Tag Archives: sustainable

A sustainable future requires new thinking: UN environment report

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“The Global Environment Outlook lays out a simple choice for humanity: continue down the road to a future devastated by climate change, dwindling nature, degraded land and polluted air, or change direction to secure a healthy planet, healthy people and healthy economies,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

The report has input from 287 multi-disciplinary scientists from 82 countries and stretches to well over 1,000 pages.

Looking beyond GDP

The report makes a case for interconnected ‘whole-of-society’ and ‘whole-of-government’ approaches to transform economy and finance, materials and waste, energy, food and the environment.

Taking this path starts with moving beyond gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of economic wellbeing and instead using inclusive indicators that also track the health of human and natural capital.

It continues with a transition to circular economy models; a rapid decarbonisation of the energy system; a shift towards sustainable diets, reduced waste and improved agricultural practices; and expanding protected areas and restoring degraded ecosystems – all backed by behavioural, social and cultural shifts that include Indigenous and local knowledge.

Two pathways to change

The report lays out a social and a technological pathway to transformation.

  1. Behaviour-focused transformation pathway: lifestyle, behavioural and value changes. Social awareness of the environmental crises drives a shift in worldview.
  2. Technology-focused transformation pathway: innovation and technological solutions. An urbanized world with significant global trade and technological spill-over.

Why it matters

According to UNEP:

  • The state of the environment will dramatically worsen if the world continues to power economies under a business-as-usual pathway.
  • Without action, global mean temperature rise is likely to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the early 2030s, exceed 2.0°C by the 2040s and keep climbing.
  • Climate change would cut 4 per cent off annual global GDP by 2050 and 20 per cent by the end of the century.
  • If made, the changes have the potential to avoid nine million pollution-related premature deaths, lift 200 million people out of undernourishment, and move 150 million people out of extreme poverty by 2050.

The agency called on countries to follow the whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches laid out in the report to achieve a sustainable future.

“This sounds like, and indeed is, a massive undertaking. But there is no technical reason why it cannot be done,” Ms. Andersen said.

Young people take the lead for a more sustainable future

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Observed each year on 12 August, the Day draws attention to the rights, contributions and challenges of young people everywhere.

This year’s theme, “Local youth action for the SDGs and beyond,” emphasises how grassroots youth engagement is vital to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and shaping more just, inclusive societies.

“Young people are bold innovators, resilient organizers and essential partners in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message marking the day.

“They are driving sustainable development, building more inclusive communities, forging peace and demanding a fairer, greener and more just future.”

Youth-led solutions work

Mr. Guterres also had a direct message to young people worldwide.

“To every young person: your voice, ideas and leadership matter,” he said.

“Let us work together to support youth-led solutions and build a more just, peaceful and sustainable world, from the ground up.”

A generation that believes…

Today’s young people are coming of age at a moment of extraordinary global change.

According to UN data, half of the world’s population is 30 or younger, a number which is expected to rise to 57 per cent by 2030. Those under 25 today will make up over 90 per cent of the global prime-age workforce by 2050.

In addition, an international survey of over 27,000 respondents in 26 countries on challenges faced by people in public lives revealed that 67 per cent believe in a better future, with 15 to 17-year-olds expressing the most optimism.

Despite their immense potential for good, young people continue to face systemic challenges.

© UNICEF/Siegfried Modola

Young men from the Rohingya community receive electrician training at a refugee camp in southern Bangladesh.

Chronic job shortage

Youth unemployment, although at a 15-year low, still stands at 13 per cent globally.

Among 10 to 19-year-olds, one in seven experience a mental health disorder. In low- and middle-income countries, nearly six in ten 10-year-olds cannot read and comprehend a simple paragraph.

International Youth Day 2025 aims to highlight not only the urgency of these issues, but also the solutions already being forged by youth themselves – in their communities, cities and countries.

As Mr. Guterres emphasised: “Global progress begins in communities. And in every corner of the world, young people are leading the way.”

