Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 2 – 8 September 2024

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, and Youtube, or visit our website regularly for additional updates.

Image of the week | Mathieu Perret, curator and head of the PhytoLab at the Geneva Conservatory and Botanical Garden, explaining the links between flowers and their pollinators, and the importance of these interactions in the evolution of flowering plants during the Green lecture “Why are flowers so diverse?“, in the temperate greenhouse on 29 August 2024. → Consult our Green Summer in Geneva update for suggestions of afterwork activities.

Road to Busan | The View to the Finish Line

The Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogue, co-organized with the International Institute for Sustainable Development Earth Negotiations Bulletin (IISD ENB) as part of the Road to Busan Series to provide updates and the view to the finish line in the run-up to the last scheduled meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, to take place from 25 November to 1 December 2024 in Busan, Republic of Korea, which was initially planned to take place this week, has been postponed to Friday 4 October 2024, at 16:00 CEST, to facilitate participation of the INC Chair. The event will also take stock of the five days of intensive discussions last week at the meetings of the two Ad Hoc Intersessional Open-ended Expert Groups in Bangkok and explore issues, such as waste management and legacy plastic; options for addressing upstream parts of the plastic lifecycle; and the state of play on finance for implementation. → Register on Webex and join us online on 4 October 2024 from 16:00 to 17:30 CEST.

Other recent news include:

Beyond Plastics Makes 27 Policy Recommendations for the Next U.S. President to Address Plastic’s Growing Environmental, Health, and Climate Impacts | Beyond Plastics | 28 August 2024
Lego plans to make half the plastic in bricks from renewable materials by 2026 | The Guardian | 27 August 2024
Houston’s Plastic Waste, Waiting More Than a Year for ‘Advanced’ Recycling, Piles up at a Business Failed Three Times by Fire Marshal | Inside Climate News | 24 August 2024
→ Consult our regularly updated Road to Busan | Plastics INC-5 page

Fostering Implementation of the Global Framework on Chemicals | For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste

At the end of this month, it will mark one year since the world adopted the Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC) – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste. This crucial framework is essential to achieve the sound management of chemicals and waste for protecting human health and the environment, thus acknowledging the pollution crisis as the third planetary crisis alongside climate change and biodiversity loss, for which the world had adopted respectively as frameworks the Paris Agreement and the Biodiversity Plan.

After the recruitment of the head of the GFC Secretariat, Kay Williams, earlier this year, the Secretariat is now recruiting experts for the team based in Geneva. To inform and support interested professionals in sciences, public health, programme management, and law, the Secretariat is organizing on Tuesday 3 September 2024 at 17:00 CEST an online career event to provide an outlook on career opportunities and better prepare applications for the new open positions:

Health and Labour Officer | P4 | Deadline for application 13 September 2024
Policy and Legal Officer | P4 | Deadline for application 18 September 2024
Programme Officer (Coordinator of the Fund) | P4 | Deadline for application 18 September 2024
Operations and Organization Officer | P4 | Deadline for application 18 September 2024

This week is the 3rd Berlin Forum on Chemicals and Sustainability, co-hosted by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection and the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC), focusing on Implementing the Global Framework on Chemicals on 5 and 6 September 2024 as a virtual event. The 3rd Berlin Forum will take stock of progress made in implementing the GFC with all stakeholders and sectors. → Read the concept note and follow through the live stream and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin live coverage.

Climate Action | Spotlight on Sea Level Rise

The climate crisis affects every region of the world and last week important calls to underline its inequity and to act came from the Pacific Island region in the context of the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. Underscoring the nations’ vital relationship with the Ocean and the undeniable threats linked to climate change, sea-level rise, ocean acidification and pollution, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called out on humanity for “treating the sea like a sewer” and stressed that “plastic pollution is choking sea life”, while stressing that the Pacific “is a beacon of solidarity and strength, environmental stewardship and peace.” Last week:

The UN Secretary-General released a technical brief entitled “Surging Seas in a Warming World: The Urgency of Action” providing a summary of the latest science on sea-level rise and its present-day and projected impacts — including coastal flooding — at a global and regional level, with a focus on major coastal cities in the G20 countries and on the Pacific Small Island Developing States.
The World Meteorological Organization released the State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2023 report pinpointing climate change, sea level rise and ocean heating and acidification as the main challenges of the region.

Additional news on climate change include:

Victory for South Korean climate activists as government ordered to improve carbon cutting plans | Euronews | 29 August 2024
The Caribbean island nation at the forefront of the climate litigation push | UNEP | 28 August 2024
States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change: Guidance Provided by the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies | CIEL | 27 August 2024
On 2 September, WMO will launch its State of the Climate in Africa report, its final regional update for this year.

Invest in #CleanAirNow | International Day of Clean Air for blue skies

The United Nations General Assembly designated 7 September as International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, reflecting the global community’s growing awareness of air pollution risks — accounting for an estimated 7 million premature deaths every year — and underscoring the necessity of further efforts to improve air quality to safeguard human and environmental health. This year’s fifth edition, celebrated under the theme “Invest in #CleanAirNow“, highlights the urgent need for increased investment, stronger policies, and shared responsibility to combat air pollution and its severe impacts on health, economies, and the climate. → Learn more about the celebration and the role Geneva plays in addressing air pollution in our dedicated update.

Air pollution and climate change are closely linked as all major pollutants have an impact on the climate and most share common sources with greenhouse gases. Reflecting on the geographical distribution of and changes in the levels of traditional pollutants, WMO is releasing its annual WMO Air Quality and Climate Bulletin report on air quality and its connections to climate change on 7 September 2024, with an embargoed press briefing possibly organized on 6 September.

