UN system generates 25% fewer greenhouse emissions in 2020 

That’s 1 of the cardinal points to look from the Greening the Blue Report 2021, the first study to reveal the impact that COVID-19 has had on the UN system’s biology footprint. 

Addressing the report, the UN Secretary-General remembered that the world still faces a triple emergency - a clime crisis, a nature crisis and a contamination crisis - that demands “urgent and determined action from everyone, everywhere.” 

“The United Nations is committed to pb by illustration successful reducing our c and biology footprint successful all our operations astir the globe. Together, let’s execute a sustainable, net zero and resilient world for all”, António Guterres said.  

Less discarded and emissions 

The report focuses connected the overall environmental interaction of implicit 315,000 unit successful Headquarters, tract offices and operations connected the ground, crossed the world. Data from 56 UN strategy entities is included.  

In 2020, the strategy produced approximately 1.5 cardinal tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, known arsenic CO2eq, a portion based connected the planetary warming imaginable of antithetic greenhouse gases. Per capita emissions were around 5 tonnes CO2eq. 

Buildings were the main origin for emissions, accounting for 55 per cent of the total, followed by air travel, at 32 per cent, and 12 per cent from different forms of travel.  

Of the reported emissions, 99 per cent were offset, a mode to compensate for the emissions by backing an equivalent c dioxide redeeming elsewhere.  

Trends 

The report also includes, for the archetypal time, emissions trendlines, betwixt 2016 and 2020. 

Overall, a simplification was already occurring crossed the UN system, prior to the  changes that occurred owed to the pandemic.  

In presumption of waste, the mean generated in 2020 was 396 kg per person, including Peacekeeping and Special Political Missions, where staff are stationed full time. If they are excluded, the mean discarded was 184 kg per person.  

These numbers represent a simplification of 61 kg per person and 43 kg per person, respectively, from 2019.   

For 2020, the mean h2o depletion was 38 m3 per UN staffer, per year, an 11 m3 simplification from the twelvemonth before. 

Impacts of COVID-19 

Overall, the study notes, there was still a important magnitude of enactment that could only beryllium delivered in-person and required physical facilities and carnal technologies. 

According to the publication, the pandemic “highlighted the accidental the UN strategy has to revisit its moving and question modalities and travel person to the ambitious emissions reductions’ targets that it has acceptable for itself for 2030.”  

The annual report provides information connected the biology interaction areas and absorption functions identified successful the Strategy for Sustainability Management successful the United Nations System 2020-2030, Phase I: Environmental Sustainability successful the Area of Management.