Nairobi to host global commemoration

This year’s official observance will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, organized in collaboration with UN-Habitat, the UN agency focused on sustainable urban development.

Tuesday’s event will bring together youth leaders, city officials, policymakers and UN officials to showcase solutions and strategies for strengthening youth engagement in local development.

International Youth Day was first proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1999, building on the World Programme of Action for Youth adopted in 1995.

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World News in Brief: Violence in Somalia, cholera in Haiti, tax support for sustainable development

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Clashes intensified in the town of Mahas in the Hiraan region, Hirshabelle state, on 26 July forcing the entire population – over 28,000 people – to flee their homes. 

Another 38,000 people were displaced in the Gedo region, Jubaland state, between 23 and 26 July, some of whom crossed into Kenya. 

Security concerns have forced seven health facilities in the Hiraan region to suspend operations, leaving thousands of people without essential healthcare and emergency services. Humanitarian access also has been restricted, particularly in areas that were already hard to reach.  

OCHA noted that only a limited number of aid partners are able to operate in these locations given the insecurity as well as financial constraints. Meanwhile, affected communities urgently need shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection. 

The situation is unfolding as aid agencies grapple with severe funding cuts. A $1.4 billion humanitarian plan for Somalia this year is around 16 per cent funded, with $229 million received to date.

Cholera haunts displaced families in Haiti

Cholera continues to impact the fragile public health system in Haiti, particularly in sites hosting displaced people where there is limited access to safe water and sanitation.

The Caribbean country is confronting multiple political, security and socio-economic crises, including rampant gang activity mainly in the capital, Port-au-Prince.  

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that between 13 and 19 July, 34 new suspected cholera cases were reported across six of the nation’s 10 departments. Most were linked to displacement sites. 

Five active transmission hotspots have been identified, including in Port-au-Prince and in the northern regions. 

Since December 2024, over 2,800 suspected cholera cases have been recorded across Haiti, with 91 laboratory-confirmed cases and 36 fatalities. 

Despite funding shortfalls, UN humanitarian partners continue to carry out key cholera prevention and response activities. 

Families in Artibonite department received water purification tablets and oral rehydration salt, for example, while partners in central Haiti have installed handwashing stations and scaled up community outreach. 

Experts to help countries create tax policies that advance sustainable development

Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed 25 experts to a UN committee to help countries design tax policies that advance their social, environmental and economic development objectives. 

The UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters supports governments in navigating complex policy trade-offs.  Its work provides countries with practical options and tools based on real-world experiences from tax systems across the globe. 

The 25 experts, who will serve for the 2025-2029 term, have diverse expertise in tax policy design and administration, as well as international tax cooperation. 

They represent various geographical regions and tax systems, and the majority are women, reflecting the UN’s commitment to strengthening inclusivity in tax leadership. 

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UN forum affirms stronger commitment to achieve sustainable development

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At the end of the conference, Member States adopted a Ministerial Declaration by a vote of 154-2-2, with the United States and Israel voting against the document and Paraguay and Iran abstaining.  

“We strongly reaffirm our commitment to effectively implement the 2030 Agenda [which]… remains our overarching roadmap for achieving sustainable development and overcoming the multiple crises we face,” the declaration said.  

15 years of HLPF

The HLPF has happened on an annual basis since 2010 and is convened by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to discuss the progress, or lack thereof, on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda and aspire to create a more equitable and inclusive world.

This year, the forum focused on five of these goals: good health and wellbeing, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, life below water and partnerships.

Negotiations regarding the ministerial document were led by representatives from Czechia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, who highlighted the significance of the proceedings.  

“This year’s deliberations have held particular significance. Ten years after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, a range of interlinked and persistent challenges continues to jeopardise the full realisation of the SDGs,” said Jakub Kulhánek, permanent representative of Czechia and one of the two lead facilitators of the declaration.  

The clock is ticking

In the ministerial declaration, Member States said that time is running out to achieve the SDGs, which remain severely off track.  

