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.
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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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.
New compact boosts marine protected areas
Five nations announced a new alliance to promote more conservation of marine ecosystems in the fight against climate change.
WHO chief urges treaty and 'lot of work'
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus closed out the World Health Assembly with a warning against complacency and an appeal for a global pandemic treaty.
Landmark climate ruling in Dutch court
Climate activists used the 2015 Paris Agreement to win a Dutch court ruling ordering Royal Dutch Shell to cut carbon emissions nearly in half this decade.
IEA sees narrow path to 2050 net zero
Paris-based IEA advised that limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius requires an immediate and massive transformation of all energy systems.
Expert panel says pandemic was preventable
An independent expert panel faulted the World Health Organization and world leaders with a slow-moving response to the coronavirus pandemic.
WHO grants emergency use of China's Sinopharm
WHO added a Chinese shot to its list of COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use, providing COVAX another option to broaden vaccine access.
Methane cuts urged as cheaper climate path
A new U.N. report recommended methane emissions cuts as the most efficient way of preventing another 0.3 degrees Celsius of global warming.