Tag: Climate
UN urges dramatic climate action as records keep tumbling
The 2023 Emissions Gap Report, released on Monday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), carried a clear message – unless countries step up climate action and deliver more than promised in their 2030 pledges, the world is heading for a 2.5-2.9°C temperature rise above pre-industrial levels. A broken record Presenting the report from Nairobi, UNEP…
Read More‘Close the climate ambition gap’ says UN chief ahead of COP28
Mr. Guterres was commenting on the latest report by UN climate change body UNFCCC, which shows, he said, that global climate ambition stagnated over the past year and national climate plans are “strikingly misaligned” with the science. “As the reality of climate chaos pounds communities around the world – with ever fiercer floods, fires and…
Read MoreExplainer: How AI helps combat climate change
The recent launch of the UN-led AI Advisory Body advanced a growing global trend to harness machine learning to find solutions to common challenges. AI is upping the data crunching game and a growing number of governments, businesses and civil society partners are working together to reap its many benefits. That includes speeding up and scaling efforts…
Read MoreClimate action: ‘Take steps to close the adaptation gap, now’
The Adaptation Gap Report 2023 issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), says the world is underprepared, under invested and lacking the necessary planning, leaving us all exposed. It warns that instead of speeding up, progress on adapting to climate change is stalling. The slowdown extends to finance, planning and implementation, says UNEP, with massive…
Read More‘Stop the madness’ of climate change, UN chief declares
Nepal has lost almost a third of its ice volume in 30 years, with glaciers melting 65 per cent faster in the last decade than in the previous one. “The rooftops of the world are caving in,” the UN chief said, warning that the “disappearance of glaciers altogether” looms even larger. “Glaciers are icy reservoirs…
Read MoreTackling climate mis/disinformation: ‘An urgent frontier for action’
Scientists agree that climate change is real and is caused by unsustainable human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels, yet certain actors continue to spread mis- and disinformation, creating harmful misperceptions that can stifle effective climate action. Climate action is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In a discussion Tackling mis/dis-information: An urgent…
Read MoreViet Nam: UN rights office condemns crackdown on climate activists
On Thursday, Hoang Thi Minh Hong, an acclaimed climate activist and former World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) employee, was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $4,100 after being convicted for tax evasion. Her trial lasted only three hours, and access to family and defence counsel were limited throughout her detention. Moreover, the…
Read MorePakistan floods a ‘litmus test’ for climate justice says Guterres
They also underscored the need to slash carbon emissions and bolster early warning systems to safeguard nations across the world which are becoming increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather. Speaking at the UN Headquarters, in New York, Secretary-General António Guterres said how the world responds now to Pakistan’s struggles is a “litmus test” for climate justice.…
Read More‘Humanity has opened the gates to hell’ warns Guterres as climate coalition demands action
Front and centre was an urgent call to action, to prevent cascading climate disasters through a just and equitable energy transition – before it’s too late. In his impassioned address on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to politicians, business, activists and civil society leaders, Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning about the…
Read MoreClimate inaction puts lives on the line: WMO
UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed that message, warning that record temperatures and extreme weather were “causing havoc” around the world. The global response has fallen “far short”, Mr. Guterres insisted, just as latest UN data indicates that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are only 15 per cent on track at the midway point of the…
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