WMO cautions against seasonal easing on virus
The U.N. weather agency advised governments against relaxing COVID-19 restrictions based on assumptions the coronavirus will decline with warm weather.
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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First WHO listing for one-shot COVID-19 vaccine
WHO approved Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, adding a fourth shot to the international arsenal of tools against the pandemic.
Pandemic hits anticipated halfway point
One year on, the pandemic has prompted one of the most remarkable scientific efforts — and brought into sharper focus many of the world's inequities.
Food waste could circle Earth sevenfold
While one-in-10 people on the planet suffers chronic hunger, the world wastes about 17% of all the food that is produced each year, UNEP reported.
Analysis finds climate pledges 'fall far short'
The world's promised cuts in greenhouse gases come nowhere close to fulfilling the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to a new U.N. analysis.
COVAX starts global vaccine push in Ghana
The COVAX Facility's global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines finally launched with the delivery of 600,000 doses to Ghana's capital Accra.
U.S. welcomed back to Paris climate treaty
French President Emmanuel Macron led a chorus of world leaders and advocates in celebrating the United States' official return to the 2015 Paris Agreement.
UNEP plan seeks way out of nature crisis
In a new major report, the U.N. Environment Program recommended a "scientific blueprint" for governments to tackle three environmental crises at once.
Airlines to help U.N. spread COVID-19 vaccines
Sixteen airlines joined a UNICEF-led initiative to push for speedier deliveries of coronavirus vaccines and medical supplies among more than 100 nations.
WHO adds vaccines for emergency use
WHO listed two of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccines for emergency use, only the second instance of approvals granted since the pandemic began.
China and U.S. spar over WHO probe
Chinese diplomats pushed back against U.S. skepticism about whether Beijing fully cooperated with WHO scientists investigating the pandemic's origins.
WHO team focuses on virus from animals
The initial spread of the coronavirus among people most likely originated from an animal and not from a Chinese lab, WHO-led scientists told journalists.
U.N. chief taps Bloomberg for key climate role
Michael Bloomberg was reappointed to the role of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres' special envoy on climate ambition and solutions.
Lockdowns keeping fish off the hook
FAO expects a 1.3% decline in global aquaculture production and overall drop in fish supply, consumption and trade revenue for 2020.
Poll finds wide agreement on 'climate emergency'
A U.N. survey found 64% of 1.2 million people polled in 50 nations — all of them video gamers — called climate change a global emergency.
Global COVID-19 cases exceed 100 million
Confirmed cases of coronavirus surged past 100 million people — one of every four cases in the United States alone — with 2.1 million deaths worldwide.