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.
“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.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is developing a series of research papers to provide concrete evidence on the contribution of volunteering to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The first research paper in the series, titled the contribution of volunteering to climate action and community resilience, was published in March 2024. It demonstrates how volunteers all over the world are engaging in actions that help communities adapt to, as well as build resilience against the impact of climate change.
It looks at different forms and scales of volunteering, with a focus on community-based or local volunteering and identifies four key areas where the contribution of volunteers to climate action is most visible: knowledge and capacity building, disaster preparedness and response, mitigation and adaptation measures, and climate governance.
Its findings and recommendations aim to support ongoing efforts at different levels to integrate volunteers and volunteerism into development and climate action plans of United Nations entities and Member States.
Following the Local Leaders Roundtable at the Buildings and Climate Global Forum in Paris, France on March 7, 2024, the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) convened a vital workshop on April 11th 2024 in Bonn, Germany. This gathering united key stakeholders in multilevel governance within the buildings and construction sector.
The workshop served as a platform to enhance the involvement of subnational stakeholders in the GlobalABC's initiatives. These extend to the activities of its Subnational Stakeholder Engagement Action Group.
Participants engaged in dynamic discussions, leveraging diverse perspectives and expertise to outline strategies for robust collaboration at the local and subnational levels. By fostering stronger engagement, the GlobalABC aims to drive meaningful progress toward sustainable, resilient, and inclusive built environments.
The IKEA Foundation has granted $100 million to the Drive Electric Campaign, aimed at decarbonizing road transport by accelerating the shift to 100% zero-emissions vehicles. This move is crucial in aligning with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, particularly emphasizing the need for zero-emission electric mobility. Through a Leapfrogging partnership, this funding will bolster the efforts of local partners in overcoming obstacles hindering the adoption of electric vehicles in emerging economies across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Considering projections that the global vehicle fleet will double by 2050, with over 90% of this growth anticipated in low and middle-income countries, this investment presents an opportunity for these emerging markets to pivot towards electric mobility. The transport sector's escalating contribution to climate emissions, coupled with its impact on air quality, underscores the urgency of such initiatives.
UNEP’s Global Electric Mobility Programme is a partner of the Drive Electric Campaign, supporting more than 70 countries in the global south with transitioning to zero emissions electric mobility. The new grant will allow UNEP to work closely with the Drive Electric Campaign and the other Drive Electric Campaign partners to support a rapid shift to electric vehicles, promoting cleaner air, advancing climate objectives, and facilitating a just transition.
REN21 launches it's Global Overview Module today as part of the Renewables 2024 Global Status Report (GSR 2024).
Since 2023, REN21 has been releasing the Global Status Report as a series of modules to rigorously cover the energy system from its different elements, including demand, supply, systems and infrastructure, and economic and social value creation. At the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, 130 countries pledged to triple renewable energy capacity and double the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
As the first module of the GSR 2024 series, the Global Overview provides the big picture status of renewables in the wider energy system and in the context of global challenges such as climate change, development goals, and the geopolitical landscape, and has some positive news:
Register to join the launch event taking place at 3 PM CET/ 4 PM EAT.
In 2023, temperatures shattered records with a 116-day streak of peak temperatures. As the urgency to address and adapt to the pressing threat of climate change rapidly grows, the financial sector recognises its pivotal role in addressing climate risks, and financial institutions are increasingly looking to integrate climate change-related risks into their strategic frameworks.
The 2024 Climate Risk Landscape Report serves as a comprehensive resource delving into the available tools for financial institutions to assess physical and transition climate risks and boost their institution’s resilience to related impacts. This edition provides best practices for tool utilisation, case studies, and recommendations to navigate the dynamic climate risk tools market. It also offers insights into the rapidly evolving regulatory developments around climate-related disclosure frameworks and recent market developments.
Building upon the foundational work of UNEP Finance Initiative's (UNEP FI) Climate Risk and Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) Programme, the report is designed for banks, insurers and investors looking to enhance their capabilities in climate risk management and facilitate the global transition towards sustainability.
The Circular Economy campaign is now live, with all content from the print campaign and more featured on our Global Cause site.
You can search for the campaign hashtag on social media, #CircularEconomyCampaign2024.
You can pick up a hard copy within the New Scientist because will be printing physical copies for contributors to share with members or to distribute at relevant events. A digital copy of the print campaign can be found on issuu.
Join UNEP in the launch of the Food Waste Index Report 2024. The report provides the latest global estimates on food waste, occurring at retail and consumer level. Addressing food waste is an important facet of embracing zero waste and tackling the climate crisis.
According to the State of the Global Climate 2023 report, records were broken, if not shattered, for greenhouse gas levels, ocean heat, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice loss and glacier retreat.
Heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires, and quickly developing tropical cyclones wreaked havoc, disrupting millions' daily lives and causing billions of dollars in economic damage.
Watch the video to discover the importance of early warning systems in saving lives and livelihoods.
