Blandan Enviro

05/10/2026

Methane is responsible for roughly one third of today's global warming, and is around 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20 year period. Methane stays in the atmosphere for only about a decade, which means cutting methane emissions is one of the fastest and most effective actions we can take to slow the pace of climate change right now.

The United Nations Secretary General has issued a clear call to action, outlining 9 priority actions across 3 sectors to be delivered by 2030. These actions could deliver at least a 30% reduction in global methane emissions by 2030 compared to 2020 levels, while also bringing cleaner air, stronger crop yields, and major economic benefits worth an estimated USD 330 billion annually.

Read the full document here,
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/unsg_call-action-methane_by-2030-epublication.pdf

30/09/2026

Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings is the only global university ranking that measures performance against all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The 2026 Rankings covers 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories. Each institution is assessed across four pillars: research, stewardship, outreach and teaching, and their scores across the SDGs they participate in determine their overall ranking.

The top five universities in this year's edition are the The University of Manchester (UK), Griffith University (Australia), Western Sydney University (Australia), Queen's University (Canada) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (Malaysia). The University of Manchester is notably the only institution to have finished in the overall top 10 every year since the ranking began. A particularly encouraging trend is that universities from lower and lower middle income countries are narrowing the gap, with four making the top 50 this year, double the number from the year before.

Explore the full ranking here, timeshighereducation.com/impactrankings

25/09/2026

The revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) have recently been published. It will enter into force on 10 November 2026 and apply to financial years beginning from 1 January 2027. Driven by Omnibus initiative, this revision dramatically reduces the number of companies subject to mandatory CSRD reporting by 90%.

For those remaining within scope, the revised ESRS cuts mandatory data points by 61% compared to the original standards. There is also a new voluntary reporting standard based on the VSME framework smaller companies outside the mandatory scope.

While the simplification reduces the reporting burden, it makes sustainability transparency standard expectation across European business.

(Link in the first comment for more information)

22/09/2026

"Try to leave the Earth a better place than when you arrived."
— Sidney Sheldon

Every company, regardless of size or sector, leaves a mark on the environment through the energy it uses, the resources it consumes, and the waste it generates. The question is not whether that mark exists, but whether we are making the effort to understand it, reduce it, and take responsibility for it.

16/09/2026

The ozone layer is a fragile shield of gas that protects all life on Earth from harmful solar radiation. Decades of human-made chemicals, including CFCs and HFCs, have caused significant damage to it. But the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987 (now universally ratified by all United Nations member states) and it successfully phased out nearly 100 ozone-depleting substances. Then its Kigali Amendment was adopted ten years ago and it went further by driving down HFCs, which are also potent greenhouse gases responsible for warming our planet.

Scientists estimate that without the Montreal Protocol, global temperatures could have been up to 1°C higher by 2050. This makes it one of the most effective climate agreements in history, even though it was originally designed with the ozone layer in mind. This is how protecting the ozone layer and cooling the planet goes hand-in-hand.

You can learn more at ozone.unep.org

10/09/2026

Visual Capitalist recently came up with this very nice and informative visualization of countries/regions and their share of global forest area in 2025. Interesting to see that just five countries hold more than half of the world’s 4.1 billion hectares of forests. Russia leads the global ranking with over 20% of the total share, followed by Brazil at 11.7%, Canada at 8.9%, the United States at 7.5%, and China at 5.5%.

You can access the full list here, https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-how-the-worlds-forests-are-divided/

05/09/2026

The clean energy transition depends on critical minerals. Copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earth are essential for everything from electric vehicles and batteries to wind turbines and energy grids. The good news is a vast, largely untapped resource already exists all around us.

Urban mining refers to recovering critical minerals from existing products, infrastructure, and electronic waste. It offers a powerful opportunity to keep these materials in the economy and reduce our dependence on extracting new ones. Copper, for example, is completely and infinitely recyclable without losing any of its properties. Every wire, pipe, and circuit board collected is a resource recovered, not a resource lost. An estimated two-thirds of all copper produced over the past 100 years is still in use, waiting to be brought back into the cycle.

Urban mining is not just an environmental opportunity, it is an economic and strategic one, reducing supply chain vulnerability, creating local jobs, and supporting the circular economy at scale.

Read the full UN Environment Programme article here, www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/mineral-reserves-dwindle-world-races-secure-materials-we-need-decarbonize

31/08/2026

Global e-waste almost doubled between 2010 and 2022, and is projected to grow by another 32% by 2030, making this a pressing environmental issue, not just a consumer rights one. Extending product lifespans through repair is one of the most effective ways to reduce, waste, resource consumption and emissions embedded in manufacturing new devices.

The EU's Right to Repair Directive came into effect on 31 July 2026, marking a significant shift in how technology is designed and used. From phones and laptops to coffee machines and earbuds, new legislation is making it easier for consumers to fix tech products. This reduces waste and extends product lifespans.

Consumers can now request that manufacturers repair products at a reasonable price and within a reasonable timeframe, favouring repair over replacement. We strongly believe that such regulations push the tech industry towards greater responsibility and sustainability.

Learn more about this here, repair.eu

25/08/2026

"Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend political or social boundaries."

- Jimmy Carter

20/08/2026

More than 80% of the world's energy still comes from fossil fuels, while around 650 million people still lack access to electricity. So how do we build an energy system that does more than replace fossil fuels with renewables? One that is cleaner, fairer and more resilient?

A UN Environment Programme expert explains that a truly sustainable transition requires tackling interconnected crises simultaneously, scaling up renewable investments, repurposing fossil fuel subsidies, and implementing strict social and environmental safeguards to ensure vulnerable communities are not left behind.

You can read more here, https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/big-ideas-how-make-global-energy-system-more-sustainable

(Photo by Anders J on Unsplash)