According to the Secretary-General’s report on the Goals, which was released on the first day of the HLPF, only 18 per cent of the SDGs are on track to be achieved by 2030, with over half making progress that is too slow.  

While the ministerial declaration addressed each of the five SDGs in the spotlight at the forum, Member States particularly emphasised the role of poverty in impeding sustainable development and the worsening climate crisis that is threatening all aspects of the development agenda.  

The declaration called both of these issues some of the “greatest global challenges” that the world faces.

In keeping with SDG 16, which underlines the role that institutions like governments must play in promoting peace, Member States also affirmed that strong governance and partnership is essential to realising peace as a prerequisite for development.

“We recognise that sustainable development cannot be realised without peace and security, and peace and security will be at risk without sustainable development,” it stated.

Plan of Action

In the midst of challenges to multilateralism, Member States said that the declaration was an affirmation of the UN’s commitment to multilateralism, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

“At a time when serious doubts about the future of multilateralism persist, your steadfast commitment has been both reassuring and inspiring,” said Mr. Kulhánek.

Member States, in the declaration, affirmed a commitment to urgently working towards the SDGs in order to achieve a better world.  

“We will act with urgency to realise its vision as a plan of action for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership, leaving no one behind.” 

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With sustainable development under threat, Sevilla summit rekindles hope and unity

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“The human consequences of rising debt burdens, escalating trade tensions and steep cuts to official development assistance have been brought into sharp relief this week,” she told the closing session of the pivotal gathering, amid sizzling temperatures across southern Spain.

Multilateralism at work

But against that backdrop, the conference has delivered a strong response – a unifying outcome document focused on solutions that reaffirms the Addis Ababa commitments made a decade ago, which seeks to “rekindle the sense of hope” through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and shows that multilateral cooperation still matters and still works, Ms. Mohammed said.

She welcomed host nation Spain’s commitment to help launch a new UN Sevilla Forum on Debt, calling it a crucial step in helping countries better manage and coordinate debt restructuring efforts.

“Sevilla will be remembered not as a landing zone, but as a launchpad for action, to improve livelihoods across the world,” said Carlos Cuerpo, host Spain’s chief finance minister, at the closing press conference.

“Together, we have sent a strong message of commitment and trust in multilateralism that can yield tangible results to put sustainable development back on track.”

Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the Conference said the week had proved the UN is “more than just a space for dialogue; it is a powerful platform for solutions that transform lives.”

“In Sevilla, we have demonstrated our collective will to confront the most urgent and complex financing challenges of our time,” the DESA chief underscored at the closing.

Concrete plan of action

Ms. Mohammed told the closing press conference delegates had made “a serious and long overdue attempt to confront the debt crisis” while aiming to close the massive financing gap for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She reiterated the three main action areas for the Sevilla Commitment:

  • A major investment push to close the SDG financing gap
  • Concrete steps to address unsustainable debt burdens
  • A greater voice for developing countries in global financial decision-making

Alongside this agreement, over 100 new initiatives were launched under the Sevilla Platform for Action. These include a global hub for debt swaps, a “debt pause” alliance, and a solidarity levy on private jets and first-class flights to fund climate and development goals.

“This platform has sparked new partnerships, innovative solutions that will deliver real change in people’s lives,” Ms. Mohammed said. “They’re not a substitute for broader funding commitments, but a sign that creative thinking is finally breaking through.”

Acknowledging criticism from civil society groups about limited access to official discussions, she pledged to push for greater inclusion. “We hear you,” she declared, adding that “this trust needs to be earned.”

Here’s a summary of key commitments going forward from Sevilla:

Tackling debt burdens:

  • Spain and the World Bank will lead a Debt Swaps for Development Hub to scale up debt-for-development deals.
  • Italy will convert €230 million in African debt into development investments.
  • A Debt Pause Clause Alliance of countries and development banks will suspend debt payments during crises.
  • The Sevilla Forum on Debt will help countries coordinate debt management and restructuring efforts.

