UN report highlights environmental threats facing the world

Wildfires are burning more severely and more often, urban noise pollution is growing into a global public health menace, and phenological mismatches – disruptions in the timing of life-cycle stages in natural systems – are causing ecological consequences, a global report released on Thursday has revealed.

These important environmental issues require greater attention and are highlighted in the UN Environment Programme’s new Frontiers Report, published Thursday (UNEP).

This is the fourth edition the Frontiers Report. It was first published in 2016 and aimed to alert the public to the increasing risk of terrorism. Zoonotic diseasesThis was four years before the onset of the Pandemic COVID-19.

“The Frontiers Report identifies and offers solutions to three environmental issues that merit attention and action from governments and the public at large,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.

“Urban noise pollution, wildfires and phenological shifts – the three topics of this Frontiers report – are issues that highlight the urgent need to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.”

Report details

The report noted that “COVID-19 lockdowns brought a new appreciation for green spaces and the reduction of urban traffic noise” adding that programmes meant to ‘build back better’ represent an “under-utilised opportunity for policymakers, urban planners and communities to create additional green spaces for all.”

The report said, “Climate change disrupts natural rhythms in plants and animals.”

It also called for “greater investment in reducing the risks of wildfires; development of prevention and response management approaches that include vulnerable, rural, traditional and indigenous communities; and further refinements in remote sensing capabilities, such as satellites, radar and lightning detection.”

The report highlighted the fact that noise pollution already causes 12,000 premature deaths per year in the EU, and that it affects one in five EU citizens.

You can find more details in the report below.

The Frontiers report is now available in its latest edition. Noise, Blazes, Mismatches: Emerging Problems of Environmental ConcernThe following is a list of documents that were released just days before the UN Environment Assembly’s fifth session resumes (UNEA):

Public health is at risk from noise pollution in cities.

• Unwanted, long-lasting, and high-level sounds emitted by road traffic, railways, and leisure activities Defend the health and well being of people. This includes chronic annoyance. sleep disturbanceThis can lead to severe consequences Heart diseaseand metabolic disorders, such as Diabetes, hearing impairment, or poorer mental health.
• Noise pollution is already a major cause of 12,000 premature deaths in the EU each year. one in five EU citizens.
• Many cities around the world have noise levels that exceed acceptable levels, including Algiers and Bangkok, Damascus and Dhaka, Damascus and Dhaka, Ho Chi Minh City Ibadan (Ho Chi Minh City Ibadan), Islamabad, New York, and New York.
• Especially affected are The very young and the oldAnd marginalized communities NearHigh traffic roads and industrial areas Far from green spaces.
• It is also Animals are at risk, altering communications and behavior of various species, Birds, Insects, Amphibians.
• However, natural soundsNumerous health benefits can be obtained from urban planners. Urban planners ShouldPrioritize the reduction of noise at source; investments in alternative mobility; urban infrastructure that creates positive soundscapes like tree belts, green walls and green roofs.
• Positive examples include London’s Zone of Ultra-Low Emission, Berlin’s New cycle lanes for wide roads, and Egypt’s National plan to reduce noise.
• COVID-19 lockdowns introduced a new appreciationGreen spaces and noise reduction in urban areas. Programmes meant to ‘build back better’ represent an under-utilized opportunityPolicymakers, urban planners, communities can create additional green spaces to benefit all.

The dangers of wildfire weather are expected to increase.

• Each year,, between 2002 and 2016, an average of about 423 million hectares or 4.23 million square km of the Earth’s land surface – an area about the size of the entire European Union – burned, becoming more common in mixed forest and savannah ecosystems. 67% of the global fire-related area was burned annually by all types, including wildfires.

• DangerousWildfire weather conditions are Projectedto be more frequent, intense, and last longer IncludedThese areas were not previously affected by fires. Extremely powerful wildfires can cause thunderstorms in smoke plumes that can aggravate fires through erratic winds and generate lightningThis creates a dangerous feedback loop in which other fires are lit.

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• Climate change is responsible for this. This includes hotter temperatures and drier environments with more frequent. Drought.
• Land-use changes are another risk factor. This includes commercial logging, deforestation for farms and grazing land, as well as expanding cities. The aggressive suppression of natural flame, which is necessary in some natural systems to limit the amount of combustible material, as well as inappropriate fire management policies that exclude traditional fire management techniques and indigenous knowledge, are another cause of wildfires.
• The long-term effects of these factors on human health go beyond the immediate. Fighting wildfires, evacuated, or suffering losses. Downwind settlements are often affected by smoke and particulate matter from wildfires. Many thousands of kilometres away from the sourceThis can have a devastating impact on people with pre-existing conditions, women, children and the elderly. Changes in fire regulations are expected to cause massive biodiversity loss, threatening over 4,400 freshwater and terrestrial species.
• Wildfires can produce black carbon and other pollutants, which can pollute water sources and increase the melting of glaciers. They also cause landslides in oceans and large-scale algal blooms.
• The report calls for more investment in reducing wildfire risks; the development of prevention-and response management strategies that include vulnerable, rural and traditional communities; and further refinements to remote sensing capabilities such as radar, satellites, and lightning detection.

Climate change can disrupt the natural rhythms of animals and plants.

• Phenology refers to the timing of recurring life cycles, driven by environmental forces. It also describes how species within an ecosystem respond to changing conditions. Plants AnimalsFor terrestrial, aquatic, or marine ecosystems, temperature, rainfall, and day-length are used to determine when to unfold leaves, flowers, bear fruit, breed or pollinate, migrate, or transform in other ways.
• Phenological shifts are when species alter the timing of lifecycle stages to adapt to changing environmental conditions, such as climate change. Interacting species in an ecosystem may not shift the timing at the same rate or in the same direction as one another.
• Climate change is causing phenological shifts that are more difficult to predict. This can cause animals and plants to be out of tune with their natural rhythms.
• The most vulnerable to phenological shifts are long-distance migrant. Local climatic cues, which normally trigger migration, may not accurately predict conditions at the destination and resting places along the route.
• Phenological shifts within cropsFood production will face challenges due to seasonal variations. Shifts The phenology and economic importance of marine species and their prey have significant consequences for stock and fisheries productivity.
• It is necessary to fully understand the consequences of phenological mismatches Further research. Maintaining healthy habitats Ecological connectivitycoordinating international efforts to strengthen the integrity of biological diversity Along migratory routesConservation goals include supporting resilience and maintaining genetic variation within species. It is crucial to limit the rate of global warming by reducing CO2 emissions.