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.
Climate & Health
Melting glaciers. Rising sea levels. Wildfires. Food shortages. Mass coral reef deaths and widespread species extinctions. Global pandemics. Every other issue is secondary. In a world of climate change, direct impacts on humanity are evident where we live and work and on the health and well-being of many populations. Climate change is a truly global issue; fighting it demands global cooperation and financing through summits, known as COPs, and landmark treaties like the Paris Agreement.
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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.
U.S. and WTO chief push IP vaccine waiver
The United States and WTO chief backed waivers to vaccine patent protections aimed at speeding efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic.
WHO lists Moderna vaccine for emergency use
WHO listed Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, the fifth such designation since the pandemic began and another step towards global access.
Global COVID-19 infections top 150 million
Two of every five cases were in the United States, India and Brazil alone — with more than 3.1 million deaths and 87 million recoveries worldwide.
Biden summit buoys climate treaty hopes
A two-day global climate summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden ended with leaders and companies pledging to decarbonize the world economy.
COVAX expands with World Bank backing
The World Bank approved US$2 billion in financing for COVID-19 vaccines in 17 developing countries as part of a two-year US$12 billion package.