Mobilising investment:

  • A Global Solidarity Levies coalition will tax private jets and premium flights to raise climate and SDG funds.
  • The SCALED platform will expand blended finance, backed by public and private partners.
  • FX EDGE and Delta will help scale up local currency lending through risk management tools.
  • Brazil and Spain will lead work on fairer taxation of the wealthy.
  • New technical assistance hubs will support project preparation and delivery.

Strengthening financial systems:

  • Country-led financing platforms will support national plans.
  • The UK-Bridgetown coalition aims to expand disaster financing.

Private sector role:

At the International Business Forum, companies pledged to increase impact investment, with $10 billion in projects showcased.

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Sevilla: Without sustainable development, there is neither hope nor security

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Development benefits all countries because it is linked to other areas of activity and society, including basic security itself. Without it, there is no hope – and no stability.

That is the key message from the Director of the UN Development Programme’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (UNDP), Marcos Neto, to all other nations gathered in Sevilla who have signed up to the plan of action, which gets underway immediately.

The Sevilla Agreement is the centrepiece of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, and it has been adopted by 192 of the 193 UN members.

The United States withdrew citing fundamental disagreements with many policy approaches and is absent from the summit taking place amid scorching temperatures in the southern city of Sevilla, Spain.

No lack of money

In his interview during the conference, we asked Mr. Neto to explain in plain language what the Seville Commitment is all about.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Marcos Neto: We are five years away from the Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]. One of the biggest obstacles to this shared agenda of global solidarity is financing. In other words: where is the money? Where will the money come from?

The Sevilla Commitment is a document that makes it clear that this is not about a lack of money – it’s about aligning public and private capital flows toward those Goals, toward the Paris Agreement, and toward all other international commitments.

The commitment outlines what to do with every kind of money – national, international, public, and private. It is a roadmap that was agreed upon through consensus among UN Member States, involving the private sector, civil society, and philanthropy.

UN News: One of the major absences at this Conference was the United States, which left the negotiations on the Undertaking. How did Washington’s withdrawal influence the Conference?

Marcos Neto: A consensus among 192 countries was reached and approved here. Now, clearly, the United States is one of the world’s largest economies and holds significant weight. I believe it’s crucial to keep the dialogue open and continue engaging all Member States, each according to their own needs.

For example, development financing is directly linked to security. Without development, you cannot have a stable society – one without conflict. What’s your level of poverty? What’s your level of inequality? Development is a security strategy. Development is hope. A people without hope is a people in trouble.

UN News: In conferences like this, documents are adopted, but often people feel they are just empty words that don’t really affect their daily lives. What would you say to those citizens to convince them that these decisions actually make a difference?

Marcos Neto: I’ll give you a very clear example. At the last Conference on Financing for Development ten years ago in Addis Ababa, there was a phrase that envisioned the creation of what we now call Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs). We at UNDP developed this concept in 86 countries. This is real: 47 billion dollars were aligned and mobilized through that mechanism.

50 billion dividend

So, in practice, I can say we have helped put more than 50 billion dollars into the hands of countries. We’ve also helped them reform their national budget processes so that the money reaches where it’s supposed to go.

Our current commitment is to implement the Seville Commitment. We are committed to delivering on it.

From Seville to Belém

UN News: In addition, the Sevilla Platform for Action will also serve to implement various initiatives…

Marcos Neto: Yes, we are leading 11 of the initiatives under the Seville Platform, and I think it was a great move by the Government of Spain to have created this action platform in Sevilla to turn this into implementation.

It’s very similar to what Brazil wants to do at the end of the year at COP30. There is a direct connection between Seville and Belém – the host city of the UN Climate Change Summit in Brazil later this year. These connections are important.

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Faith in finance: Indonesia’s innovative path to sustainable development

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The Southeast Asian country has already raised close to $12 billion in thematic bonds, including blue bonds and Islamic investment instruments over the last seven years.

