Climate and Environment

COVID-related lockdowns brought cleaner air to many cities, like Seoul in South Korea.
Unsplash/Geonhui Lee

Air quality improvements from COVID lockdowns confirmed

3 September 2021

COVID-19 lockdowns brought rapid and “unprecedented” improvements in air quality in some parts of the world - but not enough to halt climate change caused by global warming, UN weather experts said on Friday.

Pollution fills the skyline of the Chinese city of Shanghai at dusk.
© UNICEF/Roger LeMoyne

Improving air quality ‘key’ to confronting global environmental crises

2 September 2021
Global

With environmental events becoming increasingly interconnected, a new global report on air pollution published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on Thursday underscores that improved air quality is “key to tackling the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste”.

No Denying It Podcast - Episode 02 Cover
UN News

No Denying It episode 2: Edward Norton Introduces Nzambi Matee

2 September 2021
Global

In the second episode of the UN climate action podcast, No Denying It, actor Edward Norton introduces Nzambi Matee, a young Kenyan entrepreneur, who is rethinking how waste is managed and reused, with the aim of building a better society.

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.