Latest news with #UNEP
India Today
11 hours ago
- General
- India Today
The big fat Indian wedding is quietly triggering a climate chaos
The lavish "big fat Indian wedding" is a cultural spectacle known for its opulence, grandeur, and increasingly, its food over 10 million weddings taking place annually in India, these events have become one of the country's major sources of food wastage and a driver behind rising methane to Feeding India, an NGO working to combat hunger, anywhere between 30 and 50 kilograms of food is wasted at an average Indian wedding. In elite weddings, the amount can soar to a staggering 800 Globally, food waste is a serious concern. The Food Waste Index Report 2024, released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a UK-based non-profit, states that one crore (10 million) meals are wasted every day report also highlights that household waste makes up the largest share, more than 60%, of this global food India, much of the wedding-related food waste is due to oversized buffets, inaccurate guest estimates, and a general lack of awareness about food donation. Photo: Generative AI by Ayushi Shrivastava) THE CLIMATE CONSEQUENCEThe consequences of this waste extend beyond empty plates. It's contributing significantly to environmental discarded food ends up in landfills, it decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen), producing methane, a greenhouse gas that is around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of warming can linger in the atmosphere for over 20 years and is responsible for roughly 30% of the rise in global temperatures since pre-industrial change has already exceeded the thresholds set by the Paris Agreement. Food waste from weddings and other events continues to fuel this crisis. The UNEP report notes that 'human-caused methane emissions could be reduced by as much as 45% within the decade,' a change that could prevent nearly 0.3C of global warming by 2045 and keep the planet within the 1.5C limit targeted by the Paris as one billion tons of food is wasted globally each year, about one-third of the world's population experiences food insecurity. Of these, 783 million people struggle with hunger. Globally, food waste is a serious concern. (Photo: Getty) This stark contrast calls for immediate action. Mindful consumption, better planning, and raising awareness about food recovery and donation can significantly reduce food wastage, especially at weddings. Institutional frameworks must be established to streamline food involved in food redistribution should be certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ensure food safety and 2018, the Delhi government took a notable step to reduce food waste by capping the number of guests allowed at weddings. A similar trend emerged naturally during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions led to smaller, more intimate gatherings. However, such measures shouldn't be limited to times of smaller, more mindful celebrations can significantly reduce the enormous food waste typically generated at weddings. It's a step toward both environmental sustainability and social celebration of love and union should not come at the cost of the planet or hungry mouths. A shift towards responsible celebrations can make the big fat Indian wedding truly great for Reel
Scoop
5 days ago
- General
- Scoop
UN Recognizes World Restoration Flagships In East Africa, Mexico, And Spain
Nice, France, 11 June 2025 – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have named the first World Restoration Flagships for this year, tackling pollution, unsustainable exploitation, and invasive species in three continents. These initiatives are restoring almost five million hectares of marine ecosystems – an area about the size of Costa Rica, which, together with France, is hosting the 3rd UN Ocean Conference. The three new flagships comprise restoration initiatives in the coral-rich Northern Mozambique Channel Region, more than 60 of Mexico's islands and the Mar Menor in Spain, Europe's first ecosystem with legal personhood. The winning initiatives were announced at an event during the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, and are now eligible for UN support. 'After decades of taking the ocean for granted, we are witnessing a great shift towards restoration. But the challenge ahead of us is significant and we need everyone to play their part,' said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. 'These World Restoration Flagships show how biodiversity protection, climate action, and economic development are deeply interconnected. To deliver our restoration goals, our ambition must be as big as the ocean we must protect.' The World Restoration Flagship awards are part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration – led by UNEP and FAO – which aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. The awards track notable initiatives that support global commitments to restore one billion hectares – an area larger than China – by 2030. FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said: 'The climate crisis, unsustainable exploitation practices and nature resources shrinking are affecting our blue ecosystems, harming marine life and threatening the livelihoods of dependent communities. These new World Restoration Flagships show that halting and reversing degradation is not only possible, but also beneficial to planet and people." The Northern Mozambique Channel This small region boasts 35 per cent of the coral reefs found in the entire Indian Ocean and is considered its seedbed and nursery. Agricultural run-off, overfishing, and climate change threaten this economically and ecologically important stretch of ocean. Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Tanzania are already working together to manage, protect, and restore almost 87,200 hectares of interconnected land- and seascapes, benefitting both nature and people. Actions undertaken today to maintain it include restoration of blue and green forests by creating interconnected restoration corridors, mangroves, and coral reef ecosystems, and improving fisheries management. These efforts, championed by the NGO World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UN agencies alike, encompass multiple levels and sites, spanning both land and seascapes. With adequate financing, 4.85 million hectares are expected to be restored by 2030. This is expected to improve communities' well-being and socio-economic development, including a 30 per cent increase in household income in target areas, and create over 2,000 jobs and 12 community-based enterprises, while integrating indigenous practices. Madagascar's mangroves already store more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (COe), comparable to the annual electricity use in over 62 million homes in the United States. The restoration is expected to increase these countries' capacity to absorb carbon dioxide (CO) and help tackle climate change. Mexico's seabird islands Recognized worldwide as vital hotspots for biodiversity, particularly for being home to one-third of the world's seabird species, the Mexican islands had long suffered the negative impacts of invasive species. Then, twenty-six years ago, Mexico's National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the civil society organisation Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI) launched an ambitious, comprehensive ecological restoration program, in collaboration with partners from government agencies, civil society, academia, and local communities. Efforts include removing 60 populations of invasive species and restoring seabird colonies, as well as forest landscape restoration. Coupled with implementing biosecurity protocols, the comprehensive programme restores the island's endemic richness and supports local island communities. Thanks to restoration efforts, 85 per cent of formerly extirpated seabird colonies have returned to the islands, including species at risk of extinction. The initiative will complete the restoration of over 100,000 hectares by the end of the decade – equivalent to almost a million hectares of continental land in terms of biodiversity value — encompassing almost 100 islands, and protecting over 300 endemic species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and birds. An enduring relationship with local communities ensures their involvement in the initiative and their benefits: enhanced resilience facing extreme weather events, sustainable fisheries, and ecotourism. Spain: The Mar Menor lagoon With its famously transparent water, the Mar Menor lagoon is essential to the region's identity, local tourism, small-scale fishing and unique flora and fauna, including water birds. Surrounded by one of Europe's key agricultural regions, it is the continent's largest saltwater lagoon, and its biodiversity has successfully adapted to conditions of extreme temperatures, high salinity, and low levels of nutrients. However, nitrate discharges from intensive agricultural activity, as well as other polluting land and marine activities, have led to the lagoon's rapid degradation, including the emergence of damaging algal blooms. A positive turn came when over half a million citizens mobilized in response to episodes of 'green soup' and fish kills and supported a Popular Legislative Initiative to make the Mar Menor a legal entity with rights. Actions were also promoted from the justice system to demand the application of environmental liability regulations and possible criminal liability into the pollution. The Spanish Government launched an ambitious intervention through the Framework of Priority Actions to Recover the Mar Menor (MAPMM), aimed at restoring the natural dynamics and solving the problem from the source, articulated in 10 lines of action and 28 measures, by creating wetlands, supporting sustainable agriculture, constructing a wide green belt around it, cleaning up abandoned and polluted mining sites, improving flood risk management, increasing its biodiversity, and sustaining social participation. The total area targeted for restoration amounts to 8,770 hectares, representing 7 per cent of the entire basin flowing into the Mar Menor. This area would support Spain's climate change objectives, including its overall national target of restoring 870,000 hectares by 2030. For one of the proposed interventions, the Green Belt, it is estimated to absorb more than 82,256 tonnes CO by 2040 – the equivalent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions from almost 14,000 people in Spain. World Restoration Flagships are chosen as the best examples of ongoing, large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration by a group of ecosystem restoration experts from the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration's network. Selection follows a thorough review process with 15 criteria, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade. In 2022, the inaugural ten World Restoration Flagships were recognized as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, followed with the recognition of seven initiatives in 2024.