These efforts have been supported by development partners, including the United Nations.

Putut Hari Satyaka, is the Deputy Minister for Development Financing and Investment at Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). He spoke to UN News ahead of a key UN conference on financing for development which begins in Sevilla on 30 June.

UN News: How much money is needed in Indonesia to achieve the SDGs and what is your estimated funding gap?

Putut Hari Satyaka: The existence of an SDG financing gap remains a significant challenge, especially to developing countries. Indonesia is no exception. The financing gap to fully achieve all 17 goals and their targets remains significant. With an estimated $4.2 trillion needed for Indonesia to achieve the SDGs, there is a $1.7 trillion financing gap that is yet to be resolved.

Putut Hari Satyaka, Deputy Minister for Development Financing and Investment at Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas).

UN News: How can that gap be closed?

Putut Hari Satyaka:  We need an integrated and transformative approach, going beyond “business as usual”. For us, this means two things.

Firstly, we must enhance the use of public finances to be more efficient, resilient and transparent. This includes improving budgetary alignment with SDG targets, strengthening expenditure efficiency, and ensuring that resources are effectively prioritized and utilized for sectors generating spill-over transformative effects to sustainable development.

Secondly, we must be creative and innovative – meaning that we need to scale up the existing innovative financing methods and explore new ones. Some of the most prominent instruments and approaches are blended finance, thematic bonds and faith-based financing.

Indonesia has been making great progress in this regard. We have created an ecosystem of a wide range of innovative instruments, attracting a diverse range of stakeholders and entities, supporting necessary regulations, and developing the enabling environment to nurture the market.

UN News:  What is faith-based financing and what has been Indonesia’s experience so far?

Putut Hari Satyaka:  Faith-based financing, especially within the Indonesian context, refers to financial practices grounded in religious principles, most notably, in the principles of Sharia law in Islam.

Families in Ache, Indonesia, have received faith-based cash grants to make improvements to their homes.

As Indonesia has 241.5 million Muslims, 85 per cent of the population, and faith-based social financing like zakat and waqf have been a long-standing practice, deeply rooted in our society.

What is new is the allocation of these instruments towards the SDGs. Indonesia has made strong progress in advancing Sharia finance as part of its inclusive growth agenda.

Sharia financing is now growing by 14 per cent a year, outpacing conventional finance. We are also championing scaling-up, green sukuk, which is a Sharia-compliant bond specifically issued to finance environmentally friendly projects.

This reflects Indonesia’s strong commitment to building a competitive financial ecosystem for faith-based instruments, and we will continue to strengthen collaboration, drive innovation, and ensure that faith-based financing plays a central role in our economic development.

UN News: Are you able to raise new funding through these faith-based instruments? Critics sometimes say this is just another way to reach the same funds you could get otherwise.

Putut Hari Satyaka: Yes, we are. With the world’s largest Muslim population, there is a massive potential in channeling faith-based financing towards the SDGs.

In 2018, Indonesia issued the world’s first sovereign green sukuk, raising $1.25 billion to fund renewable energy and climate adaptation projects.

Between 2019 and 2023, the government raised approximately $1.4 billion through domestic retail green sukuk, engaging individual investors in climate financing. This demonstrates the strong potential of green sukuk, both domestically and internationally.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals provide the blueprint for a more equitable world.

 

We also see great potential in Islamic Social Financing. Indonesia’s zakat potential is estimated at between $18 billion and $25 billion per year. The actual collection remains below 5 per cent of that potential, so there is clearly a vast opportunity to strengthen social finance.

UN News: What lessons have you learned over the years and what advice do you have for national or subnational governments interested in faith-based financing?

Putut Hari Satyaka: Although we have made great progress in faith-based financing, we have much room for enhancement, improvement and even exploration. Here are a few potential lessons:

First and foremost, awareness raising is key. As many view faith-based financing also as community-based financing, society’s participation in these instruments starts with their understanding of their importance and the way the money will be used.

