The climate emergency is a direct consequence of carbon-heavy land-use and agriculture, transport, buildings and industrial processes and polluting energy sources. Without profound changes to these sectors and a drastic cut to carbon footprints, there is little hope of protecting the planet from the devastating effects of a warmer world.
Below are climate-related news and events from the United Nations and partners.
In response to the pressing need for critical energy transition minerals in renewable energy technologies, Secretary-General António Guterres has launched a groundbreaking initiative through the United Nations. The establishment of a UN-convened Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals underscores the global commitment to address equity, sustainability, and human rights across the value chains of these vital resources. Co-chaired by Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa and Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen of the European Commission, this panel brings together diverse stakeholders to develop global guiding principles aimed at safeguarding environmental and social standards while promoting justice in the energy transition.
With the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the demand for critical energy transition minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements has never been more crucial. These minerals are essential components of clean energy technologies, from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles and battery storage. The panel's work aligns with international agreements like the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, seeking to ensure that the extraction, processing, trade, and use of these minerals contribute to sustainable development, respect human rights, and foster transparency and accountability on a global scale.
Maroš Šefčovič, European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, visited UNEP’s Paris office to discuss the International Methane Emissions Observatory's (IMEO) to accelerate data-driven solutions to reduce methane pollution.
Methane emissions drive roughly a third of current warming, but reducing these emissions is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to immediately slow climate change.
With data from scientific research, satellites, companies and governments, UNEP’s IMEO is providing the open, reliable, and actionable insights needed to accelerate concrete climate action.
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is a strategy for adapting to climate change that harnesses nature-based solutions and ecosystem services. Over the past decade, the UN Environment Programme has embraced the practice as a cost-effective and holistic adaptation approach, now supporting more than 50 EbA projects across the world.
Combined, these projects have enhanced long-term adaptive capacity in communities, improved livelihoods, reduced climate risks and improved the health of a diverse range of ecosystems. This policy brief summarizes the key lessons from UNEP’s experiences across multiple countries and ecosystems over the past ten years.
Today, ILO will launch its new report Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate which reveals alarming new data on the impact of climate change on workers’ safety and health.
This report will be launched in the context of the commemoration of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2024.
As climate change intensifies, workers around the globe find themselves at an increased risk of exposure to hazards such as excessive heat, ultraviolet radiation, extreme weather events, air pollution, vector-borne diseases and agrochemicals.
A new report released jointly by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed fears that 2023 was the joint warmest or second warmest year on record in Europe.
The findings in the WMO's 2023 European State of the Climate (ESOTC) report reflect increasing wider climate change shocks globally, but they are particularly significant because the continent is the fastest-warming, WMO said.
“The climate crisis is the biggest challenge of our generation,” said Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General. “The cost of climate action may seem high but the cost of inaction is much higher. As this report shows, we need to leverage science to provide solutions for the good of society.”
The report provides descriptions and analysis of climate conditions and variations from across the Earth system, key events and their impacts, and a discussion of climate policy and action with a focus on human health. The ESOTC report also includes updates on the long-term evolution of key Climate Indicators.
The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Expo 2024 will be held from 22-25 April in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The event will promote the exchange of experience and fostering of partnerships between a wide range of Party and non-Party actors and stakeholders on how to advance national adaptation plans.
The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) today marks 10 years of technology and innovation for adaptation, mitigation, and resilience – in that time, thanks to donor governments and partners, the CTCN has funded over 300 technical assistance projects across 112 developing countries to help them meet their sustainable development commitments under the Paris Agreement.
As part of events to mark the anniversary taking place in Copenhagen, CTCN today releases a report highlighting its work to foster climate resilience and innovation over the past decade. It describes projects ranging from developing green building standards in Zimbabwe to drought risk modelling in Saint Kitts and Nevis, industrial energy efficiency in Pakistan, developing a policy on e-mobility in the Solomon Islands, as well as designs for flood management in Burundi to protect crops from the effects of increasing climate catastrophes.
“My Sustainable Living Challenge,” by UNEP and United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), takes learners on a six-week immersive journey that turns learning into practice through real-life actions.
Register for the course to learn about sustainability, system change, and the impact of your lifestyle across the domains of food, housing, mobility, consumption and leisure by participating in engaging weekly challenges.
