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 …
Low-carbon and resilient agrifood systems are vital to ensure the food security of a growing human population and global economic development. These systems are the processes and actors that convert natural resources and the environment into benefits and costs for humans through agricultural production and agro-industries. This report presents the …
The ninth WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic tracks the progress made by countries in tobacco control since 2008 and, marks 15 years since the introduction of the MPOWER technical package which is designed to help countries implement the demand-reduction measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. …
This present volume deals with the intersectionality of SDGs with climate change, and in all cases hindering their achievements. It takes up the Indian case in the year of its G20 presidency and highlights all these intersectionalities in the Indian context. The statement for India definitely fits into the narrative …
This publication analyses the current state of decarbonisation and climate ambition in the transport sectors of G20 countries. In light of India’s G20 presidencyin 2023, and with emerging economies at the helm of the intergovernmental forum in 2022 (Indonesia) and 2024 (Brazil), this report seeks to support global discussions surrounding …
The total number of court cases focused on climate action has more than doubled since 2017 and is growing worldwide, according to this new report by the UNEP. The trend indicates that climate litigation is becoming an integral part of the international push for greater climate action and justice. Climate …
Coal markets, like those for oil and natural gas, have experienced a turbulent three years as a result of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which triggered the first truly global energy crisis. In 2023, coal markets have so far been less volatile, though more turmoil could lie ahead. …
The world is making progress towards ending the loss of mangrove forests, according to this new report by the FAO. Found on the coastlines of 123 countries worldwide, over 20 percent of mangroves are estimated to have been lost globally over the past 40 years, mainly due to both human …
Nearly one in three people, the vast majority of them in the poorest regions of the world, still lack access to clean cooking facilities, with major ramifications for public health, local environments and socio-economic development. Inhaling hazardous smoke from traditional stoves and open fires causes millions of premature deaths annually, …
Increasing private investment is critical to meeting the growing energy needs in developing countries. Foreign direct investment (FDI) can contribute significantly—by bridging the financing gap but also by facilitating knowledge and technology transfer. A key factor impeding the ability of countries to attract and retain FDI is political risk - …
Access to reliable renewable energy and energy efficiency can provide significant climate, development, and equity benefits. Transitions to clean energy are compatible with sustainable and equitable development, and women’s economic empowerment. However, in the absence of adequate policies, they may reinforce existing inequalities. This policy brief summarises the evidence that …
The backsliding of immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with delayed catch-up efforts has resulted in a large and growing immunity gap. There is an urgent need to close this gap, and enable millions of missed children to be vaccinated. The Essential Immunization Recovery Plan sets out a path …
The Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals necessitate a move towards a developmental convergence point where all are safe, prosperous, and live in peace. Such a future partly hinges upon the timely development, deployment, and rapid diffusion of technologies, particularly emerging technologies. While these technologies are on the horizon, the …
Achieving a circular steel sector requires improved material and process efficiency; increased steel recycling; and the adoption of renewable energy sources for steel production. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities associated with improving circularity in the sector.
The high hanging fruit of mitigation potential refers to the technologies and measures to decarbonise emission sources that remain otherwise entirely inaccessible to host country governments in the near- and medium-term future, on account of extraordinary costs or other insurmountable barriers that cannot reasonably be overcome. For carbon crediting mechanisms …
This compendium meticulously identifies and collates the emerging good practices to mainstream Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) solutions. Envisioned as a ‘practitioners’ guide’ for the public- and private sector leaders, it synthesises ‘replicable and actionable lessons’ to fast-track DRE deployment for achieving the SDGs. A just and inclusive global energy transition …
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the largest cause of mortality and premature deaths worldwide, killing 50 million people every year. NCDs can be controlled through awareness and preventative and curative interventions. Yet, there is no global solution that can identify individuals at risk and enable the effective and equitable scaling of …
The Guidelines on Alternatives to Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) is designed to: (a) Identify the roles of the different stakeholders in the process of replacing HHPs and suggest how they can support one another in order to maintain agricultural productivity while protecting health and the environment; (b) Provide information and …
For the first time, REN21’s Renewables Global Status Report (GSR 2023) is being published as a collection of five modules, reflecting the fundamental changes in the global energy landscape. The Global Overview module explores the key topics of energy demand, energy supply, energy systems and infrastructure, as well as the …
The fourth module of the Renewables 2023 Global Status Report (GSR) Collection explores the wide range of benefits that renewable energy can offer beyond the supply of energy. From the job creation opportunities that breathe life into local economies, to building up local supply chains that foster a participatory society, …
Overall growth in electricity demand worldwide is expected to ease in 2023 as advanced economies grapple with the ongoing effects of the global energy crisis and an economic slowdown, according to this IEA’s latest Electricity Market Report. The report’s July update, finds that electricity demand in the United States is …