Biodiversity summit poses call to act, decade of protections on line
UNEP's chief describes the summit as an opportunity to 'secure our life-support system, to make peace with nature.'
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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U.S. backs WTO extension of deadline on patent waivers for COVID-19 tests and treatments
WTO has long deadlocked over a proposed annual waiver of parts of the 1995 TRIPS Agreement, a major intellectual property agreement, that would allow any nation or company to make a vaccine if it has the recipe and ingredients.
First WMO report on global water resources shows drier than normal conditions in large areas in 2021
Some 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water at least one month per year and this is expected to increase to more than 5 billion by 2050, according to the U.N. weather agency.
CITES delegates move to protect more than 500 wildlife species, including nearly 100 sharks and rays
CITES, run by a secretariat in Geneva, sets the rules for international trade in wild fauna and flora and serves as a tool to ensure sustainability and to respond to losses in biodiversity by preventing and reversing declines in wildlife populations.
In COP27 overtime, world leaders reach deal on climate disaster aid for vulnerable nations
World leaders reached a deal for wealthy nations to pay billions of dollars into a loss and damage fund to help developing countries deal with climate disasters.
Global Fund has US$15.7 billion finish but misses its fundraising goal
Based on a final tally for its seventh replenishment cycle, the board said it has approved spending US$13.7 billion in more than 120 countries over the next three years to fight HIV, TB and malaria and strengthen those nations' health systems.
Sustainable food cold chain key to fighting waste and climate change
Millions of vaccine doses a year and nearly a third of all food produced is lost or wasted, according to new estimates.
World's two biggest carbon polluters, U.S. and China, agree to resume climate negotiations
Biden and Xi signaled a deal was struck after a three-hour meeting in Bali, Indonesia on the sidelines of a Group of 20 major economies summit. Beijing had suspended climate talks with Washington in August to protest a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California.
IAEA and IEA position nuclear power for 'comeback' role in the fight against climate change
The U.N. climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt gives industry and agency leaders an opportunity to champion nuclear power's possibilities.
High stakes for COP27 summit as climate becomes a health crisis too
Drought, floods, disease outbreaks and a global food crisis add pressure for real action at the U.N. climate summit in Egypt.
Gore launches new global fossil fuel emissions inventory of 70,000+ sites
Climate TRACE's inventory, based on a dataset of public emissions sources, found the top 500 individual sources of emissions worldwide represented less than 1% of total facilities but accounted for 14% of all emissions in 2021.
Early warning for extreme weather planned as Europe temps accelerate
The U.N. proposed a system for reaching everyone on Earth with early warnings against extreme and dangerous weather.
Guterres to humanity: In the race to fight climate change, it's 'cooperate or perish'
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has a message for humanity: Join a "climate solidarity pact" or a "suicide pact" – before it's too late.
WMO records biggest increase in methane concentrations
The World Meteorological Organization said the jump in methane concentrations from 2020 to 2021 was the largest since systematic measurements began.
Health officials warn of COVID-flu collision as temps drop in North
Concerns are rising about the risk of a "twindemic" of COVID-19 and influenza as their seasons collide this winter.
'Backsliding' in women's and kids' health care
Health care for women and children suffered major setbacks from multiple crises in recent years, requiring serious investment in public health resources.