On 10 June 2025, UNU will host “Beyond the Age of Waste”, a BIG IDEAS Dialogue with Mr. Felipe Dall, programme officer at UN Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Technology Centre. This online event will be held via Zoom webinar at 17:00 JST (UTC+9).
Fossil fuel consumption reached an all-time high in 2024. Global waste generation has climbed from 0.74 to 1 kilogram per capita per day over the past decade. Why does this continue to happen, despite the existence of many proven technologies that provide real solutions and are more affordable than ever?
This session will explore these urgent questions through the lens of externalities—the hidden social and environmental costs that markets often fail to account for. As the planet confronts the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, understanding the systemic barriers to progress is more important than ever.
Mr. Felipe Dall will join UNU Senior Vice-Rector Sawako Shirahase to examine why global efforts have not yet reversed these damaging trends. The discussion will spotlight the global struggle with waste management and explore how embedding circularity in economic systems can transform both environmental and economic outcomes.
Whilst current trajectories are alarming, the session will conclude with a forward-looking dialogue on the potential for transformative change through international cooperation. If the world already possesses the tools, knowledge, and sense of urgency - what are we waiting for?
Please note this event will be in English; Japanese interpretation will not be provided. Advance registration by 9 June is required. Registrants will receive an email on the day of the event with a link to attend via Zoom webinar.
UNU@50
This event is part of the UNU 50th anniversary celebration. To learn more, visit: https://unu.edu/unuat50
About the speaker
Felipe Dall, programme officer at UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre, UNEP’s technical division for waste-related project and activities.
He has a bachelor’s in environmental science and a MSc. in Economic management of the environment, and his portfolio in UNEP-IETC is mostly focused on plastic waste management and EPR policies in the waste sector.
