The climate emergency is a direct consequence of carbon-heavy land-use and agriculture, transport, buildings and industrial processes and polluting energy sources. Without profound changes to these sectors and a drastic cut to carbon footprints, there is little hope of protecting the planet from the devastating effects of a warmer world.
Below are climate-related news and events from the United Nations and partners.
With the news yesterday that 60 countries have signed the Global Cooling Pledge – and the launch of the Cooling Spotlight Report – the focus is on how cities can keep cool without increasing emissions.
Cooling is a double burden on the climate: air conditioners and refrigerators have both indirect emissions from electricity consumption and direct emissions from the release of refrigerant gases, the majority of which are much more potent at warming the planet than carbon.
By 2050, unless humanity dramatically lowers its emissions of climate-altering greenhouse gases, close to 1,000 cities will experience average summer highs of 35°C, nearly triple the current number. The urban population exposed to these high temperatures could increase by 800 per cent, reaching 1.6 billion by mid-century.
So, what are some alternatives to air conditioning that can help keep people cool without leading to a rise in emissions? Here are five examples from around the world.
The event will explore and showcase how AI and related technologies can be harnessed to tackle climate challenges, such as predictive modelling, climate data analysis, and ensuring efficient management of resources.
It will also discuss the potential negative effect of unregulated AI on the climate and reinforce the importance of ethics. Finally, it will explore the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence in addressing climate change challenges.
Europe’s climate monitor, the Copernicus Climate Change Service announced today that November had become the sixth record-breaking month in a row for average temperatures. It was 1.75°C warmer than the pre-industrial average, with 2023 1.46°C above the pre-industrial average, making it the hottest year on average since records began.
November also contained two days that were 2°C warmer than pre-industrial levels, which has never happened before. Indeed scientists say that 2023 could be the warmest in more than 100,000 years.
With COP28 at its mid-point, negotiators are about to start to whittle down the text, with most hoping there is a mention of a fossil fuel "phase-out" in the final agreement. The science is clear that there needs to be a huge drop in fossil fuel burning if the Paris Agreement goals are to be reached.
Earlier today, 75 scientists published an open letter in which they highlighted what needs to happen to reach net-zero emissions by 2050: "Scenarios consistent with this goal require a complete phase-out of coal by 2050 and rapid phase-down of oil and gas (halved every decade). After 2050 the world needs to rapidly move into net negative emissions, particularly after a number of decades of 1.5°C overshoot."
We can't manage what we don't measure, goes the old business adage. This rings true more than ever today as the world faces a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, pollution, and waste.
More climate data is available than ever before, but how that data is accessed, interpreted and acted on is crucial to managing these crises. One technology that is central to this is Artificial Intelligence (AI).
So, what exactly does AI mean?
"AI refers to systems or machines that perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, and can iteratively improve themselves over time, based on the information they collect," says David Jensen, coordinator UNEP's Digital Transformation sub-programme.
Jensen highlights several areas where AI can play a role in tackling environmental challenges, from designing more energy-efficient buildings to monitoring deforestation to optimizing renewable energy deployment.
"This can be on a large scale – such as satellite monitoring of global emissions, or a more granular scale – such as a smart house automatically turning off lights or heat after a certain time," he adds.
Climate change has pushed the planet to the brink of five “catastrophic tipping points” according to a report published today. The Global Tipping Points report highlight five tipping points at risk including the collapse of big ice sheets in West Antarctic and Greenland, the widespread thawing of permafrost, the collapse of atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic and the death of coral reefs worldwide.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines tipping points as “critical thresholds in a system that, when exceeded, can lead to a significant change in the state of the system, often with an understanding that the change is irreversible.”
The Ugandan climate activist, Vanessa Nakate, speaking at COP28 earlier today, highlighted what needs to happen to stop the ever increasing damage from climate change.
"The first thing we should do to reduce loss and damage is to stop digging up and burning new coal, oil and gas. All of the flashy announcements about promised funding and scaling renewables and tree planting will sadly mean little if countries continue to expand fossil fuel development," she said.
"The success of COP28 will not depend on speeches on big stages. The success of COP28 will not depend upon piling new fancy promises on top of old broken promises. The success of COP28 will depend upon whether or not leaders have the courage to call for for a just and equitable phase out of all fossil fuels, without excuses and exceptions," she added.
The Buildings Breakthrough aims to have near-zero emission and resilient buildings as the new normal by 2030. It also aims to strengthen international collaboration to transition towards this goal, a vital aim given the buildings and construction sector is currently responsible for 37 per cent of energy-related CO2 emissions.
So far, 27 countries have joined the Buildings Breakthrough and it is hoped more will join during COP28.
Digital day will serve as catalyst to mobilize governments, businesses, academia, investors and start-ups to drive a step-change in the development and deployment of technological climate solutions to bring the world back to a 1.5°C trajectory and reduce suffering for the most impacted populations and ecosystems.
