Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 17 – 23 August 2020

The Geneva Environment Network weekly newsletter includes updates on global environmental agenda, main events, jobs and learning opportunities, and other useful news. Stay tuned and follow us also on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Earth 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, the Earth Overshoot Day lands on 22 August, more than three weeks later than in 2019, which is a direct consequence of the coronavirus-induced lockdowns around the world. From Saturday 22 August until the end of the year, humanity is drawing in the stock of natural resources that Earth accumulated. Today humanity uses the equivalent of 1.6 Earths per year.

Our Update on Earth Overshoot Day lists tips and useful resources to help you taking steps to #MoveTheDate.

3rd Anniversary of the Minamata Convention

Three years ago, on 16 August 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury – a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from mercury – came into force. 2020 is a major deadline in the Convention. By the end of this year, its 123 Parties are required to cease the manufacture, import and export of many mercury-containing products listed in the Convention. #MakeMercuryHistory

To mark the 3rd anniversary of the Minamata Convention, its Secretariat has released video messages and other useful information. It is also the occasion to explore the introductory course to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and other useful information about the Convention, available on the InforMEA portal.

GENeva, is the global hub for chemicals & health governance, hosting organizations and agreements, proposing this week online sessions on lead painting and plastic pollution. Check the list of events of the week.

Green Summer in Geneva

Take a look at our list of suggestions of environmental awareness activities to safely entertaining this summer in Geneva: exhibitions, workshops, shows, contests, outdoor activities and online resources. The page is regularly updated.

COVID-19 and the Environment

The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis that affects everyone. As the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said

The pandemic has exposed the fragility of our societies and economies to global shocks, such as disease or climate disruption. As we recover, we must build back better for people and for the planet.

The Secretary General keeps reminding us, that we have a framework for action – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and has launched the UN Comprehensive Response to COVID-19.

Latest updates on COVID-19 and the environment

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. Among the press releases and articles issued last week:

The Americas: Governments should strengthen, not weaken, environmental protection during COVID-19 pandemic | UN Human Rights | 13 August 2020
Waste Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: from response to recover | UNEP | 12 August 2020
Global deforestation accelerates during pandemic | Financial Times | 9 August 2020
Does exposure to air pollution increase the risk of dying from the coronavirus (COVID-19)? | UK Office for National Statistics | 13 August 2020

What (Else) Should I Read Next?

UN human rights experts call for justice and accountability in response to Beirut explosion | UN Human Rights (Special Procedures) | 13 August 2020
UN Special Rapporteurs are deeply concerned about the level of irresponsibility and impunity surrounding human and environmental devastation on this scale.
Guterres ‘deeply concerned’ over environmental threat posed by stricken oil tanker off Yemen coast| UN News | 15 August 2020
Built in 1974, the ship reportedly sprang a leak in 2019, after being used as a storage vessel since the late 1980s, and was abandoned after its engine room flooded with seawater, threatening to destabilize the vessel and discharge its cargo.
Konrad Steffen: Snow and ice were his passion | World Climate Research Programme | 14 August 2020
Konrad ‘Koni’ Steffen will be remembered as an outstanding scientist — but most of all he will be remembered as a wonderful human being with an amazing passion for snow and ice.
CITES, WWF and TRAFFIC release new guide to identify smuggled ivory | CITES | 11 August 2020
Released ahead of World Elephant Day, the Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes, is a comprehensive and accessible resource for identifying the most commonly found ivories and artificial substitutes in trade. This is a vital tool to assist law enforcement in identifying trafficked ivory in particular.
How UN recognition of the right to water and sanitation has informed efforts to secure universal recognition of the right to a healthy, clean and sustainable environment | Marc Limon | Universal Rights Group | 6 August 2020
How UN recognition of the right to water & sanitation has informed efforts to secure universal recognition of the right to a healthy, clean & sustainable environment.
Inside the ambitious push to protect a third of the world’s ocean| Kennedy Warne | National Geography | 13 August 2020
The National Geographic Society launched the Pristine Seas project in 2008 to explore and preserve the ocean. Pristine Seas has conducted 30 expeditions and helped create 22 marine reserves. Its new research indicates crucial areas to safeguard in the future.
La philanthropie, partie prenante en faveur d’une société décarbonée| Patrick Odier | Le Temps | 9 August 2020
La philanthropie environnementale pourrait soutenir les politiques publiques durables, financer des projets en faveur du climat ou lancer des obligations bleues…