UNEP is the leading agency for environmental issues within the UN family. We aim to lead by example and practice what we preach. Sustainability is the driving force for all the work that we do, and this is also guiding how we do it.
UNEP is Climate Neutral per 1 January 2008. Our commitment is to reduce emissions to the extent possible and to procure offsets to compensate for the remaining emissions. We are working hard to continuously improve our performance, by reducing our environmental footprint, improving our contribution to development and managing our finances ever more effectively and responsibly. Particular emphasis is given to minimizing our contribution to climate change.
Measuring our greenhouse gas emissions
As UNEP we started monitoring our greenhouse emissions caused by our activities in 2007. In 2008 the total emission was 11,582 tonnes of CO2-e, or 9.5 tonnes per UNEP staff member. Approximately 87% of these emissions are related to air travel, the rest to office related activities. More information about UNEP emissions is found in the ‘Moving towards a Climate Neutral UN’, The report includes all UN agencies and describes the individual efforts to towards a climate neutral UN.
Climate neutral UNEP: reducing and offsetting
UNEP efforts to reduce its emissions are guided its soon-to-be-published revised UNEP Climate Neutral Strategy. Examples of recent efforts to reduce emissions include:
- Activities in all 35 UNEP offices around the world to reduce the consumption of energy. Click here to read the report comparing UNEP offices.
- More sustainable approaches to meetings, as defined by the Green Meeting Guide. Follow this link to read it
- The creation of an energy neutral Headquarters for UNEP: the new UNEP Headquarters building in Nairobi aims to produce as much energy as it uses through solar panels. Read the article that was published in Climate Action 2009. Click here to read the brochure that was send to UNEP member states and solar panel producers.
- Environmental considerations are incorporated into UNEP procurement procedures. To learn more on sustainable procurement click here. For guidelines on specific issues follow this link.
- The UN compound in Nairobi has seen a 50% reduction in waste going to landfill, thanks to a the Near Zero Waste recycling station.
- A programme to involve staff in achieving reductions and improving our environmental performance has been set up. It includes internal meetings with all our Divisions, development of an interactive website, workshops and creation of positive incentives such as an annual award for the best "green initiative" (starting 2010).
- Our remaining emissions for 2008 were being offset through procurement of Certified Emission Reductions from a CDM project in Nicaragua which was selected by the UNEP offset provider, Ecosecurities.
Further information
Sustainable development:
“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” – Brundlandt Commission - 1987
Climate Neutral: living in a way which produces no net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This should be achieved by reducing GHG emissions as much as possible, and using carbon offsets to compensate for the remaining emissions. – Source: Kick the Habbit, a UN Guide to Climate Neutrality
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