Climate and Environment

A face mask found during a beach cleanup in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, USA.
Unsplash/Brian Yurasits

Five things you should know about disposable masks and plastic pollution

30 July 2020
Global

The fight against plastic pollution is being hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the use of disposable masks, gloves and other protective equipment soars, but UN agencies and partners insist that, if effective measures are put into place, the amount of plastics discarded every year can be significantly cut, or even eliminated.

Migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea are rescued by a Belgian ship (file photo).
Frontex/Francesco Malavolta

Thousands suffer extreme rights abuses journeying to Africa’s Mediterranean coast, say humanitarians

29 July 2020
Africa

Thousands of refugees and migrants in eastern and western Africa, are dying while others face harrowing abuse in their attempts to reach the continent’s Mediterranean coast in search of a better life, a joint UN/Danish Refugee Council report said on Wednesday.

Consequences of climate change vary from region to region. UN-supported dams in Somalia provide water access to livestock.
UNDP Somalia/Said Isse

Climate emergency ‘a danger to peace’, UN Security Council hears

24 July 2020
Global

The climate emergency generated by global warming, is exacerbating existing risks to international peace and security, while also creating new ones, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Friday, making the case for swift climate action on multiple fronts.

Papua New Guinea's rare cloud forests are a high elevation rainforest characterised by low-level cloud cover. (14 June 2011)
Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

Deforestation has slowed down but still remains a concern, new UN report reveals

21 July 2020
Global

Although some 178 million hectares of forest has been lost worldwide over the past three decades, the rate of loss has declined substantially during this period, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday.

Anna-Luisa Beserra from Brazil is a previous winner of the Young Champions of the Earth prize. She created Aqualuz, a low-cost filter that uses solar radiation to disinfect rainwater captured in cisterns (file photo).
UN Environment Programme/Todd Brown

Young innovators vying for top UN environmental prize

20 July 2020
Global

Thirty-five young people with innovative ideas for tackling challenges such as protecting indigenous Amazonian land through adventure travel, converting harmful emissions into valuable commodities in the United States, and generating electricity from water in Nigeria, have been named as regional finalists for one of the UN’s most prestigious environmental awards.

Northwest Somalia has suffered from recurrent droughts over decades.
UNDP Somalia

FROM THE FIELD: Frontline resilience in Somalia

18 July 2020
Africa

 One hundred thousand households in Somaliland in northwest Somalia have better access to water, protecting them not just from the ravages of climate change but also against the spread of COVID-19, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme.  

View of UN headquarters (file)
UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Dump fuel-hungry AC units to cut years of emissions and save trillions: UN report

17 July 2020
Global

A wholesale switch to efficient, “climate-friendly” appliances could make a huge dent in environmentally harmful emissions, says a new UN report released on Friday.

On 23 April 2020, a child washes dishes in the Maarat Misrin camp north of Idlib, Syrian Arab Republic.
© UNICEF/Omar Albam

Women and girls deserve more protection in emergencies, UN rights council hears

13 July 2020
Global

The collective impact of climate change, COVID-19 and conflict mean that well over 200 million people will likely need humanitarian assistance by 2022, the UN’s deputy rights chief said on Monday.

An 11-year-old boy finds relief from the summer heat by playing in a fountain in a historic part of the city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. (file)
UNICEF/Pirozzi

Rising global temperature shows ‘enormous challenge’ of meeting climate goal

8 July 2020
Global

Annual global temperature is likely to be at least 1°C warmer than pre-industrial levels in each of the coming five years, putting globally agreed climate change targets in jeopardy, new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reveals.

A man buys fresh produce at a green market in Kenya.
World Bank / Sambrian Mbaabu

‘Stay the course together to emerge stronger’ from COVID-19 crisis: UN chief’s message to major sustainability forum

5 July 2020
Global

As a major United Nations forum prepares to assess progress towards a fairer future for people and the planet, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that each of the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.