Still Only One Earth: Lessons from 50 years of UN sustainable development policy

Stockholm and the Birth of Environmental Diplomacy

The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm began a new era of global cooperation on environmental issues.

Biological Diversity: Protecting the variety of life on Earth

It’s increasingly clear we need a significant policy shift away from “business as usual” to reverse the alarming rate of biodiversity loss.

The Evolving War on Illegal Wildlife Trafficking

Wildlife trafficking is causing unprecedented declines in some species and can potentially spread zoonoses, such as the one that causes COVID-19.

The Precautionary Principle

Understand a controversial legal principle that shapes trade, environmental action, and pandemic response.

The Global Governance of Sustainable Energy

The sustainable energy transition is not guided by a central, hierarchical organization—an approach with many positive features worth imitating.

Harnessing the Power of Finance and Technology to Deliver Sustainable Development

Without transferring technological and financial resources to developing countries, we cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Global Climate Change Governance: The search for effectiveness and universality

Countries' collective emission reduction pledges to fight climate change remain far from sufficient. What efforts and disputes led us to this crisis?

Confronting the Plastic Pollution Pandemic

Countries should carefully weigh the advantages and drawbacks of a proposed new global treaty on plastic pollution.

Protecting the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities

The experience of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities shows the double-edged nature of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

What the World Learned Setting Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals may offer the best option to coordinate a global response to COVID-19, reduce the worst impacts, and “build back better.”

Merging the Poverty and Environment Agendas

Climate change, conflict, and COVID-19 are forcing a reassessment of how we eradicate poverty while addressing a planetary emergency

The Evolution of Private Sector Action in Sustainable Development

The history of private sector engagement in sustainable development is rife with controversy—and some genuine transformation.

COVID-19 and Planetary Health: How a Pandemic Could Pave the Way for a Green Recovery

Environment and health ministries need to form joint agendas and link policy and programming to facilitate a green recovery from COVID-19.

Gender Equality: The Formula to Accelerate Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Addressing gender inequalities—including access to and control over natural resources—accelerates the impact of sustainable development policies.

Small Islands, Large Oceans: Voices on the Frontlines of Climate Change

For SIDS to survive climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to adopt an integrated approach that promotes economic diversification, innovative financing instruments, and scaling up the blue economy.

The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: The Governance Challenge

Over-exploitation of natural resources harms the health of ecosystems and the livelihoods and wellbeing of people, but there are fair policy options.

The "Crown Jewels" of Environmental Diplomacy: Assessing the UNEP Regional Seas Programme

The Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans have achieved significant impacts, including pollution prevention and coastal zone management. They’re an excellent testament for the strategy of segmenting environment action by region.

Biosafety: Ensuring the Safe Use of Modern Biotechnologies

As more genetically modified crops, insects, and fish are developed, the scientific and policy debates on the potential benefits and risks of biotechnologies remain polarized.

The Road to Sustainable Transport

Rethinking and revamping transportation in the post-COVID era could address many economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Coral Reefs: Strategies for Ecosystems on the Edge

Local stressors and climate change are causing a sharp decline in coral reefs and the more than 230 international agreements with coral reef provisions have failed to protect these “rainforests of the sea."

The Rising Pressures on Ocean Governance

The ocean is under serious threat, with stressors that include overfishing, marine pollution, habitat destruction, and acidification.

Do Mega-Conferences Advance Sustainable Development?

By including governments, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders, UN mega-conferences have attempted to legitimize and expand global sustainable development governance.

How to Regulate Our Waste-Full World

Going forward, the legitimacy of global governance of hazardous wastes may rest on its ability to enable governments protect the most vulnerable.

Doing More with Less: Ensuring Sustainable Consumption and Production

Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns has been one of the greatest global challenges over the past fifty years.

Healing the Ozone Layer Through Diplomacy

The Montreal Protocol shows what is possible when science, diplomacy, and business cooperate to implement international environmental agreements. But despite its success, there is still more work to be done.

How to Advance Sustainable Mining

Regulation of mining activities depends mainly on national frameworks and policies, but implementing good plans and practices remains problematic.

The Incremental Approach to Governing Mercury

Years of activism over mercury poisoning led to the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Going forward, work remains for regulating a critical emitter of mercury.

“The Ocean Is Not a Dumping Ground” Fifty Years of Regulating Ocean Dumping

Dumping waste not only threatens the ocean we know, but also the 80% of the ocean that has yet to be explored.

From Land Degradation to Land Restoration

Combating desertification, land degradation, and droughts can win socio-economic benefits for people in drylands and reduce climate change impacts.

Science-Policy Interfaces: From Warnings to Solutions

What lessons have we learned at bridging the enduring gulf between environmental science and policymaking?

How to Enforce the Polluter-Pays Principle

The simple but compelling idea that the "polluter pays" comes with considerable uncertainties and ambiguities during its use.

Trade and the Environment: The Search for Sustainable Solutions

While the interactions between trade and the environment are complex, pursuing policy coherence is imperative to leave no one behind.

Protecting Endangered Species

Despite continued conservation efforts, the status of many endangered species remains unchanged.

The Water and Sanitation Challenge

For universal access to become a reality, governments and private-sector service providers should adopt a human rights-based approach to ensure water and sanitation services are safe, available, accessible, affordable, and culturally acceptable.

A Warming Arctic is a Warning for the World

The Arctic is warming at a faster rate than other regions in the world and summer sea ice could disappear entirely as early as 2035. Cooperation among Arctic states is needed more than ever to ensure the Arctic, its inhabitants, and their way of life survive.

Indigenous Peoples: Defending an Environment for All

International environmental negotiations need to go beyond tokenistic participation of Indigenous Peoples to a genuine integration of their worldviews and knowledge.

Pathways to Sustainable Cities

Urban planning needs to be inclusive and responsive to the needs of local communities and build on participatory approaches that foster the engagement of marginalized actors.

The Roots of Forest Loss and Governance

If lessons from past failures on reducing deforestation can be learned, forest protection could play a major role in reversing both climate change and biodiversity loss.

Disaster Risk Reduction in an Unstable World

Between 1970 and 2019, more than 11,000 disasters were attributed to weather, climate, and water-related hazards, accounting for more than two million deaths and USD 3.64 trillion in losses.

The Legacies of the Stockholm Conference

Multilateralism is key to solving today’s global environmental challenges, but it may not be enough to avert catastrophic damage unless governments and all stakeholders rise to the occasion.