn tonnes of food a year, UN report reveals

The Independent, UK, Page 62: One billion tons of food is wasted every year, UN finds

Metro, UK, Page 7: What a waste! Fifth of all food is thrown out

Daily Telegraph, UK, Page 2: World is ‘wasting 931m tons of food each year’

Svenska Dagbladet, Sweden, Page 20

Le Journal de Montreal, Canada, Page 19: Le gaspillage alimentaire atteint des sommets

Khaleej Times, UAE, Page 1: A fifth of food goes waste globally: UN JUNK FOOD

Opinion

Column, Times Now, India
Stop Food wastage: How Indian households recycle Kal Raat Ka Khana Leftovers

Editorial, The Express Tribune, Pakistan
Food waste

Television

TRT World, Turkey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6oUYbTb8xI

News release in full, click here

Coverage summary, click here (to 11 am US ET March 6):

Total # of hits at online news sites: 1,277

Languages: 30

Countries: 80

Potential impressions (online only, does not include TV, radio, newspaper print editions): 4.7 billion

(note: per Meltwater — assume 2.5% of visitors to a news site view a particular article = 112 million impressions, online only) 

• Meeting ramped-up climate and biodiversity targets, cutting deadly pollution and achieving SDGs needs an all-society push for sustainability
• Shifting world views and putting nature at the heart of decision-making is key to achieving transformative change
• COVID-19 recovery plans are an unmissable opportunity to invest in nature and reach net zero emissions by 2050

The world can transform its relationship with nature and tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises together to secure a sustainable future and prevent future pandemics, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that offers a comprehensive blueprint for addressing our triple planetary emergency.

The report, Making Peace with Nature, lays out the gravity of these three environmental crises by drawing on global assessments, including those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, as well as UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook report, the UNEP International Resource Panel, and new findings on the emergence of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.

The authors assess the links between multiple environmental and development challenges, and explain how advances in science and bold policymaking can open a pathway towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and a carbon neutral world by 2050 while bending the curve on biodiversity loss and curbing pollution and waste.

Taking that path means innovation and investment only in activities that protect both people and nature. Success will include restored ecosystems and healthier lives as well as a stable climate.

“By bringing together the latest scientific evidence showing the impacts and threats of the climate emergency, the biodiversity crisis and the pollution that kills millions of people every year, [this report] makes clear that our war on nature has left the planet broken,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in the report’s Foreword. “But it also guides us to a safer place by providing a peace plan and a post-war rebuilding programme.

“By transforming how we view nature, we can recognize its true value. By reflecting this value in policies, plans and economic systems, we can channel investments into activities that restore nature and are rewarded for it,” he added. “By recognizing nature as an indispensable ally, we can unleash human ingenuity in the service of sustainability and secure our own health and well-being alongside that of the planet.”

Amid a wave of investment to re-energize economies hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the blueprint communicates the opportunity and urgency for ambitious and immediate action.

It also lays out the roles that everyone – from governments and businesses to communities and individuals – can and must play. 2021 is especially crucial, with upcoming climate and biodiversity convention meetings – UNFCCC COP 26 and CBD COP 15 – where governments must come up with synergistic and ambitious targets to safeguard the planet by almost halving greenhouse gas emissions in this decade, and by conserving and restoring biodiversity.

Tackling three planetary threats together

Economic growth has brought uneven gains in prosperity to a fast-growing global population, leaving 1.3 billion people poor, while tripling the extraction of natural resources to damaging levels and creating a planetary emergency.

Despite a temporary decline in emissions due to the pandemic, Earth is heading for at least 3°C of global warming this century; more than 1 million of the estimated 8 million plant and animal species are at substantially increased risk of extinction; and diseases caused by pollution are currently killing some 9 million people prematurely every year.

Environmental degradation is impeding progress towards ending poverty and hunger, reducing inequalities and promoting sustainable economic growth, work for all and peaceful and inclusive societies.

The report shows how this trio of environmental emergencies interact and have common causes, and thus can only be effectively addressed together. Subsidies on fossil fuels, for instance, and prices that leave out environmental costs, are driving the wasteful production and consumption of energy and natural resources that are behind all three problems.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said the report highlighted the importance of changing mindsets and values, and finding political and technical solutions that measure up to the Earth’s environmental crises.