Mail & Guardian
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- Mail & Guardian
Africa isn't ready for electric vehicles – and that's okay
Africa's transport future will be electric - but not just yet. The global vehicle industry is undergoing a seismic shift. Electric vehicles (EVs) are no longer a futuristic novelty. In 2023, EVs accounted for 18% of all new car sales globally, with countries such as China, Norway and the Netherlands leading the way. Across tech expos, policy discussions and climate summits, the message is clear: the world is moving beyond internal combustion engines. But for Africa, the picture is very different. Although there is enthusiasm among some policymakers and entrepreneurs, the reality on the ground reveals structural issues that make a large-scale transition to EVs both impractical and premature. Despite global pressure to 'catch up' or 'leapfrog'' Africa is not ready for electric vehicles. One of the most immediate barriers to EV adoption in Africa is cost. The average price of a new electric vehicle globally sits at about $53,000. Meanwhile, GDP per capita in sub-Saharan Africa was just $1,574 in 2022, according to the World Bank. For most Africans, even a used petrol car is out of financial reach, let alone a new EV. This is reflected in consumer behaviour: more than 90% of vehicles imported into Africa are second-hand, typically older, fuel-powered models from the United States, Japan or Europe, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. The dominance of this informal used-car market undercuts any near-term demand for shiny, expensive EVs. Moreover, many governments are grappling with limited public budgets, stretched across pressing development issues such as healthcare, education, food security and infrastructure. EV subsidies or incentives, which helped drive uptake in the West, are not financially viable for most African states. Perhaps the most fundamental reason Africa isn't ready for EVs is unreliable electricity. More than 600 million people on the continent still don't have power, and those who do often experience frequent blackouts. In South Africa, for example, 2023 marked the country's worst-ever year of load-shedding, with more than 300 days of rolling power outages. In Nigeria, diesel generators remain a lifeline for homes and businesses. EVs are only as good as the electricity that powers them. If a car can't be charged at home or on the road reliably, it's unusable. Pushing EVs in this context risks deepening energy inequality, serving only a small elite with access to solar panels or private power backups. Beyond electricity, EVs require a robust ecosystem — charging stations, repair and maintenance facilities, technicians trained in high-voltage systems, and a steady supply of spare parts and batteries. These elements are in short supply in most African countries. Take Kenya, often considered a leader in Africa's EV push. As of 2023, the country had fewer than 200 public charging stations, concentrated mainly in Nairobi. Compare that with Norway, which boasts more than 20,000 chargers. Even in South Africa, the most industrialised African nation, the public charging network is still minimal and largely inaccessible outside major urban areas. Complicating matters further is poor road infrastructure. Many African roads are unpaved, riddled with potholes, or vulnerable to flooding. EV batteries are sensitive and expensive to replace, and the wear and tear of poor roads can drastically reduce their lifespan. There have been whispers about countries such as Burkina Faso experimenting with EVs. Pilot projects involving electric motorcycles and compact EVs have been launched in partnership with development agencies and startups in Africa. But these remain small-scale initiatives targeting urban areas like Ouagadougou. While admirable, they are far from scalable. These projects face the same systemic barriers as elsewhere: unreliable electricity, high costs and lack of infrastructure. They serve more as symbols of innovation than signs of readiness. The differences between Africa and EV leaders such as China, the European Union and the US are stark. China invested heavily in battery production and EV infrastructure early on. In 2023 alone, it sold more than eight million EVs, driven by domestic manufacturing and government support. The EU introduced strict emissions laws and huge subsidies to reduce the cost of EVs and build charging networks. The US has committed $7.5 billion to building a national EV charging grid, on top of generous tax incentives for EV buyers. Africa has neither the fiscal space nor the energy capacity to replicate these models. To assume a similar trajectory would be both unrealistic and unfair. There are additional problems often ignored in the EV conversation. Batteries perform poorly in extreme heat, which is common across many African countries. Overheating can reduce range and shorten battery life, raising concerns about long-term viability. Ironically, Africa is central to the global EV supply chain, producing more than 70% of the world's cobalt, largely from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Yet, most of this is exported with little local processing, reinforcing Africa's position as a raw-material exporter rather than a beneficiary of value-added industries. The environmental cost of EV batteries, particularly their disposal and recycling, is also a ticking time bomb. Without strict regulations and facilities, Africa risks inheriting a new wave of e-waste. So, when will Africa be ready? The path to EV readiness will require more than imported Teslas or flashy pilot projects. A realistic timeline involves: Universal access to reliable electricity, especially clean energy sources. A thriving used-EV market, making prices more accessible. Local manufacturing and battery assembly, tied to mineral beneficiation. Comprehensive infrastructure: charging networks, technician training, and recycling systems. Regulatory support, including tax incentives, import reforms, and consumer protections. In other words, Africa will be ready for EVs when the foundational development gaps have been bridged. Until then, pushing mass adoption is like installing a solar panel on a collapsing roof. Africa's transport future will undoubtedly be electric. But it must be on African terms, rooted in local realities, and not forced by global pressure. By first focusing on reliable power, affordable mobility and industrial development, African nations can pave the way for an inclusive, sustainable EV future. Karabo Mokgonyana is a renewable energy campaigner at Power Shift Africa.
