The UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) began its seventh session in Nairobi on Monday with a plenary session attended by representatives of 193 member states. The UNEA convenes every two years in the Kenyan capital, where the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) is based. Among the themes up for discussion are the fight against environmental crime, including illegal logging in rainforests, which is estimated to cause damage totalling more than $1 billion annually. Another issue is the need for ecologically sound and socially just exploitation of the key minerals needed for the energy transition and f…