“In showing how the health of people and nature are intertwined, the COVID-19 crisis has underlined the need for a step-change in how we view and value nature. By reflecting that value in decision-making – whether we are talking about economic policy or personal choices – we can bring about a rapid and lasting shift toward sustainability for both people and the environment,” she said.

“‘Green recovery’ plans for pandemic-hit economies are an unmissable opportunity to accelerate the transformation.”

Released ahead of the fifth UN Environment Assembly, the report presents a strong case for why and how urgent action should be taken to protect and restore the planet and its climate in a holistic way.

It presents examples of what transformative change can look like, and how it can create prosperity, employment and greater equality. Far-reaching change involves recasting how we value and invest in nature, integrating that value into policies and decisions at all levels, overhauling subsidies and other elements of economic and financial systems, and fostering innovation in sustainable technologies and business models. Massive private investment in electric mobility and alternative fuels show how whole industries recognize the potential gains from shifting quickly.

The authors point out that ending environmental decline in all its forms is essential to advancing many of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular poverty alleviation, food and water security and good health for all. An example is how intensifying agriculture and fishing in sustainable ways, allied with changes in diets and lower food waste, can help end global hunger and poverty and improve nutrition and health while sparing more land and ocean for nature.

Reinforcing the call for action, the report stresses the need for stakeholders at all levels of society to be involved in decision-making, and identifies dozens of key actions that governments, businesses, communities and individuals can and should undertake in order to bring about a sustainable world.

For instance:

• Governments can include natural capital in measures of economic performance, put a price on carbon and shift trillions of dollars in subsidies from fossil fuels, non-sustainable agriculture and transportation towards low-carbon and nature-friendly solutions
• International organizations can promote One Health approaches and ambitious international targets for biodiversity, such as expanded and improved protected area networks
• Financial organizations can stop lending for fossil fuels and develop innovative finance for biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture.
• Businesses can adopt the principles of the circular economy to minimize resource use and waste and commit to maintaining transparent and deforestation-free supply chains
• Non-government organizations can build networks of stakeholders to ensure their full participation in decisions about sustainable use of land and marine resources
• Scientific organizations can pioneer technologies and policies to reduce carbon emissions, increase resource efficiency and lift the resilience of cities, industries, communities and ecosystems
• Individuals can reconsider their relationship with nature, learn about sustainability and change their habits to reduce their use of resources, cut waste of food, water and energy, and adopt healthier diets

A sustainable future also means learning from the COVID-19 crisis to reduce the threat of pandemic diseases. The report underlines how ecosystem degradation heightens the risk of pathogens making the jump from animals to humans, and the importance of a ‘One Health’ approach that considers human, animal and planetary health together.

###

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)

UNEA is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. The Environment Assembly meets biennially to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law. Through its resolutions and calls to action, the Assembly provides leadership and catalyses intergovernmental action on the environment.

* * * * *

Coverage highlights:

Al Jazeera, Qatar: UN report highlights perils of world’s environmental destruction

Associated Press, United States: UN: Huge changes in society needed to keep nature, Earth OK
Spanish: ONU: Se necesitan grandes cambios en la sociedad para mantener la naturaleza, la Tierra en buen estado

Agence France Presse: Environmental Degradation Poses Triple Threat To Humans: UN

Reuters: U.N. chief backs new blueprint to end suicidal war on nature

Agencia EFE, Spain: La ONU solicita hacer la paz con la naturaleza para evitar el desastre  

UK Press Association: Dramatic changes in society needed to tackle environmental crises, says UN

IndoAsian News Service, India: UNEP synthesis provides blueprint to solve climate crisis

News sites

The Guardian, United Kingdom: Human destruction of nature is ‘senseless and suicidal’, warns UN chief

The Independent, United Kingdom: World must ‘transform relationship with nature’ to tackle burgeoning environmental crises, says UN

The Weather Network, Canada: Biodiversity, pollution, and climate change are interconnected: UN report

Coverage summary in full, click here

News release in full, click here

Including construction, building sector now accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions; Direct building CO2 emissions need to halve by 2030 to get on track for net zero carbon building stock by 2050; Governments must prioritize low-carbon buildings post-pandemic

Emissions from the operation of buildings hit their highest-ever level in 2019, moving the sector further away from fulfilling its huge potential to slow climate change and contribute significantly to the goals of the Paris Agreement, according to a new report released today.

