Santiago, Chile/New York, March 25 – Indigenous and tribal peoples are the best caretakers of the immense forests in Latin America, physically occupying a total of 404 million hectares of lands, said a new report issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC).
Some 237 million hectares, or almost 60 per cent of the total 404 million hectares, are in the Amazon Basin, the size of which is larger than France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Norway and Spain combined.
The report entitled “Forest Governance by Indigenous and Tribal Peoples” said improving tenure of the forests by indigenous and tribal peoples can lower deforestation rates and biodiversity loss, avoiding C02 emissions, but more investment is urgently needed to address rising threats.
The report said deforestation rates in Latin America and the Caribbean are significantly lower in indigenous and tribal territories where “governments have formally recognized collective territorial rights, and improving the tenure security of these territories is an efficient and cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions.”
“Based on a review of more than 300 studies published in the last two decades, the new report reveals for the first time the extent to which science has shown that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples have generally been much better guardians of their forests when compared to those responsible for the region´s other forests.”
“The research also suggests that their protective role is increasingly at risk, at a time when the Amazon is nearing a tipping point, with worrisome impacts on rainfall and temperature, and, eventually, on food production and the global climate.
“Indigenous and tribal peoples and the forests in their territories play vital roles in global and regional climate action and in fighting poverty, hunger, and malnutrition,” FAO’s Regional Representative, Julio Berdegué. “Their territories contain about one third of all the carbon stored in the forests of Latin America and the Caribbean and 14 percent of the carbon stored in tropical forests worldwide.”
Following is from the press release on the report: The best results were seen in indigenous territories that have recognized collective legal titles to their lands: between 2000 and 2012, deforestation rates in these territories in the Bolivian, Brazilian, and Colombian Amazon were only one half to one third of those in other forests with similar ecological characteristics.
The report calls on governments, climate financiers, civil society and the private sector to invest in initiatives that strengthen the role that Indigenous and Tribal Peoples play in forest governance, bolster communal territorial rights, compensate indigenous and tribal communities for the environmental services they provide, and facilitate community forest management.
It also states the vital importance of revitalizing traditional cultures and knowledge, strengthening territorial governance as well as supporting the organizations of indigenous and tribal peoples, recognizing the fundamental role of indigenous youth and indigenous women.
Titled territories suffer lower deforestation, emit less carbon
According to one of the studies analyzed in the FAO/FILAC report, the deforestation rate inside indigenous woodlands where land property has been ensured where 2.8 times lower than outside such areas in Bolivia, 2.5 times lower in Brazil and 2 times less in Colombia.
Titled collective territories avoided between 42.8 and 59.7 million metric tons (MtC) of CO2 emissions each year in these three countries; these combined emissions were the equivalent of taking between 9 and 12.6 million vehicles out of circulation for one year.
Of the 404 million hectares occupied by the indigenous peoples, governments have formally recognized their collective property or usufruct rights over about 269 million hectares; while the impact of guaranteeing tenure security is great, the cost is very low: only US 6 dollars are needed to title a hectare of land in Colombia, and US 45 dollars in Bolivia.
The FAO/FILAC report says that the costs of securing indigenous lands are 5 to 42 times lower than the average costs of avoided CO2 through fossil carbon capture and storage for both coal and gas fired power plants.
Indigenous and tribal peoples are invaluable agents against climate change
“Almost half (45 percent) of the intact forests in the Amazon Basin are in indigenous territories –said Myrna Cunningham, president of FILAC-, and the evidence of their vital role in forest protection is crystal clear: while the area of intact forest declined by only 4.9 percent between 2000 and 2016 in the region’s indigenous areas, in the non-indigenous areas it fell by 11.2 percent. This makes evident why their voice and vision should be taken into account in all global initiatives and frameworks relating to climate change, biodiversity and forestry, among many other topics.”
