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Newsletter 04 Nov 2024

Environment: What’s Up in GENeva | 4 – 10 November 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.

Celebrate with us and join our 25th Anniversary of the Geneva Environment Network call for video messages. To take part, record a video message (maximum 2 minutes) on how the Geneva Environment Network has been GENerating participation and engagement for increased collaboration among stakeholders for stronger environmental governance in the fight against the triple planetary crisis.

Image of the week | The Geneva Environment Network team working behind the Scenes at the Road to Busan Geneva Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogue on “Prioritizing Principles of Accountability, Transparency and Justice in the Future Global Plastics Treaty” making links with various obligations under various Geneva multilateral processes. Rewatch the Beat Plastic Pollution Dialogues on the dedicated YouTube playlist.

Road to Busan | An Ambitious, Credible and Just Deal to End Plastic Pollution

As we approach the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-5), to convene at the end of this month in Busan, Republic of Korea, initiatives and discussions continue highlighting important aspects to achieve the goal of ending plastic pollution and support a timely outcome at this final negotiating session.

Last week:

This week:

Other recent news include:

→ Preparing to attend INC-5 in Busan? Check our regularly updated Road to Busan | Plastic Pollution INC-5 page for resources and updates and rewatch the latest Geneva Beat Plastic Road to Busan Dialogues.

Environment @ 2024 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

The 2024 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform will gather the international community both within and beyond Geneva to highlight pressing issues and challenges confronting Geneva-based actors in the field of human rights. In the face of turbulent times, human rights remain the guiding principles that unite humanity and offer a path through the current crises, as emphasized by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. As the interconnections between human rights and various policy areas are becoming increasingly evident — including global health, internet governance and new technologies, environmental issues, and climate change — the sixth edition of the Conference will explore how the strength and potential of human rights can be harnessed to benefit the work of other actors. → Register to attend the Annual Conference at Maison de la Paix, Petal 5, Room C1 on 5 November 2024 from 9:15 to 15:00 CET.

Two sessions of the Conference dive deeper into the interlinkages between human rights and the environment:

  • Human Rights in Preventing Environmental Triggers to Conflict | Workshop | 11:00 – 12:30 CET
    This workshop, co-organized by the Geneva Human Rights Platform, the Geneva Environment Network, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, Earthjustice, will explore pressing questions about community expectations on the role of human rights in preventing environmental triggers from escalating into conflict. By examining the lessons learned from Geneva’s role in peacebuilding, where the Second International Conference on Environmental Peacebuilding took place in 2022, and considering the potential of human rights, especially those related to the environment, as a tool for conflict prevention, this workshop aims to foster an in-depth discussion on how human rights can contribute to a more peaceful future.
  • High-level Inter-agency Panel on Human Rights | 13:30 – 15:00 CET
    This panel discussion, co-organized with the Geneva Graduate Institute, closes the 2024 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform. In light of the recently adopted Pact for the Future, high-level representatives of various UN agencies, are invited to reflect upon where human rights are present in their mandates, policies and programs, and what further input and guidance they would welcome from the human rights system.

From Geneva to Baku | From Climate Emergency to Action

While stakeholders from all over the world start heading towards Baku, Azerbaijan, for the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference COP29, taking place from 11 to 22 November 2024, the climate emergency continues making the headlines for its devastating impacts, including:

  • Devastating floods have hit eastern Spain over the past week. With over 400 litres of rainfall per sq meter falling in just eight hours in the area around Valencia, the disaster has become the deadliest episode of flooding in the country’s modern history.
  • Typhoon Kong-rey makes landfall in Taiwan, becoming the strongest to hit it in decades, with winds that reached over 200km/h before it made landfall, making it the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.

