CITES showdown looms on elephant ivory and rhino horn trade bans
The global wildlife treaty is charged with regulating trade in 40,920 species, including 6,610 animals and 34,310 plants.
U.N. Environment (UNEP)
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Minamata Convention pivots to enforcement, illegal trade control
A new strategy will focus heavily on controlling black market flows, leveraging a decision to phase-out dental amalgam.
Climate lead shifts to Global South as rich nations show lost 'enthusiasm'
As COP30 opened, its president said high-income countries are retreating from their Paris Agreement climate obligations.
UNEP schedules session to organize the resumption of plastic treaty talks
Negotiators must finish the financial mechanism and agree on binding measures to phase out toxic chemicals in plastics.
Global warming efforts remain 'off target' as emissions soar to new peak
Nations' climate plans will collectively lower the current trajectory of 2.8° C. of warming to between 2.3° and 2.5°.
$310B a year climate adaptation 'emergency' risks lives, spurs debt
Developing nations get 12 to 14 times less than what's needed to adapt infrastructure and prepare for climate impacts.
Back to Busan: Global plastic pollution treaty talks end in disarray
The U.N.-hosted talks failed to overcome opposition to reducing plastic production among oil and gas producers.
Deadlock on production, chemicals as global plastic treaty talks falter
The latest draft text omitted any legally-binding production limits and a dedicated section on chemicals of concern.
Global plastics treaty 'drama' on a knife-edge over production caps
European officials say they will not accept a deal 'at any cost' but maintain the bloc is ready to 'build bridges' to succeed.
U.N. plastic treaty talks face deep divisions as deadline nears
Ecuadoran diplomat Luis Vayas Valdivieso, who chairs the proceedings, said 'progress made has not been sufficient.'
Plastic treaty talks open with longshot bid for consensus deal
The negotiations in Geneva are the sixth round of talks since 175 nations agreed in 2022 to create a legally binding treaty.
Geneva's plastic treaty talks at make-or-break moment for ocean health
The 10-day session at the U.N.'s European headquarters is widely seen as the definitive moment for a global accord.
New global science panel set for chemicals, waste, and pollution
UNEP says it began work in 2022 to create a panel that could fill a major gap in the global environmental architecture.
People, wildlife, planet pay cost of convenience for single-use plastics
A plastic layer in Earth’s geological record may become our legacy, marking a moment we turned into a single-use planet.
U.N.'s worst fiscal crisis forces restructuring bid to stay relevant
The U.N. could mark its 80th anniversary by streamlining and reassuring donors taxpayer money reaches people in need.
E.U.'s €20B plan calls for AI gigafactories with 'green computing'
Europe's 'AI continent' would offer up to five large-scale but power-hungry facilities drawing Big Tech with simpler rules.