A calamitous sinking off Sri Lanka, disaster-proof buildings, ending world hunger… and more
July 2021
Your guide to the top environmental stories of the month
This month we look at the toxic fallout of the cargo ship disaster in Sri Lanka, a push to get tourists to abandon single-use plastics and how climate change may cause Kenya’s desert lake to burst its banks.
Oceans and seas
Inside the shipping disaster that has gripped Sri Lanka
A cargo ship carrying oil, acid and billions of plastic pellets sank off the country’s coast last month. That would mark the start of one of the worst environmental catastrophes in Sri Lankan history.
Read more
Ecosystems
Tourism is on the rise. So are concerns about plastic pollution
As travelers once again head out into the world, environmentalists and tour operators are hoping to discourage them from using single-use plastics, which have become a blight on beaches across the globe.
Read more
Climate change
Video: Climate-change-proof buildings
The world is getting hotter, stormier, and more prone to floods. But investing in well-designed buildings can help lessen the impact of climate change on cities and towns, say experts.
Watch here
Biodiversity
Local communities are key to save endangered species
A new report by UNEP and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) urges policymakers to engage local communities when making decisions about conservation, which would decrease human-wildlife conflict and improve the prospects of endangered species.
Read more
Climate change
For world’s largest desert lake, a future of floods
For years, it appeared as though Kenya’s Lake Turkana was drying up. But in a quirk of climate change, a new study finds the lake may regularly overflow its banks, imperiling millions of people.
Read more
Food waste
Transform food systems to end world hunger
Among the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN has noted a dramatic increase in world hunger. UNEP’s James Lomax speaks about how to transform food systems by 2030.
Read more
UNEP in the news
Extreme weather renews focus on climate change as scientists update forecasts (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
Conflict with humans one of greatest threats to key species, report warns (Evening Standard)
Do the world’s 2.7 billion gamers hold the key to solving climate change? (Euronews)
Insurers for net zero: Major insurance firms launch Net Zero Insurance Alliance (Business Green)
publications
A Future for All: The Need for Human-Wildlife Coexistence
Conflicts between humans and wild animals, including big cats, bears and elephants, is driving many species to the precipice of extinction, finds this UNEP-World Wildlife Fund report.
Policy Options to Eliminate Marine Litter
Every year, more than 11 million tonnes of plastic winds up in the world’s oceans. This study looks at how policymakers can stem that flow.
More publications
events
6-15 July
UNEP at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2021
Virtual and in-person
Read more
3-11 September
IUCN World Conservation Congress
Conference
Read more
7 September
International Day of Clean Air for blue skies
UN Day
Read more
14-30 September
76th Session of the UN General Assembly
UN Day
Read more
More events
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Subject: A calamitous sinking off Sri Lanka, disaster-proof buildings, ending world hunger… and more
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