As impacts of climate change become more frequent and devastating, the upcoming climate COP marks a pivotal step to boost international collaboration on climate adaptation and mitigation. To inform negotiations, various reports and studies are being launched, including last week:

  • Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: facing record-breaking threats from delayed action | Lancet | 29 October 2024
    The latest Lancet Countdown report reveals the health threats of climate change have reached record-breaking levels. While people in every country face unprecedented health threats from the changing climate, continued investment in fossil fuels and lagging funding for action to protect health persist. Urgently redirecting resources from the fossil fuel-based economy towards a zero-emissions, healthy future will deliver rapid health and economic benefits.
  • 2024 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Synthesis Report | UNFCCC | 28 October 2024
    The report assesses the combined impact of nations’ current national climate plans (NDCs) on expected global emissions in 2030, among other measures. As stated by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, “the report’s findings are stark but not surprising – current national climate plans fall miles short of what’s needed to stop global heating from crippling every economy, and wrecking billions of lives and livelihoods across every country.”
  • WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin No. 20 | WMO | 28 October 2024
    The Greenhouse Gas Bulletin found that GHG levels surged to a new record in 2023, committing the planet to rising temperatures for many years to come. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than any time experienced during human existence, rising by more than 10% in just two decades. → Read WMO Press Release.
  • 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2024/2025 | Future Earth, The Earth League, World Climate Research Programme | 28 October 2024
    Each year, leading scientists from around the world review the most pressing findings in climate change-related research. Summarized into 10 concise insights, the result has been a rich and valuable synthesis for policy and society at large.
  • Physical Climate Risk Assessment and Management: An investor playbook | Developed by the Adaptation and Resilience Investors Collaborative (ARIC), the playbook provides investors with a simplified step-by-step approach to integrate the identification, assessment and management of physical climate risks in the investment process. UNEP FI is the Secretariat for ARIC and has supported the preparation and development of this playbook.

Additional reports to be launched this week include:

  • UNCTAD report on The New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance: quantitative and qualitative elements emphasizes that for this new goal to truly make a difference, it must go beyond simply setting a high funding target. Instead, it should also focus on ensuring that funds are allocated in ways that address the unique needs of developing countries, enabling them to build climate-resilient economies capable of enduring and thriving in the face of climate change. The report will be launched online on 4 November 2024 at 14:00 CET.
  • The Least Developed Countries Report 2024: Leveraging Carbon Markets for Development | This annual UN Trade and Development report provides a source of socio-economic analysis and data on the world’s most impoverished countries. The 2024 edition tackles the timely questions of whether, and to what extent, carbon markets can contribute to green structural transformation in the least developed countries. It highlights the current state of play and the future potential of carbon markets to mobilize finance and undertake mitigation of greenhouse gases in the least developed countries. The Report is under embargo until 4 November 2024, 17:30 CET.
  • Adaptation Gap Report 2024 | UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report series provides a science-based assessment of the global progress on adaptation planning, financing, and implementation. It also explores options for enhancing and advancing national and global adaptation efforts and provides analysis of selected issues of interest. The 2024 edition provides a more in-depth assessment of technology transfer and capacity building. UNEP will officially launch its annual Adaptation Gap Report at an online press conference on 7 November 2024. → Watch the live stream
  • State of Climate Services Report 2024: Five years of progress | As part of a series of reports to be released for the UN Climate Change COP29, WMO will release this report on 7 November 2024.

Additional news and resources include:

Events taking place this week include:

→ Stay tuned with more updates on the contributions of Geneva actors on the road to Baku with our dedicated page

From Cali to Geneva | Progress and Challenges in Making Peace with Nature

The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16) was suspended at 8.27 am of Saturday 2 November, after roughly 12 hours of meeting in the Plenary session. COP 16 lost quorum and was suspended before approval of a few last items. It will resume at a later date and venue to complete the agenda. Member States:

  • agreed on an expanded role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in biodiversity decision-making, establishing a subsidiary body on Article 8(j) and related provisions of the Convention,
  • adopted a decision on the role of people of African descent in the implementation of the Convention,
  • adopted an agreement on the operationalization of a new global mechanism to share benefits from digital genetic information.
  • failed to establish a new wider biodiversity fund and to approve the Convention budget for the next two years.

With a record number of 23,000 pre-registered delegates, a High-level Segment attended by six Heads of States, more than 130 Ministers and Vice Ministers, and over 70 leaders of international organisations, what has been by far the largest CBD COP — the People’s COP — welcomed and allowed the participation of a broad set of stakeholders, with Indigenous Peoples at the centre stage. The results, built on a spirit of compromise, and dialogue, demonstrate that “multilateralism can still achieve results in a fractious time”. Armenia will host the UN Biodiversity Conference COP17 in 2026. → Read more on the outcomes in the CBD press release and the Earth Negotiation Bulletin.

