Heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and droughts unleashed global mayhem in 2023, as the year broke multiple climate records, according to the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) State of the Global Climate Report released this week. It was the hottest year in recorded history, with global average near-surface temperature of 1.45℃ above the pre-industrial baseline. “Never have we […] Continue reading ->
Bangladesh is the world’s most polluted country and Delhi is the most polluted capital. But India also has the most air quality monitors in South Asia – while some wealthy petro-nations have virtually none. The air quality global ranking of cities for 2023 has been released by a Swiss firm, IQAir, which has been reporting […] Continue reading ->
Average concentrations of small and fine particulates (PM2.5 and PM10) decreased across Europe between 2003-2019 – with the largest reductions in PM10,according to a new study published in Nature on trends over the past two decades. Despite air quality improvements, more than 98 of the European population lives in areas exceeding the WHO recommended annual […] Continue reading ->
The sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNAE-6) ended last Friday in Nairobi, Kenya with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration affirming member states’ commitment to slowing climate change, protecting biodiversity, and creating a pollution-free world. The assembly, which attracted over 5,600 delegates from 190 countries, also adopted 15 resolutions covering a range of issues including […] Continue reading ->
The sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), which opened in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Monday, is focusing on multilateral action to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Around a million species are headed towards extinction, global temperature records were smashed in 2023 and pollution remains one of the world’s leading causes of […] Continue reading ->
In 2023, the Americas saw the highest recorded number of dengue cases of all time, with a total of 4,565,911 cases and 2,340 deaths, said the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in a recent call for stepped up efforts to control Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito vector of the dengue virus. And already in the […] Continue reading ->
A new report finds that the European Union, Japan and the Republic of Korea have been “dumping” used, and highly polluting trucks and buses on low- and middle-income countries. Heavy duty trucks and buses account for as much as 63% of PM2.5 pollution emissions from road vehicles globally. A new UN report has exposed a […] Continue reading ->
From a community well in east Africa to a standpipe in an urban slum, small water operators furnish vital supplies for billions of people the world over. Now, for the first time in nearly 30 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published new guidelines for drinking water quality for small water supplies with up-to-date […] Continue reading ->
Ten years ago, India’s appalling air pollution made headlines. But $1 billion dollars of investment, new policies and a health crisis have done little to address this situation. Is there still hope? If you have a fever, you measure your temperature. If there’s a storm, you measure the wind and rain. If there’s a stock […] Continue reading ->
A first-ever WHO initiative to join global negotiations on a plastics treaty, as well as the first WHO decision on climate and health since 2008, are set to come before the World Health Assembly in May, following a strong show of member state support for both measures on the closing day of this week’s Executive […] Continue reading ->