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.
Mexico and Colombia have organized an event at the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Climate Week today, which will present the Freshwater Challenge to LAC countries.
The Freshwater Challenge is a country-led initiative, which aims to protect and restore 300,000 km of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands.
The UN 2023 Water Conference in March witnessed a new political momentum for water with several countries championing and launching the Freshwater Challenge to accelerate the implementation of steps needed to protect, manage and restore such ecosystems.
Rivers, wetlands, peatlands and mangroves have a crucial role for climate adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity, food security, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development.
You can join in the event online here at 10AM (EST).
An official side-event at the 35th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP35), this event focuses on cooling, which is one of the most critical blind spots in today’s climate debate and one of the biggest contributors to global warming.
Cooling uses refrigerants, which generate emissions. If left unchecked, emissions from cooling are expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050, driven by heat waves, population growth, urbanization, and a growing middle class.
Taking place in the Oman capital, Muscat, this event will focus on the climate challenges around water and food security. The Arab Forum for Environment is an important platform to address water scarcity across the Middle East, a problem that is being exacerbated by climate change.
A rising population in the region – estimated to reach approximately 700 million by 2050 –along with more intense droughts are intensifying pressure on water resources, which also weakens food security.
The past few months have been another stark reminder that the climate crisis is getting worse.
Wildfires devastated Hawaii, Canada, and the Canary Islands. Antarctic Sea ice reached its lowest extent since records began in 1978. Multiple ocean heatwaves baked the world’s seas, and June, July, August and September all broke monthly temperature records.
One United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) centre monitoring these events is the Global Resource Information Database – Geneva (GRID-Geneva). Set up in 1985, it is a partnership between UNEP, the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and the University of Geneva.
Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week (LACCW) opens today in Panama City, Panama. It is an annual event that brings together leaders from governments, businesses, international organizations and civil society to explore ways to boost regional climate action. reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the mounting fallout from the climate crisis.
The third of four regional climate weeks taking place this year, LACCW 2023 is organized into four areas, each focusing on specific themes:
LACCW 2023 is taking place from today until 27 October.
Tackling water scarcity will be a focus of COP28, with December 10 a thematic day focused on food, agriculture and water.
One UNEP-led project in North Darfur highlights the profound effect water management can have on local communities. Among the project’s goals is the rehabilitation of a dam and the construction of two weirs. Weirs can provide drinking water, recharge groundwater levels, counter erosion by slowing a river’s flow and reduce the impact of disasters, such as drought.
The Caribbean island of Barbuda still bears the battle scars of its most brutal encounter with climate change. In 2017, Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 leviathan of unprecedented power, roared across its pristine turquoise waters.
The island’s only storm shelter collapsed, with 300 people hiding inside. Around 95 per cent of Barbuda’s buildings were wrecked, including homes, schools and critical infrastructure.
Read the full article here.
The World Bank's Youth4Climate: Sparking Solutions 2023 will be held in Rome from 17-19 October 2023.
The three-day event features a series of panel and group discussions, workshops, and presentations led by both youth and partners. Participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with their peers, learn from experts in the field, and present their innovative climate solutions across four key thematic areas (energy, food and agriculture, urban sustainability and climate education) for the chance to win a USD $20,000 prize.
Connect4Climate and partners are launching an all-new youth-led webinar series that will provide a valuable space for intergenerational exchange.
Young people and experts on different areas of climate will come to the stage to exchange insights from their respective climate journeys, offer one another guidance and encouragement, and cultivate a sense of global community. The participatory program will empower attendees to take their climate action to the next level and give them the confidence they need heading into this year’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
Launching on October 11, the series will consist of three interrelated 90-minute episodes:
Floods are a clear impact of climate change, and we have seen a record number of floods all over the world since September, and more recently in New York, USA. Meanwhile, in countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the most water-scarce region in the world, drought and land degradation are of particular concern, further undermining the capacity of soil and ecosystems to absorb sudden precipitation. With the MENA regional climate week upon us, we are reminded of climate change’s impact on water.
Globally, our freshwater resources - including rivers, lakes and wetlands - are coming under increasing pressure from the effects of climate change, which affects food security and biodiversity. This makes protecting and restoring these resources of paramount importance.
At World Water Week earlier this year, the UAE (UNFCCC COP28 President) launched its Water Agenda, of which it prioritizes freshwater ecosystems. Sunday 10th December has been designated the food, agriculture and water day at COP28 - the UAE is set to host a high-level event to further highlight commitments and next steps of the Freshwater Challenge.
