Available new climate pledges by governments have only slightly lowered global temperature rise over the course of this century, leaving the world on the path to a serious escalation of climate risks and damages.
Roughly 1.7 billion people are living in areas where crop yields are failing due to human-induced land degradation – “a pervasive and silent crisis that is undermining agricultural productivity and threatening ecosystem health worldwide.”
As global challenges deepen, governments, civil society and international partners convened in Doha on Monday to highlight concrete solutions to advance social development and confront some of today’s most urgent crises – from widening hunger and poverty to growing inequality and climate-driven instability.
The UN Secretary-General expressed solidarity with Jamaicans on Sunday struggling to cope with the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
As the Caribbean reels from the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, UN humanitarian agencies are stepping up efforts to bring relief to thousands of affected people.
The heartbeat of modern urban life is increasingly digital – from traffic sensors and early warning systems, to participatory planning platforms and geospatial data – technology is changing how cities are designed, managed, and experienced.
Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of devastation after crossing Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas, with severe effects also felt in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and parts of Central America, the UN aid coordination office (UNOCHA) reported on Thursday.
As Hurricane Melissa moved north of Jamaica on Wednesday, the head of the UN team there said that preliminary damage assessments from the category 5 storm showed a level of devastation “never seen before” on the Caribbean island.
Developing countries are receiving less than 10 per cent of the money they need to adapt to a world increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather – putting lives, livelihoods and entire economies at risk, the UN revealed on Wednesday.
While urging countries to accelerate action, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday following the release of a new report on updated national climate commitments.