Indigenous and tribal peoples are involved in the communal governance of between 320 and 380 million hectares of forests in the region, which store about 34,000 million metric tons of carbon, more than all the forests in Indonesia or in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While Amazon Basin indigenous territories lost less than 0.3% of the carbon in their forests between 2003 and 2016, non-indigenous protected areas lost 0.6%, and other areas that were neither indigenous territories nor protected areas lost 3.6%: ss a result, even though indigenous territories cover 28% of the Amazon Basin, they only generated 2.6% of the region’s (gross) carbon emissions.
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New tool will help census oceans from surface to seafloor, monitor fish, track shifting marine life due to climate change, around coral reefs, aquaculture or wind farms, oil rigs, and more
Contact: Terry Collins, +1-416-878-8712, tc@tca.tc
In brief:
A new study proves DNA in seawater reveals not just species diversity but the relative biomass of ocean fish roughly as well as a “gold standard” US state government trawl with nets.
The Rockefeller University, Monmouth University, New Jersey Bureau of Marine Fisheries study certifies “fishing for DNA” as an important new inexpensive and harmless complement to nets, acoustics and other tools to monitor fish stocks and/or the shifting diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life.
The paper, “Trawl and eDNA Assessment of Marine Fish Diversity, Seasonality, and Relative Abundance in Coastal New Jersey, U.S.A.” to appear in the Oxford University Press ICES Journal of Marine Science, is available for preview on request.
“eDNA makes the ocean a sea of biological information”
DNA bits in seawater samples drawn during New Jersey government fish trawls reveals relative abundance of fish with a 70% match between the two sampling methods
In addition to great concordance, study finds that each method yields information missed by the other
Message in a bottle: DNA in 1 litre of seawater = a trawl sweep of 66 million litres, enough to fill a sports stadium to top of goalposts
Proposed “Great American Fish Count,” involving citizen scientists collecting waters samples, could set stage for 2nd global Census of Marine Life during upcoming UN Oceans Decade
Humanity is a step closer to answering one of the most ancient of questions — “how many fish in the sea?” — thanks to newly published proof that the amount of fish DNA collected in a water sample closely corresponds to kilos of fish captured in a trawl with nets.
In a breakthrough study, scientists report that floating bits of DNA found in small water samples reveal the relative biomass of fish in the sea roughly as well as a “gold standard” US state government trawl with nets.
The researchers drew seawater samples during New Jersey government fish trawls and tested the water for fish DNA. Analysis of the water was able to reveal the relative abundance of fish with a 70% match in results between the two sampling methods. In addition to the great concordance between methods, the study found that each sampling method yielded information missed by the other.
While environmental DNA (“eDNA”) has been proven before as a reliable way to determine the variety of fish in an area of water, the new study is the first to show that bits of eDNA floating in seawater also disclose the relative abundance of the species swimming through it.
Published by the prestigious ICES Journal of Marine Science, the paper certifies “fishing for DNA” as an inexpensive, harmless complement to nets, acoustics and other established ways to monitor the health of fish stocks and/or the shifting diversity, distribution and abundance of aquatic life.
The paper, a collaboration between The Rockefeller University, Monmouth University, and the New Jersey Bureau of Marine Fisheries, says the information about the diversity and relative abundance of fish available in a one-litre sample is comparable to a 66 million litre trawl sweep, enough seawater to fill a football stadium to the top of the goalposts.
During four voyages by the New Jersey Ocean Trawl Survey in 2019 aboard the research vessel “Sea Wolf,” scientists led by Dr. Mark Stoeckle, Senior Research Associate at The Rockefeller University Program for the Human Environment, drew one-litre pop-bottle sized water samples from various depths just before the trawler’s nets were lowered.
Profound implications
The finding has profound implications for improving global fisheries management and has led to early proposals for a “Great American Fish Count” in rivers and coastal waters, aided by millions of citizen scientists, comparable to Audubon’s Great Backyard Bird Counts.
Fish and other organisms shed DNA like dandruff, Dr. Stoeckle explains, leaving an invisible trail wherever they swim. This environmental DNA can be skin cells, droppings, urine, eggs, and other biological residues that last in the ocean for a few days.
One year of eDNA sampling, out-of-pocket costs: $12,000
The eDNA process is straightforward and extremely inexpensive compared with traditional marine life monitoring methods, which involve ships with large crews and hand counts.
