Nominations for 2020 opened on 20 January 2020 for four categories:

• - Policy leadership
• - Inspiration and action
• - Entrepreneurial vision
• - Science and innovation

Submission deadline: 20 March 2020.

The huge wildfires in Australia, Amazon, California, the Congo basin and Indonesia have drawn the world’s attention to the risks associated with extended periods of unusually hot and dry weather, which is an effect of climate change. The global average temperature is now 1.1°C higher than at the beginning of last century. Higher temperatures create, in some parts of the world, drier conditions, increasing the likelihood and intensity of wildfires, and megafires. 

As you make your New Year’s resolutions, keep the environment in mind. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. UNEP’s change-maker community is happy to lead the way. Read on for inspiration, so that you can kick off 2020 as a more sustainable global citizen!

The ongoing bushfires in Australia have focused media attention on wildfires more generally and their link to biodiversity and habitat loss, as well as global heating. We take a look at the some of the different types of wildfires, assess their impact and what is causing them, and why accurate, real-time data is so important for wise action to curb them. We need to better understand the different drivers of wildfires and be able to prioritize which wildfires cause the most environmental damage. “The trick is to marshal the relevant data to make it useful to governments and that’s where platforms like the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) World Environment Situation Room can help,” says Pascal Peduzzi, Director of UNEP’s Global Resource Information Database in Geneva.

From grassroots champions and corporate leaders to political pioneers, we celebrate champions taking bold action for our world. Now is the time to step up. We need heroes to champion change.

2019 has been a huge year for global discussion and momentum on climate; the climate emergency and the unprecedented youth demands for action captured headlines, but that’s not all. See a recap of the UN Enironment Programme's most read stories.

We are on the brink of missing the opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5°C. We need to close the ‘commitment’ gap between what we say we will do and what we need to do to prevent dangerous levels of climate change. Governments cannot afford to wait. People and families cannot afford to wait. Economies must shift to a decarbonization pathway now. Find out more in this interactive feature.

This report by UNEP conducts a rigorous assessment of the contribution of material efficiency to greenhouse gas abatement strategies. It shows that increasing material efficiency is a key opportunity to achieve the aspirations of the Paris Agreement.

Find out why nitrogen management is key for climate change mitigation.

Young Champions of the Earth is a forward-looking prize designed to breathe life into the ambitions of brilliant young environmentalists.

Aidan Gallagher is UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for North America, focusing on youth outreach. At only 14, Aidan became the youngest Goodwill Ambassador ever to be designated in the UN system. Aidan is an actor, singer-musician and environmental activist starring in Netflix’s highly rated series The Umbrella Academy. Join Aidan and #ActNow in the lead up to the Youth Climate Summit (21 September) and the UN Climate Action Summit (23 September) by sending a message to world leaders that you want climate action now! The World is in Our Hands!

This year’s Champions of the Earth and Young Champions of the Earth award ceremony will be held during the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly Week on 26 September, in New York.

Mangroves are an amazing #ClimateAction Super Solution, they are effective carbon sinks, storing four times more CO2 than rainforests.