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For two decades, paint maker Universal Colors has churned out an assortment of paints and industrial coatings from a small factory in Callao, Peru. Over time, the company has worked to weed out lead, a toxic chemical, from its products. But two varieties of paint proved to be especially problematic to reformulate, including one yellow epoxy paint.

A few dozen kilometres inland from northern Panama’s coast is the Hato Chami school.

Set amid winding roads, green trees and stunning mountains, it has more than 1,000 pupils, most of whom hail from one of Panama’s largest indigenous groups, the Ngäbe.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic compounds that used to be produced worldwide but are now banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), a global treaty aiming to eliminate or restrict the production, use and trade of chemicals that are recognized as persistent, bio-accumulative and harmful to human and environmental health.

The Pacific Islands are hard-hit by the economic, social, and environmental costs of climate change. Despite the region’s less than 0.02 per cent contribution to the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, Pacific Island countries are at the frontline of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The rhythmic sound of voices singing in harmony floats across Mozambique’s Limpopo River as several women stand ankle deep in the sticky mud along its banks.

In a well-rehearsed routine, one woman scoops up sediment with a hoe while another buries a fragile mangrove sapling in the void.

The joyous songs of the women obscure the difficulty of their job.

The monsoon season, which runs from June through September, has become a nervous time for the people of Nepal.

The climate crisis has supercharged the fallout from the annual rains, which are triggering an increasing number of floods and landslides, disasters that are especially devastating in a nation defined by its vertigo-inducing slopes.

Today is the sixth anniversary of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a landmark global agreement to protect people and the environment from the toxic effects of mercury. To mark the occasion, UNEP is looking back at a story originally published in February about the campaign to end the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining.

It was an ecological time bomb.

In mid-2022, a toxic algal bloom began to quickly spread through the Oder River, which in part straddles the border between Germany and Poland.

Beneath the picturesque turquoise waters of Trinidad and Tobago, plastic pollution is wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems.

Today, around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless urgent action is taken.

In 2022, the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework identified five main drivers of ecosystem degradation: changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, the invasion of alien species and pollution.

For centuries, human beings have endangered body and mind in pursuit of the toxic fallacy that pale skin represents the highest form of beauty.

In 2020, nearly half of the world's population was at risk of malaria.

The disease is preventable and curable. However, in areas with limited vector control, the risk remains significant.

Ahead of World Malaria Day, we sat down with Jitendra Sharma from the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Chemicals and Waste Unit to discuss how UNEP is helping countries tackle the disease.

Malaria is typically understood as a public health issue. How does it fall under your remit?

Since 1950, there has been a 50-fold increase in the production of chemicals – a figure expected to triple by 2050.

We come into contact with chemicals every day. However, if improperly managed, they can pose serious risks to public health, as well as ecosystems.  

Ahead of World Health Day, we sat down with Ines Benabdallah from the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Chemicals and Waste Unit to discuss how health features in UNEP’s work.

What chemicals does the UNEP Chemicals and Waste Unit work on?

As it drives through the pristine, waste-free streets of Indore, India, the small garbage truck is impossible to miss. Behind its bright yellow cabin, the vehicle’s rear compartments are a patchwork of six vibrant colours reminiscent of a pop art painting. Labels clearly indicate that each coloured compartment is dedicated to a different form of household waste.

From disease-resistant crops to innovative medical treatments, biotechnology has huge potential to help overcome some of our leading global problems.

But like many new technologies, Living Modified Organisms (LMOs - also known as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs) also come with the potential for negative impacts on both human health and the environment.

International Women's Day, celebrated annually on March 8th, is a day dedicated to recognizing the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. It is also a time to raise awareness about women's ongoing struggles and inequalities and to renew the call for gender equality and women's rights. 

This day has been observed since the early 1900s and continues to be a powerful symbol of the progress that has been made and the work that still needs to be done to create a more just and equal world for all women.

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) makes up near 20% of the world’s gold.

Women are an important part of the sector. However, they often face a host of challenges, including gender-based violence, denied access to assets and significant risks to health.

Farmer Nima Elmassad noticed the weather changing around seven years ago. In Sudan’s southern White Nile State, the rains began coming later and falling inconsistently. During the long, harsh dry season, her children had to travel three hours per day to collect water, and all but one dropped out of school. The family donkey that towed their water wagon became progressively weaker.

Yemen and Somalia are working to make climate action a win-win, tackling the impacts of both conflicts and climate crisis, while also addressing some of the underlying causes of both.

Despite significant challenges, both countries are pushing for meaningful climate action addressing the most urgent vulnerabilities and some of the causes of unrest, while paving the way for more climate friendly development and growth.

Politicians, scientists and environmental campaigners are gathering in Montreal, Canada, this week for negotiations on a global deal to safeguard the planet’s dwindling biodiversity.

Some of those talks are expected to focus on how to protect the plants, animals and microbes whose genetic material is the foundation for life-saving medicines and a host of other products.

The role that young people can have in spreading climate change messages and recruiting behaviour change is becoming more and more apparent.  This hasn’t gone un-noticed in Sudan where an energy-efficient lighting awareness campaign was designed specifically to target primary school children as a route to engaging their families and communities. This is particularly important in Sudan where the illiteracy rate is still high, and many families learn from their children who attend schools.

In the Mpanda Commune in north-western Burundi, a long ribbon of rubber – about a metre high and two metres wide – snakes through a farmer’s field before disappearing into foliage.

A woman is sowing her crops alongside the structure, which is bulging with water and circles much of the commune.

Rosa Cordero, who is diabetic, remembers a time when she couldn’t store her insulin safely. Her refrigerator was old and unreliable, and she never knew if the temperature was cool enough to store the drug.

As Riziki Bwanake walks along the Tana River Delta, the dry, dusty earth crunches beneath her feet. This part of eastern Kenya was once lush, home to a rich expanse of mangroves and an abundance of fish.

Ancient forests. Snow-capped mountain peaks. And towering waterfalls cascading down rocky slopes. China’s Shennongjia National Park is the stuff of legends, providing inspiration to thousands of years of Chinese poets, artists and authors.

It’s also home to one of the world’s most elusive primates, the endangered golden snub-nosed monkey, who spends winters in large groups of mostly males deep in the mountain forests of Asia.