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Reduce deaths from air pollution… Achieve water and sanitation for all… Double energy efficiency… Consume sustainably… These and many other targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to be achieved in just 12 years from now sound more than ambitious. Making them a reality requires…
How can Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) be used for policies related to, for example, health matters, energy consumption, consumer choices or urban planning? What should be done to make this a reality? What role can PRTRs play in helping governments to achieve the Sustainable…
Air pollution is the world’s largest single environmental health risk, responsible for the premature deaths of 7 million people every year globally and almost 600,000 in the European region. According to the World Health Organization, the associated economic cost in the region  is about USD…
As a result of integrated air pollution management strategies developed under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention), air quality has improved in the region over the past few decades. However, progress has also been uneven as the increase in…
Central Asian countries rely heavily on economic activities that produce, process or use hazardous substances in large quantities. Such activities encompass the extraction and processing of minerals and metals, such as gold, mercury and uranium. The waste that these activities create cannot be…
Air pollution is a silent killer, leading to an estimated 7 million premature deaths every year- some 600,000 alone in the European region. This makes it by far the biggest environmental health risk in the world. Air pollution is known to increase risks for diseases as diverse as strokes, heart…
A map of air pollutant emission sources of a given country can help experts and decision-makers understand which policies are most viable. Spatial allocations of emissions are also important to understand where emissions are coming from on a regional level.Spatially allocating – or gridding –…
Do you know where pollutants in the air we breathe come from? Understanding how pollutant emissions will evolve in the future is essential for designing effective clean air policies today while taking into account the available resources in a given country.While air quality in the UNECE region…
Upholding the principles of environmental democracy means ensuring a safe space for shaping the environment for all members of the public, including environmental activists, who are increasingly under threat in many countries. It also means making sure the public is equipped to participate in…
About 3 billion people, over 40% of the global population, live within transboundary basins and rely on the good management of transboundary waters to secure drinking water supplies, support economic activities such as agricultural and energy production, and promote peace and stability. The…
Experts from Hungary, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, Czechia and Austria joined UNECE in Hungary to take part this week in a practical exercise in the operational area of the Danube Oil Refinery related to industrial accident and water pollution management. This one day exercise…
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have faced development challenges since they became independent in the early nineties.  Recent years have seen more activities aimed at fostering greater stability, prosperity, sustainability and transboundary cooperation…
Ratification and implementation of the Air Convention and its protocols reduces health and environmental impacts in a more cost-effective way than unilateral action by one country alone. Ratification and implementation also creates economic benefits as harmonized legislation and standards across…
Approximately 40 per cent of the world’s population live in transboundary river and lake basins, which account for an estimated 60% of global freshwater flow. These shared water resources support the livelihoods of more than 3 billion of people, making transboundary water cooperation between…
To avoid damage to the environment, public health and the economy, adopting targets to reduce emissions and introducing measures to enforce them is essential. Providing a framework to facilitate these measures, UNECE assists countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia in…
The Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (the Escazú Agreement), developed under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), will open for signature by…
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has requested UNECE to review its environmental performance for a third time. To provide the groundwork for the review, a team of UNECE and international experts will participate in a mission to the country from 18 to 26 September 2018.UNECE’s …
As a result of integrated air pollution management strategies developed under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention), air quality has improved in the region over the past few decades. However, progress has also been uneven as the increase in energy…
The participants in the twenty-second meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), held in Geneva from 19 to 21 June 2018, considered a wide…
The need to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation is getting more and more visibility in global, regional and national agendas. The Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation were recognized in 2010. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly under Sustainable…
Did you know that air pollutants come from numerous human activities, such as transport, agriculture, and industry? But even when we repaint our house, have our clothes dry-cleaned or when we make a charcoal barbecue, air pollutants are released. Knowing where exactly air pollutant emissions are…
Improving transboundary water cooperation across the world requires constant dialogue and discussions between countries to exchange good practices, lessons learned and progress achieved. In this regard, on 28-30 May, the second joint meeting of the Working Group on Monitoring and Assessment and…
Knowing where air pollutant emissions are coming from is important to make viable policy decisions. While air quality in the UNECE region has improved over the past few decades as a result of integrated air pollution management strategies developed under the Convention on Long-range…
Ever heard of nitrogen pollution as one of the major problems of our times? The answer is probably no. While everyone knows about climate change and carbon footprints, few people are aware of nitrogen pollution, the nitrogen cycle and the impacts of its imbalance.Indeed, nitrogen pollution…
Who would have thought that heating with wood, a renewable fuel, is not as sustainable as we all thought? Whether heating with wood is a necessity, an alternative to another heating system or just a nice extra to create a cosy atmosphere in our homes, the consequences are the same: smoke that is…