Reactions to the outcomes of the Cali meetings include:

Statements and documents issued last week include:

  • In a statement, 141 groups of Indigenous Peoples, civil society organizations, and social movements, urge Ministers of Environment and National Focal Points of the CBD COP16 to take immediate action to halt new oil and gas activities and manage the decline of existing operations, especially in areas of high biodiversity importance.
  • Global Ecosystems Atlas unveiled to transform ecosystems stewardship | The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) announced the launch of the proof-of-concept of the Global Ecosystems Atlas, the first harmonised resource dedicated to mapping and monitoring all the world’s ecosystems. The Global Ecosystems Atlas will serve as an essential tool to support the protection, restoration and sustainable management of ecosystems critical to addressing global environmental crises.
  • Protect Planet Report | Launched by UNEP WCMC and IUCN, the report provides the first official global evaluation of progress towards one of the Framework’s 23 targets – Target 3 (the global commitment to protect and conserve 30% of the Earth’s lands and waters by 2030). Target 3 goes well beyond coverage, it requires that protected and conserved areas are effectively managed, equitably governed and recognized with respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. It also commits governments to conserve the most important natural spaces and to ensure that these areas are connected to each other. In short, the elements of the target call for in situ conservation to be scaled up in ways that benefit both nature and people. → Read UNEP’s press release
  • First Global Tree Assessment | According to the first Global Tree Assessment, published in the updated IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, thirty-eight % of the world’s trees are at risk of extinction. For the first time, the majority of the world’s trees have been listed on the IUCN Red List, revealing that at least 16,425 of the 47,282 species assessed are at risk of extinction. Trees now account for over one-quarter of species on the IUCN Red List, and the number of threatened trees is more than double the number of all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined. Tree species are at risk of extinction in 192 countries around the world.
  • Designing and managing protected and conserved areas to support inland water ecosystems and biodiversity | Motivated by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s inclusion of inland waters in the target to conserve 30% of the planet by 2030, this IUCN report provides guidance in employing protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures to benefit these ecosystems and the biodiversity they support. Through a series of case studies and synthesized research, it highlights how integrating the unique needs of inland waters into area-based strategies can improve conservation effectiveness across all realms, build climate resilience and sustain critical ecosystem services.
  • What Are Nature Strategies and Nature Transition Plans? | Developed by Business for Nature, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, Science Based Targets Network, Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, WBCSD, WEF and WWF, this explainer document aims to help organizations articulate how they plan to respond and contribute to the transition implied by the GBF and support businesses and financial institutions drive accountability, and manage their nature-related dependencies, risks and opportunities.
  • Exploring nature-positive buildings | WBCSD, in collaboration with its members and supported by global sustainable development consultancy Arup, has launched this research on how to measure and monitor the nature impacts of buildings across their whole lifecycle.
  • 10 Years of Tiger Conservation Action | This comprehensive report celebrates a decade of success in protecting and restoring tiger habitats across Asia thanks to our implementing partners and funding from the German Cooperation via KfW Development Bank. It not only provides a detailed overview of key milestones in tiger conservation, but also emphasises the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in fostering sustainable stewardship of wildlife and their habitats.
  • IUCN marks 60th anniversary of Red List with year-long campaign to accelerate species assessments | IUCN | 30 October 2024

→ Learn more about Geneva’s contribution to COP16 in our dedicated page.

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

Celebrated each year on 6 November, the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is an opportunity to reiterate the great importance to ensuring that action on the environment is part of conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding strategies. Indeed, there can be no durable peace if the natural resources that sustain livelihoods and ecosystems are destroyed. → Learn more on how International Geneva protects the environment in armed conflict and finds ways in which environmental management can support conflict prevention, reduction, resolution, and recovery in our dedicated update.

The Conflict and Environment Observatory is organizing the webinar “Addressing War-Linked Threats to Water in Ukraine” on 6 November 2024, from 10:00 – 11:30 CET, aiming at explore how the war is influencing water quality in Ukraine and how water needs and threats may change over time, both in respect to Ukraine’s recovery but also as a result of climate change and future regulatory alignments. Stay tuned on the day as other resources will be issued by UNEP, PAX and others actors on the occasion of this celebration.

