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Last year brought both successes and disappointments in global efforts to tackle the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change; the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss and desertification; and the crisis of pollution and waste.

Seagrasses are an important of many coastal ecosystems worldwide. They are flowering plants, or angiosperms and grow as meadows in subtidal and intertidal zone in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas.

The world is facing severe challenges. Billions of people around the world are suffering the consequences of the climate emergency, food and water insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Ecosystems are an indispensable ally as we meet these challenges. Protecting them and managing their resources in a sustainable manner is essential. But just increasing the protection and sustainable management of our remaining natural landscapes and oceans will not be enough, the planet's degraded ecosystems and the huge benefits that they provide must also be restored.

The climate, land, energy and water systems (CLEWs) approach guides the development of integrated assessments. The approach includes an analytical component that can be performed using a simple accounting methods, soft-linking tools, incorporating cross-systems considerations in sectoral models, or using one modelling tool to represent CLEW systems.

Sand plays a strategic role in delivering ecosystems, maintaining biodiversity, supporting economic development and providing livelihoods within communities. It is linked to all 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) either directly or indirectly.

This report was compiled by contributors from regional seas conventions and action plans, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC

Anthropogenic activities continue to be a major source of recalcitrant toxicants such as heavy metals (HMs) in the environment.

The key highlights of this month issue include: - Outcome of the Geneva biodiversity conference - Blue Deal for economic recovery and sustainable growth - Roles of indigenous communities in biodiversity protection - Rise in online wildlife trade - Financing chemicals and waste management - Plastic taxes as new environmental policies - Regionalizing UNEA 5.2 plastic resolution in East Africa - Promoting the Science-Policy-Society Interface of synthetic biology - Launching ACP MEAs 3 Youth Engagement and Training Initiative in Europe

The programme in the first quarter of 2022 include the key actions: - Promoting the science policy society interface of synthetic biology - Strengthening national capacity for effective implementation of chemicals and waste related MEAs in African countries. - Empowering youth in the eastern Africa region. - Galvanizing political will in the western Indian ocean region for the protection of coastal and marine resources. - Webinar on the feasibility and benefits of a transition to mercury-free lighting in CARICOM. - Supporting community based interventions on wastewater management in the Caribbean - Helping Antigua and Barbuda in phasing out mercury added products - Training Samoan government on sustainable development in the tourism sector - Launching ACP MEAs 3 youth engagement and training initiative in Europe.

UNEP's emissions gap report 2021: The heat is on (EGR 2021,) released ahead of COP26 found that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) leave the world on track for a global temperature rise of at least 2.7 degree celius this century.