UN environment assembly adopts bold action plans to promote sustainable lifestyles

Anjali Sharma  

GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 2nd March.  World’s environment parliament on Friday adopted a ministerial declaration as it wrapped up the summit in Nairobi with 17 resolutions and decisions to redefine the way humankind interacts with nature.

Over 7,000 delegates from 182 UN Member States and more than 170 ministers took part in the summit.

UNEA-6 adopted a package of action plans to promote sustainable lifestyles to nature sound management of chemicals and waste and sand and dust storms, issued calls for immediate steps to rein in overconsumption and take smarter, greener steps towards sustainability

.Inger Anderson, Executive Director of the UNEP at the closing session on Friday “The world needs action, speed and real, lasting change”.

 A ministerial declaration affirmed the international community’s strong intent to slow climate change, restore nature and land and create a pollution-free world, she said.

She added that true multilateralism was prevailing with wide engagement from civil society, indigenous peoples, international organizations, scientists and the private sector.

“UNEA-6 has delivered an extra boost to help us deliver this change and to ensure every person on this planet enjoys the right to a safe and healthy environment,” she said.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said that when the world faces a triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change, action must be swift and concerted.

She said the robust UNEA-6 discussions and outcome will accelerate the world’s common goals, including efforts to achieve both the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals.

“We cannot afford to deplete nature’s resources without facing serious consequences,” the Deputy UN chief said in a video message. “The decisions we make today will shape our destiny tomorrow.”

UNEA-6 Known as the “world parliament on the environment”, became the highest decision-making body in the field at its inception in 2012,.

The goal is to help restore the harmony between people and the nature. Read our explainer here.

During the five-day conference, UNEA-6 saw delegates debate everything from the use of artificial intelligence to solar engineering techniques.

The adopted resolutions, one provided guidance on how the world can do better on protecting the environment during and after conflicts, and another addressed how best to combat desertification.

Dozens of side events considered fresh initiatives and possible breakthroughs, including the use of artificial intelligence to fight climate change.

UNEP and UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion exhibit featured stylish clothing showcasing a project aimed at stopping overproduction and overconsumption, eliminating hazardous chemical byproducts and scaling circular business models which benefit the environment.

The UNEA-6 hosted the first Multilateral Environmental Agreements Day, marked on 28 February.

According to a UNEP report launched on Friday at UNEA-6, rich countries use six times more resources and generate 10 times the climate impacts than low-income nations.

The 2024 Global Resource Outlook contains a wide range of evidence-based findings and calls for sweeping policy changes to close the divide between rich and poor at all levels, while growing the economy, improving wellbeing and minimizing environmental impacts.

UNEP chief Ms. Andersen ahead of the launch stated “The triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss and pollution is driven from a crisis of unsustainable consumption and production. We must work with nature, instead of merely exploiting it”.

The report showed that natural resource extraction is expected to rise by 60 per cent by 2060 and could derail efforts to achieve not only global climate, biodiversity, and pollution targets, but also economic prosperity and human wellbeing.

“Reducing the resource intensity of mobility, housing, food and energy systems is the only way we can achieve the SDGs and ultimately a just and liveable planet for all,” she said.

The outcome of UNEA-6 will feed into other like-minded collaborative global efforts towards sustainability, including the Summit of the Future, to be held in September.