Humanity is breaking all the wrong records on global warming. Fragile ecosystems face enormous pressure. More than 1 million plants, animals and other living things are at risk of being wiped out. Dirty air and chemical pollution threaten our lands, oceans and health. However, there is a lot we can do as individuals to tackle these issues. Every action, no matter how small, matters to the planet. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has developed toolkits for taking environmental action on a range of issues, including reviving ecosystems, fighting climate change, reducing plastic waste, improving air quality, and planting trees.

Social forestry initiatives in Indonesia are playing a pivotal role in safeguarding the nation's precious forests, serving as a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change.

The International Day of Zero Waste emphasizes the critical need for effective waste management and reduced consumption to combat the environmental and health repercussions.

Grasping the extent of food waste through robust measurement, as highlighted in the Food Waste Index Reports, is crucial for catalyzing essential action and progress towards achieving SDG 12.

Colombia's electric buses are not only countering climate change by reducing emissions, but are also creating job opportunities for women, contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive transportation sector.

Humanity's unsustainable production and consumption patterns are driving the planet toward destruction. Households, small businesses and public services generate more than 2.1 billion tons of municipal solid waste each year. Yet the world's waste management services are ill-equipped: 2.7 billion people have no access to solid waste collection and only 61-62% of municipal solid waste is managed in controlled facilities. The International Zero Waste Day (30 March) highlights the critical need to strengthen waste management globally and promote sustainable production and consumption practices.

The Young Champions of the Earth initiative recognizes and celebrates ambitious young individuals worldwide, who demonstrate exceptional ideas and initiatives aimed at protecting and restoring the environment. Apply now!

Thousands of moto-taxi drivers in Togo are adopting electric motorcycles as the country aims to become a regional leader in e-mobility. The African country is among over 40 countries collaborating with UNEP's Global Environment Facility to expedite the transition to low-emission transportation through the Global E-mobility Programme.

As the world’s top decision-making body on the environment, the United Nations Environment Assembly aims to help restore harmony between humanity and nature, improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. Its sixth session, UNEA-6, from 26 February to 1 March in Nairobi, Kenya, will focus on how multilateralism can help tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. Backed by strong science, political resolve and engagement with society, the Assembly will be an opportunity to shape the global environmental policy.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN have named seven initiatives from Africa, Latin America, the Mediterranean, and Southeast Asia as UN World Restoration Flagships. These projects aim to restore ecosystems at the tipping point of outright degradation resulting from wildfires, drought, deforestation, and pollution. The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration which aims to restore one billion hectares – an area larger than China. The winning initiatives are expected to restore nearly 40 million hectares and create around 500,000 jobs. The World Restoration Flagships are chosen as the best examples of ongoing, large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration.

The first edition, State of the world’s migratory species report, underscores the urgent need for international cooperation to address the alarming population declines and extinction risks facing migratory species.

The excessive release of nutrients like phosphorus from sources such as synthetic fertilizers, has plagued Florida's beaches, underscoring the urgent need for global cooperation to reduce nutrient pollution.

Water scarcity is a critical issue for an increasing number of countries, forcing them to be more creative in water management and securing water sources.

The year 2024 will be marked by a number of events and observances with important implications for the environment, biodiversity, and global sustainability. From advancing sustainable nitrogen management to fostering inclusive collaboration for biodiversity and addressing critical threats like antimicrobial resistance, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) will work to support multilateralism, science-based dialogue and actions, innovation, partnerships for people and planet and much more. See some key international events and meetings planned.

Closing the climate adaptation finance gap requires a reform of the global financial architecture and better international cooperation.