Co-author Zachary Charlop-Powers at The Rockefeller University, lead developer of the software used in the DNA analyses, explains that eDNA testing involves collecting and filtering a water sample, extracting and sequencing the DNA in a laboratory, then matching the results found in an online DNA reference library.
“The bioinformatic tools used by the team are the same ‘barcode’ analysis pipelines commonly used by microbiologists but were adapted for the study of marine vertebrates.”
He notes too that the year of sampling and DNA extraction required an investment of just $12,000, exclusive of salaries.
“The applications of environmental DNA in the marine realm are vast,” says Dr. Stoeckle, a Harvard-educated MD who helped pioneer DNA “barcoding,” the identification of species from a small region of the animal’s DNA sequence.
“eDNA offers a low-cost way to monitor the effectiveness of a marine protected area, for example, or whether efforts to restore a coral reef are succeeding. It could reveal the ecological effects of marine industrial activities, including offshore wind farms, oil and gas rigs, and commercial and recreational fishing.”
Adds Dr. Stoeckle: To put this in perspective, if we thought of a trawl as a full medical CAT or MRI scan, then eDNA can be thought of as a pocket ultrasound–it can be carried and used anywhere in the hospital, without the time and expense of scheduling a full-scale exam. And eDNA surveys will become better and more informative every year as the technique improves and the DNA reference library grows.
Says co-author Dr. Jason Adolf, Endowed Associate Professor of Marine Science, Monmouth University: “eDNA could also be used to identify life in ocean regions hard to access with trawls, such as very rocky areas, or places too deep or too shallow.”
Monmouth co-author Dr. Keith J. Dunton, an expert on endangered fish species, notes that the results are promising for rare as well as common fish species.
“eDNA along with other technologies like acoustic telemetry offers a sensitive, non-extractive way to monitor declines and revivals of rare, threatened, and endangered species,” he says. “We do not have to put them through stressful capturing to know that they are there.”
Trawl surveys, the main tool used to monitor fish populations, have carefully established protocols and yield rich information but are costly, time-consuming, and require special equipment and fish identification experts. Due to the crew size needed, such trawls have been limited recently by COVID-19.
The New Jersey surveys every season involve deploying a bottom trawl, similar to that used in commercial fishing, behind a vessel over a predetermined pattern. The catches in the nets are hauled up and sorted on tables where the weight of each identified species is recorded. Between 30 and 40 trawls are done about every three months.
To compare the trawl survey to the eDNA survey, one-litre water samples were collected at the surface and at depth before the trawls were done. However, samples were only taken before every fourth trawl. When the data from the two surveys were analyzed, the eDNA survey found most of the same fish species, and also found species not captured in the trawl. And it did so with only one-quarter of the samples taken and a fraction of the effort involved.
The paper says most (70% to 87%) species detected by trawl in a given month were also detected by eDNA, and vice versa, including nearly all (92% to 100%) abundant species. Conversely, most dropouts were relatively rare taxa.
Trawl and eDNA peak seasonal abundance agreed for about 70% of fish species.
In other comparisons, monthly eDNA species “reads” correlated with the monthly weight, or biomass, of that species recovered in the trawl.
The eDNA reporting “largely concorded with monthly trawl estimates of marine fish species richness, composition, seasonality, and relative abundance,” the paper says.
“It’s important to understand that the results of both methods are true, and complementary,” noted Stoeckle. “They catch a lot of overlapping, concordant information as well as some information unique to each method.”
Gregory Hinks of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, who co-authored the paper with Bureau of Marine Fisheries colleague Stacy M. VanMorter, adds: “During times like COVID when it is unsafe to conduct surveys with large crews, the eDNA method might allow us still to maintain some continuity in our surveys. In any case, piggybacking eDNA onto an existing survey may eventually provide an affordable way to improve marine fish stock assessment.”
The new paper lays out further research required, such as better calibration of eDNA “reads” to fish body mass — how much DNA is shed by 1,000 anchovies weighing 1 kilo, for example, compared with a one kilo sized sea bass? — and how to account for eDNA reads that may be the result of injury due to a predator attack.
