Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 1 – 7 September 2025

The Geneva Environment Network’s weekly newsletter includes the latest information on the global environmental agenda, main events, job vacancies, as well as other useful resources and updates. Stay tuned and follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Bluesky, and Youtube, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Image of the week | The Mayor of Geneva, Alfonso Gomez, with the vice-president of SIG, Julie Udry, and the photographer Mary-Lou Mauricio at the inauguration of the exhibition BORN IN…PPM. Mary-Lou Mauricio’s photographic project BORN IN…PPM aims to demonstrate the acceleration in CO2 concentration since the Industrial Revolution. Participants pose with the rate of their year of birth as a sign of mobilization against the ever-increasing burning of fossil fuels despite scientific warnings, and to denounce climate injustice. The exhibition is visible until 26 October 2025 at Quartier Libre SIG. © GEN, 28 August 2025

Advancing International Governance of EDCs

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) – chemicals found in everyday consumer products, including plastics, certain pesticides, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles, and construction materials, that can mimic our own hormones and interfere with the endocrine system of people and wildlife – play a role in a range of disorders: from birth defects, reproductive disorders to cancers. First formally conceptualized by Theo Colborn at the Wingspread conference in 1991, building upon environmental concerns raised since the 1960s, particularly by Rachel Carson, the body of knowledge regarding these effects has deepened significantly, revealing increasingly complex patterns of endocrine disruption. With mounting evidence showing the threats posed by human and wildlife exposure to EDCs, global action on EDCs have also been increasing through various international instruments and processes.

This week, international experts on EDCs from around the world are gathering in Geneva from 1 to 4 September 2025 for an expert consultation on the update of the report “State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals 2012” and for the “EDCs as an issue of concern under the GFC Stakeholder” consultation workshop.

In the margins of these meetings and in the run-up to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and of the 7th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the Geneva Environment Network, the Global Framework on Chemicals, the Food Packaging Forum, and the Interdisciplinary Institute for Environmental Health Research and Information are organizing the event “Road to UNGA & UNEA | Global Governance on Endocrine Disruptors: From Science to Policy” where leading experts across various fields will discuss how independent science, policy and research on EDCs can be translated to support and ground international governance to tackle exposure to EDCs. Aimed at furthering global awareness and action on endocrine-disrupting chemicals, this event will also identify what measures can be taken to strengthen global governance of EDCs. → Register on Eventbrite to join in person at the International Environment House or online on Webex on 1 September 2025 from 16:30 CEST. This event will be followed by a light reception.

World Resources Forum 2025

The 2025 edition of the World Resources Forum (WRF’25) is taking place on 2 and 3 September 2025 at the International Conference Center Geneva (CICG) and on 4 and 5 September 2025 online. Under the theme “New Strategies for a Fair and Sustainable Future”, the Forum convenes global leaders from policy, industry, science, civil society, and local community representatives to assess and refine strategies for resource governance and management. The session will focus on three resource hotspots with significant environmental, economic, and social impacts, as well as substantial opportunities for transformation: the extractive sector, the built environment, and consumer and industrial goods. → Consult the full programme and the list of plenary speakers.

The World Resources Forum serves as a platform for dialogue and as a catalyst for action. It supports international processes and multilateral environmental agreements, while also engaging with the private sector to foster responsible resource use across industries. By enabling informed and science-based discussions, WRF contributes to the development of international standards, resource management practices and sustainable innovations. Amongst others, international experts, policy-makers, businesses and scientists will discuss:

The contested future of deep-sea mining in light of ecological risks and rising demand;
The coexistence of supply security and sustainability in the trading of minerals and metals;
The challenge of sustainable electronics amid rapid digitalization and mounting e-waste;
The proposal for a binding treaty on energy transition minerals;
Corporate due diligence in extractive and construction supply chains, and the relationship between mining companies and local communities.

Member states representatives of Permanent Missions to the United Nations in Geneva are invited to participate in the event and are exempt from the charges of participation. Interested representatives can RVSP to this invitation by replying to Emanuele Di Francesco emanuele.difrancesco@wrforum.org.

The Geneva Environment Network is taking part in the Forum this year. → Visit at CICG or online the stand featuring the work of International Geneva in advancing global resources management in the context of tackling the triple planetary crisis and rewatch events held in the framework of the Geneva Dialogues on Mineral and Metal Resources, contributing to key discussions at the WRF’25.