Secondly, we see that the close coordination and concerted actions of relevant stakeholders are crucial. Overlaps are unavoidable without proper coordination. It is coordination – including with subnational governments, where we see room for improvement in order to scale-up faith-based financing in Indonesia.

Finally, building trust takes time. Faith-based financing relies heavily on public confidence, both in the institutions managing the funds and in how the funds are used.

Just like many other financing instruments, we have learned that transparency, accountability and consistent communication are essential to earn and maintain that trust.

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No green without blue: Young ocean explorers set sail for a sustainable future

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In the old town of Nice, the 98-meter-long, three-masted barque arrived last week at Port Lympia, where UNOC3 is now under way. Built in 1914 and owned by Norway since 1921, the Statsraad Lehmkuhl – named for former Norwegian minister Kristofer Lehmkuhl – was refitted last year with state-of-the-art ocean science instruments, transforming it into a floating university.

Now, more than a century after its construction, the vessel has become a cutting-edge research platform, bringing together scientists, students, and explorers to unravel the ocean’s secrets.

This transformation is central to the ship’s second One Ocean Expedition, launched on April 11 from Bergen, Norway, with a mission to bridge ocean science, education, and sustainability. The expedition aims to raise awareness and share knowledge about the ocean’s crucial role in a sustainable future for all. It is expected to return to Bergen a year from now.

As part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, a global initiative aimed at reversing the decline in ocean health, this expedition partnered with the ESA Advanced Training Course on ocean synergy remote sensing. Together, they assembled young talent from 28 countries to cross-reference ocean observations from space and sea, bridging the gap between satellite data and in-situ research.

Demonstration of ESA satellite remote sensing.

Space-ocean synergy

“Marrying … the science, oceanographic and sailing traditions is the best way to get inside the ocean from the surface,” said Craig Donlon, the ESA ocean scientist who led the expedition. He also told UN News that real-time satellite data is used to guide on-board research and point students towards areas that need more and better measurement.

Each day, the ESA transmits space-collected data to the ship, delivering it approximately three and a half hours after processing. “Then we come to the captain, and we upset him by saying, we’ve just discovered this new thing, can please we move here?” laughs Mr. Donlon.

Student’s hard work bearing fruit

Mr. Donlon said that cutting-edge oceanographic instruments, including an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) to measure water movement, hydrophone arrays to capture underwater soundscapes, and Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) sensors to analyze seawater properties, work together to decode the ocean’s hidden dynamics.

Leveraging these, the students can cross-pollinate between their findings in physics, biology, and air-sea interaction, working individually or in groups on projects including internal solitary waves, drifter trajectories and ocean biodiversity studies.

“It’s quite tough, because they have to work eight hours a day on deck, and the remaining time they have to eat and sleep, but they also find ways to work together,” Mr. Dolon explained. “They made a huge number of measurements […] it’s an amazing journey that they’ve made. We have nearly 15 terabytes of in-situ observations taken aboard this scientific vessel.”

He also spoke highly of the value of these works as evidence-based tools that can ensure the data sets sensibly underpin policies and promote ratification.

“It’s our one Ocean, and we must learn to live in harmony with its majesty because it’s beautiful but fragile. It’s not a global dumping ground. Our future ocean ambassadors, the students aboard this ship, will lead this endeavor,” he insisted.

Pablo Álvarez, an ESA training astronaut, talks to UN News.

An astronaut’s blue ambition

Among these young explorers is Pablo Álvarez, an ESA training astronaut set to join the International Space Station before 2030. Before launching into orbit, he’s honing his skills and deepening his knowledge aboard this tall ship – trading the vastness of space for the mysteries of the sea.

He specializes in remote sensing of the ocean’s surface. By analyzing satellite imagery, such as patterns formed by sunlight reflecting off waves, known as ‘sun glitter’, he uncovers insights into surface roughness, wind behavior, and ocean dynamics. These key data points aid both marine scientists and astronauts studying Earth from afar, offering valuable clues that may help predict the ocean’s movement.

