More than 50 countries drop out of the very high human development group under a new index factoring in fossil fuel use and material footprint. It features in the latest edition of the Human Development Report, an urgent call for accounting for humanity’s immense pressures on the planet, and taking bold actions to reduce them.
Mangrove forests are key allies in the fight against climate change, but they are rapidly disappearing due to deforestation, pollution, urban development, and overexploitation. Local communities in Kenya, Colombia and Viet Nam are working to restore mangroves and protect their vital ecological role.
One year after the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat, global temperatures continue to rise. Yet, promising initiatives to tackle this issue are emerging from national and local governments, including early warning systems, real-time alerts and urban cooling infrastructure.
Land degradation threatens biodiversity and food production, but it also destabilizes communities, weakens immune systems and increases the spread of disease. In drylands — which already cover more than 40 per cent of the Earth’s surface — rates of malnutrition, respiratory illness and waterborne disease are rising.