Since collecting water for eDNA is so quick and easy to do, research or oceanographic vessels and commercial and recreational vessels can collect samples as they travel from place to place. Even drones could be deployed to collect water samples.
And with the benefit of additional studies in marine and freshwaters, estimates of animal numbers using eDNA will continue to improve as well as the DNA reference data banks that allow reliable identification of aquatic species.
eDNA opens the way to surveys of unprecedented value, quality, and affordability, says Jesse Ausubel, Director of The Rockefeller University’s Program for the Human Environment, who developed and helped oversee the first international Census of Marine Life, a decadal (2000-2010) collaboration of about 2,700 scientists in 80 countries.
“eDNA makes the ocean a sea of biological information,” he says. “In the USA we could organize a Great American Fish Count in which millions of citizen scientists might collect water for eDNA testing spanning all our waters. Globally, the incipient UN Decade of the Oceans could include a Great Global Fish Count sampling from sea floor to sea surface and near shore to mid-ocean all during a single day or week.”
Tony MacDonald, Director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute, says “Our institute and scientists were excited to support this innovative work, one of several partnerships in recent years between UCI and The Rockefeller University Program for the Human Environment.”
“We hope to have the opportunity to continue and expand our collaboration with New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection Marine Fisheries and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on future fish trawls to further advance eDNA research.”
Comments Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Deputy NOAA Administrator: “NOAA is rapidly advancing ‘omics technologies, including eDNA, to improve our ability to monitor and understand biological communities in our oceans and the Great Lakes.”
“Important applications include monitoring endangered and invasive species, assessing biodiversity for ecosystem health, tracking aquaculture pathogens, and augmenting fisheries surveys.”
“Through the NOAA ‘Omics Strategy (https://bit.ly/3dkHGg8) and our forthcoming Implementation Plan, we have defined goals and actionable steps to integrate modern ‘omics technologies to help meet our mission. Collaboration with Rockefeller University and other partners will allow us to expand and advance ‘omics research and eDNA in direct support of the American Blue Economy.”
(‘Omics refers to a suite of advanced methods used to analyze material such as DNA, RNA, proteins, or metabolites.)
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Marine eDNA’s potential applications include
* Exploration: discovering species previously unknown in certain ranges
* Discovering rare species and others unknown to science (or absent from genome databases)
* Sampling remote, difficult-to-reach, and intriguing places
* Assessment of the size of fish stocks
* Identifying the range of marine animals
* Determining the effect of protected area designation on fish and other marine animal populations and other forms of ecological restoration
* Monitoring the effect on native species of fish farming operations, offshore oil and gas operations, or wind farms
* Determining the effects of artificial reefs, of severe storms and other disturbances to marine ecosystems including harmful algal blooms
* Monitoring vulnerable, threatened or endangered species, invasive species, or the presence of species dangerous to swimmers
* Gauging the impacts of climate variability
* Mapping marine animal diversity, distribution, migration and abundance, including invasive species, and species popular with sport fishers. (united nations correspondent journalists – united nations journalism articles}
* * * * *
About
Programme for Human Environment, The Rockefeller University: Click here
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New York, August 25 – Lockdowns and border closures across the world to contain the spread of coronavirus had resulted in the loss of 300 million tourist arrivals and $320 billion in receipts in the first five months of 2020 and the economic losses for the whole year could surpass $1 trillion unless governments reopen their borders, the UN World Tourism Organization said in a survey on the Covid-19 impacts on one of the world’s most lucrative industries.
While it is calling for the return of tourism in an effort to revive local economies, particularly in the least developed countries that depend much on international tourism for their development, the WTO said such a decision should be taken only if Covid-19 cases and deaths are declining.
“The crisis is an opportunity to rethink how tourism interacts with our societies, other economic sectors and our natural resources; to measure and manage it better; to ensure a fair distribution of its benefits and to advance the transition towards a carbon neutral and resilient tourism economy,” said a policy brief issued by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The UN chief joined WTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili in reviewing the state of global tourism under the pandemic.
