Climate change
Zoï staff has been working to combat climate change for over thirty years. Our founders’ early warning studies of the Nile Delta and the Uganda coffee crop – developed in the 1980s – have set the standard in the international community for such research. Since its beginnings, Zoï has focused on demonstrating the impact of climate change all over the world and guided a range of different groups and entities towards climate neutrality. This also includes providing support towards the implementation of the historic Paris Agreement on climate change. Further, we work on climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as related topics such as air pollution, disaster risk reduction and hydrometeorological services.
Biodiversity
The preservation and management of the earth’s fragile ecosystems under ever-increasing pressure is central in Zoï’s work. We support the Rio conventions on desertification and biodiversity and produce global and local publications on different aspects of conservation and safeguarding the environment, and awareness raising.
Chemicals and waste
Chemicals can not only severely damage the environment but also endanger human health and lives. That is why we cooperate and work on different UN chemical conventions and participate in pollution assessments. We also support the making of international legal instruments on waste and chemicals, e.g. Mercury convention, and create (visual) products to make their importance better understandable to non-specialists.
Security and conflict
Environmental challenges can cause security concerns both between and within countries. Addressing these risks have been one of main areas of Zoï’s work to-date. Through innovative analysis, participatory mapping and visualization, we have contributed to regionally and globally recognized flagship assessments on the environment-security interface. We are also highly engaged on the ground in addressing the unfolding environmental and social issues, including those concerning mining industry which is often at the source of local conflicts.
Water
In recent years, water use has become a focus in international affairs. Zoï has been part of many activities on the ground trying to understand, explain and improve the management of water, in particular in internationally shared lakes and rivers. We have also been working with a range of partners, in particular the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and UNECE, to provide analytical and information support to good water governance and a new type of water diplomacy.
Access to information
Zoï is dedicated to make environmental information as accessible as possible. We cooperate with partner countries, civil society, academia, businesses, media, and international organizations, such as United Nations Environment Programme, the European Environment Agency and the UN Aarhus convention, to ensure access. With our help, partners create and disseminate innovative information products that fit target audience and purpose.
Consumption and production
Responsible consumption and production drives sustainable development. In addition to their environmental benefits, new and improved practices also frequently lead to economic benefits and improved resilience. While large-scale changes are often voluntary, there are also pieces of legislation, labels and other hard measures that impact the production sector, influence consumption patterns, and help achieve international targets, such as those set forth by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 12). Zoï has experience in analysing and communicating about a wide variety of instruments, policies and processes in this diverse field. Some topics on which we have worked include green procurement, ecolabels, sustainable mining, slow fashion and alternative options for building materials.