Environment: What’s Up in GENeva this Week | 6-12 January 2020

Back on track after the holidays

Calm week in Geneva for the environmental community that is preparing for the 2020 “super year” for the environment. Various international meetings this year will set the tone and agenda for environmental action in the decade ahead.

Banning single-use plastic in Geneva

From this year, the City of Geneva prohibits the sale of disposable plastics at events as well as at sales points on public property. Offering free single-use plastic bags at retail checkouts has also been banned across the canton.

2020 is international year of plant health

The United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. #PlantHealth

What should I read next?

• “5 lessons on how to save our relationship with nature in 2020” by André Hoffmann, 2 January 2020.
• “Governments, smart data and wildfires: where are we at?” by Pascal Peduzzi and Dianna Kopansky, 3 January 2020.
• “Trade negotiators have missed a deadline to help protect fish stocks” in The Economist, 2 January 2020.

Stay tuned for additional news

Please note that the list of events and vacancies provided in our weekly newsletter is non-exhaustive. Stay tuned and follow us also on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Find here the list of upcoming events in the next weeks and don’t miss our UN Climate Conference debriefing on 14 January.