COP28 Ministerial meeting on urbanization and climate change
Co-hosted by the COP28 Presidency, UN-Habitat and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28, the second Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change will be today's high-level event. The meeting will gather Ministers of Housing, Urban Development, Environment Finance; local and regional leaders; financial institutions and NGOs to articulate a range of multilevel actions for sustainable urbanisation across sectors including buildings, waste, transport, water, energy, and nature.
Time: 09.30-12.00pm
UNEP Pavilion: Harmonizing environmental data: Towards a Global environmental data strategy
This event will explore what has been done so far in the development of a Global Environmental Data Strategy, identify gaps and opportunities, and showcase how the work of the Data for the Environment Alliance is shaping up future opportunities.
Time: 10.30-11.15am
Watch here.
UNEP event: Climate adaptation in Asia-Pacific: Enhancing coastal resilience in Bangladesh and Vietnam
This event will bring together experts from Bangladesh and Vietnam to discuss coastal adaptation priorities in their countries. The aim is not only to bring out the challenges in attracting larger financial packages but also to create a sustainable delivery model to
channel scaled-up finance.
Time: 11.30-12.30pm
UNEP Pavilion: Global Data for Climate Action
This event will explore the merits and challenges of utilising international data sources for driving action and monitoring the environment and climate change, as well as strategies to connect sets of data, in particular through the World Environment Situation Room. Uncover how partnerships can harmonise data collection efforts, foster transparency and interoperability to ultimately strengthen climate protection, and gain insights on the current state of global environmental data.
Time: 11.45-12.30pm
Watch here.
UNEP Pavilion: Gaming for climate: Gamification, digital literacy & behaviour change
The event will explore the transformative role of digitalization in driving sustainable behaviour change. In the face of pressing environmental challenges, this event will delve into how digital technologies, such as AI, social media, and virtual reality, can be harnessed to inspire and guide individuals towards more environmentally conscious choices.
Time: 13.00-13.45pm
Watch here.
UNEP event: Local Ecosystem Restoration for Nature-Positive Cities and Regions
Local Ecosystem Restoration for Nature Positive Cities and Regions aims to be a pivotal gathering for local and subnational governments, rallying them to commit to sustainable, nature-positive policies. This event seeks to advance the call to action for nature positive development, a crucial strategy in tackling urgent environmental crises. By showcasing existing tools and announcing projects – and the policies that enable them – the event aims to draw policymakers focus on the opportunities they have for sustainably manage land, protect biodiversity, and bolster climate resilience.
Time: 15.00-16.30pm
Watch here.
UNEP event: Innovative technologies in mitigation and land restoration: finding solutions for accelerated uptake
This event will shed light on how innovation and technology contribute to mitigation efforts in agriculture and challenging-to-abate industrial sectors such as steel and cement. Additionally, it will explore their role in land restoration and terrestrial habitat conservation.
Time: 15.00-16.30pm
UNEP Pavilion: AI for climate: exploring use cases
The event will explore and showcase how AI and related technologies can be harnessed to tackle climate challenges, such as predictive modelling, climate data analysis, and optimising resource management. It will also discuss the potential negative effect of unregulated AI on the climate and reinforce the importance of ethics. Finally, it will explore the transformative potential of AI in addressing climate change challenges.
Time: 15.15-16.00pm
Watch here.
UNEP Pavilion: National digital strategies and digital public infrastructure for climate action
This event explores the transformative potential of National Digital Strategies and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs) for Climate Action. DPI refers to solutions and systems that empower the effective delivery of crucial society-wide functions and services in the public and private sectors. The panel will discuss the role of National Digital Strategies and DPIs to drive climate action, as well as exchange success stories that illustrate the opportunities presented by digital transformation.
Time: 16.30-17.15pm
Watch here.
As a very busy COP28 builds momentum towards the final weekend, we select some of the more interesting photos of the week so far.
Peatlands are a vital tool in the fight against climate change. While peatlands – also known as bogs – take up only around 3 per cent of global land area, they store over 33 per cent of the world’s soil carbon, more than the carbon stored in all other vegetation combined.
They are also home to a diverse amount of wildlife, flora and fauna and provide natural flood mitigation and water storage and filtration.
Yet recent decades have seen peatlands damaged and degraded by drainage, agricultural conversion, burning and mining for fuel, the result of undervaluation of its ecosystem and economic contributions.
On Friday at COP28, the Global Peatlands Initiative will be hosting an event presenting the latest peatlands knowledge in order to assess progress towards towards the Paris Agreement goals and analysis of their role in country’s national climate plans. Innovative approaches, policy and funding initiatives to scale up climate action will also be showcased.
The Global Cooling Pledge has been included in the list of nine non-negotiated declarations, pledges, and charters that constitute key outcomes for the COP28 Presidential Action Agenda.
It aims to raise ambition and international cooperation through collective global targets to reduce cooling related emissions by 68 per cent from today by 2050, significantly increase access to sustainable cooling by 2030, and increase the global average efficiency of new air conditioners by 50 per cent.