However, pandemic recovery packages provide an opportunity to push deep building renovation and performance standards for newly constructed buildings, and rapidly cut emissions. The forthcoming updating of climate pledges under the Paris Agreement – known as nationally determined contributions or NDCs – also offer an opportunity to sharpen existing measures and include new commitments on the buildings and construction sector.

The 2020 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), found that while global building energy consumption remained steady year-on-year, energy-related CO₂ emissions increased to 9.95 GtCO₂ in 2019. This increase was due to a shift away from the direct use of coal, oil and traditional biomass towards electricity, which had a higher carbon content due to the high proportion of fossil fuels used in generation.

When adding emissions from the building construction industry on top of operational emissions, the sector accounted for 38 per cent of total global energy-related CO₂ emissions.

“Rising emissions in the buildings and construction sector emphasize the urgent need for a triple strategy to aggressively reduce energy demand in the built environment, decarbonize the power sector and implement materials strategies that reduce lifecycle carbon emissions,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

“Green recovery packages can provide the spark that will get us moving rapidly in the right direction,” she added. “Moving the buildings and construction sector onto a low-carbon pathway will slow climate change and deliver strong economic recovery benefits, so it should be a clear priority for all governments.”

To get on track to net-zero carbon building stock by 2050, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that direct building CO₂ emissions need, by 2030, to fall by 50 per cent and indirect building sector emissions by 60 per cent. This equates to building sector emissions falling by around 6 per cent per year until 2030, close to the 7 per cent decrease in 2020 global energy sector CO₂ emissions due to the pandemic.

Worryingly, the GlobalABC’s new Buildings Climate Tracker – which considers measures such as incremental energy efficiency investment in buildings and the share of renewable energy in global buildings – finds that the rate of annual improvement is decreasing. It in fact halved between 2016 and 2019. To get the buildings sector on track to achieving net-zero carbon by 2050, all actors across the buildings value chain need to increase decarbonization actions and their impact by a factor of five.

Even though progress in efficiency efforts has not kept up with an increase in sectoral growth, there are positive signs and opportunities to catch up on climate action, the report finds.

Green recovery potential

The recent Emissions Gap Report 2020 from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) found that a green pandemic recovery could cut up to 25 per cent off predicted 2030 greenhouse gas emissions and bring the world closer to meeting the 2°C goal of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Much more needs to be done to get to the 1.5°C goal.

Governments can help achieve these gains by systematically including building decarbonization measures into recovery packages – increasing renovation rates, channelling investment into low-carbon buildings, providing jobs, and increasing real estate value.

While construction activities have dropped by 20 to 30 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019 as a result of the pandemic and around ten per cent of overall jobs have been lost or are at risk across the building construction sector, stimulus programmes for the building and construction sector can create jobs, boost economic activity, and activate local value chains. Under its Sustainable Recovery Plan, the IEA estimates that up to 30 jobs in manufacturing and construction would be created for every million dollars invested in retrofits or efficiency measures in new builds.

‘Buildings are a strategic sector to simultaneously address various global challenges such as climate change, the economic crisis resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic, improve living conditions and the resilience of our cities. For Mexico, the implementation of mitigation measures that improve the thermal and energy performance of buildings is a key ingredient for sustainability.’ Said Sergio Israel Mendoza, General Director of Environmental, Urban and Tourism Promotion, Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)

NDC updates open window for faster action

Most countries have yet to submit their second NDCs. Buildings remain a major area that lacks specific mitigation policies, despite its importance to global CO₂ emissions. Of those who have submitted an NDC, 136 countries mention buildings, 53 countries mention building energy efficiency, and only 38 specifically call out building energy codes.

National governments must step up commitments in NDCs, longer-term climate strategies and support for regulation to spur uptake of net-zero emissions buildings. This means prioritizing performance-based, mandatory building energy codes alongside wide-spread certification measures and working closely with sub-national governments to facilitate adoption and implementation.

We urgently need to address carbon emissions from buildings and construction, which constitute almost 40% of global carbon emissions.

We must give governments visibility of this at COP26 to inspire policies and decisions that result in the significant decarbonisation of this sector’, Nigel Topping, United Kingdom High-Level Climate Champion said.

‘We need to challenge the incumbency of steel and concrete. Whether or not zero carbon steel and concrete become the materials of the future will depend on how fast those industries innovate in the face of new and disruptive technologies. We have some far-reaching commitments under the Science-Based Targets Initiative by leading materials companies which can serve as examples pushing the industry to go further, together.’

