GRID-Arendal

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GRID-Arendal

Our mission is to create environmental knowledge enabling positive change. 🌍 UNEP partner 🇺?

GRID-Arendal was established in 1989 to support environmentally sustainable development by working with UN Environment and other partners. We communicate environmental knowledge that strengthens management capacity and motivates decision-makers to act. We transform environmental data into credible, science-based information products, delivered through innovative communication tools and capacity bu

ilding services. Our vision is a society that understands, values and protects the environment on which it depends.

06/05/2026

What if one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution was hiding in plain sight?

Published earlier this year, In the Tread of Darkness explores the hidden environmental and human impacts of tyre wear particles through visual storytelling and science communication.

Why this matters: tyre wear particles are an increasingly significant source of microplastic pollution, yet they remain largely absent from public debate and policy conversations. Every journey leaves behind particles that accumulate in soils, waterways and oceans — with consequences we are only beginning to understand.

Rather than another technical report, this comic transforms emerging science into an accessible narrative that helps make an invisible issue visible. By connecting science, storytelling and behaviour, the publication aims to support more informed decision-making and broader public engagement on pollution prevention.

📘 Read the publication:
https://www.grida.no/publications/3047

Developed through the EU Horizon Europe project SOS-ZEROPOL2030, supporting pathways towards zero pollution in European seas. Source to Seas - Zero Pollution 2030

22/04/2026

What happens when a shrinking lake becomes a lifeline and a battleground?

In the Lake Chad region, millions depend on the same land, water, and natural resources for survival. But these resources are under growing pressure from climate change, population growth, and insecurity.

Why this matters: Conflict here is not only a security issue it is deeply shaped by environmental change and resource access. Ignoring this connection risks ineffective policies and prolonged instability.

Our new report explores how environment, livelihoods, and conflict are interconnected and why solutions must take a systems approach:

🔗 https://www.grida.no/publications/3080

🎧 Listen to the companion podcast:

YouTube: https://youtu.be/uR-1FpPQRR8
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6aaX2ZBA2pbhD4Pm05EeBE
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/environmental-dimensions-of-conflict-in-the-lake/id1606127537
Acast: https://shows.acast.com/the-world-stage/episodes/environmental-dimensions-of-conflict-in-the-lake-chad-region

30/03/2026

Opening a regional hub is not symbolic — it directly strengthens countries’ ability to manage natural resources, protect ecosystems, and improve livelihoods.

At the inauguration of our Dakar office, three clear messages emerged:

🇸🇳 National leadership matters
Senegal’s government welcomed GRID-Arendal as a regional partner — recognising that stronger environmental governance is essential for improving people’s living conditions and managing natural resources sustainably.

🤝 Regional cooperation is essential
The Dakar office is not just national — it is a West Africa hub, designed to strengthen cooperation across countries and accelerate progress on shared environmental challenges and the blue economy.

🌊 From strategy to action
Our work will focus on marine spatial planning, fisheries, climate resilience, plastic pollution, and ecosystem protection — translating knowledge into practical solutions on the ground.

The challenge: Environmental pressures are interconnected and cross borders — but governance and capacity often remain fragmented.

The shift: This hub brings expertise closer to where decisions are made — enabling more coordinated, informed, and locally grounded action.

📍 Dakar is now a base for scaling impact across West Africa.

Ambassade de Norvège au Sénégal Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Transition écologique - Sénégal

26/03/2026

Why this matters: Coastal ecosystems like seagrass meadows and mangroves are critical for biodiversity, climate resilience, and local livelihoods, but they are under pressure from climate change, overuse, and limited data for decision-making.

In Senegal’s Saloum Delta, GRID-Arendal is working with local communities, rangers, and authorities to bridge this gap.

During a field visit to the Joal-Fadiout Marine Protected Area, Regional Director Richard Dacosta joined partners to see how science and local knowledge are shaping better management. From seagrass research informing policy, to mangrove restoration and sustainable livelihoods like oyster farming and beekeeping, this is what ecosystem-based solutions look like in practice.

Encouragingly, the area is also part of a growing migratory route for sea turtles across West Africa, highlighting its ecological importance beyond national borders.

The challenge: translating science into action while supporting communities who depend on these ecosystems.

The change: empowering local actors with knowledge and tools to protect nature while sustaining livelihoods.

