More than one-third of countries worldwide lack government-level air quality monitoring, leaving nearly one billion people in the dark about one of the greatest risks to their health, a new report showed on Friday. The assessment by non-profit OpenAQ, which maintains the largest open-source database of air quality measurements, found significant gaps in government tracking […] Continue reading ->
Nearly one fifth of dengue cases in Latin America and the Caribbean, or about 45 million infections a year, are attributable to climate change, in the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard and Stanford Universities. Rising temperatures combined with mosquito species uniquely suited to sprawling urbanization and deforestation are fueling […] Continue reading ->
Negotiations to produce a legally binding treaty to curb the global explosion of plastic pollution fell short on Sunday as efforts to limit the production of fossil fuel-based plastics supported by over 100 countries, including the European Union, met fierce opposition from oil-producing nations. A coalition of oil and gas producers led by Saudi Arabia […] Continue reading ->
With only hours remaining on the clock at UN climate negotiations in Baku, talks are at risk of collapse as nations remain divided over where to find the money developing countries need to respond to the crisis. Well before the summit began two weeks ago, it was clear that success at COP29 hinged on nations […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization’s marquee event at COP29 in Baku produced a document that captures the growing frustration felt by delegates, civil society, and people across the globe with UN climate negotiations: a “letter of intent” to form a coalition to continue discussions about taking action. In stark contrast to the glitzy, Bill Gates-adorned fanfare […] Continue reading ->
BAKU, Azerbaijan — Global and Indian experts at COP29 produced new evidence Thursday calling for clean air standards to become part of nations’ climate commitments, as cities across South Asia’s heavily polluted air corridor battled record-breaking smog. In Delhi, authorities closed schools up to grade 5 and halted construction as pollution levels soared to almost […] Continue reading ->
Two million lives could be saved annually through urgent climate action, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Thursday in a stark message to negotiators ahead of next week’s climate summit in Baku, warning that rising temperatures are wreaking havoc on global health, disrupting healthcare systems and fueling disease outbreaks worldwide. The new WHO report, […] Continue reading ->
Nearly 200 nations have backed a groundbreaking global action plan linking health and the natural world at the close of UN biodiversity negotiations in Cali, Colombia, marking a rare victory in a summit otherwise characterised by disappointment. The final agreement on a “health and biodiversity action plan” was approved as a voluntary rather than mandatory […] Continue reading ->
The 9th Lancet Countdown report on health and climate change shows that deaths from extreme heat, hunger, and disease, all are rising because of climate change. Authors call out governments and companies that continue “fuelling the fire” with continued investment in fossil fuels and subsidies, leading to all-time high energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, which are […] Continue reading ->
Global climate plans will cut emissions by just 2.6% by 2030, falling 40% short of what’s needed to keep a future within the Paris agreement’s 1.5C goal alive, according to a report released Monday by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The combined emissions cut by the national climate plans, known as […] Continue reading ->