Surveys made by WTO showed that lockdowns imposed in response to the pandemic resulted in a 97-per cent fall of international tourist arrivals by May 2020 when compared to the same period in 2019.
From January to May 2020, the surveys said Asia-Pacific suffered a 60-percent fall in tourist arrivals; 58 percent in Europe; 52 percent in the Middle East; 47 percent in the Americas and 47 percent in Africa.
The policy brief provided scenarios on the pandemic’s economic impacts painting a grim picture of tourism in 2020. It said international tourist numbers could decline by 58 per cent to 78 per cent in 2020, which could translate into a sharp drop in visitor spending from $1.5 trillion in 2019 to between $310 billion and $570 billion in 2020.
It said as many as 100 million direct tourism jobs are at risk because of the sharp decline in global tourism. In addition, global tourism’s labor-intensive hotels and food services employ some 144 million people, who will be also affected by the decline. Women make up about 54 percent of the total workers in tourism.
Tourism represented 20 percent of gross domestic products (GDP) in some developing countries. But for Small Island Development States (SIDS), tourism accounted for up to 80 percent of incomes.
The policy brief said the fall of international tourism and related revenues have cut off funding for biodiversity conservation, including wildlife, resulting in a rise in poaching, looting and consumption of bushmeat. Other programs that depended on tourism like cultural activities, festivals and handicraft products and goods are also affected.
“As countries gradually lift travel restrictions and tourism slowly restarts in many parts of the world, health continues to be a priority and coordinated health protocols that protect workers, communities and travellers, while supporting companies and workers, must be firmly in place,” the brief said.
Pololikashvili said before the policy brief was launched that it is important to restart tourism “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
“The dramatic fall in international tourism places many millions of livelihoods at risk, including in developing countries. Governments in every world region have a dual responsibility: to prioritize public health while also protecting jobs and businesses. They also need to maintain the spirit of cooperation and solidarity that has defined our response to this shared challenge and refrain from making unilateral decisions that may undermine the trust and confidence we have been working so hard to build.”
Responsible restart is possible
“The restart of tourism can be undertaken responsibly and in a way that safeguards public health while also supporting businesses and livelihoods,” Pololikashvili said.
“As destinations continue to ease restrictions on travel, international cooperation is of paramount importance. This way, global tourism can gain people’s trust and confidence, essential foundations as we work together to adapt to the new reality we now face.”
Tourism is slowly returning, more than 80 destinations lifted travel bans, but confidence is low
WTO noted, however, that there have been attempts to revive tourism in many countries but they have been gradual and cautious, particularly in the Schengen Zone of the European Union starting in July. By the end of July more than 80 destinations, including 20 small islands, have eased travel restrictions and it can be confirmed that the reopening is slow but in a continuous adaptation and responsible manner.
WTO warned that confidence in the tourist revival has dropped to record lows because of the ongoing pandemic when it evaluated tourism during the period of January-May 2020 and prospects for the May-August this year.
“Most members of the UNWTO Panel of Tourism Experts expect international tourism to recover by the second half of 2021, followed by those who expect a rebound in the first part of next year,” WTO said. adding that the experts
It said the group of global experts reminded that a series of downside risks still remain in place such as travel restrictions and border shutdowns in most destinations. It said travels between many countries are still clamped down, including between the United States and China, and by other reasons like safety concerns, the resurgence of Covid-19 and risks of new lockdowns.
A record 53.6 million tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was produced globally in 2019, the weight of 350 cruise ships the size of the Queen Mary 2; $57 billion in gold and other components discarded – mostly dumped or burned
(Released from Bonn, Geneva, Vienna, London and Toronto July 2, 2020 The report in full, including regional e-waste breakdowns, is available for media preview at https://bit.ly/3dFDZQQ Post-embargo at: www.globalewaste.org Video, photos, graphics, backgrounders: https://bit.ly/2AapxCI Lead contact: Terry Collins, +1-416-878-8712, tc@tca.tc )
A record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21 per cent in just five years, according to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020.