Green Autumn in Geneva

Suggestions to enjoy your free time and a Green Autumn in Geneva this week include:

  • This week, environmentalist Jane Goodall will be in Geneva. She will be a Guest Speaker at a conference at Ecolint on 5 November 2024, where nearly 1,000 students will have the opportunity to hear her speak.
  • Theater: Atacama | 22 October – 10 November 2024 | Théâtre de la Parfumerie
    A contemporary poem about migration, memory and mining.
  • L’illustration botanique : l’Art au service de la Science | 5 November 2024 | 12:30 CET | Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques Genève
    Trace the history of botanical illustration, a true reflection of scientific knowledge whose artistic techniques have evolved over the centuries to serve Science.
  • La Suisse, terre de guérison | 7 November 2024 | Bibliothèque de Genève
    The first half of the 20th century was the golden age of high-altitude climatic resorts and the emergence of the tourist poster. Join the discussion about the golden age of weather station posters.
  • “DéLivre-moi tes secrets” avec MARIEMO | 9 November 2024| Bibliothèque des Eaux-Vives
    Author MarieMo presents her comic strip “Les Mains Glacées”, a sensitive vision of the polar marine environment and the fragility of its ecosystem.
  • RE & UP Cycling Expo | 8 – 10 November 2024 | Palexpo Les Automnales
    Take this opportunity to meet companies, artisans, associations, and pioneering experts in second-hand goods, all dedicated to giving items a second life.
  • Salon du Vélo et de la Mobilité | 8 – 10 November 2024 | Palexpo Les Automnales
    Explore sustainable solutions for movement! Join this exposition that puts cycling as a symbol of modern, responsible, and accessible for everyone.
  • 54e Bourse aux minéraux de Genève | 9 – 10 November 2024 | Société Genevoise de Minéralogie
    A tradition in Geneva and one of the oldest fairs of the same name, the Bourse aux Minéraux is an opportunity for young and old to acquire or simply admire the wonders of the earth.
  • GIFF – Geneva International Film Festival | 1 – 10 November 2024 | Various locations
    A crossroads of genres and disciplines, a place of experimentation, encounters and celebration, it offers every year for ten days, films, series, interactive installations and virtual reality works to some 36,000 festival-goers.
  • Je suis un arbre | 8 November 2024 | Bibliothèque des Minoteries
    A show collection of musical tales that touch our senses and question our emotions. A repertoire woven around tree stories that speak of the wisdom of ancestors and biodiversity.
  • Couleurs d’automne, structures végétales | 6 November 2024 | Conservatoire et Jardins Botaniques
    In autumn, the abundance of fruit of all shapes, textures and colors feeds our creativity. We’ll explore colors in the Garden before creating temporary works of art.
  • Atelier p’tits chefs : avoir l’air d’une courge | 6 November 2024 | Swiss Food Academy
    The Little Chefs brigade will be preparing a delicious squash-based recipe, under the expert guidance of our Chef Alicia, to showcase the flavours of autumn.
  • Nos voisins les oiseaux | 9 November 2024 | Bibliothèque de Saint -Jean
    A workshop proposed by the association La Libellule to learn how to recognize birds and make bird feeders.
  • Aidons les oiseaux en hiver | 9 November 2024 | Centre Nature de la Pointe à la Bise
    A workshop to prepare tasty dishes for the region’s robins, sparrows and other winged friends.
  • Fabrication de bougies | 10 November 2024 | Centre Nature de la Pointe à la Bise
    Come and discover the extraordinary material they use to make their homes: beeswax.
  • Exhibtion: Medusae | 1 – 30 November 2024 | Bibliothèque des Pâquis
    Medusae, little sister of the major exhibition Cinquecento Medusae, represents a school of colorful, light and dancing jellyfish, made of veil and organza.
  • Exhibition: Corallium | 1 – 30 November 2024 | Bibliothèque des Eaux-Vives
    Corallium is a large coral reef made with crochet.