📍 Saloum Delta, Senegal
🤝 In collaboration with local communities and national authorities

19/03/2026

Mountains are on the move, and so are the risks they carry downstream.

19 March we are launching Mountains in Motion, to gather with UNEP. A new report highlighting how climate change, pollution, and land degradation are reshaping mountain ecosystems, and why this matters far beyond mountain regions.

Mountains are the world’s water towers, supporting billions of people. But they are increasingly under pressure from the “triple planetary crisis.” What happens in the mountains doesn’t stay there, it cascades from ridge to river, affecting water security, biodiversity, and livelihoods downstream.

From a GRID-Arendal perspective, one message stands out:
mountains can no longer be treated as isolated landscapes.
They must be fully integrated into climate, biodiversity, and development policies.

The report also points to solutions, many of them already known: restoring ecosystems, reducing pollution at source, and empowering mountain communities.

Now the challenge is scaling these solutions, especially in regions where the impacts are felt most.

Download the report here: https://url.grida.no/MiM

08/03/2026

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women transforming waste into leadership, dignity and environmental protection.

Through capacity-building and support for women waste workers in Kisumu County, we have witnessed powerful shifts in confidence, income, safety and self-belief.

“I’m not just collecting waste, I’m building a livelihood, protecting the environment, and proving that women like me can lead change in our communities.” – Elizabeth Aloo Owiti

These women are not only part of the circular economy - they are driving it.
Today we recognize their courage, ambition and impact.

19/01/2026

Today in Havana, GRID-Arendal is supporting a UNEP-led initiative with the Cuban government to explore blue carbon finance mechanisms 🌱🌊

At a dedicated workshop, GRID-Arendal’s Steven Lutz (https://www.grida.no/steven) shared insights on the potential of Cuba’s mangroves and seagrasses to deliver climate mitigation, resilience, and new financing opportunities through blue carbon and carbon markets.

By strengthening the science–policy–finance connection, this work helps lay the groundwork for nature-based solutions that benefit both people and ecosystems.

📍 Havana, Cuba
🤝 In partnership with UNEP and national counterparts

15/01/2026

🌍 New publication just launched!
Glaciers on the Edge: Preserving Our Global Heritage is a visual companion to the global exhibition developed by GRID‑Arendal and UNESCO for the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025. ❄️

The exhibition - launched in March 2025 at UNESCO HQ in Paris - explored how glaciers shape ecosystems, sustain communities, and hold cultural significance. This booklet deepens that experience with science, Indigenous perspectives, and personal stories from around the world.

🔗 Download the publication → grida.no/publications/2849
🖼️ Learn about the exhibition → un-glaciers.org/en/exhibition

Join us in spreading awareness, inspiring action, and protecting glaciers - before they vanish.

UNESCO

19/12/2025

GRID-Arendal, WWF Madagascar, and Distant Imagery are introducing drone technology to local authorities in charge of fisheries surveillance in Madagascar. We are excited to share a behind the scenes look at our workshop last May.
🐠
Check the link in our bio to read more about the workshop!
🧑‍✈️🛰️🐟

13/12/2025

8 International Journalists — One Shared Mission
Field Visits - Environmental Action in Practice, From local projects to global impact 🫶🏻

Inside UNEA 7, Where global environmental decisions are shaped. The journalist had an Exclusive Interview with Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UNEP

Political Perspectives, Interview with Minister of Climate and Environment

Connecting Policy, People, and Planet 🌍
Amplifying Voices through International Media 💚

10/12/2025

Honoring Wangari Maathai’s Legacy at UNEA-7 🌍

This morning we joined the commemoration of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2004 Wangari Maathai, marking 20 years since her groundbreaking recognition for linking environmental protection with peace and human rights.

This gathering also resonated with the spirit of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded in Oslo today, underscoring how deeply environmental stewardship is tied to global peace.

Speakers included:
✨ Wanjira Mathai — World Resources Institute
✨ Inger Andersen — UNEP Executive Director
✨ Andreas Bjelland Eriksen — Norwegian Minister of Climate & Environment
✨ Children & Youth Major Group representatives

We’re grateful to have been part of this moment, celebrating Wangari Maathai’s green legacy and the continued fight for a peaceful, just, and sustainable world.🌱

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http://www.grida.no/

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