Energy-efficient building investment rising

In 2019, spending on energy-efficient buildings increased for the first time in three years, with building energy efficiency across global markets increasing to USD 152 billion in 2019, 3 per cent more than the previous year.

This is only a small proportion of the USD 5.8 trillion spent in total in the building and construction sector, but there are positive signs across the investment sector that building decarbonization and energy efficiency are taking hold in investment strategies.

For example, of the 1,005 real estate companies, developers, REITS, and funds representing more than USD 4.1 trillion in assets under management that reported to The Global ESG Benchmark for Real Assets in 2019, 90 per cent aligned their projects with green building rating standards for construction and operations.

Green buildings represent one of the biggest global investment opportunities of the next decade, estimated by the IFC to be USD 24.7 trillion by 2030.

Further recommendations

Aside from calling for a green recover post-pandemic and updated NDCs, the report also recommends that owners and businesses should use science-based targets to guide actions and engage with stakeholders across the building design, construction, operation and users to develop partnerships and build capacity.

Investors should reevaluate all real estate investment through an energy-efficiency and carbon reduction lens.

Other actors across the value chain should adopt circular economy concepts to reduce the demand for construction materials and lower embodied carbon and adopting nature-based solutions that enhance building resilience.

###

Report executive summary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k2X0oASPl-RUsi90RdKLMkrBfalv29yW/view

About the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC)

The GlobalABC is the leading global platform for governments, the private sector, civil society and intergovernmental and international organizations to increase action towards a zero-emission, efficient and resilient buildings and construction sector. The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) was a key outcome of the 2015 UN climate conference.

About the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

Coverage highlights

Deutsche Presse Agentur, Germany, via Handelsblatt (10,754,226), UN-Behörde: CO2-Ausstoß im Gebäude- und Bausektor auf Höchstniveau, click here

Agencia EFE, Spain, Edificios y el sector de la construcción suman el 38 % de las emisiones globales de CO2, click here

IndoAsian News Service, India, Buildings-related emissions hit record high: Report, click here

Daily Mail, United Kingdom (potential reach: 93,430,373)
Construction and operation of buildings account for 38 PER CENT of global carbon dioxide emissions and must be reduced ‘urgently’, UN report reveals, click here

Express, United Kingdom (54,676,511), Fixing the problems caused by construction could be a huge step in tackling rising temperatures, click here

Der Spiegel, Germany (30,187,622) Uno-Report über GebäudeemissionennKlimaproblem, in Beton gegossen, click here

Repubblica, Italy (30,092,894), Onu: le emissioni di CO2 legate agli edifici sono da record, click here

The Verge, United States (36,326,580) How to slash buildings’ growing greenhouse gas emissions, click here; Portuguese, via Replicario, Brazil, Como reduzir as crescentes emissões de gases de efeito estufa dos edifícios, click here

Gizmodo, United States (9,843,793), Buildings Are Becoming a Huge Source of Carbon Pollution, click here

NTV, Turkey (12,072,406), İnşaat ve yapı endüstrisi dünyadaki karbon emisyonlarının üçte birinden fazlasına neden oluyor, click here

DiePresse, Austria (2,249,456), UNEP: CO2-Ausstoß im Gebäude- und Bausektor auf Höchstniveau, click here

Global Times, China (1,687,600), Emissions from buildings imperil efforts to mitigate climate change, click here

Down To Earth, India (660,374), CO2 emissions from building sector highest in 2019: UNEP, click here

Il Piccolo, Italy (212,623), Onu: le emissioni di CO2 legate agli edifici sono da record, click here

eldyar, Egypt (172,074), الديار | تقرير للأمم المتحدة: تشييد المبانى وتشغيلها تسبب فى ثلث انبعاثات الكربون (United Nations report: building construction and operation cause one-third of carbon emissions), click here

Economic Times, India (137,381), Buildings-related emissions hit record high: Report, click here

People’s Daily (FR), China (25,149)
Le PNUE affirme que la hausse des émissions de carbone dans le secteur du bâtiment menace l’agenda écologique, click here

중앙일보 (JoongAng Ilbo), Korea (6,998,391)2050 ‘탄소 중립’하려면 건물 발생 온실가스 절반 줄여야, click here

Science.ORF, Austria (1,124,568)Rekord bei CO2-Ausstoß im Gebäudesektor, click here

Environment Magazine, France (31,849) En 2019, les émissions de CO2 des bâtiments atteignent des sommets, click here

한겨레 (Hani), Korea (6,221,772), 건물에서 배출하는 이산화탄소, 전체의 38% 차지…사상 최고, click here

Scientias, Netherlands (847,171), CO2-uitstoot van de bouw bereikt recordhoogte, click here

Climate Control News, Australia (3,128), Record breaking emissions from global building sector, click here

Full coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here

In a move that will help tackle one of the biggest and most solvable contributors to the climate crisis, major players in the oil and gas industry agreed today to report methane emissions with a new, much higher level of transparency.

