Climate and Environment

National governments are the main drivers of change to reduce harmful emissions.
Unsplash/Daniel Moqvist

World’s two largest economies commit to climate action – Guterres

21 September 2021
Global

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday welcomed important commitments made towards climate action by the world’s two largest economies, as the 76th High Level Debate began in New York.

In southern Mauritania, a market garden run by a women's cooperative uses solar energy to irrigate crops.
© UNICEF/Raphael Pouget

Call for ‘decisive action now’ to avoid climate catastrophe 

20 September 2021

Speaking alongside the UK Prime Minister in New York on Monday the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has called on world leaders for “decisive action now to avert climate catastrophe.” 

Essential infrastructure including roads and bridges were destroyed by the August earthquake.
IOM/Monica Chiriac

FROM THE FIELD: Haiti’s gruelling post-quake road to recovery

18 September 2021
Americas

Thousands of Haitians continue to take refuge in neighbours’ houses, makeshift shelters, chapels or informal displacement sites, a month after a devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the west of the Caribbean island where they live. That’s according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) which has been assisting in recovery efforts. 

If no actions are taken, global emissions will continue to grow this decade. By 2030 they will increase by about 16.3 per cent compared to 2010 levels.
WMO/Seyed Amin Habibi

Paris climate deal could go up in smoke without action: Guterres

17 September 2021

Unless wealthy nations commit to tackling emissions now, the world is on a “catastrophic pathway” to 2.7-degrees of heating by the end of the century, UN Secretary General António Guterres warned on Friday.

People cross a flooded river in western Haiti after a bridge was washed away by Hurricane Matthew. (file)
MINUSTAH/Logan Abassi

‘Tipping point’ for climate action: Time’s running out to avoid catastrophic heating

16 September 2021
Global

The temporary reduction in carbon emissions caused by global COVID-19 lockdowns did not slow the relentless advance of climate change. Greenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels, and the planet is on path towards dangerous overheating, a multi-agency climate report published on Thursday warns. 

Wild meat is often a key use and a major driver for legal and illegal hunting,
CIFOR/Manuel Lopez

Eating wild meat significantly increases zoonotic disease risk: UN report 

15 September 2021

The domestic consumption of meat from wild animals has significant impacts on most species protected under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), says a new report released on Wednesday, including increasing the risk of diseases spreading from animals to humans.  

Sugar cane and soybean plantations have replaced hectare after hectare of jungle as the Amazon has been exploited in the name of agriculture, with little regard for the environmental impacts. Photo: UNEP GRID Arendal/Riccardo Pravettoni
UNEP GRID Arendal/Riccardo Pravettoni

Most agricultural funding distorts prices, harms environment: UN report 

14 September 2021

Around 87% of the $540 billion in total annual government support given worldwide to agricultural producers includes measures that are price distorting and that can be harmful to nature and health.  

From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale.
WMO/Shravan Regret Iyer

Climate action essential to cool ‘season of fire and floods’ worldwide: Deputy UN chief 

6 September 2021
Global

With extreme weather events increasingly impacting countries across the world, the deputy UN chief on Monday underlined the importance of limiting temperature rise to the internationally agreed goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

Across the world, more incidents of extreme weather events are being recorded.
WMO/Daniel Pavlinovic

Climate and weather related disasters surge five-fold over 50 years, but early warnings save lives - WMO report

1 September 2021

Climate change and increasingly extreme weather events, have caused a surge in natural disasters over the past 50 years disproportionately impacting poorer countries, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) said on Wednesday.

The use of leaded petrol or gasoline ended globally in July 2021.
Unsplash/Sippakorn Yamkasikorn

End of leaded fuel use a ‘milestone for multilateralism’

30 August 2021
Global

The global phase-out of leaded fuel represents a “milestone for multilateralism”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday, marking the end of a 20-year campaign to eliminate a major threat to the health of people and the planet.