Clean energy is crucial for the dual challenge of inclusivity and environmental protection. With 675 million people lacking electricity, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, access to clean energy is vital for socio-economic development and environmental sustainability. It is also essential for combating climate change, by shifting away from fossil fuels. Renewable sources like sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no pollutants into the air. Also, improving energy efficiency ensures cost savings and universal access to sustainable energy.
Biodiversity is key to human well-being, a healthy planet, and economic prosperity for all people. However, the diversity of species and ecosystems is declining faster than at any time in human history due to changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasion of alien species. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) set out a plan to transform our societies’ relationship with biodiversity. The Bern III Conference (23-25 January) aims to strengthen cooperation for an effective and efficient implementation of the Framework.
FAO Blue Transformation is a journey that is committed not only to ensuring long-term sustainability of all fisheries but also to integrating them into resilient, sustainable, and equitable aquatic food systems.
The UNIDO project has effectively reduced greenhouse gas emissions and promoted green technologies in 55 factories and SMEs, leading to a boost in productivity.
The climate crisis is causing a vicious circle of vulnerability that makes it harder for affected communities to recover, with women, children, older people and people with disabilities experiencing disproportionate impacts. As participants at COP28 this December discussed ways to accelerate action on mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and climate finance, we look at how climate change is affecting Eastern and Southern Africa. A third of countries vulnerable to climate change are in Eastern and Southern Africa. The region’s worst drought in recent history left 32 million people facing severe food insecurity. Rising temperatures are linked to deadlier natural disasters and diseases. Shifting weather patterns impact conflict and more.
The Earth is now 1.2° Celsius warmer than in pre-industrial times. The harmful impacts of climate change have already become a harsh reality, but climate change does not affect everyone in the same way. The differential impacts undermine development efforts and most severely affect the poorest and most vulnerable, who often rely directly on natural resources for their livelihoods and subsistence. There is an urgent need to address the challenges. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by UNDP, has over three decades of experience in providing financial and technical support to civil society and community-based organizations at the local level to tackle global environmental issues while improving livelihoods. Read stories showcasing these locally-led climate actions here
2023 has shattered climate records, accompanied by extreme weather which has left a trail of devastation and despair, World Meteorological Organization report confirms.
In Kyrgyzstan's Tien-Shan mountains, locals work as community rangers to protect the Baiboosun Nature Reserve. This micro-reserve conserves local flora and fauna, including the elusive snow leopard and ibex populations. Since its establishment, sustainable tourism and green businesses have emerged, offering economic opportunities to the community such as running guest houses, producing cheese and crafting felt souvenirs. The Baiboosun Nature Reserve is part of a multi-country initiative to restore ecosystems in mountain regions, coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Mountain Partnership Secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Carpathian Convention.
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) concluded with an agreement that sets the stage for a “swift, just and equitable” transition away from fossil fuels and towards deep cuts in emissions and increased financing. The conference also established a 'global stocktake' to track climate action before the end of the decade and keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach. The stocktake recognizes the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 and calls for a tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. Parties are encouraged to set ambitious emission reduction targets in their next round of climate action plans (known as nationally determined contributions) by 2025.
UNDP presents its 3 episode of season two, Hello Future; The nature and climate crisis is rapidly transitioning from the theoretical and distant to the very real and immediate. Yet transformational change is still possible – and already happening in some places.
Andrew Zimmern, an award-winning American chef and World Food Programme (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador visited Gwembe Primary School in southern Zambia earlier this year to learn about sustainable growing practices. Zambia has been facing the challenge of building resilient and healthy food systems amid a deepening climate crisis. Buffeted by both floods but especially recurrent droughts, the southern African nation has seen its annual rainfall steadily decrease over the past decades — even as average temperatures are expected to soar by up to 3℃ by 2050. WFP is working with Zambian authorities and other partners to give farmers weather and climate information that can guide their choices about what and when to plant, and ways to diversify their livelihoods to better withstand climate shocks.
For small-scale farmers, the climate nightmare is real, and they are severely underfunded. They urgently need support to adapt to a changing world. Here are three calls to action from IFAD.
The release of UNEP's Global Cooling Watch Report 2023: Keeping it chill highlights the importance of passive cooling alternatives to energy-hungry air conditioners.
Reaching our climate goals requires huge investments, and every part of the finance sector plays a significant role in achieving them. This is why the UN Environment Programme has launched a new net-zero finance alliance, the first of its kind, involving public finance institutions via export credit agencies. The alliance is committed to supporting initiatives that promote a net-zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050, in line with a 1.5°C world. The announcement coincides with a thematic Finance Day at COP28, which promotes a sustainable future with diverse public and private finance solutions.
Putting food on the table is a challenge for millions worldwide, especially those who have to deal with the aftermath of climate disasters. Last year, the World Food Program assisted more than 15 million people in 42 countries, helping them withstand droughts, floods, storms, and other climate shocks. However, as climate impacts drove nearly 57 million people into hunger last year alone, many more people require protection. At COP28, world leaders must increase support for those affected by the worst climate disasters worldwide. This can be achieved through funding to strengthen local systems and capacities in conflict or fragile settings, enhancing loss-and-damage support, and transforming the systems that bring food to our tables.