Preventing, controlling and managing pollution is central to improving health, human well-being and prosperity for all.
UNEP drives capacity and leadership in sound management of chemicals and waste while working to improve ways to reduce waste through circularity and pollutants released to the air, water, soil and the ocean.
A pioneering new initiative seeks to enhance understanding of mercury trade dynamics in Latin America and foster regional cooperation to improve the control of major mercury flows, aiming to prevent approximately 176 metric tonnes of mercury from entering the international market, reducing the associated negative impacts on human health and environmental integrity.
The initiative, titled Accelerate Minamata Convention Compliance through Improved Understanding and Control of Mercury Trade in Latin America, was officially launched in Bogotá during a two-day inception workshop. The event gathered national and international stakeholders, including representatives from the Minamata Convention Secretariat, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and key institutional partners.
The project aims to strengthen national and regional frameworks for controlling mercury trade, reducing mercury supply, and mitigating its dispersion both regionally and globally. It will assess existing trade monitoring mechanisms in target countries, develop a comprehensive database and network, and support the drafting of national legislation and procedures for tracking and regulating mercury trade.
The Climate and Clean Air Conference 2025 is set to take place from 16-21 March 2025, in Brasília, Brazil.
This year’s theme, “Accelerating Action on Super Pollutants: The Road to COP30,” highlights the urgent need for decisive action.
Zaitsev is on the frontlines of a global effort to blunt what experts call a tidal wave of pollution coming from discarded computers, cell phones and other electronic waste. This rubbish, which is laden with toxic chemicals like lead and mercury, can pollute land, sea and air, causing everything from developmental delays to stillbirths, says the World Health Organization. The toll is especially heavy in the developing world, which for decades has been a dumping ground for electronics from developed countries.
To counter the mounting threat of electronic waste, countries and businesses need to overhaul how electronics are designed, manufactured, recycled and, ultimately, disposed of, say experts.
“Governments and the industry can seize the economic opportunity to reduce the growing concerns about human and environmental exposure to pollution from the electronics life cycle," said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP's Industry and Economy Division. “Solutions that encourage the design of durable products that can be reused, refurbished and recycled are a profitable, innovative way forward that is valued by consumers and has a reduced environmental impact.”
The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5.2), is scheduled to take place from 5 to 14 August 2025 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The resumed session will be preceded by regional consultations on 4 August 2025.
Event: Unmasking Mercury and Colorism in Cosmetics
When: 13:00-14:00 CET | 5 March 2025
Where: Geneva, Switzerland and Online
Skin-lightening products (SLPs) may contain harmful ingredients, including steroids, hydroquinone and toxic mercury compounds, that not only damage the skin but can lead to serious health concerns. Many cosmetic products still contain mercury to increase their whitening effect.
The use of SLPs is promoted by media, advertising and marketing that often reinforce the bias that a lighter skin tone is more desirable than darker skin tone. The bias is rooted in systemic colorism that promotes harmful stereotypes that associate lighter skin with beauty and better prospects of employment, marriage and social standing.
In this event, leading voices invited to speak will stress that without addressing the underlying socio -cultural norms surrounding SLPs – the idealization of whiteness and the concepts association with beauty, wealth and power – the demand for SLPs will continue.
In the azure waters of the Indian Ocean lies Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands. While being the smallest country in Africa in terms of land area, Seychelles serves as a strong voice for small island states through its environmental stewardship and sustainable development initiatives.
Like many small island states, Seychelles faces difficulties in waste management due to its limited land area and vulnerability to environmental impacts, exacerbated by rapid population growth and increasing tourism. The Solid Waste Management Plan of Seychelles 2020-2035 outlines strategies to address this by focusing on efficient waste collection, recycling initiatives and reducing landfill dependence. It aims to mitigate land and marine pollution through integrated approaches tailored to the island's geographic and environmental constraints.
At a systemic level, Seychelles recognizes the need to transition to sustainable consumption and production. UNEP, through the Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund, has supported the Seychelles in developing its circular economy roadmap and action plan. To further catalyze investment in circular economy ventures and businesses, a Circular Economy Challenge fund worth US$150,000 was initiated in March 2024.
Solving environmental challenges in complex geopolitical times can be arduous but collaboration works. Dive into UNEP’s annual report and see how we advanced global action on climate, nature, and pollution for a fairer, sustainable planet.
Cancer rates have been found to be rising among non-smokers globally, a development researchers linked in part to air pollution according to a study by the World Health Organization.
This was the latest in a string of studies outlining the perils of airborne contaminants, which cause some 8 million premature deaths a year and cost the global economy more than US$8 trillion annually.
Cada dólar gastado en la restauración de bosques degradados puede resultar en US$ 30 en beneficios económicos.
