Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events, Â in Sharm el-Sheikh (6 to 18 November) see
Around 33 million people, including 16 million children, have been affected by this year’s torrential monsoon rains in Pakistan triggering the most severe flooding in the country’s recent history. Villages have been washed away leaving about 3.4 million children in need of assistance and at an increased risk of waterborne diseases, drowning and malnutrition. is helping deliver safe drinking water, medical supplies, therapeutic food supplies and hygiene kits to children and families. The UN agency is establishing temporary learning centres and supporting the protection and psychosocial wellbeing of children affected by these devastating floods.
On September 7, the UN marked the third International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. However, the skies are far from clear of air pollution. Only a month ago, the World Health Organization () warned that practically all the air we breathe is polluted, and that it’s killing around seven million people every year.
Conor Lennon from UN News spoke to Martina Otto and Nathan Borgford-Parnell from the , which is hosted by the UN Environment Programme (). They discussed the evolving science surrounding the issue, the extent to which air pollution is improving – if at all – and why international collaboration is essential, if the number of annual deaths is to be addressed.
Music: Ketsa, Within the Earth
Audio Credit: UN News/ Conor Lennon
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Malcolm Lightbody
An anticipated rise in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves and an associated increase in wildfires this century is likely to worsen air quality, harming human health and ecosystems. The interaction between pollution and climate change will impose an additional “climate penalty” for hundreds of millions of people, according to a from the World Meteorological Organization (). The “climate penalty” refers specifically to the climate change amplification effect on ground-level ozone production, which negatively impacts the air people breathe.
“As the globe warms, wildfires and associated air pollution are expected to increase, even under a low emissions scenario. In addition to human health impacts, this will also affect ecosystems as air pollutants settle from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface,” says .
The World Food Programme () is rapidly expanding its food assistance support in as the Government takes stock of floods which have killed nearly 1,000 people and displaced 33 million.
Through its National Disaster Management Authority, the Government – which has declared a national emergency – is leading the response in coordinating assessments and directing humanitarian relief to flood-affected people. For their part, UN agencies such as WFP are providing “augmented information, together with the Government, to ensure … we have greater verification of exactly who should avail themselves of that cash”. .
Consecutive years of below-average rainfall in the Horn of Africa have created one of the worst climate-related emergencies of the past 40 years. Over 20 million people, including 10 million children, in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia will need water and food assistance in 2022. As severe malnutrition and the risk of water-borne disease collide, children could die in devastating numbers unless urgent support is provided. is providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa.
The drought in 2011 led to widespread famine across the Horn of Africa. Now, the risk of famine looms over Somalia again. With conflict compounding the climate crisis in the country, thirst and hunger are driving people to make perilous journeys on foot to reach safety. has drastically scaled up the food and nutrition assistance that it provides in Somalia. The UN agency is now reaching more people than ever before - over 3.5 million in June alone. But as the drought continues, the numbers of hungry people keep growing with over 7 million people facing critical food insecurity.
Research shows that lifestyle changes could help the planet . explains what people and policymakers can do to to help secure a healthier planet.
Jacqueline Alvarez, head of the Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, talks about the drivers of peatland wildfires and what can be done to limit their spread next year.
With fossil fuel prices reaching record highs, companies around the world are focusing on energy efficiency to save money and reduce the emissions driving the climate crisis. Research shows that a safe future below 1.5°C requires the world to cut 30 gigatonnes greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) annually by 2030. Transport and buildings are among the largest contributors. Increasing energy efficiency, particularly industrial energy efficiency, can make a real difference in reducing our need for fossil fuels, according to .
The effects of the can be overwhelming. But as the warns of a and calls for US$22.2 billion to reach 152 million people this year.
Together with the Government of Japan, the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (UN DPPA) developed a Virtual Reality (VR) experience on climate change in the Asia Pacific region. This documentary captures impressions of participants and comments of the organizers during the launch event for the VR experience in New York City. In April 2022, DPPA released the VR experience “Sea of Islands” that brings viewers virtually to the Pacific islands to see the impact of the climate crisis. It encourages viewers to grasp the urgency, scale and pressing nature of climate change.
A new UN finds that climate change and land-use change are making wildfires worse and anticipates a global increase of extreme fires even in areas previously unaffected.
In 2021, extreme weather events and natural hazards cost the world US$ 343 billion in economic losses. Of these losses, only 40 percent were compensated by an insurance policy. When families can't afford insurance, they have few coping strategies available when disasters strike. In a sudden emergency such as a flood, families can be forced to make tough choices, such as selling assets and livestock. Insurance from helps families to buy food, meet their immediate needs and rebuild their lives.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) don't have the luxury of time. They are on the frontlines of climate change, feeling the impacts first and most severely, even though they contribute less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions. Many SIDS have made strong political commitments to net-zero carbon emissions and a climate-resilient future. Against this background, , ’s integrated SIDS offer, aims to respond to their most pressing needs, building resilience through climate action, boosting the blue economy and accelerating digital transformation.