The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
India’s renewable sector is booming but just not fast enough to become 1.5-degree Celsius compatible, and the country is heading in the opposite direction entirely when it comes to phasing out coal power, a new report by Climate Action Tracker claimed. The Union environment ministry, however, said the report completely …
This paper updates a 2022 ICCT study on the vehicle carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions impact of an accelerated global transition to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). It updates historical data through 2021 and 2022; accounts for policy developments in Zero Emission Vehicles Transition Council (ZEVTC) markets from August 2021 (the cut-off for …
When undertaking a journey, a good map is indispensable. As the world moves to address the climate crisis and journey towards a zero-carbon future, roadmaps which demonstrate the pathway to cut emissions fast, fairly and effectively are essential. The broad strokes of a Paris-aligned roadmap are clear – we need …
The world is off track to make significant progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) (SDG target 3.8) by 2030 as improvements to health services coverage have stagnated since 2015, and the proportion of the population that faced catastrophic levels of out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending has increased.
The state of biodiversity is in severe decline, with deforestation, land degradation and species extinctions all moving in the wrong direction to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, according to this IUCN report. The report recommends a set of actions that are urgently needed to correct the course and accelerate the …
This brief from IRENA's Collaborative Framework on Ocean Energy and Offshore Renewables presents actionable solutions to address permitting bottlenecks and accelerate related processes for scaling up offshore wind deployment. Offshore wind represents a key solution in meeting global climate goals, and an increasing number of countries are turning to this …
At the halfway mark towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), two-thirds of child-related indicators are off-pace to meet their targets, according to this new UNICEF report. Progress on Children's Well-Being: Centring child rights in the 2030 Agenda warns that as of today, only 6 per cent of the child …
Halfway into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a lot of the progress made towards its food and agriculture-related targets has stagnated or reversed, compounding the challenges in eradicating poverty and hunger, improving health and nutrition, and combating climate change, according to this new report by the …
Today the world faces unprecedented challenges in waste management while the state of the municipal waste management sector globally is a matter of concern. To reverse current trends related to waste generation, pollution, and resource management, active collaboration between the various waste actors including governments, civil society, and the private …
Insufficient progress towards climate goals is slowing down the global fight against poverty, hunger and deadly diseases, according to this report by the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO). At the half-time point of the 2030 Agenda, the science is clear – the planet is far off track from meeting its …
The Breakthrough Agenda Report 2023 is an annual collaboration between the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champions, focused on supporting stronger international collaboration to drive faster reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions. This year’s report shows that current …
The GRFC 2023 Mid-Year Update highlights that high levels of acute food insecurity persist in 2023 due to protracted food crises and new shocks, with improvements in some countries. Data available for 48 countries as of August 2023 shows that over 20 million more people face high levels of acute …
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – the ability of microbes to resist antimicrobials – remains an alarming global health threat. This is despite the efforts made by OECD and EU/EEA countries to curtail it. Unless additional effective interventions are scaled up quickly, AMR rates are forecasted to increase in the next three …
At least 177 land and environmental defenders were killed last year for trying to protect the planet – one person every other day - according to this new report by Global Witness. The new figures bring the total number of defender killings up to 1,910 between 2012 and 2022. The …
A groundbreaking report by a group of independent experts released by the United Nations outlines steps governments should take to maximize the impact of policies and actions by tackling the climate and sustainable development crises at the same time, creating synergies. Evidence indicates strong synergies between addressing climate change and …
"Times of Crisis, Times of Change: Science for Accelerating Transformations to Sustainable Development", the 2023 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), finds that at this critical juncture, midway to 2030, incremental and fragmented change is insufficient to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the remaining seven years. Implementation of the …
Pathways to Equality: Advancing Gender Goals in the G20 assesses a selection of critical issues faced by women in the G20 nations. It is a critical ‘thinking and doing’ volume for readers seeking to understand how we can transform society by moving the needle on gender equality. The curated essays …
The five United Nations regional commissions have prepared selected country profiles on “SDG Progress and Transformative Pathways” to support discussions among member States, various United Nations entities, and other development partners during the SDG Summit on 18-19 September 2023. The following key messages reflect shared global progress as well as …
SDG 8 integrates the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. To achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth for full employment and decent work, an integrated process is needed to drive balanced progress across these three dimensions. In its 2019 report Time to Act for SDG 8: Integrating Decent …
The case study aims to take a snapshot of the municipal waste management ecosystems of certain countries in the Global South, particularly focusing on private sector-led good practices, inclusive growth and sustainable financing. The countries were selected upon criteria such as GDP, total waste production and geographic variety. The study …
