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.
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Fourteen leading businesses in the tourism sector have joined the UNEP and UN Tourism Recipe of Change initiative, which aims to reduce food waste by mobilising the sector on a large scale, influencing consumer behaviour, and accelerating the transition to more sustainable food systems.
The group of companies, which represent 56.5 billion USD in annual revenues and 600 million guests annually, includes Accor, ClubMed, Hilton, Iberostar, Meliá, Radisson, TUI Group and Winnow.
Are you taking action this International Day of Zero Waste? Over 135 events are taking place around the world to mark the day. Find the one closest to you.
The 20 Cities Towards Zero Waste, selected by the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Zero Waste, were announced ahead of Zero Waste Day. The initiative highlights cities demonstrating ambitious and innovative approaches to reducing waste, advancing circular economy solutions, and building more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive urban systems.
“Solutions to pollution and waste are opportunities to reimagine our economies through innovation, circularity, and equity. From strong producer responsibility models in San Francisco (USA) and Suzhou City (China), to refill systems in Bologna (Italy), and the inclusion of waste pickers in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Zapopan (Mexico), the 20 Zero Waste Cities are proof of this,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director, in the initiative announcement.
“Food loss and waste generate 8-10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This waste is a source of methane emissions, largely from organic waste rotting in landfills. (…) In a time of accelerating climate change, growing deforestation, water scarcity, spreading land degradation and desertification, and rising food prices, we cannot afford to waste precious resources to grow food that is not eaten. And we certainly cannot afford the US$1 trillion per year that food loss and waste costs the global economy,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen during the high-level event marking Zero Waste Day at the UN Headquarters in New York.
This event, convened by UNEP and UN-Habitat in partnership with the Republic of Türkiye and the Zero Waste Foundation, brought together stakeholders from across the food value chain to discuss breakthroughs, innovative strategies, and practical approaches to reducing food loss and waste.
Improper disposal of unused medicines can pose serious risks to both the environment and public health, including the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Medicines may go unused for many reasons, such as changes in treatment, misdiagnosis, over-prescription, patients not completing their treatment, or poor supply management.
A newly published report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the safe disposal of unused medicines offers a practical framework to help countries strengthen their systems for the safe disposal of both human and veterinary medicines.
The Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Astrid Puentes Riaño, called on States, entities and businesses to address the dual public health and human rights crisis of air pollution.
“Continued inaction on air pollution is a systemic failure,” Puentes Riaño said. “Under international law, States are required to act on the evidence they have.”
In a new report presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the expert highlighted priority actions centering on human rights to advance clean air, and to protect public health and the right to a healthy environment.
只有12％的城市，其空气质量符合世卫组织的标准。