“To win the race to net zero emissions, we need everyone on board. We need ambitious action from the oil and gas industry. UNEP is committed to supporting efforts that reduce methane emissions, and we recognize the leadership of companies that have joined such an ambitious methane reporting framework,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “We look forward to seeing actions that turn commitments into actual emissions reduction”.

Methane released directly into the atmosphere is a highly potent greenhouse gas, with more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Actions to cut methane emissions can yield a near-term reduction in the rate of warming, complementing efforts to decarbonize the world’s energy and transport systems while also delivering air quality benefits.

Kadri Simson, EU Energy Commissioner, said “I am very happy to see the energy industry taking immediate action on methane emissions. A clear commitment to measure and monitor emissions is an important first step for significantly reducing them and I am proud of what we have achieved together. Today’s signature is the first deliverable under the Commission’s recent methane strategy.There are many more steps to take to cut emissions along the entire value chain and I hope to work closely with all – European and international – partners to reach this goal.”

The Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) is a Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) initiative led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the European Commission (EC), and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Already 62 companies (listed by headquarters country here: https://bit.ly/2ITwrAj), with assets on five continents representing 30 per cent of the world’s oil and gas production, have joined the partnership. The new OGMP2.0 framework is the new gold standard reporting framework that will improve the reporting accuracy and transparency of anthropogenic methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.

“Thanks to the 62 companies for committing to measure, report and reduce pollution from their core operations and joint ventures. This will be the basis for robust standards in Europe, and beyond, that ensure the oil industry takes the practical actions urgently needed for our climate,” said Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund.

Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0

At the core of the effort is a comprehensive measurement-based methane-reporting framework that will make it easier for officials, investors and the public to accurately track and compare performance across companies in ways that have not been possible to this point.

“Reducing methane emissions is a key element to ensure that natural gas fully plays its role in the energy transition and this new partnership will foster the sharing of industry best practices, especially on non-operated assets, and improve monitoring” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & CEO of Total. “It is a new step in the fight against methane emissions and our industry is deeply committed to the success of this initiative.”

As stipulated in the EU methane strategy, the European Commission is planning to elaborate a legislative proposal on compulsory measurement, reporting, and verification for all energy-related methane emissions, building on the OGMP 2.0 framework

Crucially, the OGMP 2.0 includes not only a company’s own operations, but also the many joint ventures responsible for a substantial share of their production. The OGMP 2.0 framework applies to the full oil and gas value chain, not only upstream production, but also midstream transportation and downstream processing and refining – areas with substantial emissions potential that are often left out of reporting today.

The goal is to enable the oil and gas industry to realize deep reductions in methane emissions over the next decade in a way that is transparent to civil society and governments.

In order to support the realization of global climate targets, OGMP 2.0 aims to deliver a 45 per cent reduction in the industry’s methane emissions by 2025, and a 60-75 per cent reduction by 2030.

“Reducing methane emissions is a crucial effort in the industry’s decarbonization pathway. As a factor on which we can have an immediate and concrete positive impact, OGMP 2.0 offers an internationally recognized blueprint to companies across our industry willing to make improvements in their emission reductions in all phases of the value chain. We look forward to continue working with all partners involved, as only through collaboration with international organizations, civil society and governments we can deliver on our common goals,” said Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer of ENI.

Cost-effective solutions

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), roughly three-quarters of methane emissions could be reduced with the technology that exists today, and close to half at zero net cost. Reducing methane emissions from the energy sector by 90% would shave two tenths of a degree Celsius from the forecasted rise in the planet’s average temperature by 2050.

Reducing fossil methane emissions by 75 per cent can prevent up to 6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually – almost ten per cent of the planet’s 2019 greenhouse gas emissions, including land-use change.

