Closing the climate adaptation finance gap requires a reform of the global financial architecture and better international cooperation.
SDG 13: Climate Action
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
Brooklyn-based rapper Dex McBean, explores the argument on how to avoid a climate carastrophe.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by building materials and construction is vital in the fight for global climate action.
Suzuki's unprecendented climate action speech in 1992 at the Earth Summit, inspired future generations of youth environmental activists.
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.
United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) opens in Dubai, UAE, with calls for accelerated action, higher ambition against the escalating climate crisis.
With global temperatures hitting record highs and extreme weather events on the rise, this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (Dubai, November 30 - December 12), known as COP28, is a critical opportunity to correct course and accelerate action to tackle the climate crisis. At COP28, the world will take stock of progress on the Paris Agreement - the landmark 2015 climate deal - and bring together leaders from governments, businesses, NGOs and civil society to find concrete actions to dramatically reduce emissions and protect lives and livelihoods. Follow our live blog.
UNESCO is actively working with the youth to raise awareness about the damages of the climate crisis and find solutions to address the social impacts of climate change.
A new report from UN Climate Change finds national climate action plans remain insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
A growing generation of young human rights defenders are organizing themselves to hold governments and businesses accountable on climate change.
The concentration of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record level last year. This is part of an upward trend with no end in sight, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The UN agency’s latest Greenhouse Gas Bulletin compares the gas concentration levels with the previous year and with preindustrial levels. It warns that the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will lead to a rise in temperature, extreme weather conditions, and a rise in sea levels.
With a focus on the Social Impacts of Climate Change, the 13th edition of the UNESCO Youth Forum (November 14-15) underscores the need for an equitable climate transition. As young people’s voices ring loud in their assertion that climate change jeopardizes their future, the event seeks to amplify their role in shaping solutions. With the belief that the social impacts of climate change demand center stage, the Forum provides a crucial platform for young changemakers, offering them the chance to influence policies and collaboratively devise strategies for a just and sustainable future.
UNIDO: Promoting circularity in refrigerant gases; a climate-friendly cooling solution.
Despite contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions, Africa is the most vulnerable continent to the impacts of climate change. In fact, 7 of the 10 countries that are most at risk are in Africa. Small-scale farmers in Africa are on the frontlines. They are battling climate change impacts every day, while feeding their communities and driving rural economies. They need the world to invest in them so that they can continue driving their own sustainable development, even in the face of climate change.
For its part, IFAD is mobilizing climate finance from a variety of sources, including the Green Climate Fund, Global Environment Facility and its flagship ASAP programme. IFAD promotes climate-smart agricultural practices, such as the community-led nature-based solutions and climate-tolerant crop varieties.