The need to advance urgent action on the triple planetary crisis is acute in 2025—climate change, nature, land and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste continue to take a terrible toll on the wellbeing of both people and the planet. 

2024 was a year of highs and lows for the planet. From a groundbreaking deal to fund conservation efforts to alarming reports on greenhouse gas emissions, the year was anything but steady.    

This year, countries will reconvene to agree on a landmark global agreement to end plastic pollution. They will also come together for the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, focusing on charting a path toward a more resilient and sustainable future.   

The seventh edition of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO-7) is expected to be published in 2025, building on the core findings of GEO-6 and other major assessments.   

In addition to further planned report launches, here are key moments to keep an eye on: 

       

• Launch of new UN World Restoration Flagships
• International Zero Waste Day
• World Environment Day
• International Day of Clean Air for blue skies
• International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 

Read Press Release 10 January 2025 HERE

Listen to Resilience: The Global Adaption Podcast HERE

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen highlights innovative financing solutions and explains why investing in climate adaptation is a smart economic decision. More about the podcast.

Meet six outstanding individuals and organizations working on innovative and sustainable solutions to restore land, enhance drought resilience, and combat desertification. 

• Act now on the climate crisis   
• Find out how to beat pollution  
• Test your knowledge on biodiversity loss  

• Could microbes, locked in Arctic ice for millennia, unleash a wave of deadly diseases? 
• Look back at three months of intense environmental diplomacy  
• The climate crisis: 5 things to watch out for in 2025 
• Five African countries unite to reduce release of hazardous chemicals from plastics 

Decent Work in Nature-based Solutions 2024 report – Investing in nature-based solutions could create up to 32 million new jobs by 2030.

• 21 January: International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation
• 26 January: International Day of Clean Energy 
• 2 February: World Wetlands Day
• See more HERE

Check out job vacancies, consultancy opportunities and more.


UN Environment Programme, 2025 www.unep.org
Mailing address is: unep-info@un.org
Your January Briefing: What to look out for this year

From: UN Environment Programme <unep-info@un.org

Your January Briefing: What to look out for this year

Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2025