“In both fields [Ocean Science and Earth System Science] you’re moving the human knowledge a bit farther with everything you do,” added Mr. Álvarez, “I think it’s in our DNA to explore and to learn more about our environment, and the universe where we are living.” 

Lena Schaffeld (second from the right) is among students presenting their studies on board.

Women improve scientific study

Among the students aboard, Lena Schaffeld, from Germany, found the expedition particularly inspiring. She felt empowered knowing that female students outnumbered their male peers – a rare and meaningful shift in a field often dominated by men.

“I think we need a lot of women in science, especially ocean science. So, it’s quite nice to be one of them,” Ms. Schaffeld said proudly.

Focused on the increasing abundance and distribution of microplastic pollution in the ocean, Ms. Schaffeld went on to tell UN News that the journey has benefitted her studies as well. “We’ve been passing different seas. We’ve come from the Norwegian Sea and the Arctic Sea, towards the open Atlantic Ocean, and now into the Mediterranean,” she said.

The marine debris monitoring project is conducted by Lena Schaffeld with other two students.

Collecting data along the way, she said she has found more visible plastics in samples taken from the Mediterranean.

“Microplastics are pieces of plastic that are smaller than 5 millimeters, and most of them are invisible,” explained Ms. Schaffeld, who stressed that her work is just beginning and it’s too soon to draw any conclusions.

“Only after [the filtration process] and when I look under the microscope, which is going to happen at the end of this voyage, will we know how much plastic there actually is.”

Looking forward to further studying these samples, she said she will also try to explore ways to use satellite data to detect microplastics in the water, and to lay out a bigger picture about how plastic moves with the currents.

“The water is always moving and plastic on the surface moves along with these currents. So, we’re also going to be applying some numerical modeling to predict or even backtrack [to] where that plastic came from. It’s going to interesting,” she noted with hope.

‘A sustainable ocean is a necessity’

Many students on board the Statsraad Lehmkuhl expressed their gratitude to take part in the training course and to be able to share their stories and experiences as part of UNOC3.

“Bringing the ocean to the people is a job that we’ve tasked our students with,” stressed Mr. Donlon. “They’ve engaged with Peter Thomson, the United Nations Special Envoy (for the ocean). He gave us a mandate to run this course, and we’ve followed that mandate.”

In Mr. Donlon’s eyes, “the UNOC3 is the place where we come together. We discuss the most relevant topics, and we bring a ministerial element to that, to ratify evidence-based decisions”.

He said that he is convinced that the science-based decisions and discussions taking place at the Conference “will make lives and societies stronger”, while at the same time help to protect the environment for future generations. “A sustainable ocean is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity. There can be no green unless we have a blue thriving ocean,” he reiterated.

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Bitcoin Mining: Researchers find it environmentally unsustainable, threat to future energy

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Taken as a share of the market price, the climate change impacts of mining the digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin is more comparable to the impacts of extracting and refining crude oil than mining gold, according to an analysis published in Scientific Reports by researchers at The University of New Mexico.

The authors suggest that rather than being considered akin to ‘digital gold’, Bitcoin should instead be compared to much more energy-intensive products such as beef, natural gas, and crude oil.

“We find no evidence that Bitcoin mining is becoming more sustainable over time,” said UNM Economics Associate Professor Benjamin A. Jones. “Rather, our results suggest the opposite: Bitcoin mining is becoming dirtier and more damaging to the climate over time. In short, Bitcoin’s environmental footprint is moving in the wrong direction.”

In December 2021, Bitcoin had an approximately 960 billion US dollars market capitalization with a roughly 41 percent global market share among cryptocurrencies. Although known to be energy intensive, the extent of Bitcoin’s climate damages is unclear.

