May 8, 2012
- The 30th Session of the Executive Body for the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) adopted amendments to the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone (Gothenburg Protocol), which aim to reduce particulate matters, including black carbon. Black carbon, as a short-lived climate forcer, has a strong warming effect than carbon dioxide.
May 2, 2012
- UNEP Patron for Arts and Environment Yuan Xikun made the 3.9m sculpture of Nüwa, who according to Chinese mythology smelted a seven colour stone to block a hole in the sky to repair the wall of heaven. Nüwa was chosen to draw parallels with modern-day challenges of ozone depletion and climate change.
April 26, 2012
- The Climate and Clean Air Coalition, which aims to take fast action to reduce short lived climate pollutants that have a direct impact on climate change, welcomed Colombia, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, the European Commission and the World Bank as new partners. They join the founding members of the Coalition, namely Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, the US and UNEP.
April 23, 2012
- UNIDO and China have an entered into an agreement that aims to enhance their cooperation in addressing environmental protection issues, including climate change mitigation, mercury, ozone depletion, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
April 20, 2012
- In the statement, North American Leaders pledge to introduce regulatory measures to enable innovation and growth in four sectors: emission standards for specific vehicle types; railroad safety; the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Workplace Chemicals; and aligning principles regulatory approaches to nanomaterials. It also indicates the importance of regional energy cooperation to end energy poverty and expand renewables uptake, and pledges to advance a lasting global...
April 17, 2012
- The OzonetoClimate Industry Roundtable focused on options to replace the ozone-depleting hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). According to the staggered phase-out schedule under the Montreal Protocol, developing countries are required to achieve their first HCFC freeze target by 1 January 2013, and reduce consumption of HCFCs by 10%, by 1 January 2015.
April 2, 2012
- The 2012 Planet Under Pressure Conference issued the "State of the Planet Declaration," which is organized around four sections on: new knowledge; new solutions; new opportunities; science in support of Rio+20; and a defining moment in history. The section on science in support of Rio+20 highlights the UN Secretary-General’s Global Sustainability Panel report and supports it key recommendations.
March 30, 2012
- Nordic Environment Ministers have adopted the Svalbard Declaration on Short-lived Climate Forcers (SCLFs) with the object of strengthening national, regional and international actions on short life-span gases, such as black carbon, which heavily impact climate and health. The Declaration emphasizes that action on SLCFs should not be at the expense of global action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
March 29, 2012
- UNDP, through the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (MLF), is helping Indonesia to phase-out HCFCs and establish an environmentally sustainable air-conditioning industry through public-private partnership with Japan and Japanese air conditioner companies.
March 19, 2012
- The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has launched an updated version of "Taking Stock Online," its online resource on pollution data reported by industrial facilities in Canada, Mexico and the US. The updated North American database details a reported 4.9 billion kilograms (kg) of pollutants in 2009, including cross-border transfers.