Additional news include:

How Asian countries could save lives, boost growth by tackling air pollution | UNEP | 29 August 2024
Air Quality Life Index 2024 Update | AQLI | 28 August 2024

Afterwork | Explore Green Activities in Geneva

This week, Geneva celebrates the Jeûne genevois — a public holiday that falls on the Thursday after the first Sunday in September. Its origin dates back to the first fast recorded in Geneva, at the beginning of October 1567, following the repression of Protestants from Lyon. From 1640, fasting was seen as a moral and religious act and became an annual practice at the initiative of reformed cantons. While it is not an observed UN Geneva holiday this year, those having the day off can enjoy the celebration by eating or preparing the typical prune tarts and through the plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to do in Geneva and its surroundings you can find in our Green Summer update.

Suggestions for this week include:

Patricia Geissler, an internationally renowned bryologist at the service of science | Visit the Botanical Conservatory and Garden to discover bryophytes and other mosses, objects of passion for Patricia Geissler, former curator in charge of cryptogams at the CJBG on 3 September 2024 from 12:30 CEST.
Journées Européennes du Patrimoine | On 7 and 8 September 2024, enjoy the European Heritage Days held under the theme “Réseaux”, to explore how numerous civilizations have facilitated long-distance exchanges in trade, religious beliefs, scientific knowledge, technological innovations, and cultural and artistic practices. Ancient roads, towns and villages, trading establishments, post houses, towers, fortifications and other structures have all been built and left their mark on the region.
CUBE ! | The company Zanco will bring you on the journey of bike deliverers, a surrealist tragi-coming odyssey. Join on 6 and 7 September 2024 from 20:00 CEST in front of the Jonction library.
Atelier “théâtre et bricolage” | Young kids from 4 to 10 years old can join the theater and DYI workshops every Wednesday after 12:00 at the Geneva Bioparc.
Biodiversité des Tomates | On 7 September 2024, learn about the diversity of tomatoes and the good practices for collecting them. The workshop will be followed by a tasting of 40 to 50 varieties. Join this Pronatura activity on 7 September 2024 from 10:00 to 12:00 CEST in Berges de Vessy.
Agir à Genève food challenges | From 30 August to 29 September 2024, agirageneve.ch proposes four food-related challenges: (1) Buying 100% local and seasonal for two weeks; (2) Subcribe for a weekly basket; (3) Eat 100% vegetarian for two weeks or (4) Measure your food waste and cut it by half.

What (Else) To Read Next?

Making a Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanism Work for Climate, Trade, and Equity | TESS | 29 August 2024
As border carbon adjustments are increasingly adopted or contemplated, there are various constructive ways in which the WTO could play an important role in the context of multilateral discussions to enhance understanding of these mechanisms.
CITES suspends Bangladesh as illegal wild bird trade continues | Mongabay | 27 August 2024
CITES, the international endangered wildlife trade convention, has suspended Bangladesh, one of its signatory countries, due to the illegal trade of birds, mainly import, for commercial purposes.
Mid-term Status on SDG 6 Indicators: 6.3.2, 6.5.1, & 6.6.1 (2024) | UNEP | 27 August 2024
These three mid-terms status reports for SDG 6 indicators: 6.3.2, 6.5.1, and 6.6.1 find that SDG 6 is alarmingly off-track and action needs to be accelerated. For most of the SDG 6 Indicators, the current rate of progress is not fast enough to close the gap before 2030. In some cases, progress is even relapsing.
The World’s Largest Wetland Is Burning, and Rare Animals Are Dying | The New York Times | 27 August 2024
Two jaguar cubs burned to death, their small bodies carbonized. Tapirs with raw, bloodied paws had been scalded by smoldering cinders. Nests of unhatched eggs from rare parrots were consumed by flames as tall as trees. Wildfires are laying waste to Brazil’s Pantanal, a maze of rivers, forests and marshlands that sprawl over an area 20 times the size of the Everglades.
Swiss government criticised for delay in insect protection | Swissinfo | 27 August 2024
Five years after the House of Representative’s Environment Committee voted in favour of better protection for insects, Swiss NGO Birdlife has criticised the government’s hesitant action. The loss of valuable habitats continues, it says.
Beyond the bin: Decent work deficits in the waste management and recycling industry | ILO | 26 August 2024
The waste management and recycling industry industry faces numerous challenges, including high rates of informality, low wages, and long working hours.
The Rising Agenda of “Beyond Growth” – What Impact for International Trade Debates on Sustainability? | TESS | 26 August 2024
In light of the shortcomings of the current model of economic growth, the beyond growth agenda is no longer a fringe topic within economic circles as governments and stakeholders progressively realize the need to think beyond GDP growth as the sole or even primary purpose of economic policy.
The future of climate-resilient development is local | Aromar Revi & Ketaki Ghoge | Nature Human Behaviour | 26 August 2024
Climate-resilient development provides a framework to address the interlinked challenges of climate change, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. We discuss how these global goals can be translated to the local scale so that local governments, businesses, communities and citizens can help to implement them.
Politique climatique des cantons: qui conduira la Suisse vers un avenir durable? | WWF Suisse | 25 August 2024
A chaque canton ses règles: ainsi va la Suisse. Dans le domaine du bâtiment également, les cantons décident seuls des mesures qu’ils prennent et jouent à cet égard un rôle important pour la protection du climat. Le WWF et EBP ont passé chacun des 26 cantons sous la loupe pour analyser leur politique climatique et énergétique dans ses moindres détails.
Marine Geoengineering Will Not Save the Oceans or the Climate | Lili Fuhr and James Kerry | Project Syndicate | 23 August 2024
Marine geoengineering, often touted as a potential solution to global warming, poses a grave threat to the ecosystems that sustain all living things. To prevent further damage to our oceans, we must restrict marine-geoengineering experiments and prevent these dangerous technologies from being deployed.