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. is providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa.
The drought in 2011 led to widespread famine across the Horn of Africa. Now, the risk of famine looms over Somalia again. With conflict compounding the climate crisis in the country, thirst and hunger are driving people to make perilous journeys on foot to reach safety. has drastically scaled up the food and nutrition assistance that it provides in Somalia. The UN agency is now reaching more people than ever before - over 3.5 million in June alone. But as the drought continues, the numbers of hungry people keep growing with over 7 million people facing critical food insecurity.
Research shows that lifestyle changes could help the planet . explains what people and policymakers can do to to help secure a healthier planet.
Jacqueline Alvarez, head of the Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, talks about the drivers of peatland wildfires and what can be done to limit their spread next year.
With fossil fuel prices reaching record highs, companies around the world are focusing on energy efficiency to save money and reduce the emissions driving the climate crisis. Research shows that a safe future below 1.5簞C requires the world to cut 30 gigatonnes greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) annually by 2030. Transport and buildings are among the largest contributors. Increasing energy efficiency, particularly industrial energy efficiency, can make a real difference in reducing our need for fossil fuels, according to .
The effects of the can be overwhelming. But as the warns of a and calls for US$22.2 billion to reach 152 million people this year.
Together with the Government of Japan, the UN Department of Political and 紱排弝けappbuilding Affairs (UN DPPA) developed a Virtual Reality (VR) experience on climate change in the Asia Pacific region. This documentary captures impressions of participants and comments of the organizers during the launch event for the VR experience in New York City. In April 2022, DPPA released the VR experience Sea of Islands that brings viewers virtually to the Pacific islands to see the impact of the climate crisis. It encourages viewers to grasp the urgency, scale and pressing nature of climate change.
A new UN finds that climate change and land-use change are making wildfires worse and anticipates a global increase of extreme fires even in areas previously unaffected.
In 2021, extreme weather events and natural hazards cost the world US$ 343 billion in economic losses. Of these losses, only 40 percent were compensated by an insurance policy. When families can't afford insurance, they have few coping strategies available when disasters strike. In a sudden emergency such as a flood, families can be forced to make tough choices, such as selling assets and livestock. Insurance from helps families to buy food, meet their immediate needs and rebuild their lives.
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) don't have the luxury of time. They are on the frontlines of climate change, feeling the impacts first and most severely, even though they contribute less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions. Many SIDS have made strong political commitments to net-zero carbon emissions and a climate-resilient future. Against this background, , s integrated SIDS offer, aims to respond to their most pressing needs, building resilience through climate action, boosting the blue economy and accelerating digital transformation.
Nature-based solutions like habitat restoration, reforestation, coastal protection and invasive species removal create jobs at over
Elizabeth Mrema, the Executive Secretary of the , speaks about how her early years surrounded by nature on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania profoundly influenced her work.
Thirty years ago, the Earth Summit, which took place in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, paved the way for the establishment of three major conventions on the environment - specifically on biodiversity, climate change and desertification. As countries meet on all three conventions in 2022, and indigenous rights activist Hindou Ibrahim talks about the indispensable role that indigenous communities around the world play in protecting life on our planet - its biodiversity, land and climate.
On 2 and 3 June 2022, world leaders and other representatives including youth, gather in Sweden for an international meeting to drive action towards a healthy planet for the prosperity of all. The event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm - which marked a new era of global cooperation. comes at a crucial time as the Earth is in emergency mode, and urgent action is needed to address the of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
Rich and healthy soils are the basis of all life on Earth. Yet up to 40 percent of the planets land is degraded, affecting half the worlds population. Especially at risk are people living in drylands covering 45 percent of the Earths surface which are prone to desertification and the devastating impacts of climate-related shocks such as disease, drought, flooding and wildfire. Around 12 million hectares of land are lost each year to degradation. and its partners are working towards a land degradation-neutral world, to support ecosystem functions and improve food security.