Researchers at The University of New Mexico find digital cryptocurrency Bitcoin is more comparable to the impacts of extracting and refining crude oil than mining gold./CREDIT:
University of New Mexico

Jones and colleagues Robert Berrens and Andrew Goodkind present economic estimates of climate damages from Bitcoin mining between January 2016 and December 2021. They report that in 2020 Bitcoin mining used 75.4 terawatt hours of electricity (TWh) – higher electricity usage than Austria (69.9 TWh) or Portugal (48.4 TWh) in that year.

“Globally, the mining, or production, of Bitcoin is using tremendous amounts of electricity, mostly from fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas. This is causing huge amounts of air pollution and carbon emissions, which is negatively impacting our global climate and our health,” said Jones. “We find several instances between 2016-2021 where Bitcoin is more damaging to the climate than a single Bitcoin is actually worth. Put differently, Bitcoin mining, in some instances, creates climate damages in excess of a coin’s value. This is extremely troubling from a sustainability perspective.”

The authors assessed Bitcoin climate damages according to three sustainability criteria: whether the estimated climate damages are increasing over time; whether the climate damages of Bitcoin exceeds the market price; and how the climate damages as a share of market price compare to other sectors and commodities.

They find that the CO2 equivalent emissions from electricity generation for Bitcoin mining have increased 126-fold from 0.9 tonnes per coin in 2016, to 113 tonnes per coin in 2021. Calculations suggest each Bitcoin mined in 2021 generated 11,314 US Dollars (USD) in climate damages, with total global damages exceeding 12 billion USD between 2016 and 2021. Damages peaked at 156% of the coin price in May 2020, suggesting that each 1 USD of Bitcoin market value generated led to 1.56 USD in global climate damages that month.

“Across the class of digitally scarce goods, our focus is on those cryptocurrencies that rely on proof-of-work (POW) production techniques, which can be highly energy intensive,” said Regents Professor of Economics Robert Berrens. “Within broader efforts to mitigate climate change, the policy challenge is creating governance mechanisms for an emergent, decentralized industry, which includes energy-intensive POW cryptocurrencies. We believe that such efforts would be aided by measurable, empirical signals concerning potentially unsustainable climate damages, in monetary terms.”

Finally, the authors compared Bitcoin climate damages to damages from other industries and products such as electricity generation from renewable and non-renewable sources, crude oil processing, agricultural meat production, and precious metal mining. Climate damages for Bitcoin averaged 35% of its market value between 2016 and 2021. This share for Bitcoin was slightly less than the climate damages as a share of market value of electricity produced by natural gas (46%) and gasoline produced from crude oil (41%), but more than those of beef production (33%) and gold mining (4%).

The authors conclude that Bitcoin does not meet any of the three key sustainability criteria they assessed it against.  Absent voluntary switching away from proof-of-work mining, as very recently done for the cryptocurrency Ether, then potential regulation may be required to make Bitcoin mining sustainable.

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IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva calls on President Murmu

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Ms Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on the President of India, Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (September 9, 2022).

Welcoming Ms Georgieva to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President said that the world is passing through the third year of the Covid pandemic. She noted that significant assistance has been provided to many low-income countries by multilateral institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank. She said that IMF has to play an important role in maintaining the stability of the International Monetary System.

The President said that today, India is one of the fastest growing major economies of the world. India’s start-up ecosystem ranks high in the world. The success of start-ups in our country, especially the growing number of Unicorns, is a shining example of our industrial progress. What is even more gratifying is that the development of our country is becoming more inclusive and regional disparities are also reducing. The basic mantra of today’s India is compassion – compassion for the downtrodden, compassion – for the needy and compassion – for the marginalized.

President Droupadi Murmu (PIB)

Speaking about the upcoming G-20 Summit in India in 2023, the President said that multilateral cooperation in the G-20 should be based on the principles of inclusion and flexibility, keeping in mind diversity. She expressed confidence that during India’s presidency, the G-20 Forum will move forward with an aspiration to make efforts to further strengthen multilateralism and global governance, in the direction of building a peaceful, sustainable and prosperous world for all.