Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 10 – 16 May 2021

The Geneva Environment Network’s weekly newsletter includes the latest information on the global environmental agenda, main events, job vacancies, learning opportunities, as well as other useful resources and updates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some live events organized by organizations around the world, contributing to the global environmental agenda, have also been included. Stay tuned and follow us also on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Due to the developments in the sanitary situation, most institutions in Geneva continue operating virtually. Our update on COVID-19 and the environment lists relevant information, research, data, and press releases on the environmental origins and impacts of the pandemic.

Photo of the week: A mother and baby lemur (CITES Annex I) at Bioparc Genève. 5 May 2021. © UNEP, Alice Schneider

Switzerland reaching its Overshoot Day

Each year, Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth can renew during the entire year. In 2020, it landed on 22 August; what will be the date this year and how can we push back the date? The Global Footprint Network is hosting a Guess-the-date contest to foster a better understanding of what Earth Overshoot Day is all about and why solutions to push back the date are crucial to achieving sustainability.

On 11 May, Switzerland is reaching its Overshoot Day, marking the date where demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what Earth can regenerate in a year. Learn more about the impact of current resources consumption patterns and steps to take to reduce your ecological footprint in our update.

Pathway to the 2022 Declaration

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference), governments are expected to adopt a High-Level Declaration, under UN General Assembly resolution 73/333. To support an ambitious declaration which can save our environment, a coalition of NGOs and experts is launching the Pathway to the 2022 Declaration: a blog by jurists, for diplomats. The blog’s experts will offer concrete proposals to the diplomats negotiating the 2022 Declaration.

Several experts from the International Geneva community are contributing to this initiative. Read the pieces by Laurence Boisson de Chazounes and Makane Moïse Mbengue, professors at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva.

Connect with GENvironment

Join us on Friday mornings for Connect with GENvironment, an opportunity to have an informal conversation with experts that make Geneva a global hub for environmental governance. Our guest this week is Alice Tipping, Lead on Fisheries Subsidies at the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Join Friday 14 May at 9:00 CEST.

What (Else) Should I Read Next?

Greening International Trade: Pathways Forward | Carolyn Deere Birkbeck | Global Governance Centre at the Graduate Insitute | 3 May 2021
This new publication serves as a non-technical entry point for actors keen to navigate the environment-trade policy conversation and drive forward green trade. It maps the current state of play and highlights a range of possible pathways forward.
Global Methane Assessment | CCAC & UNEP | May 2021
The Assessment shows that human-caused methane emissions can be reduced by up to 45 per cent this decade. Such reductions would avoid nearly 0.3°C of global warming by 2045 and would be consistent with keeping the Paris Climate Agreement’s goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5˚C within reach.
Guterres renews zero-emissions appeal to avoid falling into climate abyss | UN News | 6 May 2021
All countries should commit to zero carbon emissions by 2050 if the world is to avoid a disastrous 2.4 degree Celsius temperature rise by the end of this century, said UN Secretary General António Guterres.
Microplastics found in Europe’s largest ice cap | Reykjavik University | 4 May 2021
Recent scientific findings identified microplastic in a remote and pristine area of Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland, Europe’s largest ice cap. The findings add to the growing body of evidence on atmospheric transport of microplastic particles.
As pesticides poison the planet, people put into practice toxic-free food systems | FIAN International | 6 May 2021
Speakers at a seminar on “Poisoned Food, Poisoned Ecosystems”, including the SR Toxics, shared how people resisting the corporate capture of agriculture were able to advance their fight towards agroecology-based food systems.
Earth Negotiations Bulletin | 73rd Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee | 10 May 2021
Outcomes of the 73rd Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee.