The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that as erratic weather on the back of the worsening climate crisis “becomes the norm”, things will only get worse. This month’s unusually high rainfall followed a dry winter, rendering the ground too hard to absorb water, leading to massive flooding. Unseasonably warm temperatures further complicated the situation…
London: A new study warns that climate change risks worsening brain conditions such as stroke, migraines, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. In a study published in The Lancet Neurology journal, researchers highlighted the potential effects of climate change on a number of neurological conditions. Sanjay Sisodia, professor and head of research at University College London’s…
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) attributed the temperatures to a “double whammy” of El Niño and long-term climate change, leading to droughts and wildfires, combined with extreme rainfall and hurricanes. “Unfortunately, 2023 was a year of record climatic hazards in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said the agency’s head, Celeste Saulo. “El Niño conditions during…
Small island developing States are particularly vulnerable to climate change consequences, such as rising sea levels and heavy rains that cause flooding, increasing ocean temperatures that affect coral reefs and fishing and frequent hurricanes destroying homes and livelihoods. These countries often suffer from fragile economic conditions and don’t have the means to help their citizens…
The newly established Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals brings together a diverse group of governments, organisations and UN bodies to develop a set of common and voluntary principles to protect environmental and social standards aimed at embedding justice in the energy transition. “A world powered by renewables is a world hungry for critical minerals,”…
Following close on the heels of the study of climate change in Europe, published by WMO on Monday, the State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of climate change across several indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat, sea level rise and more. “The report’s conclusions are sobering. Many countries in the…
The Climate Promise 2025 aims to accelerate efforts from local to international levels to take more ambitious steps to ensure the global temperature does not heat up beyond the 1.5° limit, a goal set with the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the initiative, driven by the UN Development Programme (UNDP),…
Addressing a high-level meeting on tourism as part of the General Assembly’s first ever Sustainability Week, Dennis Francis said it was a vital driver of economic growth and empowerment. In 2023, the sector contributed three per cent to the global gross domestic product (GDP), amounting to $3.3 trillion, and employed one in every ten people…
Dominica, which lies in Eastern Caribbean, is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events, which are being exacerbated by the climate crisis: Hurricane Maria in 2017 was a devastating example, destroying many homes and buildings. The indigenous Kalinago people were particularly affected but, since then, community leaders have been working with the UN to help its…
The large Indian Ocean island is amongst the poorest in Africa where the majority of people make their living off the land or sea. Like many other countries in the region, it is suffering the effects of climate change. UN News’s Daniel Dickinson travelled to the village of Mokala in Anosy region where he spoke…
