Are global environmental policies and laws enough to deal with climate change?

Today, policymakers, civil society, academics, and business converge in Nairobi, Kenya, for the opening of the Fourth United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA 4), the world's highest-level decision-making body on the environment. Held every two years, UNEA allows countries to set priorities for global environmental policies and to develop international environmental law.

Over the next five days, this group will focus on the theme of "Innovative Solutions for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Consumption and Production," with the goal of making our social, political, and economic systems more sustainable.

Time is running out. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report, we only have 12 years to take drastic action to address climate change. The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report shows that climate change and biodiversity loss are tied to the top global risks to society, including water crises, large scale involuntary migration, natural disasters and extreme weather.

No nation can address these alone. UNEA 4 asks policymakers to collectively focus on three areas as entry points to change 'business as usual': (1) environmental challenges related to poverty and natural resources management; (2) life-cycle approaches to resource efficiency, energy, chemicals and waste management; and (3) sustainable business development in a time of rapid technological change.

A remarkable resource

At UNDP and UN Environment, we see a critical role for big data to transform the way we approach these issues. Over 90 percent of the world's data has been generated in the past two years, offering a remarkable resource as we look to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals as well as key multilateral environmental agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Spatial data — which maps geographical locations of biodiversity, key watersheds, protected areas, human pressures, and more — can play a critical role.

Through our work with nearly 140 countries around the UN Biodiversity Lab, we've seen how spatial data can help policymakers make better decisions, conserve nature, and enhance livelihoods. In South Africa, spatial data have informed how official Marine Protected Areas are selected by the government. In Costa Rica, an innovative monitoring programme enables the government to identify the pineapple producers behind illegal deforestation. In Ecuador, the government has used spatial data to combat deforestation and designate a protected area that reflects key biodiversity and ecosystem fragility.