Half of the world’s population is 30 years old or younger, and this figure is expected to reach 57 per cent by the end of 2030. This is the largest generation of young people in history. This year’s International Youth Day highlights the importance of developing green skills for youth to ensure Read more…
Countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) have moved forward negotiations on a global accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, with a view to presenting a draft accord to the World Health Assembly in May 2024. Ending yesterday, discussions on the draft pandemic accord took place during the five-day Read more…
The Bonn Climate Change Conference closed today after two weeks of intense work that made progress on several critical issues, helping lay the groundwork for the political decisions required at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) at the end of the year. “Having taken nearly two weeks to agree an Read more…
The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-2), concluded today in the French capital with a mandate for the INC Chair, with the support of the Secretariat, to prepare a zero draft of the agreement ahead Read more…
The fashion industry needs to move “further and faster” to drive down emissions and prove the sector is serious about shifting from cosmetic to systemic change, said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell. Speaking at a two-day meeting of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action in Bonn, Germany, last week, Read more…
Curtailing pollution created by pharmaceuticals, agricultural and healthcare sectors is essential to reduce the emergence, transmission, and spread of superbugs – strains of bacteria that have become resistant to every known antibiotic – and other instances of antimicrobial resistance, known as AMR. This is the key message of a report Read more…
Nitrogen is an abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere. It makes the sky blue, forms the foundation of proteins in our bodies and helps make soils fertile. However, excess nitrogen in the environment in a reactive form – which comes from the use of synthetic fertilizers, the discharge of wastewater Read more…
The past eight years were the warmest on record globally, fueled by ever-rising greenhouse gas concentrations and accumulated heat, according to six leading international temperature datasets consolidated by the World Meteorological Organization. The average global temperature in 2022 was about 1.15 [1.02 to 1.27] °C above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels. Read more…
The ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades, with the global phaseout of ozone-depleting chemicals already benefitting efforts to mitigate climate change. This is the conclusion of a UN-backed panel of experts, presented today at the American Meteorological Society’s 103rd annual meeting. Examining novel technologies such as Read more…
Countries meeting at the UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 in Montreal have reached an agreement that represents a key step in protecting the world’s lands and oceans and bolsters efforts to safeguard the world’s climate. Governments committed to protect 30% of land and water considered important for biodiversity by 2030. Currently, Read more…