NDTV
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- NDTV
Bollywood Actress Dia Mirza Buys BMW iX Electric SUV Worth Rs 1.39 Crore
Bollywood celebrities are slowly adopting luxury electric vehicles, and the latest to join the list is Dia Mirza. The actress, known for her environmental activism, appears to be advancing her agenda with her latest purchase, a fully electric BMW iX. Classified as a luxurious electric vehicle in the Indian market, the EV comes at a starting price of Rs 1.39 crore (ex-showroom) and seems to be a perfect fit for the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) Ambassador's garage. The update on Dia Mirza's new BMW iX was shared on Instagram with pictures and videos of her taking the delivery. With this EV in her garage, the actress has joined the list of celebrities like Riteish Deshmukh, Nushrratt Bharuccha, and Ibrahim Ali Khan as an owner of the vehicle. Additionally, the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has also been seen driving the vehicle. Dia Mirza's new EV also gets unique features, such as a hexagonal steering wheel and an extensive curved display that includes a 12.3-inch instrument panel and a 14.9-inch infotainment screen. The iX is also equipped with numerous features, such as an electrochromic panoramic glass roof and multi-functional seats that offer memory and massage capabilities. Dia Mirza's BMW iX xDrive50 comes packed with a 111.5 kWh battery pack, which offers a WLTP range of 635 km on a single charge. The charge from the battery is transferred to two electric motors, one placed on each axle, giving it all-wheel-drive capacity. The combined output of these motors is rated at 523 hp and 765 Nm torque. When put to use, they can propel the SUV from zero to 100 kmph in 4.6 seconds. The battery can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in approximately 35 minutes using a 195 kW DC charger, in 97 minutes with a 50 kW DC charger, in roughly 5.5 hours with a 22 kW AC charger, and in about 11 hours when using an 11 kW AC charger.
Economic Times
11-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Conditioning a cool behavioural move
Agencies In a warming India, ACs are a necessity. Yet, only about 7% of households own one. That's changing fast. 14 mn units were sold last year alone, and residential ownership is projected to grow 9x by mid-century. This surge could require tripling electricity production. But before that, the grid needs protection. In a welcome step, GoI announced on Tuesday that it plans to soon mandate temperature settings between 20° C and 28° C for all ACs - residential, commercial, and even those in vehicles. The move aims to improve energy efficiency, smooth out demand spikes and cut consumer power bills. Many ACs allow settings as low as 16° C and as high as 30° C, encouraging energy 2050, air conditioning could account for a quarter of India's GHG emissions and nearly half of nationwide peak electricity demand, according to UNEP's Cool Coalition. Yet, India has so far declined to sign the coalition's Global Cooling Pledge, which seeks to reduce the sector's climate impact. There is, however, some good news. Consumers are increasingly opting for energy-efficient, star-rated ACs. But high prices remain a significant barrier, especially for lower- and middle-income buyers. A CEEW report, 'Do Residential AC Buyers Prioritise Energy Efficiency?', recommends measures like tax breaks, bulk procurement and cross-brand incentive programmes to improve affordability and encourage wider adoption. The report also highlights another crucial, but often overlooked, factor: good servicing practices (GSPs). Buying an energy-efficient AC is not enough. Without regular servicing, performance declines over the unit's 7-10-year lifespan, undermining expected energy and cost savings. To promote GSPs, awareness campaigns must stress their impact on efficiency. Without this behavioural nudge, tech and policy efforts may not deliver their full potential. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Benchmarked with BSE 1000, this index fund will diversify your bets. But at a cost. Yet another battle over neem; this time it's a startup vs. Procter & Gamble Warren Buffett-fan Pabrai is betting big on Edelweiss' Rashesh Shah. Will it pay off? Move over tariffs, China wields rare earths in an economic war of a different kind Stock Radar: MGL trades above upwards sloping trendline, reclaims 100-EMA; check target & stop loss F&O Radar | Deploy Bull Call Spread in GAIL to play a bullish bet These 7 banking stocks can give more than 20% returns in 1 year, according to analysts Being an Amul shareholder is not possible; the next best dairy sector bets: 4 stocks, different market caps, upside potential is incidental