The new report also predicts global e-waste — discarded products with a battery or plug — will reach 74 Mt by 2030, almost a doubling of e-waste in just 16 years. This makes e-waste the world’s fastest-growing domestic waste stream, fueled mainly by higher consumption rates of electric and electronic equipment, short life cycles, and few options for repair.
Only 17.4 per cent of 2019’s e-waste was collected and recycled. This means that gold, silver, copper, platinum and other high-value, recoverable materials conservatively valued at US $57 billion — a sum greater than the Gross Domestic Product of most countries – were mostly dumped or burned rather than being collected for treatment and reuse.
According to the report, Asia generated the greatest volume of e-waste in 2019, some 24.9 Mt, followed by the Americas (13.1 Mt) and Europe (12 Mt), while Africa and Oceania generated 2.9 Mt and 0.7 Mt respectively.
For perspective, last year’s e-waste weighed substantially more than all the adults in Europe, or as much as 350 cruise ships the size of the Queen Mary 2, enough to form a line 125 km long.
E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and / or coordination system.
Other key findings from the Global E-waste Monitor 2020: • Proper e-waste management can help mitigate global warming. In 2019, an estimated 98 Mt of CO2-equivalents were released into the atmosphere from discarded fridges and air-conditioners, contributing roughly 0.3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions • In per capita terms, last year’s discarded e-waste averaged 7.3 kg for every man, woman and child on Earth • Europe ranked first worldwide in terms of e-waste generation per capita with 16.2 kg per capita. Oceania came second (16.1 kg) followed by the Americas (13.3 kg). Asia and Africa were much lower: 5.6 and 2.5 kg respectively • E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which damages the human brain and / or coordination system. An estimated 50 tonnes of mercury – used in monitors, PCBs and fluorescent and energy-saving light sources – are contained in undocumented flows of e-waste annually • E-waste in 2019 was mainly comprised of small equipment (17.4 Mt), large equipment (13.1 Mt), and temperature exchange equipment (10.8 Mt). Screens and monitors, lamps, small IT, and telecommunication equipment represented 6.7 Mt, 4.7 Mt, and 0.9 Mt respectively • Since 2014 the e-waste categories increasing fastest in total weight terms: temperature exchange equipment (+7 per cent), large equipment (+5 per cent), lamps and small equipment (+4 per cent). According to the report, this trend is driven by the growing consumption of those products in lower income countries, where those products improve the living standards. Small IT and telecommunication equipment have been growing more slowly, and screens and monitors have shown a slight decrease (-1 per cent), explained largely by lighter flat panel displays replacing heavy CRT monitors and screens
• Since 2014, the number of countries that have adopted a national e-waste policy, legislation or regulation in place has increased from 61 to 78. While a positive trend, this is far from the target set by the International Telecommunication Union which is to raise the percentage of countries with an e-waste legislation to 50 per cent
The Global E-waste Monitor 2020 (www.globalewaste.org) is a collaborative product of the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP), formed by UN University (UNU), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), in close collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) also substantially contributed to this year’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020.
Comments
“The findings of this year’s UNU-affiliated Global E-waste Monitor suggest that humanity is not sufficiently implementing the SDGs. Substantially greater efforts are urgently required to ensure smarter and more sustainable global production, consumption, and disposal of electrical and electronic equipment. This report contributes mightily to the sense of urgency in turning around this dangerous global pattern.”
David M. Malone, Rector United Nations University (UNU) & UN Under Secretary General
“Far more electronic waste is generated than is being safely recycled in most parts of the world. More cooperative efforts are required to make aware of this increasing issue and take appropriate countermeasures supplement by appropriate research and training. I am pleased that UNITAR now joins this important Global E-waste Statistics Partnership of UNU, ITU and ISWA, illustrating how valuable these activities are.”
Nikhil Seth, Executive Director, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) & UN Assistant Secretary-General
”The Global E-waste Monitor highlights the pressing issue of e-waste management in today’s digitally connected world in that the way we produce, consume, and dispose of electronic devices has become unsustainable. Monitoring e-waste streams will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and tracking the implementation of the ITU Connect 2030 Agenda. The Monitor serves as a valuable resource for governments to improve their global e-waste recycling rate by developing the necessary/needed/required e-waste policies and legislation. ITU will continue to support the efforts made in this report towards the global response required in identifying solutions for e-waste.”
