(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
From a landmark deal to fund conservation to chilling news about greenhouse gas emissions, 2024 was a rollercoaster year for the planet.
Here's a closer look at some of the most memorable environmental moments of the last 12 months, shaped by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)UNEP hosts that underpin the global environmental movement.
Hundreds of migratory species in peril
February
Nearly half of the migratory species listed in a key UN treaty are in decline, finds a report from the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. More than one in five of those species are facing extinction, say researchers, who pin much of the blame on human-induced habitat loss.
UN lauds groundbreaking efforts to restore nature
February
A man crouches in front of some mountains. Photo by UNEP
UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN recognize seven landmark initiatives that are reviving the natural world. From Pakistan to Peru, the efforts are expected to restore 40 million hectares of landscapes and seascapes and create 500,000 jobs.
Torrent of trash inundating the planet
February
A UNEP-backed study finds that municipal waste is set to rise by two-thirds by 2050, with all that rubbish expected to weigh heavily on the environment and human health.
Technology helps expose murky world of sand dredging
February
A new global monitoring system offers an unprecedented look at the shadowy – and environmentally destructive – world of sand dredging. The Marine Sand Watch uses satellite data, ground tracking stations and artificial intelligence to follow dredging ships around the world. Among other things, it finds that 16 per cent of dredging has occurred in marine reserves designed to protect plants and animals.
UN Environment Assembly brings nations together
March
People sitting in a large conference hall. Photo by UNEP
The sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) comes to a close, with countries agreeing to 15 resolutions designed to protect the planet. Among other things, nations promise to rein in pollution from chemicals, combat desertification, protect the ocean, reduce air pollution and better manage freshwater supplies. The result, observers say, demonstrates that despite deep geopolitical divisions, countries can still work together on the environment.
Nations vow to limit emissions from building sector
March
Seventy countries agree to a set of principles designed to reduce the greenhouse emissions that come from the construction and operation of buildings. The sector is responsible for more than one-fifth of greenhouse gas emissions.
UN launches effort to increase sustainability in minerals supply chain
April
An open-pit mine. Photo by AFP
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convenes a panel charged with developing a set of voluntary global principles covering the use of minerals critical to renewable energy technology . In September, the panel would release a report, Resourcing the Energy Transition , outlining its recommendations.
New fund backs conservation efforts
May
China and UNEP launch the Kunming Biodiversity Fund , which is designed to support conservation-related projects around the world and support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework , a landmark 2022 deal to halt and reverse nature loss.
Island nations call for climate justice
May
More than three-dozen small-island developing states come together to hash out a plan for spurring sustainable development and tackling climate change, an existential threat for many nations.
Courts order action on greenhouse gas emissions
May
Several judges siting behind a dias. Photo by AFP
In a series of precedent-setting decisions , courts and international tribunals rule that governments have a legal obligation to address climate change. The rulings come with environmental activists increasingly appealing to the courts to compel countries and businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A 2023 UNEP report found the number of such cases more than doubled from 2017 to 2022.
Planet celebrates World Environment Day
June
World Environment Day showcases solutions to drought, desertification and land degradation. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosts the official celebrations on 5 June, while 4,000 other events take place in 150-plus countries. Heads of state and celebrities from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to actor Leonardo DiCaprio voiced their support for repairing damaged ecosystems.
Report reveals depth of environmental crisis in Gaza
June
A man stands in building overlooking a rubble-strewn street. Photo by AFP
A UNEP environmental assessment finds the territory has been swamped in unprecedented levels of pollution, with sewage, debris and often-toxic munitions contaminating soil, water and the air caused by the unfolding conflict. The assessment says that environmental degradation is contributing to humanitarian suffering and risks irreversible damage to Gaza's natural ecosystems, noting that the conflict-related environmental impact could only be fully understood through more detailed sampling and analysis, which should be undertaken as soon as conditions permit. .
Science-policy panel takes shape
June
During talks in Switzerland, countries move closer to creating a new body that would provide policymakers with science-based recommendations for dealing with pollution, chemicals and waste. The effort is designed to limit the often-catastrophic effects of pollution, which is responsible for 9 million premature deaths a year, according to the Lancet.