Happening Abroad

Twelfth Session of the World Urban Forum WUF12 | WUF12, convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from 4 to 8 November 2024, returning to the African continent after more than 20 years. Held under the theme “It All Starts at Home: Local Actions for Sustainable Cities and Communities”, WUF12 will focus on localizing the Sustainable Development Goals, shedding light on the local actions and initiatives required to curb the current global challenges affecting the daily life of people, including unaffordable housing, rising living costs, climate change, the lack of basic services, and ongoing conflicts.

Earthshot Week 2024 | Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s “Moonshot” challenge in 1962 to land a man on the moon within a decade, The Earthshot Prize was launched by William, Prince of Wales, in 2020 to search for and scale the most innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. This year’s edition will consit of five days of events around Cape Town, from 3 to 7 November. An evening of storytelling and star-studded performances, will take place on 6 November to celebrate the work of this year’s fifteen Finalists, with five Winners each being awarded £1 million to scale their solutions. You can watch the Awards live on YouTube.

What (Else) to Read Next?

  • Quadripartite partners organize High-Level One Health meeting in collaboration with Brazil’s Ministry of Health at the G20 Summit | WHO, UNEP, FAO, WOAH | 1 November 2024
    The quadripartite co-organized the G20 High-Level Meeting on One Health, featuring the panel discussion “Creating an Enabling Environment for One Health Implementation,” emphasizing the critical need for robust governance and multisectoral coordination to advance the One Health approach, supported by real-life examples.
  • Marshall Islands: International community morally bound to support efforts to address historical and future displacement | UN OHCHR Special Procedures | 31 October 2024
    “Legacies of nuclear testing and military land requisitions by a foreign power have displaced hundreds of Marshallese for generations, while the adverse effects of climate change threaten to displace thousands more,” said Paula Gaviria Betancur, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, in a statement following a 10-day visit to the country.
  • Uzbekistan to host CITES CoP20 in historic city of Samarkand in 2025 | CITES | 31 October 2024
    The Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the CITES Secretariat signed an agreement formalizing Uzbekistan’s offer to host the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CITES CoP20). The signing took place on 29 October 2024 at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD CoP16) in Cali, Colombia, underscoring the interconnectedness of global efforts to conserve the planet’s biodiversity.
  • Water investment key to averting global conflict surge | Institute for Economics & Peace | 30 October 2024
    The Ecological Threat Report 2024 finds that countries with higher levels of ecological threat are more likely to have higher levels of conflict, and lower levels of societal safety and security. Without concerted international action, ecological degradation will continue to accelerate, intensifying a range of social issues, including malnutrition and forced migration. 
  • Pan-European Strategy aims to align Transport, Health and Environment policies by 2050 | UNECE | 29 October 2024
    The strategy, adopted in Geneva at the 22nd session of the Steering Committee of the Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP), lays out a road map for the transformation of transport systems by 2050, promoting sustainable urban mobility, cleaner technologies and climate resilience. This brings synergies with other UNECE initiatives, such as the Inland Transport Committee’s Strategy on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Inland Transport.
  • High levels of mercury found in tinned tuna posing a ‘colossal risk to public health’ in Europe | Euronews | 29 October 2024
    Canned tuna in Europe has a high mercury concentration, exceeding the limit for other fish, according to a new report from the Paris-based NGO Bloom, which focuses on preserving the marine environment, and consumer rights organisation Foodwatch. The NGOs analysed nearly 150 cans of tuna from five European countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, and Italy. They found that all of the products contained mercury and 57 per cent exceeded the limit of 0.3 parts per million (ppm) that applies to other fish.
  • Dr Jane Goodall gives “A Speech for History” at UNESCO | UNESCO | 29 October 2024
    Dr Jane Goodall, the renowned scientist whose research on chimpanzees changed the way we perceive animals, came to UNESCO to deliver an optimistic message on conservation and the role that everyone can play in preserving our planet. Her speech also spoke to the heart of UNESCO’s mission to educate youth and communities to protect and respect the natural world.
  • Can international law promote innovation from genetic resources and benefit sharing while recognizing the rights of traditional knowledge holders? | SouthViews No. 276 | Southcenter | 29 October 2024
    Indigenous peoples and local communities have been innovating for millennia and contributing to the development of new products and processes. For international law to promote innovation, it is indispensable to promote indigenous peoples and local communities’ rights to prior informed consent, to benefit sharing, and to guaranteeing their territories, culture, and existence.

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