The first ever United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) is the core theme of this issue of Our Planet. Sustainable Development Goals, the need to decouple economic growth from natural resource depletion and the way forward within the context of the Post-2105 Development Agenda are all robustly discussed in this edition’s feature articles. With contributions from experts in sustainable development, the topics range from the role cities can take in lowering their carbon footprint, through progress in environmental planning in China, to Africa’s opportunities to develop its renewable energy sources. Three inspiring innovations relating to sustainable development are also covered along with UNEP’s latest publications and a section on the organization’s dedicated goodwill ambassadors.