The WRF’25 will take place back-to-back with the WRF Academy, a special training course on Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) to be offered on 4 September 2025 at the Varembé Conference Centre (CCV). Participants of WRF’25 will get the exclusive opportunity to register for this training course free of charge, but please note that places are limited, and participation is not guaranteed.

Additional news on mineral and metal resources include:

Looming summits must deliver a pathway to fairer mineral extraction | The New Humanitarian | 28 August 2025
When Europe’s electronics become Africa’s waste: a Nigerian take on producer responsibility | EEB | 26 August 2025
Critical Minerals for Africa’s Inclusive Growth and Development | IGF | August 2025

Advancing Human Rights-based Climate Action in Geneva and Beyond

On 3 September, the Geneva Dialogues on Human Rights and Climate Change returns for its 2025 edition, focusing on the role that Geneva plays in building on the historic advisory opinions on climate change:

The landmark Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of States in respect of climate change, delivered on 23 July 2025, unequivocally confirms that States have obligations to prevent climate harm and protect human rights, including the right to a healthy environment, by exercising enhanced due diligence in putting in place effective measures with the aim of keeping global average temperature rise below 1.5°C, including by regulating private actors.
The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)’s Advisory Opinion (21 May 2024) addressed States duties to protect the marine environment from climate harms.
The Advisory Opinion of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) (3 July 2025) highlighted in particular States obligations regarding the rights of future generations, human rights defenders, corporate accountability, the right to a healthy environment, the right to remedy, rights of nature, procedural rights, inter alia.

The Geneva-based human rights mechanisms, through their wealth of resolutions, authoritative statements, and reports have informed the advisory opinions and continue to guide States in developing national policies and measures. This year’s Dialogue will further discuss their role in elevating and building on the ITLOS, IACtHR and ICJ rulings to contribute to further advancing effective human rights-based climate action. → Register to join in person on 3 September 2025, 15:00 – 17:00 CEST at Palais des Nations, Room XXIII.

In the lead up to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council commencing next week, another event that advances human rights-based approach to climate action, remaining high on the agenda of International Geneva, is also taking place this week. Following the landmark ICJ Advisory Opinion, the film screening of the documentary YUMI: The Whole World, will gather members of Geneva’s international community, including activists and the UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights, to reflect on this ruling and explore its implications. The documentary follows Pacific Island students as they lead a global campaign to seek climate justice through the world’s highest court, retracing the steps of this remarkable journey from its very beginning. → Register to join in person on 2 September 2025, from 18:20 CEST at Cinélux, 8 Boulevard de Saint-Georges.

Fifth Advisory Board Meeting of the Santiago Network

The fifth meeting of the Advisory Board of the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage – catalyzing technical assistance from organizations, bodies, networks and experts to support developing countries in averting, minimizing, and addressing loss and damage caused by climate change – will take place from 2 to 4 September 2025, with a members-only informal meeting on 1 September, in Geneva. Discussions will tackle important issues, including the operationalisation of the Santiago network; its strategies and the work programme for the upcoming biennium. The Loss and Damage Collaboration also underlines the importance of addressing observers’ participation within the network; resource mobilization strategies and boosting technical assistance requests. → Consult all meeting documents, as well as daily policy updates, key messages and reports by the Loss and Damage Collaboration and read key messages with #SNAB5.

Countdown to UN Climate Change Conference COP30 | Updates and Developments

As global momentum builds in the run-up to COP30, recent declarations, studies, and critiques reveal both the promise and the tensions shaping international climate governance.

In a declaration, Latin America reaffirmed its regional support for the COP30 conference in Brasil | On Tuesday, 26 August, Latin American and Caribbean countries approved a declaration of support for COP30 in Brasil and the conference’s priority agendas. Signed during a meeting of environment ministers in Mexico City, the document highlights the region’s commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement and its leadership in tackling climate change.

Strengthening climate action: experts propose major reforms for the IPCC–UNFCCC relationship | A new study “Improving the IPCC–UNFCCC relationship for effective provision of policy-relevant science” published in Nature Climate Change on 28 August 2025 by climate experts Svante Bodin and Örjan Gustafsson from Stockholm University’s Bolin Centre for Climate Research presents a critical examination of the operational dynamics between two pivotal institutions in global climate governance: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The authors recommend a series of reforms designed to increase responsiveness, improve communication channels, and tailor scientific outputs to pressing policy needs.

