The global battery market is estimated at USD 120 billion per year. 800,000 tonnes of automotive batteries, 190,000 tonnes of industrial batteries, and 160,000 tonnes of consumer batteries enter the European Union yearly. Proper disposal of batteries is essential because they contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel Read More
Lighting is defined as all the equipment whose primary function is to provide electric light.The global lighting market was valued at around USD 73 billion in 2011 and it is expected to exceed USD 100 billion by 2020.
However, most lights contain valuable and toxic metals that may leach into soils/waterways and take up space if disposed of in landfills. Read More
The term E-waste covers items of all types of electrical and electronic equipment and its parts that have been discarded by the owner as waste without the intention of reuse. This diverse and fast growing E-waste stream is often categorized as hazardous waste due to the presence of toxic metals, such as mercury and lead, and other hazardous substances. Read More
Developed as part of the RCRC Green Response initiative, these guidelines provide practical, sector specific information on how to better manage solid waste to improve emergency response operations. Key concepts and best practices in solid waste management are presented, Read More
These two documents from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)Â provides guidance for governments seeking to develop, review or strengthen their national chemical accidents prevention and preparedness programme.
UNEP is leading an international initiative to promote chemical accident prevention and preparedness. The initiative focuses on the development and implementation of a Flexible Framework for Chemical Accident Prevention and a Flexible Framework for Addressing Chemical Accident Prevention and Preparedness. Both offering guidance for governments wanting to develop, review or strengthen their national chemical accidents prevention and preparedness programme.
UNEP informs that almost every country experiences chemical accidents each year, occurring both at small facilities such as pesticide warehouses and large installations such as refineries, at public facilities (including water treatment plants using chlorine or private manufacturing facilities for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and consumer products industries), in urban settings and industrial parks or in rural areas where there might be mining operations or refrigeration facilities.
Find more information about the guidance on Flexible Framework for Chemical Accident Prevention and the brochure on Flexible Framework for Addressing Chemical Accident Prevention and Preparedness on the Environmental Emergencies Centre (EEC) here
Download the brochure here and the guidance here
Environmental Situation Analysis, Preparedness
The purpose of the mission was to highlight key areas of environmental risk in UNHCR's programming in the CAI and neighbouring Chichituy host community while applying and promoting the Nexus Environmental Assessment Tool (NEAT+). Read More
This factsheet is a special issue from the Lessons Learned Bulletin (LLB) and intends to raise awareness of risks associated with shutdown and startup of industrial sites where dangerous substances are present. Read More
The Environmental Checklist & Guidance for Shelter Response in Vanuatu was produced to fill the knowledge gap of the Vanuatu Shelter Cluster highlighted during past responses. The Checklist and associated Guidance Notes (in Annexes) link to the Cluster’s Technical Guidelines for Shelter Preparedness and Response to Natural Hazards and aims to inform environmentally sustainable shelter programming by making providing information about environmental considerations, impacts, concerns related to shelter operations. The Environmental Checklist for Shelter Response is designed to guide the shelter coordination team, program managers and field staff through the steps required to ensure that environmental considerations are adequately considered and implemented in humanitarian shelter programs. The tool is in the pilot phase and will be updated after being tested in future responses.
Download the Checklist here
Download the Guidance here
This report presents the key findings, good practices and recommendations of a study conducted by a group of LSE researchers, commissioned by the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit (JEU) together with the Global Shelter Cluster ECoP. Read More
The OECD has published a brief on the immediate steps that governments can take to ensure that emergency measures implemented to tackle the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis. The brief highlights that the crisis should not derail governments efforts to address pressing environmental challenges and improve environmental health and resilience of societies. Read More
WHO has conducted a Glossary that aims to enable all actors, sectors and communities to work together more efficiently. The glossary is developed to remedy the lack of standardized terminology in the field of Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health EDRM). Read More
This factsheet provides an overview of the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit's IKI Project, an inter-agency project which aims to strengthen climate change adaptation in target humanitarian hotspots. The project supports vulnerable communities, internally displaced people, refugees and host communities that face climate-related risks.
The projects involves three implementing countries, Burundi, Chad and Sudan. The partners involved in the project involve the United Nations World Food Programme, the UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit,, UNHCR, UNICEF and the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA).
The IKI Project aims to improve understanding and integration of climate-environment risk planning. It aims to improve clean energy access, proper waste management and encourage reforestation. It also aims to empower communities on a local level so they have the capacity to address the impacts of climate change.
Download the factsheet here.
