Climate and Environment

Okeechobee County, Florida, United States.
WMO/Paul Strauss

UN-backed report finds no G7-based stock exchange indices align with Paris climate goals 

10 June 2021

New research co-authored by the UN Global Compact revealed on Thursday that none of the G7 leading industrial nations’ main stock indices are aligned with global emissions targets set out in the Paris Agreement, thwarting efforts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. 

Dale Vince is chairman of Forest Green Rovers and owner of Ecotricity, a sustainable energy company.
Forest Green Rovers/Steve Schofield

First Person: Owner of first ‘vegan football club’ scoring sustainable goals

10 June 2021
Europe

A football club in the west of England has been recognized by the United Nations for its leading role in setting goals to tackle climate change, from planning a low-carbon stadium, to selling only 100 per cent vegan food. Ahead of the kick-off  of the delayed Euro 2020 football competition, owner and chairman, Dale Vince, told UN News that the club aims to be a beacon of sustainability in the sporting world

Coral reef fish swim in French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean.
Ocean Image Bank/Jayne Jenkins

End war on nature and ensure ocean health, UN chief says in message for World Oceans Day

8 June 2021
Global

Ending the “war on nature” must be part of global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday in his message for World Oceans Day. 

The town of Kendal in England, UK.
Unsplash/Ian Cylkowski

Chilliest Spring in years is cold comfort as CO2 emissions rise: WMO

8 June 2021

Confirmation that Europe has just had its chilliest Spring in years is cold comfort for the planet, amid rising greenhouse gas levels which will bring negative impacts for generations to come, UN weather experts said on Tuesday.

A technician works on electricity cables in Mogadishu, Somalia.
UN Photo/Ilyas Ahmed

Global push needed to ensure ‘clean, affordable and sustainable electricity’ for all

7 June 2021
Global

During the last decade, more people around the world have gained access to electricity than ever before. However, the number still not connected has grown in Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia, according to a new UN report on universal access to energy, launched on Monday. 

A man fishes in a forest lake in Indonesia.
CIFOR/Ricky Martin

UN launches Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to counter ‘triple environmental emergency’

4 June 2021
Global

Heads of Government, religious leaders, activists and artists joined the United Nations on Friday in a rallying cry to heal the planet, launching the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. 

Kamloops lake in British Columbia, Canada, is located on traditional lands of the Secwepemc Nation.
Unsplash/Louis Paulin

Still time to reverse damage to ‘ravaged’ ecosystems, declares UN chief, marking World Environment Day 

4 June 2021
Global

Amidst the triple environmental threat of biodiversity loss, climate disruption and escalating pollution, Secretary-General António Guterres launched “an unprecedented effort to heal the Earth”, on the eve of World Environment Day. 

Restoring natural habitats can help to address climate and biodiversity crises.
CIFOR/Terry Sunderland

Restoration call for area ‘the size of China’ to protect falling biodiversity and food insecurity

3 June 2021

An area of land roughly the size of China needs restoring if the planet’s biodiversity and the communities who rely on it are to be protected, UN agencies said on Thursday.

A maize crop is attacked by the fall armyworm in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe.
© FAO/Edward Ogolla

Invasive pest spread another fallout from climate change, UN-backed study finds

2 June 2021
Global

Climate change is making pests which ravage important agricultural crops even more destructive, heightening threats to global food security and the environment, a UN-backed study published on Wednesday has found. 

Coastal and marine ecosystems provide food, livelihoods, and coastal protection to more than a billion people worldwide.
UNCTAD

‘Simply no scenario’ where humanity can survive on an ocean-free planet

1 June 2021
Global

The world must harness “clear, transformative and actionable solutions” to address the ocean crisis, the President of the UN General Assembly said on Tuesday, opening a meeting to generate momentum towards the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, when public health safety measures allow.