The IPCC favoring overly technological solutions to global warming | Historian Jean-Baptiste Fressoz found that the IPCC prioritizes technological solutions, including ‘speculative’ ones, to the detriment of other options, such as energy efficiency. Scientists are thus delaying structural change. His article “In tech we trust: A history of technophilia in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s climate mitigation expertise” published in volume 127 of Energy Research & Social Science, examines the technocentric bias that characterizes climate mitigation literature, focusing on the reports of the IPCC’s Working Group III. This bias stems from structural features of the scientific field that prioritizes innovation, leading to the overrepresentation of technological solutions in climate research. The historian concludes that by the end of this decade, when the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) will be released, the 1.5 °C threshold will likely be surpassed, and the Paris Agreement’s goals – carbon neutrality between 2050 and 2070 – will be seen as out of reach. “We must prepare for this historical failure by rethinking how climate expertise approaches emissions reduction”.

Possible North Atlantic overturning circulation shutdown after 2100 in high-emission future | A new study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, analyzed the standard models used by IPCC, and concludes that under high-emission scenarios, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a key system of ocean currents that also includes the Gulf Stream, could shut down after the year 2100. “In the simulations, the tipping point in key North Atlantic seas typically occurs in the next few decades, which is very concerning,” says Stefan Rahmstorf, Head of PIK’s Earth System Analysis research department and co-author of the study. After the tipping point, the shutdown of the AMOC becomes inevitable due to a self-amplifying feedback. The shutdown would cut the ocean’s northward heat supply, causing summer drying and severe winter extremes in northwestern Europe and shifts in tropical rainfall belts.

Alternatiba Léman | Local Actions for a Global Impact

The 11th edition of the Alternatiba Léman Festival – a gathering of local climate initiatives aimed at mobilizing all civil society actors and raising public awareness on the climate crisis – takes place this week, from 1 to 6 September 2025. Since 2015, Alternatiba Léman has been acting as a catalyst, highlighting local initiatives and promoting the creation of networks for sharing experiences and skills. More than 110 local and global organizations are back this year to offer workshops, conferences and activities – an opportunity to meet, exchange, be inspired and take action for a better future. Don’t miss:

The programme for the 11th edition will include various thematic evenings organized by the multiple member organizations of Alternatiba Léman in various locations around Geneva.
On 6 September, the traditional Village of Alternatives will take place in Parc des Bastions, where over a hundred organizations active in the socio-ecological transition will be showcasing their work and offering activities for adults and children alike.

Continue Enjoying Green Activities this Summer

While the summer is now in its final month, suggestions of green activities to enjoy during your free time this week include:

Festival Alternatiba Léman 2025 | 1–6 September 2025 | Various Locations
A festival dedicated to ecological and social transitions, featuring conferences, workshops, stands, and festive moments in the heart of Geneva.
Soirée Astronomique | 4 September 2025 | Parc Navazza-Oltramare, Lancy
Enjoy a beautiful night observing Saturn, the Moon, and the stars with members of the Société Astronomique de Genève. In case of bad weather, a conference on astronomy will be offered instead.
Soirée à l’écoute des chauves-souris | 5 September 2025 | Bus stop “Bernex, Pont de Lully” (bus 48 from “Confignon-Croisée”)
An evening in the nocturnal world to discover the “queens of the night” in all their splendor. At twilight, participants will listen, observe, and learn about the bats of l’Aire. Family-friendly activity.
Gypaète barbu | 6 September 2025 | Centre Nature de la Libellule
In a magnificent pre-Alpine setting, participants will discover the territory of this giant bird, among cliffs and conifers.
Ateliers en fête – Les Créateliers | 6 September 2025 | Place de la Navigation
From workshops to storytelling, join this event where creativity is at the center.
Formation naturaliste – mammalogie automne | From 6 September 2025 | According to the day’s theme
The goal of this course is to become familiar with the mammals of our regions by observing (or hearing) as many species as possible throughout the year. The focus will be on medium- and large-sized species. Some outings will be conducted in still observation, requiring participants to remain immobile and silent, while others may involve several hours of walking. This course is not focused on photographing the animals. Times and meeting places will be communicated to registered participants. All outings take place in the Geneva region, nearby France, or the Vaud Jura.
Geneva Urban Trail | 6 September 2025 | Bois de la Bâtie
Come run the GUT: a unique opportunity to experience Geneva and its Old Town by venturing onto hidden natural trails and unexpected paths. Discover Geneva as you’ve never seen it before! Explore sentinel passages, stairways, hidden terraces, secret paths, medieval towers, and bridges with breathtaking views over the city and its waterways.
Festi’Rouge, la fête de la biodiversité cultivée | 6–7 September 2025 | Plan-les-Ouates (GE)
Exhibition and contests of tomatoes, workshops, local food and products, and a play area for children.
Été 2025 au Théâtre de l’Orangerie | Until 6 September 2025 | Théâtre de l’Orangerie
A summer-long program of performances, theatre, and cultural events in the scenic setting of the Parc La Grange.
L’été au Jardin | Until 14 September 2025 | Jardin botanique alpin de Meyrin
This year, women, nature, and Meyrin’s memory take center stage through a unique exhibition entitled Herbier Résistant Rosa Luxemburg de Meyrin by artist Paula Valero Comín. Held at the CAIRN – Villa du Jardin, the exhibition is the result of participatory workshops highlighting remarkable women — both known and unknown — who have shaped the community through their care for others and for the living world.
Le feu de la Terre, une aventure humaine | Until 28 September 2025 | Exhibition Hall, UNIGE
Since the dawn of time, volcanoes have fascinated people with their majestic silhouettes and the power of their eruptions. They hold an ambivalent place in human history — feared for their dangers yet revered for the riches they offer. Across the ages, men and women have sought to observe, understand, and tell the stories of these giants of fire, even attempting to decipher the warning signs of their fury.
Galerie à ciel ouvert | Until 24 October 2025 | Jardin des Nations
An open-air gallery featuring over 40 works by Mark Henley and Carole Desheulles. This visual dialogue explores the intersection of geopolitical tensions and the resilience of the natural world.
BORN IN … PPM au pont de la Machine | Until 26 October 2025 | Quartier Libre SIG
An artistic photography project by Mary-Lou Mauricio demonstrating the increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration since the industrial revolution. Participants pose with the atmospheric CO₂ concentration (in ppm) from their year of birth, creating a powerful statement against fossil fuels and climate change.

