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.
UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report, released today, reveals a huge deficit in the funding needed to protect vulnerable communities against the worst effects of the climate crisis.
International adaptation funding – needed to protect communities against heatwaves, floods, droughts and other climate-related disasters – is just 5 to 10 per cent of what is needed today and fell in recent years. This equals an adaptation gap of between US$194 and US$366 billion a year.
UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen, highlighted what this shortfall means for vulnerable communities in a speech made earlier today.
“Without sufficient financing, implementation of adaptation actions is stalling. The consequences are being lived by hundreds of millions of people – homes being washed away, crops failing and livestock dying.”
Read the full speech here.
Today sees the launch of the Adaptation Gap Report, the first of the three ‘Gap’ reports due to the released in the run up to COP28. The Production Gap Report is published on 8 November and the Emissions Gap Report is published on 20 November.
The report provides an update on the global status and progress of the adaptation process across three elements: planning, financing, and implementation.
The 2023 edition will provides more in-depth finance assessment chapter and include a thematic deep-dive chapter on loss and damage. The report also highlights key case studies of adaptation projects from around the world.
So why do these reports matter?
Read the full article here.
Today is World Cities Day, under the theme Financing a sustainable urban future for all. With urban populations set to grow by 2.2 billion by 2050, it is vital cities embrace sustainability in everything from infrastructure to transport systems.
Cities are already experiencing the effects of the climate crisis: as climate change intensifies around the world, record-smashing heatwaves are expected to become more common, leaving a trail of urban disruption – and often death – in their wake.
But experts say cities, which are especially prone to warming, can fend off some of the worst effects of heatwaves by planting trees, restoring water bodies and tapping into other natural solutions.
Read the full article here.
On December 5, the spotlight at COP28 will turn to Indigenous Peoples as part of that day’s thematic focus.
A growing number of Indigenous Peoples around the world who are turning to the courts to compel countries to take concrete action to address climate change and other environmental perils. Experts have called the cases a new frontier in the global environmental movement and are hopeful they can jumpstart what is, in many places, a halting political effort to counter some of the gravest threats to the planet.
Due to their close ties to the land, Indigenous communities from the Arctic to the Kalahari Desert have been among the first to feel the effects of climate change. Floods, droughts, wildfires and the disappearance of wildlife have become an added burden for communities already struggling with joblessness, discrimination and political marginalization.
COP28 will feature thematic days which focus on different sectors and the climate action progress they are making. On December 6, the focus will be on transportation and the built environment, both areas crucial when it comes to reducing emissions.
In Africa, a growing number of campaigners and government officials want to make cycling and walking safer in Africa’s cities, where roads are notoriously dangerous.
They believe that will lead more people to choose what’s known as active mobility, reducing gridlock and helping to counter a climate crisis that is already sowing chaos on the continent of 1.3 billion.
While all eyes may be on the UAE for the upcoming COP28 climate conference, next year sees another crucial event taking place.
In February 2024, world leaders, scientists, and representatives from civil society and businesses from around the world will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, for the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), the world’s highest environmental decision-making body.
The event comes at a critical time for the Earth, which is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. Past assemblies have played a pivotal role in shaping global environmental policy, and UNEA-6 is set to follow suit.
So what can we expect at UNEA-6?
An official core event of the Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week 2023, this session will discuss current Nature-based Solutions (NbS) approaches to adapt to and mitigate against the challenges of climate change and urbanisation.
It will focus on the perspectives of governments, civil society, practitioners, academy and businesses to promote the integration and implementation of NbS through innovative regulatory, governance and financing mechanisms, and offer insights into opportunities for future work with focus on urban coastal areas.
An official side-event of Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week 2023, this session focuses on how cities – and in particular informal settlements – can engage in adaptation actions due to their increased vulnerability. The session will also recognize the potential of these territories for the generation of innovative solutions to adaptation problems.
Mexico and Colombia have organized an event at the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Climate Week today, which will present the Freshwater Challenge to LAC countries.
The Freshwater Challenge is a country-led initiative, which aims to protect and restore 300,000 km of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands.
The UN 2023 Water Conference in March witnessed a new political momentum for water with several countries championing and launching the Freshwater Challenge to accelerate the implementation of steps needed to protect, manage and restore such ecosystems.
Rivers, wetlands, peatlands and mangroves have a crucial role for climate adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, food security, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.
You can join in the event online here at 10AM (EST).
An official side-event at the 35th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP35), this event focuses on cooling, which is one of the most critical blind spots in today’s climate debate and one of the biggest contributors to global warming.
Cooling uses refrigerants, which generate emissions. If left unchecked, emissions from cooling are expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050, driven by heat waves, population growth, urbanization, and a growing middle class.