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
“E-waste quantities are rising 3 times faster than the world’s population and 13 per cent faster than the world’s GDP during the last five years. This sharp rise creates substantial environmental and health pressures and demonstrates the urgency to combine the fourth industrial revolution with circular economy. The fourth industrial revolution either will advance a new circular economy approach for our economies or it will stimulate further resource depletion and new pollution waves. The progress achieved in e-waste monitoring by the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership is a sign of hope that the world can manage not only to monitor closely the e-waste rise but also to control their impacts and set up proper management schemes”
Antonis Mavropoulos, President, International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)
“Informal and improper e-waste recycling is a major emerging hazard silently affecting our health and that of future generations. One in four children are dying from avoidable environmental exposures. One in four children could be saved, if we take action to protect their health and ensure a safe environment. WHO is pleased to join forces in this new Global E-waste Monitor to allow evidence, information about health impacts and joint solutions and policies to be made available to protect our future generations’ health.”
Maria Neira, Director, Environment, Climate Change and Health Department, World Health Organization (WHO)
Join the conversation on social media using hashtag #eWaste
Media contacts: • Terry Collins, +1 416 878 8712; tc@tca.tc • Ruediger Kuehr, Director UNU-ViE SCYCLE, +49 228 815 0213/4, kuehr@vie.unu.edu • Monika Gehner, Head Strategic Communication Division, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Phone: +41 22 730 5459, Press line: +41 22 730 6039, E-mail: pressinfo@itu.int • Georgiana Olivier, Communications Manager, International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), +31 636 06 41 83, golivier@iswa.org
About the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP)
The GESP helps countries compile useful national policy-making statistics using an internationally-recognized harmonized measurement framework. The GESP convenes policy makers, statisticians, and industry representatives to enhance the quality, and their understanding and interpretation of e-waste data. At the global level, the GESP contributes to the monitoring of relevant waste streams, measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals 11.6, 12.4 and 12.5. The GESP allows international organizations, such as the ITU, to measure progress towards their goals. In 2018, the ITU established a target to increase the global e-waste recycling rate to 30 per cent by 2023 – a 12.6 per cent increase from today’s global average.
About the United Nations University (UNU)
UNU is an autonomous organ of the UN General Assembly dedicated to generating and transferring knowledge and strengthening capacities relevant to global issues of human security, development, and welfare. The University operates through a worldwide network of research and training centres and programmes, coordinated by UNU Centre in Tokyo.
The Bonn, Germany-based Sustainable Cycles (SCYCLE) Programme, co-hosted by UNU’s Vice Rectorate in Europe and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), provides world-class research and action on e-waste. SCYCLE aims to enable societies to reduce the environmental burden caused by the production, consumption and disposal of ubiquitous goods.
About the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the specialized United Nations agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), driving innovation in ICTs together with 193 Member States and a membership of over 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organizations. Established over 150 years ago in 1865, ITU is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to cutting-edge wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite-based earth monitoring as well as converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world. For more information, visit: www.itu.int.
About the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
As a dedicated training arm of the United Nations System, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) provides innovative learning solutions to individuals, organizations and institutions to enhance global decision-making and support country-level action for shaping a better future. UNITAR was created in 1963 to train and equip young diplomats from newly-independent UN Member States with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate through the diplomatic environment. Over the years, UNITAR has acquired unique expertise and experience in designing and delivering a variety of training activities. We have become a leading institute in the provision of customized and creative learning solutions to institutions and individuals from both public and private sectors. With a strategy fully focused on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNITAR supports Governments to implement the 2030 Agenda.
About the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)
The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) is a global, independent and non-profit making association, working in the public interest promoting sustainable, comprehensive and professional waste management and the transition to a circular economy. ISWA is open to individuals and organisations from the scientific community, public institutions as well as and public and private companies from all over the world working in the field of or interested in waste management. ISWA is the only worldwide waste association that enables its members to network with professionals, companies and institutional representatives.
