COVID-19 lockdowns may have led to a dramatic 5 per cent drop in greenhouse gas emissions but not all measures to contain the pandemic have had a positive impact on the environment, <\/span>warns the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Conference on Trade and Development<\/span><\/a>. Global sales of disposable face masks have sky-rocketted, and many more people have turned to online shopping due to social distancing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What does this mean? Plastic waste created by over-packaged products and take-out meals that are delivered daily to homes are now clogging our landfills and floating in our seas. <\/span>According to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Programme<\/span><\/a>, the costs are staggering – the negative spillover effects from plastic waste on fisheries, tourism and maritime transport, for example, can cost up to an estimated $40 billion each year.<\/span><\/p>\n In August, we look at the importance of <\/span>Responsible Consumption and Production <\/b>as our guide to a less wasteful and more sustainable future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Why It Matters<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div> Infographic<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div> Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n ENVIRONMENT<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n FOOD SECURITY<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n TECHNOLOGY<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n COMING SOON: MOBILE APP FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVNG<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n THE THREE R\u2019S OF RECOVERY \u2013 REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n THE PATH TO RESPONSIBLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n KEY EVENTS IN AUGUST<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div> Brian Yurasits \/ Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n The fight against plastic pollution is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the use of disposable masks, gloves and other protective equipment soars. Plastic waste has long been a major concern, but the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ \u2013 and its partners \u2013 insist that if effective measures are put into place, the amount of plastics dumped every year into the oceans and landfill can be drastically reduced, or even eliminated. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ News looks at \u201cFive things you should know about disposable masks and plastic pollution<\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Noodle Kimm\/ Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n A<\/span>s <\/span>the planet warms, the demand for cooling is only increasing global carbon emissions. If air conditioners were provided to all those who need them, there would be 14 billion cooling appliances in use by 2050, <\/span>warns the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Programme (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP). <\/span><\/a>Green spaces, greening building facades and roofs, and passive building designs are some of the nature-based solutions cities are adopting to keep cool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In its latest report<\/a>, jointly produced with the International Energy Agency, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEP looks at how coordinated international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 460 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the next four decades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Forests are crucial resources for addressing major issues related to sustainable production and consumption, poverty alleviation, food security, biodiversity conservation and climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization\u2019s latest <\/span>Global Forest Resources Assessment Report<\/a><\/strong> looks at the state of the world\u2019s forests, including unsustainable practices and efforts to restore degraded areas.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCG Zambia\/ Georgina Smith<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThe entire food value chain needs to be transformed, all the way from farm to fork,\u201d write Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Development Programme Goodwill Ambassadors and internationally acclaimed chefs Joan, Josep and Jordi Roca. Read their latest blog<\/a> on why we need to rethink what we eat and how we enjoy food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> A recent joint report issued by several Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies, The State of Food Security and Nutrition 2020<\/strong><\/a>, looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food systems, while estimating that at least another 83 million to 132 million people may go hungry in 2020. Current estimates further show that nearly 690 million people \u2013 or 8.9 percent of the world population\u00a0 \u2013\u00a0 is hungry<\/a>, up by 10 million people in one year and by nearly 60 million in five years.<\/span><\/p>\n Click here for full report<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div> A record 53.6 million metric tonnes of e-waste \u2013 discarded products with a battery or plug such as computers and mobile phones \u2013 was generated globally in 2019, up 9.2 Mt\u200b in five years. A new report by the International Telecommunications Union on Global E-waste warns that toxic and hazardous substances such as mercury, brominated flame-retardants (BFR) or chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are found in many electronic equipments and pose severe risk to human health and the environment if not handled safely. <\/span>More information and the full report are available here.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div> ActNow<\/a>,<\/b> the United Nations campaign for individual action on climate change and sustainability,\u00a0 is getting support from a mobile app this September. In light of COVID-19, we need to seize the moment and change course towards more sustainable lifestyles and take care of our planet – every one of us can help limit global warming by making choices that have less harmful effects on the environment. The new app will educate, engage and help spur behaviour change via journeys, tips and quizzes and highlighting the impact of your actions. Stay tuned for more information!<\/p>\n<\/div> Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵESCO<\/p><\/div>\n Virtual concerts can be a more sustainable way of enjoying music as the entertainment industry consumes an enormous amount of energy and concert-goers produce tons of waste. In a post-pandemic world, this raises questions about what entertainment itself could be as we work to build back better.<\/span><\/p>\n Read more.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SDG-12.gif\")
<\/a>Did you know that every year about one third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes – is wasted, yet food security continues to be a growing global concern, affecting millions of people. Or that the world\u2019s freshwater supply such as rivers and lakes are polluted at a much faster rate than nature can recycle and purify?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/a><\/span><\/div>ENVIRONMENT<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ News: COVID-19 and Pollution\u00a0<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/a>
\nHow cities are using nature to keep heat waves at bay<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/a>
\n<\/div><\/a>Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis Report<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/a>Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\nFOOD SECURITY<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>
Rethinking the food we eat<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/a>
\n<\/b>
<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\nThe State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report 2020<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n
TECHNOLOGY<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
Tackling Global E-waste<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>COMING SOON: MOBILE APP FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Three R’s of Recovery – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>
Greening the entertainment industry is music to our ears<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/div>