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 …
A sharp rise in child poverty was registered across 40 of the world's richest countries between 2014 and 2021, according to this new report published by the UN Children's Fund's global research centre, Innocenti. Some of the world’s richest countries experienced sharp rises in child poverty between 2014 and 2021, …
The SDG Pulse is UNCTAD’s annual publication reporting on developments relating to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purpose of this report is threefold: To provide an update on the evolution of a selection of official SDG indicators and complementary data and statistics. …
The rate of climate change surged alarmingly between 2011-2020, which was the warmest decade on record. Continued rising concentrations of greenhouse gases fuelled record land and ocean temperatures and turbo-charged a dramatic acceleration in ice melt and sea level rise. The Global Climate 2011-2020: A Decade of Acceleration report documents …
The Global Cooling Watch report demonstrates the potential and the pathways to achieve near-zero emissions from cooling. Using a model created specifically for this report, it presents pathways to get to near-zero emissions in the key cooling sectors and provides a call to action for countries to pursue the policies …
This report analyses the global trade in used cars and how the transition to electric vehicles may impact it. The analysis explores the quality and age of used vehicles traded globally and maps out how they are traded from developed economies to emerging markets. The report reviews recent importer and …
Despite government promises, warming projections have not improved since Glasgow two years ago, amid worsening climate impacts. In a year where every continent experienced record-breaking heat, wildfires, tropical cyclones or some other extreme events, there has been no discernable shift in action. Governments’ 2030 targets will lead to 2.5°C of …
Fossil fuels account for over three-fourths of greenhouse gas emissions, fuelling a climate crisis that is projected to devastate ecosystems and communities across the globe. The Fossil Fuel Atlas is a GIS-based open-access tool that shows the overlap between fossil fuel planned and existing fossil fuel production. This report gives …
Bottlenecks in the global wind industry supply chain could leave the world with only three-quarters of the wind energy installations needed for a 1.5°C pathway by 2030, i.e. a 650 GW gap to meet climate targets. The supply chains in the wind sector for minerals, components and key enabling infrastructure …
Given the direct impacts of climate change are felt first and foremost at the local level, many have called for climate adaptation to be a local responsibility. Indeed, local authorities have a major influence on climate change adaptation - such as through their land use and permitting decisions. Yet, their …
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have released their first joint report to strengthen understanding of renewable energy resources and their intricate relationship with climate variability and change. It seeks to inform policy-making and hasten the transition away from polluting fossil fuels and towards a …
More lives are being protected from extreme weather and dangerous climate change impacts but there is a long way to go. Half of countries globally still do not have adequate multi-hazard early warning systems. A new report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World …
Nearly 98,000 adolescent girls aged 10-19 were infected with HIV in 2022 – or 1,900 new infections every week – according to UNICEF’s latest Global Snapshot on Children with HIV and AIDS, released ahead of World AIDS Day. While total infections among girls aged 10-19 have almost halved since 2010 …
Agrifood systems are facing an escalating threat from climate change-induced loss and damage, and actions – including increasing financing— must be taken to address their vulnerabilities, according to this new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Agrifood systems are intrinsically linked to climate change …
An Eye on Methane: the road to radical transparency takes stock of progress harnessing an imminent data revolution that can accelerate methane reduction on a global scale. Credible data has the potential to deliver the transparency needed for rapid climate action, but only if reconciled, integrated and put into the …
UNCCD launches ‘Global Drought Snapshot’ report at COP28 in collaboration with International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA) Recent drought-related data based on research in the past two years and compiled by the UN point to “an unprecedented emergency on a planetary scale, where the massive impacts of human-induced droughts are only …
With effective progress on governance, global demand for voluntary biodiversity credits could reach $2 billion in 2030 and $69 billion by 2050. While estimates might vary depending on different scenarios, this report identifies the internal and external drivers of demand, including the enabling conditions needed to build trust in these …
This report assesses countries’ access to renewables-based electric cooking to understand their current status and establish associated priorities to support the energy transition. Globally, around 2.3 billion people lacked access to clean cooking technologies and fuels in 2023. Despite substantial gains over the last decade, universal access to clean cooking …
Recent drought-related data based on research in the past two years and compiled by the UN point to “an unprecedented emergency on a planetary scale, where the massive impacts of human-induced droughts are only starting to unfold.” According to the report, ‘Global Drought Snapshot,’ launched by the UN Convention to …
Governments, businesses and citizens around the globe are facing the challenge of climate change and how to accelerate the global clean energy transition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. Governments and citizens need to act now, with increased ambition, to adopt policies and programmes aimed at …
The Tourism and Climate Change Stocktake 2023, through its 24 key findings, will reveal strengths and weaknesses in tourism climate adaptation, emission reduction, policy, finance, and capacity building. Its central message is that the whole tourism sector needs to “go further and faster” in its response to climate change. The …
