In 1987 Cyclone Uma, resulted in a spike of malaria incidence due to damage to health facilities, and increase in the number of mosquito breeding sites. In 2015, Cyclone Pam found Vanuatu prepared, having learnt from its previous experience, and no increase in malaria outbreaks were detected. In March of 2023, Vanuatu was hit by twin Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin within 48 hours of one another and the damage was extensive, creating a serious burden on the country鈥檚 resources. and partners are to enhance the capacity of national and local health system institutions, personnel, and local communities to manage health risks induced by climate variability and change.
Applications for the Awards will be . They will recognize climate action led by young people that is achieving real and tangible results.
Now must be the time for ambition and action
On 20 September, United Nations Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres is convening a Climate Ambition Summit, asking governments, businesses, finance, local authorities, and civil society to present credible, bold, new, and ambitious steps that will accelerate climate action and respond to the urgency of the climate crisis. 鈥淭he world is watching 鈥 and the planet can鈥檛 wait,鈥 the UN Chief said. Watch the event live or on-demand on
Green jobs can help tackle the climate crisis and the labour market challenges faced by young people. So what exactly are green jobs? And what can young people do to create a sustainable future for themselves?
To answer these questions, on , Maja Markus holds a discussion with two young people from a trade union and an employers' organization, as well as a Junior Professional Officer working at the Green Jobs unit of the International Labour Organization ().
As we approach the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda, the science is clear: the Planet is far off track from meeting its climate goals, and immediate and unprecedented reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are needed, says the 2023. Launched ahead of the SDG Summit and Climate Ambition Summit at the United Nations General Assembly, the multi-agency report systematically assesses the impact of climate change and extreme weather events on the Agenda's goals.
By the time many of the teenage climate activists of today are in their late 20s, climate change could force an additional 100 million people into extreme poverty []. By 2050, the risk of hunger and malnutrition could rise by 20 percent if the global community fails to act now []. This year鈥檚 theme for the International Day of Democracy, 鈥淓mpowering the next generation,鈥 focuses on young people鈥檚 essential role in advancing democracy and ensuring that their voices are included in the decisions that have a profound impact on their world.
Children in 48 out of 49 African countries assessed are categorized as at high or extremely high risk of the impacts of , says a report, "". Yet, only 2.4% of global climate funding targets children. Children living in the Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria, Guinea, Somalia and Guinea-Bissau are the most at risk.
UNICEF and are working together on an increasing number of projects that demonstrate how communities across Africa can become more resilient as they adapt to the impacts of a changing climate. UNEP, UNICEF and are working together with young people, governments, employers' and workers' organizations, and the private sector to design and implement the .
Forests are one of the solutions to the climate crisis but are also under pressure from climate change itself. What are the strategies to face this complex reality?
of the , 2023 Oscar-winning actress and Goodwill Ambassador is joined by Professor Almut Arneth, Coordinating Lead Author of the , to explore the unique relationship between forests and climate change.
An episode by the .
Image Credit: 漏UNECE and UNDP
As parts of the world experience record breaking temperatures, learn how heat harms us, who is at risk and what you can do to protect yourself. in Science in 5. is 's conversation in science.
Photo Credit: 漏WHO Podcast.
The summer of 2023 is recording some of the highest temperatures on record, for our entire planet. These new records have significant consequents, not just for the environment but also for human life, including the world of work. Heat stress is a growing issue. It affects not just individual workers 鈥 particularly those who work outside 鈥 but also businesses and the overall economy, because higher temperatures affect productivity. Working hours, routines, equipment, and regulation may all have to change. explores the consequences of these higher temperatures for the world of work. How will governments, businesses and individual workers adapt?
When Tropical Cyclone Freddy slammed into Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi, 32,000 pregnant women were due to give birth within weeks. The destruction of homes, health facilities and travel routes during the cyclone made childbirth much more perilous. Around 5,000 of the women could expect to experience complications in their final months of pregnancy or during childbirth, which, without access to skilled care, could prove fatal. A climate crisis is an obstetric emergency. After a two-hour journey on an ambulance recently repaired by , Mercy, 37, gave birth to healthy twin boys.
El Ni帽o is coming, warns . Early warnings and anticipatory action of extreme weather events associated with this major climate phenomenon are vital to save lives and livelihoods.
In Bentiu in South Sudan, climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is a challenge to people鈥檚 very existence. Four years of historic rains in this region have submerged farmlands, ancestral homes and road. Some 360,000 people have fled due to the floods. They now live in internal displacement sites below the waterline, hemmed in by dikes. While the mainstream debate surrounding climate change centres on the world becoming uninhabitable in the future, in Bentiu it is already a reality. continues to build drainage systems and taller dikes in preparation for the rains.
During the , held during the , the crucial importance of action to protect the ocean was highlighted, as well as the need for the ocean to feature prominently in all relevant aspects of the process. The June Ocean Dialogue coincided with preparations for the upcoming in the United Arab Emirates at the end of the year, where the outcomes of the will be a key focus, along with other ways to increase ambition on climate change.
Haiti鈥檚 hunger crisis is unseen, unheard, and unaddressed leaving more than 4.9 million Haitians struggling to eat day-to-day. Pervasive insecurity and extreme weather conditions are inhibiting access to the rich food productive areas in the region. is optimistic that despite these challenges, empowering the local community will build long-term capacities in bridging the food crisis. There needs to be a multi-sector response and investments in the local grassroot organizations to stabilize in Haiti.