In Nepal, tigers stage a comeback
July
Nepal's long-threatened population of tigers continues to grow thanks in a large part to an award-winning effort to restore their primary habitat. The initiative, which covers a part of the Himalayan foothills known as the Terai Arc, has helped tiger numbers triple since 2009.
Preparing for the environmental challenges of tomorrow
July
UNEP's Navigating New Horizons identifies eight critical global shifts, including the emergence of digital technologies, that have major implications for the shared environment. The report is part of UNEP's growing efforts to anticipate and prepare for future challenges and opportunities.
Swimmers return to Paris' Seine River
August
People diving into a river. Photo by AFP
During the Summer Olympics in Paris, the Seine River plays host to several swimming events, marking the first time in a century the long-polluted waterway has been officially open to swimmers. The Seine's rebound – result of a US$1.5 billion cleanup operation – is seen as a sign of hope for other neglected waterways.
Countries ink landmark deal to rekindle sustainable development
September
World leaders adopt the Pact for the Future, a ground-breaking international agreement designed to lay the foundation for a just, sustainable and peaceful global order. The environment features prominently in the accord, which emphasizes the need to transition away from fossil fuels, curtail plastic and chemical pollution, and safeguard biodiversity.
Nations confront growing threat of superbugs
September
During the UN General Assembly in New York, countries vow to cut the number of deaths due to antimicrobial resistance, which claims nearly 5 million lives annually.
Publication charts environmental fallout of AI
September
A microchip. Photo by Pexels/Pixabay
An issues note from UNEP casts a spotlight on the growing environmental footprint of artificial intelligence. The publication says the sprawling data centres that house AI servers churn out toxic electronic waste and are voracious consumers of water and electricity. It calls for a systemic global effort to catalogue those impacts.
World tracking towards debilitating warming
October
UNEP's Emissions Gap Report 2024 reveals that the world is on pace for a potentially catastrophic temperature rise of between 2.6°C and 3.1°C this century, and that to keep alive the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas emissions must fall by more than 40 per cent by 2030. The report came just days before the World Meteorological Organization predicted 2024 would be the hottest year on record.
Countries finalize long-awaited deal on financing conservation
November
People sitting a conference room. Photo by UNEP
At the UN Biodiversity Conference , nations reach a landmark agreement on digitally held genetic data that could channel tens of billions of dollars to conservation. Countries also make a milestone decision to strengthen the role of Indigenous Peoples and people of African descent in safeguarding biodiversity. On the sidelines of the conference, UNEP launches the Protected Planet Report , which concludes countries are making tangible progress in the effort to safeguard 30 per cent of the Earth by 2030 but need to speed up their work.
Report calls for massive investments in climate adaption
November
Amid scorching heat, punishing droughts and record floods, UNEP's Adaptation Gap Report 2024 calls for countries to dramatically scale up the amount of money they devote to adapting to climate change.
A few weeks later, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), the world would agree to triple the amount of climate-related financing for developing countries and launch a centralized market for carbon trading.
New system charts releases of potent greenhouse gas
November
With COP29 in full swing, UNEP reveals that a high-tech system it developed has pinpointed 1,200 major leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. However action to now plug these leaks must accelerate. Countries advance agreement on plastic pollution
December
People in a conference room. Photo by UNEP
During talks in the Republic of Korea, countries move closer to finalizing a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Representatives from more than 170 nations agree to a so-called Chair's Text , which will serve as starting point for renewed negotiations in 2025.
Nations resolve to take on drought
December
At a UN conference to combat desertification, countries agree to commit US$12 billion to restoring land and improving drought resilience, while promising to ramp public and private financing for 80 drought-wracked nations.
Dramatic changes needed to protect web of life
December
Fundamental shifts in how people interact with the natural world are urgently needed to safeguard life on Earth, warns a report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The report comes amid a biodiversity crisis that is seeing 1 million species pushed towards extinction. Meanwhile, another IPBES report examines the links between environmental, social and economic crises, and offers policymakers a suite of potential solutions.
UNEP honours environmental pioneers
December
A woman stares off into the distance overlooking the sea. Photo by UNEP
UNEP announces the six winners of the 2024 Champions of the Earth award, the UN's highest environmental honour.
The awards recognize environmental pioneers helping to restore land, combat desertification and build resilience to drought. Laureates include Brazil's first female indigenous minister, and a Romanian environmental defender who has undertaken a decades-long campaign against illegal logging.
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