New observatory in the works

UNEP and the European Commission are also finalizing plans to set up an independent International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). IMEO will aggregate and analyse multiple methane emissions data streams, including data reported by OGMP member companies, to accelerate reductions in methane emissions globally. By assisting industry and governments globally in addressing uncertainty related to reported emissions, the Observatory will improve the consistency and credibility of methane emissions data and accelerate mitigation actions.

###

About the OGMP

The OGMP, launched at the UN Climate Summit in 2014, was created by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) as a voluntary initiative to help companies reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector. Managed by UNEP, OGMP is the only multi-stakeholder partnership working on methane emissions reporting and provides a protocol to help companies systematically manage their methane emissions from oil and gas operations and offers a credible platform to help member companies demonstrate actual reductions to industry stakeholders.

About the UN Environment Programme

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. For more information: http://www.unep.org

About the European Commission

The European Commission is the EU’s politically independent executive arm, responsible for drawing up proposals for European legislation, and its further implementation. Additionally, to managing EU policies and allocating EU funding, the Commission defends the European Union’s interests by representing it internationally. The European Green Deal is the cornerstone of the European Commission’s ambition for Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent. Therefore, climate and energy objectives play an important role in shaping the Commission policy-making. For more information: https://europa.eu/

About the Environmental Defense Fund

One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 2.5 million members and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 28 countries to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseFund

About the Climate and Clean Air Coalition

CCAC is the only global partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate by reducing short-lived climate pollutants – methane, black carbon, hydrofluorocarbons and tropospheric ozone. It runs 11 initiatives across key emitting sectors and acts as a catalyst to create, share and implement solutions that rapidly reduce the rate of warming, improve people’s lives, and ensures sustainable development for future generations. For more information: https://ccacoalition.org/en

Coverage highlights

Agence France PresseL’industrie pétrolière promet plus de transparence sur ses émissions de méthane, click here

Reuters, United Kingdom, EU, UN-led pact commits oil and gas firms to tackle methane emissions, click here

Bloomberg, United StatesEurope’s Oil Majors Step Up Efforts to Curb Methane Emissions, click here

IndoAsian News Service, India, EU, UN-led pact to report methane emissions, click here

Xinhua, China,via The Star, Malaysia (5,368,189)UNEP, oil majors pledge to reduce methane emissions, click here

United Press International, United States (2,484,349)Oil, gas companies agree to track, report, reduce methane emissions, click here

Agence Télégraphique Suisse (ATS), Switzerland, Switzerland, Le secteur pétrolier promet plus de transparence, click here

TT (Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå), Swedenvia Aftonbladet (6,384,474)Ny övervakning ska stoppa metanutsläpp, click here

Cyprus News Agency, Cyprus (20,391)Οι εταιρίες πετρελαίου συμφωνούν με την Κομισιόν στη μείωση των εκπομπών μεθανίου, click here

Washington Post, United States, The Energy 202, click here

Houston Chronicle, United States, Oil companies pledge to be more transparent on methane, click here

The Hill, United States, Dozens of oil and gas companies agree to methane reduction targets, click here

Scientific American, United States (9,128,711)Methane Hits Record High in Atmosphere as Fossil Fuel Companies Diverge, click here

Gizmodo, United States (8,850,042)The Danger of Big Oil’s New Methane Emissions Pledge, click here

Quartz, United States (6,549,965)American oil and gas companies are asleep at the wheel on methane emissions, click here

Axios, United States, The oil sector’s new methane pledge, click here

The Independent, United Kingdom, Climate crisis: Swathe of oil and gas industry agree ‘ambitious ’ methane emissions reporting framework, click here

Repubblica, Italy, Accordo Onu con 62 compagnie per ridurre le emissioni di metano, click here

EURACTIV, Belgium, Oil and gas majors sign up to ‘gold standard’ of methane reporting, click here

QuiFinanza, Italy, ONU, accordo con 62 aziende (tra cui ENI) per ridurre le emissioni di metano, click here

Radio Télévision Belge Francophone, Belgium, L’industrie pétrolière promet plus de transparence sur ses émissions de méthane, click here

Rinnovabili, Italy (157,719)L’oil&gas batte un colpo sul monitoraggio delle emissioni di metano, click here

Energate Messenger, Germany (42,400)Initiative setzt neue Standards für Methanemissionen, click here

Offshore Energy Today, Netherlands (838)French quintet joins methane emissions reduction initiative, click here

E&E News, USA (Energywire and Climatewire)

Coverage summary, click here

News release in full, click here