People’s livelihoods are threatened by climate change. The world needs to come together to ramp up climate action and ensure no one is left behind.

A new report from UNFCCC shows greenhouse gas emissions decreasing but underlines that these efforts remain insufficient to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

Heatwaves, droughts, floods, and storms are increasing in intensity and frequency and impacting people’s ability to feed their families. As world leaders prepare to meet in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), WFP is calling on world leaders to act swiftly to help millions of people facing rising hunger and famine. The UN agency is urging global leaders to invest in systems that predict climate hazards and provide physical and financial protection to the most vulnerable. It is calling on world leaders to invest in climate action in communities in fragile contexts and to transform food systems. Find out more about the coordinated action needed to tackle the climate crisis.

Climate action is urgent. Without early and concerted climate and development action, over 216 million people could become internal climate migrants by 2050. The human mobility implications of the climate crisis are profound. We must act urgently, involving the whole society. We must strengthen people’s resilience and move from negotiation to implementation. At COP27, we must deliver for humanity, for its dignity and for future generations. At COP27, we must leave no one behind. Find out more about IOM’s work to help climate migrants.

From 6 to 18 November, Heads of State and government representatives, along with climate activists, civil society and CEOs will meet in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt for the largest annual gathering on climate action. This 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – known as COP27 - aims to deliver action to tackle the climate emergency. Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas levels, and increasing extreme weather events, COP27 seeks renewed solidarity between countries, to deliver on the landmark Paris Agreement.

The Third Pole is an area of Asia that contains continuous ranges of high glaciated mountains. It is the 3rd largest storage of frozen water on Earth and contains every peak taller than 7,000 metres. As these enormous glaciers melt, the number of glacial lakes has grown. These are often only tenuously held in check by moraine dams, glacial ice or even just bedrock. When any part of these fragile buffers fail, the resulting deluge is a glacial lake outburst flood, or GLOF. The GLOF drains the entire lake down neighbouring valleys and can threaten people’s lives, livelihoods, and regional infrastructure. UNDP is working to prevent GLOFs in Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan.

The concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere is wreaking havoc across the world and threatening lives, economies, health and food. For over a decade, the UNEP Emissions Gap Report has provided a yearly review of the difference between where greenhouse emissions are predicted to be in 2030 and where they should be to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. This year’s report will provide an update on global emissions pathways and progress towards achieving national mitigation pledges and the Paris Agreement goals. Find out more at today’s report launch.

Methane: you’ve probably heard of it, but what is it and why is it important to reduce it? Methane is a greenhouse gas mainly emitted from dumpsites, oil and gas wells, coal mines, wetlands and cow burps.

Weeks of heavy rains and floods have affected 5 million people in 19 countries across West and Central Africa, killing hundreds, displacing tens of thousands and destroying many hectares of croplands. WFP is working with governments to support flood-hit communities. The UN agency’s emergency assistance provided through food and cash distributions, keeps vulnerable families afloat amid a broader economic downturn, as the war in Ukraine feeds skyrocketing food, fertilizer and fuel prices. WFP is also rolling out programmes that allow governments to better prepare and recover from future floods and other weather disasters, which will likely become more devastating and frequent with climate change.

Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events, COP27 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. UNICEF 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 (WHO) 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 Climate and Clean Air Coalition, which is hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). 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 new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 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 WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is rapidly expanding its food assistance support in Pakistan 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”. Read the full article.

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. UNICEF is providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa.