People living in drylands doubled to 2.3 billion, more than a quarter of the world population, in the past three decades.
A new report finds 77.6% of the planet's landscapes experienced drier conditions from 1990 to 2020 compared to the previous three decades – and most are now drylands inhospitable to farming, nature and people.
The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification's report was released on Monday to influence decision-makers at its summit that will wrap up at the end of this week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Three days of talks in Rome ended with nations agreeing to support a $200 billion a year global plan to protect nature.
Nations for plastic production limits and oil-rich producers deadlocked in the hours before the talks were set to expire.
Negotiators are meeting in Busan, South Korea to conclude the world's first legally binding plastic waste treaty.
World leaders failed to reach agreement over who should pay what into which fund toward the global biodiversity goals.
Experts agreed science and diplomacy need to evolve to build trust, solve problems, and promote national interests.
The spike in the world’s deadliest infectious disease comes as officials warn global aid cuts could lead to a resurgence.
More than 275,000 glaciers cover 700,000 square kilometers of the planet. Glaciers and ice sheets store 70% of all freshwater.
From migrants to refugees, millions of lives and the organizations that help them are at risk from U.S. aid cuts.
