Press releases

Nairobi, 17 November 2009--A rising number of green energy and climate-friendly projects are up and running or being planned across Africa, new figures show.

Nairobi, 10 November 2009 – Outstanding social and environmental projects from South Africa, Colombia, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, India and Niger are the winners of the 2009 SEED Gold Awards, the SEED Initiative announced today.

Nairobi, 6 November 2009 – Strengthening, enforcing and clarifying existing laws protecting environment in times of conflict could go a long way towards protecting a country’s natural assets during wars, says a new report by legal experts released today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Nairobi, 02 November 2009 - The UN-REDD Programme’s third Policy Board welcomed five new countries. Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the first to officially request to participate in the UN-REDD Programme, in addition to the initial nine member countries. Nearly 20 countries have expressed interest and more are expected to join.

GRID-Arendal and InterRidge are pleased to announce a Letter of Agreement (LoA) to be signed
with GRID-Arendal, to the establishment of a framework for cooperation on a number of marine environmental, scientific and resource issues. This will be the first LoA in which
InterRidge is a signatory. LoA's are routinely used at UNEP/GRID-Arendal for
non-binding expressions of cooperation.

Nairobi/Port Ghalib, 2 November 2009 -- Accelerating the contribution of a treaty to protect the ozone layer towards meeting the climate change challenge will take place at the 21st Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol in the Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib, Egypt, from 4-8 November.

Nairobi, 16 October 2009—A far more sophisticated approach needs to be taken when developing biofuels as an environmentally-friendly energy option a new report concludes.

Cape Town, Nairobi, Rome, Paris — A ‘Blue Carbon’ fund able to invest in the maintenance and rehabilitation of key marine ecosystems should be considered by governments keen to combat climate change.

Washington DC/Nairobi, 25 September 2009 – A new global initiative to accelerate the uptake of low energy light bulbs and efficient lighting systems was launched today by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Wednesday, 23 September 2009, 4:30pm- 6:00pm United Nations Headquarters, ECOSOC Chamber

Nairobi, 16 September 2009 -- A treaty to protect the ozone layer, which shields all life on Earth from deadly levels of ultra violet rays, has scored a first in the history of international environmental agreements.

Nairobi/Ramallah/Jerusalem, 14 September 2009 --The underground water supplies, upon which 1.5 million Palestinians depend for agricultural and drinking water, are in danger of collapse as a result of years of over-use and contamination that have been exacerbated by the recent conflict.

New York City, September 10, 2009: Global Green USA’s Coalition for Resource Recovery today announced the launch of its recycling program at seven Starbucks stores in Manhattan. The pilot will test the collection and recycling of coffee cups when combined with old corrugated cardboard (OCC), the most extensively recycled material in the United States. The objective of this program is to develop a cost effective mechanism to close the loop on paper packaging, reducing greenhouse gases and assisting municipalities in reaching their solid waste diversion goals.

Saint Petersburg, Russia -- A large-scale public-private partnership
(PPP) programme in Russia has huge potential to burden public budgets, according to independent British transport commentator and journalist Christian Wolmar speaking at a press conference in Saint Petersburg this week organised by the non-governmental organisations Save Yuntolovo and CEE Bankwatch Network.

Geneva/Nairobi, 4 September 2009 - Faster action on climate change may be possible if nations combine substantial cuts of carbon dioxide emissions alongside accelerated moves across a suite of other greenhouse gases and pollutants.

Berlin, 2 September 2009 - Investing in restoration and maintenance of the Earth’s multi-trillion dollar ecosystems - from forests and mangroves to wetlands and river basins - can have a key role in countering climate change and climate-proofing vulnerable economies.

Nairobi, 28 August – The United Nations is calling for millions of online signatures for a climate petition and is launching the first-ever Global Climate Week as part of its Seal the Deal! campaign, 100 days ahead of a crucial UN climate change summit in Copenhagen (COP 15) in December.

Nairobi, 14 August 2009 – A nine-year-old girl from Siberia, Russia, has won this year’s Global Painting Competition on the Environment, beating more than two million entries from around the world with her striking depiction of two planets.

Nairobi, 22 June 2009—A scientific paper, highlighting the need to accelerate action over a group of gases known as Hydroflurocarbons (HFCs) as part of the climate change agenda, was today welcomed by the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Washington DC/Nairobi, 8 June 2009 – From discarded fishing gear to plastic bags to cigarette butts, a growing tide of marine litter is harming oceans and beaches worldwide, says a new report.