Climate and Environment

Bosnia and Herzegovina is demonstrating how even highly polluted cities can be transformed into well-planned, climate-resilient urban hubs.
UNDP/Sulejman Omerbasic

FROM THE FIELD: Planning a route to green cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

31 October 2020
Europe

Bosnia and Herzegovina  is showing how even highly polluted cities can be transformed into well-planned, climate-resilient urban hubs.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the CARICOM Caribbean Community conference, in St. Lucia. 3 July, 2019 (file photo)..
UN Spokesperson's Office

Caribbean vital to tackling COVID-19, climate change, UN chief tells regional leaders

29 October 2020
Americas

The twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change present a once in a generation opportunity for the Caribbean and its development partners to form a new alliance for inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery, the UN Secretary-General told regional Heads of Government on Thursday. 

Tuvalu is particularly susceptible climate change.
UNDP/Joe Hitchcock

After nearly a decade away, La Niña weather system is back…

29 October 2020
Global

Many will be familiar with El Niño – the ocean-warming phenomenon that affects global weather patterns – but how about La Niña, which is linked to cooler sea temperatures? 

Some areas of Niger have been degraded due to unsustainable land practices.
© FAO/Giulio Napolitano

UN builds momentum for restoring forests as world enters key decade for ecosystems 

28 October 2020
Global

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is leading a push for the world to scale up efforts to restore landscapes and forests over the next decade, with eyes on a target to salvage 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested lands, an area bigger than India in total. 

Cities in South Korea, like the capital, Seoul, are huge consumers of power.
Unsplash/Ethan Brooke

UN chief hails Republic of Korea’s vow to achieve carbon neutrality

28 October 2020
Asia Pacific

The Republic of Korea’s pledge towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 has been hailed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as “a very positive step in the right direction”. 

The global demand for the export of used vehicles from developed to developing has grown significantly.
Unsplash/Steve Harvey

Exported used cars ‘dumped’ on developing nations, driving up pollution, UN warns

26 October 2020
Global

Used vehicles exported from richer countries are contributing to increased air pollution in developing nations and hindering efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, according to a report published on Monday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). 

Drought in Africa will adversely impact the productivity of major cereal crops, says a report launched by WMO today.
WMO/Cornel Vermaak

Africa climate change report reveals heat rising north and south, Sahel getting wetter

26 October 2020
Africa

Africa needs to prepare better for climate change by responding to a wide range of potential risks, a multi-agency report led by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Monday, the first in a series of continent-by-continent assessments.

The capital of Japan, Tokyo, requires huge amounts of electricity to power the city.
Unsplash/Jezael Melgoza

Climate action: UN chief encouraged by Japan’s 2050 net zero pledge 

26 October 2020
Asia Pacific

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed Japan’s announcement on Monday that it would reduce carbon emissions to zero, by 2050, as part of the global effort to slow the worldwide rise in temperatures, and prevent the most damaging effects of human-made climate change. 

A farmer in Cambodia cultivates her rice crop.
UNDP Cambodia/Manuth Buth

FROM THE FIELD: Women guardians of the environment

22 October 2020
Global

Women from around the world are being given a more prominent role in the fight against climate change, thanks to the efforts of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Eastern and southern African nations have faced an increase in floods, droughts and other climate-related events over recent years.
UNDP/Arjen van de Merwe

FROM THE FIELD: Cultivating a response to disasters in Malawi

13 October 2020
Africa

Farmers in Malawi who are struggling with the dual threats of climate change and an economic crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, are learning how to more accurately predict the weather and prepare for the eventuality of natural disasters, thanks to a project supported by the UN Development Programme (UNDP).