UNEP

The world’s first all-electric racing series has teamed up with UN Environment to improve inner-city air quality. The multi-year partnership will focus on raising awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles among younger generations and motorsport fans globally. That will include educating future consumers of electric cars and challenging major cities and governments to take […]

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has nominated Norway’s Erik Solheim as the new Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). He informed the General Assembly following consultations with the chairpersons of the regional groups of Member States. Mr Solheim is currently the Chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation […]

Global investment in renewable energy hit a new record in 2015, with the developing world beating developed nations for the first time. New figures reveal around $285.9 billion (£202bn) was invested last year, beating the previous high of $278.5 billion (£196.8bn) set in 2011. That was for 134GW of green capacity, resulting in the reduction […]

The UK has been dubbed the global hub for green finance. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) profiled the actions taken in the last 15 years to make environmental and social factors a core part of banking, capital markets, investment and insurance. It revealed the UK has “evolved a distinctive model of innovation” in sustainable […]

The UN will help European countries to change their environmental policy into a green economy. The programme between the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) will create a plan to promote sustainable development in the region by improving the air qualify and fighting climate change. Achim Steiner said: “Countries […]

The protective layer of the world’s atmosphere is “well on track to recovery” in the next few decades, the UN’s environment agency said on Wednesday. Research by 300 scientists put the ozone layer’s healing down to international efforts to emit fewer ozone-depleting gases. UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: “There are positive […]

Investing in ways to adapt to climate change will promote the livelihood of 65% of Africans, claims a new report by the UN’s Environment Programme (UNEP). It says Africa’s population is set to double to 2 billion by 2050, arguing changes to their environments will directly affect the livelihoods of this growing population. Jobs in […]

The share of electricity generated globally from renewable sources grew last year despite a dip in investment, a new report revealed. Renewables excluding large hydro accounted for 43.6% of newly installed generating capacity in 2013 worldwide, cutting 1.5 gigatonnes of carbon emissions. Investment however dropped to $214.4 billion (£128bn) in 2013, mainly due to policy […]

The UN has launched a new scheme which aims to use global government spending worth “trillions of dollars” to promote sustainability. Called the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) Programme, it will assist governments to “redirect public spending into goods and services that bring significant environmental and social benefits” and aims to play a vital role in […]

More than $450 million (£333m) of green investment has been pledged between businesses, governments and other organisations at the Global South-South Development Expo in Nairobi, according to the United Nations. The purpose of the forum is to cultivate ‘south-south’ co-operation between developing countries, which are often referred to as the ‘global south’. The event was […]