Of the 62 countries who were assessed globally, only half have the basic capacity to monitor extreme weather events, and 16% of the countries have less-than-basic capacity, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report, ‘Early Warnings for All in Focus: Hazard Monitoring and Forecasting’ was released during last week’s […] Continue reading ->
From killing over 600,000 elderly from dementia to an almost equal number of infants under the age of one-year, air pollution’s impact on young and old is explained simply through hard-hitting numbers in the latest State of Global Air (SOGA) report, by the Boston-based Health Effects Institute. The report identifies plenty of scope for immediate […] Continue reading ->
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2024 due to a combination of wildfires and weakening carbon sinks, according to the latest report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released on Wednesday. The rise in CO2 will intensify the impact of temperature increases, including by worsening extreme weather events. “The […] Continue reading ->
Development funding for fossil fuel-based energy projects jumped 80 per cent in 2023 to $9.5bn, up from $5.3bn in 2022, even as toxic air causes more than 8m premature deaths annually, according to a new report. Governments continue to channel billions more in international aid into projects that prolong fossil fuel use than into tackling […] Continue reading ->
NEW YORK – Although chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are the third leading cause of death globally, there remains a ‘mismatch’ between impact and action, said a group of global health leaders and experts on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly. “There is a mismatch between the disease [impact] from CRD and the action against […] Continue reading ->
The ozone layer that protects human and animal health from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation continues to be on track for recovery in the coming decades, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in its latest report released this week. In 2024, the ozone hole was smaller when compared to the previous years. This […] Continue reading ->
A sweeping new report by a consortium of climate and health experts offers a global indictment of how fossil fuels harm populations – from extraction to emissions, devastating human health from cradle to grave. Treating the fossil fuel sector like the tobacco sector will help, recommends the study’s authors. Fossil fuel advertisements should be banned, […] Continue reading ->
SRINAGAR, INDIA – When record-breaking rains, landslides and cloudbursts lashed northern India in late August — across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh — highways turned into rivers, homes collapsed and death tolls mounted. But beneath the visible destruction lies a quieter emergency: public health systems buckling under the strain. In Kashmir, the Jhelum […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – A new draft of the global plastics treaty published Wednesday found a clever solution to answering the difficult questions facing nations seeking the historic treaty: delete them from the text. The long-awaited draft arrived at a tense moment in negotiations over what many hoped would be a watershed treaty to address the crisis […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – The European Union said Tuesday it is ready to make a deal on a global plastics treaty but will not accept an agreement “at any cost,” leaving the door open to rejecting a weak outcome as negotiators enter the final 72 hours of talks with core provisions still deadlocked. “The EU is here […] Continue reading ->