World

The world just had the hottest week on record, according to preliminary data. It follows the hottest June on record, with unprecedented sea surface temperatures and record low Antarctic sea ice extent. The record-breaking temperatures on land and in the ocean have potentially devastating impacts on ecosystems and the environment. They highlight the far-reaching changes […]

Geneva, July 7, 2023) – The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) is appalled by the United States’ plans to transfer banned cluster munitions to Ukraine, as reported today in the New York Times. The transfer of the weapon, prohibited under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, follows repeated requests by Ukrainian officials for cluster munitions to counter the […]

IIASA researchers have developed a new tool – the Global Migration Data Explorer – to help address the lack of data on global migration flows and provide a visual method for exploring migration patterns worldwide. The Global Migration Data Explorer builds upon the success of its predecessor by incorporating estimates of more recent periods, based on advanced estimation methods, […]

GENEVA (5 July 2023) – Israeli air strikes and ground operations in the occupied West Bank targeting the Jenin Refugee camp and killing at least 12 Palestinians may prima facie constitute a war crime, UN experts said today. “Israeli forces’ operations in the occupied West Bank, killing and seriously injuring the occupied population, destroying their […]

Geneva 4 July 2023 (WMO) El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years, setting the stage for a likely surge in global temperatures and disruptive weather and climate patterns. A new Update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) forecasts that there is a 90% probability of the […]

June 29, 2023 – The international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) calls on the European Union and Greek authorities to take accountability for the decisions and policies that contributed to the June 14 shipwreck that left at least 500 people dead or missing off the coast of Greece. The EU must implement dedicated, […]

Since the beginning of May, different regions in Canada have been affected by severe wildfires, extending between British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwestern Territories in western Canada; and to Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia in eastern Canada. The emissions from these wildfires to 26 June are now the largest annual estimated emissions for Canada […]

Protecting the ocean and providing livelihoods and food security do not have to be mutually exclusive. A new study, led by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), shows that limiting human activity in parts of the ocean can enhance the health of marine environments and the well-being of nearby coastal communities, highlighting the potential value of […]

Refugees deserve support and solidarity, not closed borders and pushbacks. That’s a reminder from UN chief António Guterres on Tuesday’s World Refugee Day, regarding the international community’s duty to assist and protect refugees. With forced displacement at a record high of 110 million people around the world, Mr. Guterres called for more solutions to resettle refugees and help […]

Around the world, some 160 million children work to earn a living, instead of going to school. That’s almost one in every 10 children. On Monday’s World Day against Child Labour, the International Labour Organization (ILO) shared these staggering numbers as a reminder of the urgent need to end this practice. ILO’s Director-General Gilbert Houngbo […]

The humanitarian situation following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine is still a “moving target”, immediate needs are “huge”, and concerns are rising for what the future holds, according to the UN’s top official in the country, Denise Brown. Speaking to journalists from Bilozerka, a town on the Dnipro River about 20 kilometres […]

(Beirut, June 7, 2023) – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Professional Golf Association (PGA) have effectively enabled the Saudi government’s efforts to “sportswash” its egregious human rights record through the announced merger of its LIV Golf and the PGA, Human Rights Watch said today. The merger will place the Saudi government in […]

June 5, 2023 – Carbon dioxide levels measured at NOAA’s Mauna Loa Atmospheric Baseline Observatory peaked at 424 parts per million (ppm) in May, continuing a steady climb further into territory not seen for millions of years, scientists from NOAA and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego announced today. Measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) obtained […]

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, June 5, 2023 — August 2nd marks this year’s Earth Overshoot Day, according to the latest National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts. They now track countries’ performance up to 2022, reducing reporting lag by three years. However, Earth Overshoot Day’s apparent delay by five days compared to last year’s isn’t all good news, as genuine advancements amount to […]

Racism is a global problem, and every country must take a stance against it, General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi said on Monday, addressing the latest meeting of a UN platform to improve the safety and quality of life of people of African descent worldwide.  “Racism and xenophobia continue to spoil our communities, like scars that […]

May 29, 2023 – A team of researchers from around the world is urging the international community to recognize the full environmental and health threat of plastics and categorize them as persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic (PBT) pollutants. In a new Viewpoint published in Environmental Science and Technology the researchers argue categorizing plastics, including micro- and […]

Geneva, 22 May 2023 (WMO) – Extreme weather, climate and water-related events caused 11 778 reported disasters between 1970 and 2021, with just over 2 million deaths and US$ 4.3 trillion in economic losses, according to a new figure from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Economic losses have soared. But improved early warnings and coordinated disaster management has slashed […]

HIROSHIMA, JAPAN, May 22, 2023 — G7 Leaders in Hiroshima concluded that there is “an important role” for “increased deliveries of LNG” and that “publicly supported gas investments can be appropriate”, jeopardizing the 1.5ºC warming limit and directly contradicting last year’s G7 commitment to end international public finance for fossil fuels by the end of 2022.  The […]

Paris, May 9, 2023 – Despite progress in recent years, more work needs to be done, across all OECD countries, to secure gender equality, with women and girls still facing inappropriate disadvantages and barriers in most spheres of social and economic life, according to a new OECD report. The report Joining Forces for Gender Equality: […]

The ocean can provide vast opportunities for developing countries to build more innovative and resilient economies, but climate change, pollution and overfishing threaten the livelihoods of some three billion people who rely on it for food and income. That’s according to the UN Trade and Development body UNCTAD’s Trade and Environment Review 2023, published on Monday, which […]