Climate and Environment

CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Climate-proofing Timor-Leste

A new generation of green infrastructure which boosts the local economy, ensures water supplies and protects the environment is being built in Timor-Leste thanks to the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Coral reefs can’t wait for world to take action, urges UN, as Biodiversity Conference gets underway

Sounding the alarm about the urgent need to protect coral reefs from extinction within decades, a new coalition of organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was launched on Wednesday in Egypt during the UN Biodiversity Conference, to galvanize global leadership before it is too late.

CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: DR Congo Prospers from Environmental Protection

Families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are being supported by their government and the United Nations to protect the environment and build what the UN Development Programme calls “climate-resilient lives.”

Help build vulnerable island States’ resilience to extreme weather, urges senior UN official

With Small Island Developing States (SIDS) bearing the brunt of economic losses from climate change, making them more resilient to extreme weather events must be a priority, said Inga Rhonda King, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), speaking at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

Building climate resilience and peace, go hand in hand for Africa’s Sahel – UN forum

To build a sustainable peace in Africa’s Sahel region, “urgent attention” is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure that communities have access to sufficient opportunities, a joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Peacebuilding Commission highlighted on Tuesday.

United States: UN chief ‘deeply saddened’ by deadly California wildfires

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed “deep sadness” over the loss of lives and damages caused by devastating wildfires in the state of California in the United States.

CLIMATE CHANGE FOCUS: Cows, coffee and sustainable farming

Small-scale farms in Panama are helping to heal land degraded by extensive cattle ranching and extreme rainfall or drought associated with climate change, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme, (UNDP).

UN chief appoints Luis Alfonso de Alba as Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Friday the appointment of Luis Alfonso de Alba of Mexico as his Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit. 

Every bite of burger boosts harmful greenhouse gases: UN Environment Agency

Even though meat production is known to be a major contributor to climate change and environmental destruction, worldwide demand for meat continues to rise, said UN environment agency, UNEP, in a statement released on Thursday.

FROM THE FIELD: South Sudan's green shoots, highlight environmental recovery from war

Some 5,000 seedlings of trees indigenous to South Sudan are being distributed to schools, sports centres and other public meeting places by the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, UNMISS, as part of its commitment to countering climate change.