World Environment Day should be used as a platform to turn public awareness into concrete policy action on climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, according to a senior United Nations environment official speaking in an interview with AnewZ's Guy Shone.
Daniel Cooney, Director of the Communications Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said the world already has many of the solutions needed to address global environmental crises, but is failing to implement them at the scale required.
“What we don't have is the action to tackle these problems, at least at the scale that the world needs,” he said.
Cooney spoke with AnewZ ahead of World Environment Day, whose global observance will be held in Baku on 5 June in partnership with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources. The event brings together government bodies, businesses, NGOs, schools and members of the public for activities across the country, including tree planting campaigns, clean-up initiatives and exhibitions.
Cooney said World Environment Day, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and coordinated by UNEP, is intended to encourage public engagement and help translate concern into political pressure on governments.
“This is a moment one day in the year when we encourage people: go and make your voice heard,” he said.
Cooney added that sustained public mobilisation can help drive policy change.
“Hopefully when enough people call for action on the environment, that then inspires their leaders to pass the policies that are needed, to mobilise the finance that is needed,” he said.
“It's the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature loss, the crisis of pollution and waste,” he explained.
Cooney also highlighted Azerbaijan as a country playing a role in regional environmental cooperation and transition discussions.
He pointed to its hosting of COP29 under the UN climate framework, as well as environmental initiatives related to biodiversity restoration and species protection. He also noted ongoing efforts linked to methane reduction and environmental cooperation with UNEP.
“Azerbaijan has a lot of lessons it can share with the world,” he said, adding that the country has experience in addressing emissions from the energy sector.
At the same time, he said Azerbaijan is expanding investment in renewable energy, which is increasingly visible in national planning and investment.
“Major investments in solar, major investments in wind - that’s the future,” he said.
He concluded that the key challenge for global climate policy is no longer awareness, but ensuring that commitments are translated into real-world action at scale.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschk...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining...
Shanghai Enflame Technology, one of China’s leading artificial intelligence chipmakers and a domestic rival to Nvidia, surged more than 200 p...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Wednesday they attacked two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, calling the strikes a response to a U.S. attack on five Iranian tankers.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Shanghai Enflame Technology, one of China’s leading artificial intelligence chipmakers and a domestic rival to Nvidia, surged more than 200 per cent on its market debut on Friday, highlighting strong investor demand for homegrown semiconductor companies.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
A Texas judge ruled on Thursday that TikTok violated the state's consumer protection law by misleading users about how the platform filtered content for minors and the effectiveness of its Restricted Mode feature.
Sweden's centre-left opposition holds a narrow lead over the ruling right-wing bloc ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election, leaving Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson well placed for a return as prime minister.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment