China and Russia keep commission blocked from Antarctica safeguards
Deadlock stymied a third East Antarctica protection plan. Only twice before has the panel created marine protected areas.
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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Macron calls for "public finance shock" to curb climate pollution
Speakers blamed major economies for a system that puts profits over fighting poverty and caring for the planet.
U.N. adopts pioneering treaty to protect high seas biodiversity
Its aim is to protect and sustainably use marine life in high seas covering almost half of Earth's surface.
Negotiators say it will 'take time' but are optimistic for a pandemic treaty
The co-chairs of a negotiating panel said there's been a healthy exchange of ideas and concerns among 194 nations.
In plea for clean energy, U.N. chief says Big Oil + fossil fuels = extinction
"Let's face facts. The problem is not simply fossil fuel emissions. It's fossil fuels – period," he said.
Net zero targets on rise to achieve U.N. goals, but won't get the job done
Some 1,475 out of 4,000+ governments and businesses had net zero emissions targets, but "integrity" measures are lacking.
Argentinian meteorologist Celeste Saulo to lead U.N. weather agency
Saulo, who has led Argentina's National Meteorological Service since 2014, is the first woman elected as WMO's chief.
Budget and broader access top assembly's global health agenda
The 76th World Health Assembly ended after moving to strengthen its budget and broaden access to health care.
WHO chief opens assembly with push for 'historic' pandemic treaty
The COVID-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus many of the world's glaring inequalities between rich and poorer nations.
Cholera spread fueled by conflict and climate puts 1 billion at risk
Heavy rains and warmer temperatures make it easier for the bacteria that causes cholera to spread, posing a major setback for global efforts to eradicate the disease.
Odds are 2-1 of temporary breach to Paris treaty's lower limit in 5 years
The annual average near-surface global temperature between 2023 and 2027 will likely be more than 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels for at least one year.
Progress in reducing deaths during pregnancy and birth has 'flatlined'
More than 4.5 million pregnant women and babies die each year during pregnancy, childbirth or during the first few weeks of life – about one death globally every seven seconds.
U.N. health agency declares COVID-19 no longer a global emergency
Though the emergency phase is over, the World Health Organization's pandemic designation still holds.
El Niño could push temperatures even higher: climate agencies
The onset of a possible El Niño climate event later this year combined with rising greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could push global temperatures to a new warming record.
Human-induced climate change worsened Horn of Africa drought
Low rainfall and high evaporation rates 'would not have led to drought at all in a 1.2° C. cooler world,' scientists concluded.
'Continuous advance' of climate crisis pushes 1.15° C. warming
Droughts, floods and heatwaves drove food insecurity and mass migration as communities on every continent were hit by massive costs, the World Meteorological Organization said.