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Environment Press Releases

Displaying Results 101 - 125 of 328

UN Resident Coordinators based in the countries of Europe and Central Asia have noted that most countries are prioritizing economic recovery during the COVID-19 period and that environmental perspectives are often ignored. The regional interagency Issue-based Coalition on Environment and Climate
The Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP), jointly serviced by the UNECE and the WHO Regional Office for Europe, will hold its Fifth High-Level Meeting from 17 to 18 May 2021. The Fifth High-Level Meeting was due to be held in November 2020 in Vienna; however, due to
Over the past 20 years, international and national vehicle regulations have introduced increasingly stringent ceilings on particulate emissions (PM 2.5 and 10) from vehicles’ exhaust.   As a result, according to the emission inventories submitted by countries to UNECE’s  Convention on Long-range
Nitrogen (N) is essential for life. It is an element of chlorophyll in plants and of protein (amino acids) in animals and humans. As such, it is a major nutrient to allow food, fibre and biofuel production. However, human activities over the last century (use of synthetic inorganic N fertilizers
Economic and social development in Albania crucially depends on the availability and good quality of water, land, forest and environmental resources, which are, however, under increasing pressure, including from climate change. An online consultation on the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus in
The new repository will help address disaster risks in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development It consolidates good practices and lessons learned over the past decade in Europe and beyond in the fields of land-use planning and industrial safety
Strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment in a transboundary context have an important role to play in helping countries to achieve a sustainable and green post-COVID-19 economic recovery. This was one of the important messages at the Meetings of the Parties (MoP) to
The eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to UNECE’s Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accidents Convention), drawing to a close today, took place from 7-9 December 2020 – for the first time, in a hybrid form, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covering an area of approximately 1 million km2, the North Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS) basin is an essential water resource for 4.6 million people in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya (2.04 million in Algeria, 1.48 million in Libya, 0.7 million in Tunisia). With an estimated groundwater
For many countries, mining is an important industry in terms of economic and social development. Mining activities however generate hazardous waste that is commonly stored in ponds or tailings, often referred to as tailings management facilities (TMFs). Failures at TMFs have regularly led to
On 23 November 2020, Italy became the thirty-eighth Party to the UNECE Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention). The objective
UNECE’s Committee on Environmental Policy adopted the Recommendations of the Third Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Romania on 10 November 2020.  The Third EPR of Romania assessed progress made in the environmental performance of the country since 2012 and made recommendations to
On 3 September 2020, Albania accepted the amendment on genetically modified organisms (GMO amendment) to the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), raising the total number of the
On 2 September 2020, the Compliance Committee to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) adopted a statement on the application of the Aarhus Convention both during the COVID-19 pandemic,
On Tuesday 4 August, a huge warehouse explosion in the port area of Beirut left over 135 people dead, 5,000 injured, 100 missing and 300,000 homeless, according to media reports. The explosions appear to have been caused by tons of ammonium nitrate. “I express our solidarity with the people of
“Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation for all is badly off track. This is hindering progress on the 2030 Agenda, the realization of human rights and the achievement of peace and security around the world.  Water and sanitation cut across all three pillars of the United
Investment in transforming the transport sector could create millions of new jobs and help countries move to greener, healthier economies, says new report.   The recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be a return to business as usual. It must be an opportunity to push the advancement of
Pollution in the air is not only harming human health and the environment but is also degrading surfaces of historical buildings and monuments. The impact of dirty air on materials is enormous and can destroy our cultural heritage, an important component of our individual and collective identity
Shared among Albania, Greece, Kosovo*, Montenegro and North Macedonia (the five ‘Riparians’), the Drin River Basin provides water resources for drinking, energy, fishing and agriculture, biodiversity, tourism and industry. The Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the sustainable management of
Prevention, preparedness and response are key pillars of the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents which will celebrate its 20th anniversary of entry into force on 19 April 2020.The Convention was negotiated in response to the 1986 Sandoz chemical spill, which put
Water is crucial for climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as health, hygiene, sustainable development and life. The global climate crisis is inextricably linked to water.: 90% of all disasters are water-related. Over two billion people live in countries experiencing high water
Today, the Republic of Montenegro officially becomes the 27th Party to the Protocol on Water and Health, thus joining countries effectively working together within the framework of the Protocol to accelerate action on sustainable management of water resources and improve health and well-being
On 27 January 2020, Kazakhstan acceded to the UNECE Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), becoming the thirty-seventh
When 32 Member States signed the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution in 1979, it was not evident that it would develop into a successful regional framework for controlling and reducing the damage to human health and the environment caused by transboundary air pollution. Yet, the
Montenegro is to become the 27th Party to the Protocol on Water and Health in the next months and 8 other pan-European countries confirmed that they are on their way to accession!These announcements came as more than 225 participants from  40 countries gathered in Belgrade for the 5th