The state of the planet will be a key topic of discussion during the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which gets underway in September 2023 with high-level events on the climate crisis, the Sustainable Development Goals and more. Tune in here for the latest developments.
22 Sep
2023
22:36
UNEP ambassador Lewis Pugh: “We can no longer be bystanders”
Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh, UNEP’s Patron of the Oceans, this week urged citizens, governments and businesses to protect the ocean amid the worsening impacts of the climate crisis.
“We can no longer be bystanders,” he said during a conversation with UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. “We’ve got to dive in and we’ve really got to highlight what’s happening to the planet.”
Andersen lauded Pugh’s activism, including his 507km swim down the United States’ Hudson River earlier this month. The journey helped raise awareness about the need to protect and revive the world’s waterways.
“We are seeing that it is possible to turn this around for the next generation,” she said. “That’s what gives me hope.”
22 Sep
2023
21:00
Six stories of hope from the frontlines of the climate crisis
While this week’s meetings in New York have underscored the severity of the climate crisis, there are reasons for optimism. Around the world, countries and communities are fighting back against a changing climate using strategies old and new. Here’s a look at six such stories from our archives.
Once threatened, Mexico’s green jewel has become a model of conservation.
How a salt-loving tree is helping protect Mozambique against climate change.
Renewable energy: a boon for Cambodia’s women farmers.
Marine biodiversity gets a lifeline with high seas treaty.
A green wall to restore nature in Africa’s Sahel region.
How a groundbreaking satellite system is aiming to reduce methane emissions.
22 Sep
2023
20:00
Vulnerable countries need immediate help as climate crisis deepens: UNEP Executive Director
Amid a surge in extreme weather, the world must speed the implementation of a loss and damage fund that would help vulnerable countries adapt to the climate crisis, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said Friday.
The fund was a key outcome of last year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt. Adapting to the climate crisis could cost developing countries up to US$340 billion annually by 2030 and up to US$565 billion a year by 2050, according to UNEP research.
“[The] loss and damage funding mechanism must be simple, expedient and deliver predictable funding,” Andersen said.
22 Sep
2023
18:00
UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors highlight importance of protecting Earth
UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Rocky Dawuni made an appearance in the media zone at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, calling for humanity to protect the planet. Two other UNEP ambassadors, actor Dia Mirza and swimmer Lewis Pugh, also made calls to action during the week.
22 Sep
2023
14:40
Coming up today: Friday highlights
Here are a few events to keep an eye on today at the General Assembly
How to communicate climate for solutions and actions (11–11:20 a.m.)
Amid a wave of climate denial, UN head of communications Melissa Fleming will discuss how science-based communication can spur meaningful action on the climate crisis. In an impassioned speech Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an end to “bankrolling climate denial”.
CNN: Climate crisis and gender inequality (11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)
CNN’s Photo Desk will showcase images illustrating the link between the climate crisis and gender inequality during this session. Research has shown that women are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, an inequality that threatens to deepen.
21 Sep
2023
22:00
Collaboration needed to end biodiversity crisis, says UNEP expert
Governments, businesses and everyday people must band together if humanity is to head off a nature crisis that has pushed 1 million species towards extinction, UNEP head of biodiversity Doreen Robinson said Thursday during a session at the UN General Assembly.
Robinson said agencies like UNEP have prepared a bevy of solutions to protect and restore the natural world, but implementing those plans is crucial.
“Nature has been sounding alarm calls for a very long time,” Robinson said. “Humanity’s relationship with nature is broken right now and … it is time to fix it.”
21 Sep
2023
21:23
“We have the solutions”: Actor Matt Damon calls for action on water scarcity
Actor and philanthropist Matt Damon called on Thursday for governments and financial institutions to scale up their efforts to counter water scarcity, saying that was crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).
“[Water scarcity] is solvable. We have the solutions,” said Damon during a session of the UN General Assembly. “[Water] undergirds all of these other SDGs. It’s getting politicians to understand that.”
Damon is the co-founder of Water.org, a non-profit group working to supply clean water and sanitation services to communities around the world. By 2050, an estimated 6 billion people will face water scarcity due to the climate crisis, pollution, and increasingly unsustainable production and consumption.
21 Sep
2023
19:42
Multilateral development banks support UN’s early warning initiative
Ten multilateral development banks voiced their support on Wednesday for a UN effort to cover everyone on Earth by early warning systems for disasters.
Backers say that network is crucial to reducing the death and damage from climate change, especially in a group of highly vulnerable small-island states.
“We recognize that with climate change rapidly leading to more frequent extreme weather events, this initiative will protect lives, livelihoods, and the environment, helping countries and people adapt,” the banks said.
The UN’s early-warning initiative requires US$3.1 billion in funding over the next four years and observers say multilateral development banks have a crucial role to play in raising that capital.
21 Sep
2023
18:30
New partnership seeks to accelerate biodiversity action plans
In a major stride towards safeguarding the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, UNEP and partners on Wednesday launched a new initiative to bolster the implementation of the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans Accelerator Partnership seeks to empower countries to combat biodiversity loss, recognizing that technical support and global outreach are pivotal.
“This is not a project, this is a partnership – all hands on deck. We have one planet, and we don’t have enough time to save it,” said Doreen Robinson, UNEP’s head of biodiversity. “We have to work more collaboratively, more efficiently together.”
21 Sep
2023
17:30
Happening today: Accelerating climate action in fragile and vulnerable contexts
This high-level event will focus on ways to scale up climate action in highly vulnerable and conflict-affected areas. It will preview a suite of “solutions” expected to be announced at the UN Climate Change Conference later this year. Co-hosted by the UN Climate Security Mechanism, the event runs from 1:15–2:45 p.m. EDT.
