WHO warns of dangers from Omicron variant
Initial evidence shows the risk from the new variant is "very high" and could cause surges with severe consequences, the U.N. health agency said.
Climate & Health
Melting glaciers. Rising sea levels. Wildfires. Food shortages. Widespread species extinctions. Global pandemics. Every other issue is secondary. The climate crisis is a health crisis — a reality highlighted by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who points to the links between extreme weather, disease, and noncommunicable diseases. Science, politics, and economics are all at the heart of this urgent global issue.
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Potential surge in Europe virus deaths ahead
Europe is again at the pandemic's center with COVID-19 now the leading cause of death on the continent, WHO reported, as nations tighten preventive measures.
Global climate deal reached in overtime
Negotiators from 197 countries clinched a "watered down" consensus agreement on a climate deal after two weeks of United Nations-brokered climate talks.
UNEP report shows off-track climate goals
U.N. researchers concluded the world is headed to 2.5 degrees C. of warming by 2100 because nations will not do what is needed to combat climate change.
Climate leaders push to 'seize this moment'
The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland opened on Sunday for almost two weeks of critical negotiations on how to slow global warming.
Report urges more water crisis planning
Nations must prepare better for more water-related disasters along with a growing lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation, WMO reported.
U.N. report warns of 'catastrophic' climate failure
Governments must be far more ambitious about cutting greenhouse gases to avoid catastrophically overheating the planet, according to a new U.N. report.
Pandemic brings 'short-lived' air quality gains
Lockdowns and travel restrictions resulted in a "dramatic short-lived fall in emissions of key air pollutants" last year, the U.N. weather agency reported.
Extreme climate risks for 1 billion children
Almost half of the world's 2.2 billion children face an "extremely high" potential for deadly exposure to multiple shocks, according to UNICEF.
IPCC warns some warming is locked in
The U.N. chief called a major new report on human-caused global warming ‘a code red for humanity’ though a brief window exists to avoid the worst.
Global coronavirus cases surpass 200 million
Confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide topped 200 million with 4.25 million deaths, amid a surge in highly transmissible delta variant infections.
WMO's climate-linked 'summer of extremes'
Amid devastating floods in Western Europe, the U.N. weather agency stressed the rising frequency of extreme weather due to the climate crisis.
New European carbon cutting plans unveiled
The European Commission adopted a set of proposals to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by the end of this decade.
Almost 10% of all people went hungry in 2020
World hunger "shot up" during the pandemic, leaving nearly 1-in-10 people undernourished mostly in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
400,000 face Ethiopia famine
Senior U.N. officials warned that more than 400,000 people are suffering from famine in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, and 1.8 million more are on the verge.
Experts urge policy nexus to nature, climate crises
The planet's massive losses of species and rising temperatures are driven by human activities that must be tackled together, two organizations reported.