inger andersen

UN Environment Chief: “The truth is we are failing”

Crisis Recovery

UN Environment Chief: “The truth is we are failing”

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations' Environment Programme, issued a dire warning about climate change in a new interview with GZERO Media. In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the world as standing “at the edge of an abyss,” and that next steps on climate were urgent and critical. “I think if you ask people on Pacific islands whose lands have been lost, they've already fallen off,” Andersen told GZERO. “Or even if you ask people in California whose houses got burnt in a wildfire, they have fallen off.”

“Fine words” on climate aren’t enough: UN Environment Chief Inger Andersen

GZERO World Clips

“Fine words” on climate aren’t enough: UN Environment Chief Inger Andersen

On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks with Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program. Will the UN Climate Conference (COP26) produce lasting change or just more hot air? The world's top 20 economies, Andersen says, are responsible for over three-quarters of global carbon emissions, so if they "make the requisite shifts, frankly we are out of the climate crisis."

Single-use plastics are the new ozone layer, says UN environment chief

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Single-use plastics are the new ozone layer, says UN environment chief

If you get caught with a plastic bag in Nairobi these days, you're on the hook for $1,000. That's because Kenya has signed up to a "circular economy" that bans single-use plastics, so there's no choice but to recycle. UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen says more nations are finally responding to growing public awareness about plastic pollution, which she thinks could drive policy change like the hole in the ozone layer did decades ago.

What is COP26 and why does it matter?

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What is COP26 and why does it matter?

UN climate summits have always carried hope that world leaders would use COPs to finally unite against climate change. But even when they succeeded, like in Paris 2015, climate activist Greta Thunberg says most of what comes out of the event is "blah, blah, blah" because we miss crucial targets to prevent global warming from 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. In fact, experts tell us that now we're heading toward a 3 degrees Celsius scenario, which would be catastrophic for both nature and humans. And if global cooperation has failed on vaccinations, why is climate going to be any different?

Why biodiversity loss from climate change matters

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Why biodiversity loss from climate change matters

Raging fires, droughts, and superstorms like Sandy and Katrina are very visible impacts of climate change, but the damage to animals and plants flies under the radar. For UN environment chief Inger Andersen, that's because humans often take biodiversity for granted despite having messed up more than three-quarters of the planet's land and sea — and the consequences will be severe when nature stops behaving. "We have fragmented […] and converted so much land that nature is being squeezed into little corners."

Capitalism can’t solve a climate crisis in a collapsed world, says UN’s Inger Andersen

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Capitalism can’t solve a climate crisis in a collapsed world, says UN’s Inger Andersen

Will the free market still work in a future world ravaged by wildfires, droughts, floods, and mass movements of climate refugees? "We cannot have capitalism in a collapsed world," says UN Environment Programme head Inger Andersen, who predicts COVID's disruption on the economy is a mere prelude of the damage climate change will do to coastlines, food systems, water, and infrastructure in general.

Podcast: Man-made crisis: how do we survive on the planet we warmed? UN environment chief explains

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast

Podcast: Man-made crisis: how do we survive on the planet we warmed? UN environment chief explains

Listen: Fires, floods, and droughts. Climate change is already happening but so far humans have been slow to react. Will the UN Climate Conference (COP26) produce lasting change or just more hot air? On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks with Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Program. Plus, a look at what's driving the United Kingdom's fuel shortage.

UN environment chief: G-20 can practically fix climate on its own

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UN environment chief: G-20 can practically fix climate on its own

How can we go from "fine words" to "fine deeds" at the upcoming COP26 climate summit in Glasgow? For Inger Andersen, head of the UN Environment Program, it's actually quite simple. The world's top 20 economies, she says, are responsible for over three-quarters of global carbon emissions, so if they "make the requisite shifts, frankly we are out of the climate crisis." Watch her interview with Ian Bremmer on the upcoming episode of GZERO World.