Opening session of UN Environment Assembly – UNEA-6. PHOTO/UNEP
By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The latest meeting of the “world’s parliament on the environment” opened in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday with a clear call for stronger global action to address the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, nature loss and pollution.
More than 7,000 delegates from 182 countries are scheduled to take part in the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) which runs through Friday.
Delegates are convening in the Kenyan capital as climate change intensifies, a million species face the risk of extinction, and pollution remains among the world’s leading causes of premature death.
“We’ve all felt and seen the impacts – baking heat, intense storms, vanishing nature and species, failing soils, deadly dirty air, oceans stuffed with plastic waste and much more,” Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said in her opening press statement.
Although these impacts fall hardest upon the poor and vulnerable, who are least responsible for them, nobody is immune, she added.
The UNEA is the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment and its membership includes all 193 UN Member States. It was created in 2012 as an outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Brazil.
Setting global priorities
The Assembly meets every two years to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law. Decisions and resolutions taken there also define the work of UNEP, which is based in Nairobi.
This year, focus will be on negotiating resolutions on issues ranging from nature-based solutions and highly hazardous pesticides to land degradation and drought. The changing environmental aspects of minerals and metals will also be up for intense discussion.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) during the opening session of UNEA-6. PHOTO/UNEP
“We are living in a time of turmoil. And I know that in this room, there are people who are, or who know, those deeply affected by this turmoil. Our response must demonstrate that multilateral diplomacy can deliver,” said Leila Benali, the UNEA-6 President and Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development.
Addressing the opening plenary, Ms. Andersen noted that “the voices of the younger generation” are also represented at the meeting, alongside those from civil society, Indigenous People, women, business, and others.
Ambitious environmental action
At UNEA-6, countries will consider some 19 resolutions, part of a broader push to spur more ambitious multilateral environmental action.
The resolutions cover issues such as solar radiation modification; effective, inclusive, and sustainable multilateral actions towards climate justice; sound management of chemicals and waste, and sand and dust storms.
Ms. Andersen listed some of the benefits they can help achieve, such as accelerating the transition to net-zero emissions, improving air and water quality, and building resilience to drought.
She urged delegates to craft strong resolutions “that can bring real impact. That addresses the needs of many people already struggling under the burden of the triple planetary crisis. And that shore up the environmental foundations upon which a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future will rest.”
Fossil fuels at the heart of plastics pollution
And environmental experts and advocates united to demand decisive action against the ongoing climate and plastics crises fueled by fossil fuels.
Hellen Kahaso Dena, Project Lead of the Pan-Africa Plastics Project at Greenpeace Africa, emphasized the dire need for a robust Global Plastics Treaty.
“Our planet is drowning in plastic, a crisis intricately linked to the fossil fuel industry. Member states are allowing fossil fuel interests to drive the treaty negotiations and water down its ambition. Ending the corporate addiction to plastic is an important part of moving away from fossil fuels, combating climate change, pollution and protecting communities,” Ms Dena said.
Amos Wemanya, Senior Advisor for Renewable Energy and Just Transitions at Powershift Africa, highlighted the devastating impact of fossil fuels on the climate.
Climate-related disasters like floods, as pictured in Madagascar, can lead to a range of health problems/ UNICEF/Tsiory Andriantsoarana.
“Fossil fuels are failing to power the African continent. Despite decades of coal, oil and gas extraction, 600 million Africans have been left without power. The era of fossil fuels must end now if we are to avert catastrophic climate change. We urge member states at UNEA-6 to commit to a rapid and just transition to renewable energy,” Mr Wemanya noted.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
Seble Samuel, Head of Africa Campaigns and Advocacy for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, called for the adoption of an international treaty to equitably phase out fossil fuels and deliver a financed global just transition to distributed renewable energy systems.
“The plastics crisis reinforces the need for a binding Global Plastics Treaty as well as a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty that can tackle the root cause of both crises — fossil fuels,” he observed.
Mr Samuel said an international fossil fuel treaty is not only necessary, it is urgent and the world need binding commitments to phase out fossil fuels and ensure a just transition for affected communities, particularly in Africa, that diversifies economies, deploys renewables, builds development alternatives and puts finance, technology, justice and equity at the centre.
Plastic production is closely tied to the fossil fuel industry, primarily through the extraction and processing of petrochemicals. The energy-intensive process of converting petrochemicals into plastics contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
As global fossil fuel demand is projected to decline, the fossil fuel industry is eyeing plastics as a lifeline. As the demand for plastic continues to grow, so does the need for fossil fuels, thus increasing emissions and accelerating the climate emergency.
Greenpeace Africa, Powershift Africa, and the Fossil-Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative call on UNEA-6 member states to formulate and adopt a comprehensive and binding Global Plastic Treaty that addresses the entire lifecycle of plastics, from production to disposal.
They also call on member states to endorse and implement an international fossil fuel treaty to fairly phase out fossil fuel production and support a just transition towards sustainable and renewable energy sources.
