UN agencies move towards climate neutrality

Tuesday, 24 February 2009 14:21

Under the leadership of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations pledged to work towards climate neutrality in 2007. As part of this commitment, UNEP itself went climate neutral on 1 January 2008 and became the first UN agency to join the CN Net.

The UNEP-administered Secretariat of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal has also taken significant steps to move towards climate neutrality in 2008, becoming the first institution among UN agencies to have purchased offsets to balance its carbon emissions.

Katharina Kummer Peiry, Executive Secretary of the Basel Convention, explained: “According to available data, 87 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions of UNEP in 2007 were caused by travel of staff and delegates to official meetings. This convinced me of the need to act swiftly if climate neutrality is to become a reality.”  

The Secretariat of the Basel Convention is currently developing its inventory of greenhouse gas emissions for 2008 and intends to further develop its plan towards climate neutrality by extending its climate-neutral policy to travel and procurement. The Secretariat is also significantly reducing its printing outputs and favouring online solutions for distribution activities.