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A climate neutral UN

The goal of the 2015 is to limit global warming. This goal requires that we achieve a climate neutral world by the second half of this century. Climate neutrality means living in a way that produces no net  emissions.

In 2007, the Ãå±±½ûµØSystem began working towards becoming climate neutral. Under the leadership of then Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, at a 2007 meeting of the Ãå±±½ûµØSystem Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), the Executive Heads of Ãå±±½ûµØagencies, funds and programmes committed to move their respective organizations towards climate neutrality, and developed the Ãå±±½ûµØClimate Neutral Strategy, which highlights the advantages of harmonization.

At the 2007 CEB meeting, the Executive Heads of Ãå±±½ûµØagencies, funds and programmes committed to:

• Estimate the greenhouse gas emissions of Ãå±±½ûµØsystem organizations consistent with accepted international standards;
• Undertake efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
• Analyze the cost implications and explore budgetary modalities of purchasing carbon offsets to eventually reach climate neutrality.

Since that 2007 meeting, the UN System has been taking environmental sustainability into account in the operation of its facilities. The United Nations Environment Programme now annually collects and analyzes information provided by Ãå±±½ûµØSystem entities on their environmental impacts and publishes this data in its Greening the Blue report. The covers emissions for 2019; therefore, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel and facilities¡¯ emissions are not yet visible in the reported data and will not be until 2021.

The 2020 Report found the United Nations System generated around 2 million tonnes of CO2eq last year. (CO2eq includes carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases). Forty-five per cent of all emissions came from staff air travel. Another 12 per cent came from other forms of transport and 43 per cent were generated by Ãå±±½ûµØoffices, largely through heating, air conditioning and electricity use.

The report also stated that in 2019, the Ãå±±½ûµØSystem continued its downward trend on emissions generation. With 97% of reported 2019 emissions offset, the Ãå±±½ûµØSystem is well on track to achieve its goal of 100% climate neutrality of its 2020 footprint. Environmental Governance has also progressed with five additional Ãå±±½ûµØentities advancing in their implementation of environmental management systems.

In 2019, under the leadership of Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres, the UN¡¯s Chief Executives Board for Coordination endorsed the first in the Ãå±±½ûµØsystem, which covers the years 2020-2030. In the 2020 Greening the Blue Report, the Secretary-General stated that:

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