What (Else) to Read Next?

IN 188: le Grand Conseil soutient et renforce la politique de gestion des déchets du Conseil d’Etat | Republic and Canton of Geneva | 29 August 2025
Le Grand Conseil a adopté son contre-projet à l’IN 188 « OUI au recyclage des déchets non biodégradables ». Ce contre-projet introduit un nouvel article donnant mandat au Conseil d’Etat de prendre les mesures appropriées afin de limiter la production et la toxicité de mâchefers issus de l’incinération des déchets, favoriser leur recyclage et leur valorisation matière.
Global policy progress on plastics stalls, despite public concern | Trellis | 29 August 2025
The article concludes that brands that take decisive action to reduce plastics can build consumer trust and credibility, while those that delay may face reputational challenges with increasingly health-conscious audiences.
#NotAllPFAS: How the chemicals industry is lobbying UK MPs to back looser PFAS restrictions | Tess Colley and Pippa Neill | ENDS Report | 28 August 2025
UK and international chemical firms are urging MPs not to follow in the steps of the EU with a universal PFAS restriction, using arguments disputed by scientists about the relative safety of commonly used types of forever chemicals, an ENDS investigation can reveal.
Lack of data and reporting gaps hamper global efforts to protect pangolins | IUCN | 27 August 2025
All eight recognized pangolin species remain at high risk of extinction due to overexploitation and habitat loss, but the absence of updated population estimates and limited management in landscapes with pangolins mean the full scale of the situation is not yet understood, according to a new report commissioned by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
3 Reasons why flights are far cheaper than trains and why that has to change | Greenpeace | 27 August 2025
Ever tried planning a trip across Europe and wondered: why are flights so cheap while trains cost a fortune? The difference in prices isn’t a coincidence, it’s the result of a transport system that rewards pollution. Greenpeace analyzed 142 routes across 31 countries and the result shows that for a majority of cross-border trips, rail remains far more expensive than air. Train travel is the greener choice and it shouldn’t come with a higher price tag.
CITES Secretariat publishes provisional assessments of 51 proposals ahead of CoP20 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan | CITES | 26 August 2025
The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has published its provisional assessments of the 51 proposals to amend CITES Appendices I and II that will be considered at the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CITES CoP20) taking place from 24 November to 5 December 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Global Environmental Data Standards Mapping – Research report | ISO | August 2025
The research, conducted to support UNEP Global Environmental Data Strategy consultations, in the lead up to UNEA-7 in December 2025, sought to identify how ISO standards contribute to global environmental data objectives, across the whole data lifecycle and using UNEP’s working definition of environmental data. The research identified 1122 ISO standards that support environmental data objectives, as well as 817 standards from 51 other Standards Development Organizations that are referenced in ISO standards. → Consult the webpage and interactive dashboard: ISO – Environmental data