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Close shot of garbage on an empty beach. Photo: wonderisland/Shutterstock.

From local to global action, saving the ocean requires re-thinking our relationship with single-use plastic

You might care about the 100,000 marine mammals that die annually from plastic and you may be one of the 25 million viewers of the infamous straw-up-the-sea turtle nose video. Or it may simply be that you don’t want to eat and drink plastic, swim in trash or witness more shoreline devastation from…
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Aerial view of farm with tractor making lines in tall plants on right side

Our food system is broken: we must repair it

Let’s start with the good news. Humankind is living longer than ever before. Fewer of us are going to bed hungry. Improvements in diets and modern medicine have contributed to a 20-year increase in the average global life expectancy since 1960. The number of undernourished people has fallen from 1…
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Bee on a flower. Photo: Eileen Kumpf/Shutterstock.

Science can help forge a new deal for nature

Biodiversity is life, all life on earth. The air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink are all only possible as long as we have healthy biodiversity - rich species diversity. The remarkable diversity of flowers filling the house on special occasions, trees and birds that help make us…
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Reversing the ocean’s accelerating decline

The ocean has shaped my life, from my beginnings in the outer islands of Fiji to my appointment last year as the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for the ocean. Like millions of others before me who have taken sustenance and succour from Neptune’s world, I know there is so much for which we…
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Under and above water photo of small island in Seychelles. Photo: BlueOrange Studio/Shutterstock.

Innovation drives Seychelles blue economy approach

Our oceans provide everything from food for billions around the world, to protecting communities and economies from storms—bringing it at least $1.5 trillion to the global economy every year. But they also face a barrage of threats, from marine pollution and dwindling fish stocks, to the dramatic…
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Dr. Fridtjof Nansen ship side view at sea. Photo: FAO.

State-of-the art oceanic research ship will support LME conservation and management

In 2017, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Norway launched a new, state-of-the-art marine studies vessel, among the most advanced of its kind. Its mission: To investigate some of the planet's least-explored ocean using cutting-edge technology and sophisticated equipment to help…
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Mobike dockless bikeshare bicycle near bike path in China. Photo: tangxn/Shutterstock.

Bike-sharing data and cities: lessons from China's experience

Digital technologies have spread rapidly in much of the developing world. However, the development and environmental benefits from using digital technologies are yet to be fully captured. The GEF launched the Sustainable Cities Integrated Approach Pilot in 2015. A key characteristic of the program…
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Elephant in Gorongosa National Park. Photo: Sarah Wyatt/GEF.

Elephants hate kale and other lessons in bringing conservation and development together

When I try to explain the importance of the GEF when it comes to protecting the world’s biodiversity, I end up with two main arguments. First, biodiversity is not evenly distributed across the planet. And second, most of the places with the highest biodiversity are also the home of very poor people…
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Mozambique women carrying basket on the head and baby behind the back walking home after looked for mussels at Tofo beach, Mozambique. Photo: Aostojska/Shutterstock.

Marking progress: towards gender mainstreaming at UN Environment

While working towards gender equality may be business as usual in many countries, in much of the world massive disparities in education, empowerment and opportunities remain a daily reality for women and girls. Just one example is Mozambique, where a recent analysis highlighted these challenges.…
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Women with argan fruits in women's cooperative in Morocco. Photo: danm12/Shutterstock.

The GEF's new policy on gender equality is a win for people and planet

Gender equality is an environmental issue. Through initiatives financed by the Global Environment Facility, UNDP recognizes this reality on the ground around the world. From Pakistan, where investing in women as clean energy entrepreneurs has led to avoidance of CO2 emissions, to supporting more…

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