Today, a major wildfire in France has destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and forced many people to flee their homes. Meanwhile, dry weather, extreme heat and strong winds have combined to fan wildfires across Europe, the United States and other parts of the world over the last few weeks.

Today, a major wildfire in France has destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and forced many people to flee their homes.

Nairobi/Kyiv, 4 July 2022 - Preliminary monitoring of the conflict in Ukraine points to significant impacts on urban and rural environments that could leave the country and region with a toxic legacy for generations to come, according to initial impact monitoring conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organizations

This month’s oil spill in California and the sinking of the X-Press Pearl off the coast of Sri Lanka in July have renewed attention to the environmental dangers of such disasters, especially the toll

The plight of Iraq’s 1.4 million displaced people just got worse. As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, displaced persons are particularly vulnerable.

The environment is oftentimes a casualty in conflict. Destruction of natural resources, contamination and land use pressure are all potential conflict consequences. In Central African Republic, the Kolongo landfill was constructed by the Bangui municipality in 2013 to cater for the waste management needs of city residents.

• UN Environment conducts a five-day training workshop for 26 national experts from Iraq’s ministries of environment and oil.
• Workshop strengthens national capacity to assess and clean-up oil-contaminated sites from the conflict in Iraq.
• Joint team of trained staff to carry out field-survey of oil contaminated sites after which UN Environment will review survey findings and provide guidance on site prioritization process.

Seven years ago in 2012, a United Nations Security Council Resolution placed an embargo on the export of charcoal from Somalia.

Humanitarian action offers the opportunity to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity during and after man-made crises and natural disasters. It also offers the chance to prevent and strengthen preparedness for future emergencies.

A biological remediation pilot project seeking to enhance nature’s own ability to clear up oil spills in Iraq’s conflict-affected areas has been launched in Kirkuk by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the state-owned North Oil Company and the Ministry of Health and Environment, and facilitation support from the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq.