Climate and Environment

Ramp up nuclear power to beat climate change, says UN nuclear chief

Without significantly increasing the use of nuclear power worldwide, it will be difficult to achieve the goal of reducing harmful emissions and fighting climate change, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Monday.

UN commits to help Pacific island agriculture adapt and survive climate crisis

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) pledged on Friday to work hand in hand with the people of the Pacific to improve nutrition, and mitigate the worst effects of climate change, which pose an existential threat to many island nations across the region. 

Thursday's Daily Brief: UN chief remembers former Assembly President, Council on Africa's Great Lakes, FAO data shows stable food prices

A recap of Thursday's stories: Guterres addresses climate emergency in op-ed; UN envoy highlights 'golden opportunity' for Africa's Great Lakes region; FAO scales up banana crop protection against disease; Data shows September food prices held steady; Somalia Partnership Forum concludes.

 

UN’s Guterres: Broad climate ‘movement’ has begun, but there’s a long way to go

When it comes to the climate emergency, “we have a long way to go. But the movement has begun,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared in a widely-distributed opinion piece on Thursday, reaffirming his concern over the threats posed by a warming world, unless more urgent action is taken. 

Human Rights Briefing: Updates on Egypt, Zimbabwe, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia

Here’s a roundup of human rights news this Friday: UN’s Bachelet urges restraint over arrests of Egypt protestors; expert calls for ‘democratic shift’ in Zimbabwe; Human Rights Council agrees fact-finding mission to Venezuela; independent experts urge freedom for Saudi women's rights defender, after 500 days in prison.

Island nations on climate crisis frontline ‘not sitting idly by’

Small island nations are “not sitting idly by” but are emerging as “frontrunners” in the fight against climate change according to Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu, the UN High Representative for Small Island Developing States.

At UN, youth activists press for bold action on climate emergency, vow to hold leaders accountable at the ballot box

Students and young activists on Saturday threw down the gauntlet to world leaders heading to United Nations Headquarters next week for high-level climate talks, demanding that they “stop wasting time” and work harder to curb carbon emissions, “or we will vote you out.”

World’s 1.8 billion youth must ‘have a say in the future of the planet’

It is “crucial” that the world’s 1.8 billion young people have a say in the fight against climate change and ultimately “the future of the planet” according to the UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake.

UN staff support youth-driven global action on climate crisis

Staff at UN Headquarters in New York joined untold numbers of students, scientists, organized labour, and everyday people worldwide, who took to the streets on Friday, demanding action to address climate change.

Nature ‘one of most effective ways’ of combatting climate change

Nature is “one of the most effective ways” of combatting climate change and should be part of every country’s climate strategy according to the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Inger Andersen.