The UNEP Year Book 2011 shows that we have been experiencing an exceptional level of ecological extremes. However, scientists and policy makers have been making headway on addressing some of the most pressing environmental ...

The UNEP Frontiers 2016 edition presents six emerging issues. It highlights, for example, that the global significance of the financial sector should not confine itself only to enhancing global economic growth, but also ...

This planet and its people face a growing number of challenges. They are as diverse as our cultures and environments, but they can all be tackled through a combination of science, policy and action. The Frontiers 2017 ...

Every year a network of scientists, experts and institutions across the world work with UN Environment to identify and analyze emerging issues that will have profound effects on our society, economy and environment. The ...

The world is facing unprecedented challenges to a healthy and sustainable future. Habitat destruction, invasive species, and overexploitation are contributing to immense biodiversity loss. Unsustainable, extractive industry ...

Nitrogen is an extremely abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere. In the form of the N2 molecule, nitrogen is harmless, making up 78 per cent of every breath we take. The two nitrogen atoms are held together by a strong ...

Nature was once vast and boundless, but in an industrialized, 21st century world, this is no longer the case. Across the globe, landscapes and seascapes are becoming more fragmented. Fragmentation is typically a symptom ...

As climate change negotiations progressed, researchers examined how and why some adaptation actions go awry, particularly those actions that waste substantial amounts of human, natural, or financial resources. Maladaptation ...

Permafrost thaw is seen as one of the most important “tipping elements” that could precipitate a runaway greenhouse effect, or an uncontrollable “Hothouse Earth”. To avoid such a destructive scenario, it is critical that ...

As the world’s demand for plastic materials continues to grow, management of plastic waste will remain a global challenge. In 2014, global plastic production exceeded 311 million metric tons, a 4.0 per cent increase over ...