Benazir and her husband lost a child amidst the tumult of the floods and have since faced challenges trying to feed their other children. The impact of last year鈥檚 historic floods will be felt for years to come by children and their families. In these climate-related crises children suffer most, with those in the poorest communities bearing the biggest burden. More than 1.5 million boys and girls are already severely malnourished, a number that will only rise in the absence of safe water and proper sanitation. is training teachers on psychosocial care and health care and has established hundreds of temporary learning centres in the worst-affected districts.
Nearly two weeks after Cyclone Mocha, a grim certainty looms as the coastal areas of and enters monsoon season. The cyclone has sent food prices soaring and wiped-out people鈥檚 slender food stocks. But now Mocha鈥檚 devastation has only deepened hunger already sharpened by the country鈥檚 conflict and political and economic crises. has distributed hot meals and emergency food assistance to thousands of people in the immediate aftermath of the storm. A funding shortfall is threatening WFP's response in both countries.
Cities, as engines of prosperity, have been major contributors to climate change. A by the suggests that cities also hold one of the keys to solving the climate crisis. By 2050, nearly 70% of the world鈥檚 population will call cities their home. The report examines over 10,000 cities to determine how green, how resilient, and how inclusive they are while examining the two-way relationship between cities and climate change. The report offers guidance to policymakers on how to help their cities become greener, more resilient, and more inclusive.
After three years of drought, more than 23 million people across parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia face severe hunger. When the region鈥檚 long-awaited rains arrived in March, they should have brought some relief. But instead, flash flooding inundated homes and farmland, washed away livestock, and closed schools and health facilities. Mortality and malnutrition rates remain a serious cause for concern. and partners launched a rapid scale up of life-saving assistance in drought-hit Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, which helped to keep famine at bay in Somalia.
The likelihood of El Ni帽o developing this year is increasing, according to - creating opposite impacts on weather and climate patterns to La Ni帽a that would fuel higher global temperatures.
Climate change continued its advance in 2022, according to the annual report from the . Droughts, floods and heatwaves affected communities on every continent and cost billions of dollars. Antarctic sea ice fell to its lowest extent on record and the melting of some European glaciers was great. The shows the planetary scale changes on land, in the ocean and in the atmosphere caused by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. The years 2015-2022 were the eight warmest on record despite the cooling impact of a La Ni帽a event for the past three years.
Shifting to a low-carbon economy can unlock new jobs and opportunities but it must be done in a way that is fair and possible for everyone, according to a from .
In a new , explores how climate change disproportionately harms women of African descent and other members of marginalized communities.
Future Olympic events are poised to drive sustainability in sport and fight climate change, led by a set of game-changing measures adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and supported by the UN. Speaking to ahead of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, observed on 6 April, IOC鈥檚 Legacy Director, Tania Braga, explains how the 2024 Paris Games will be the first time that new sustainability guidelines will be fully implemented, aligning sport with development and climate action. Eileen Travers asked Ms. Braga how compatible the Olympics are with sustainable development.
Muhammad Kasim, his wife, and eldest son repair fish nets damaged during the recent floods. 鈥淲e come from a family of fishermen. Fishing is in our blood 鈥 it is my badge of honour. It鈥檚 also our only source of income,鈥 said Kasim. His lifelong profession and source of income for his large family is now in jeopardy until waters recede and ecological balance is restored. Income from fishing heavily depends on the season. As the floods struck during peak fishing season, local fishermen will have to seek other options to put food on the table. In 2022, the Government of Pakistan launched the 鈥淟iving Indus鈥 initiative to restore the river鈥檚 ecosystem, so the Indus basin can become resilient to climate change.
The UN鈥檚 (IPCC) today released a 鈥 the first such comprehensive scientific assessment since the Paris Agreement 鈥 underscoring that effective options exist and need to be put into action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. The 缅北禁地Secretary-General called on every country and every sector to massively fast-track efforts to tackle the climate crisis, saying 鈥渙ur world needs climate action on all fronts 鈥 everything, everywhere, all at once.鈥
Our weather, climate, and water cycle know no boundaries. International cooperation is essential to contending with our changing climate. (23 March) is a reminder of it. This year, the observance day also marks 鈥檚 150th anniversary. Throughout this time, meteorological services have worked around the clock to collect and standardize data that underpin the weather forecasts we now take for granted. The history of WMO is a remarkable story of scientific vision, technological development, and a unique cooperation system to serve society. !
The (IPCC) is holding (13-17 March) in Switzerland. This is the last step towards the launch of its latest flagship publication, the , set to be released on 20 March. This document will provide policymakers with a high-level, up-to-date understanding of climate change, its impacts, future risks, and options for addressing it. During the session the Panel, consisting of 195 IPCC member governments, will conduct the final review and approval of this report, which is expected to confirm that inaction is no longer an option.
Plastic is predominantly produced from oil and gas, both of which are fossil fuels. The more plastic we make, the more fossil fuel is required, the more we intensify the climate crisis. Also, plastic products create greenhouse gas emissions across their whole lifecycle. If no action is taken, greenhouse gas emissions caused by plastic could account for to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Read more about climate change.
People are at the heart of all emissions reduction programs. The focuses on social inclusion at every stage of result-based climate finance programming 鈥 from up-front engagement and investment in communities to enable their participation in emissions reduction activities, to the design and implementation of benefit sharing plans that guide the distribution of results-based payments.