Record UAE rain a drop in the ocean as region plans for climate change 23/4/2024

Climate change brings the perils of fire and water. The Gulf might have thought extreme heat was its biggest threat, but last week demonstrated that water, too, is a threat. The region needs an integrated approach to cope with rising seas, floods and drought. ...more

Global plastic treaty talks are happening. What do stakeholders want? 23/4/2024

Global leaders will gather in Canada's capital this week to discuss progress in drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution by the end of the year. ...more

Health-harming heat stress rising in Europe, scientists say 23/4/2024

Europe is increasingly facing bouts of heat so intense that the human body cannot cope, as climate change continues to raise temperatures, the EU's Copernicus climate monitoring service and the World Meteorological Organization said on Monday. ...more

UN livestock emissions report seriously distorted our work, say experts 23/4/2024

A flagship UN report on livestock emissions is facing calls for retraction from two key experts it cited who say that the paper “seriously distorted” their work. ...more

Mongolia signs landmark climate finance deal for its grasslands 23/4/2024

Mongolia's government and a coalition of partners have signed a nature finance agreement aimed at protecting 35.6 million acres (144,000 square km) of the country's lands and waters, including the world's last great tract of temperate grassland. ...more

AFED at MCSD Steering Committee 22/4/2024

The Steering Committee of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) held its 23rd meeting in Athens. Main item on the agenda was to review the implementation status of the Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Development (MSSD) for 2016-2025 and set guidelines for updating the strategy for the coming period. This includes identifying main directions, thematic working groups and elements of a sustainability dashboard. ...more

World Bank wins $11 bln in pledges to boost lending for climate, global crises 22/4/2024

The World Bank on Friday said that 11 countries have pledged to contribute over $11 billion to new hybrid capital and portfolio guarantee instruments designed to expand the bank's financing capacity by $70 billion over a decade to tackle climate change, pandemics and other global challenges. ...more

Nearly half of China's major cities are sinking, researchers say 22/4/2024

Nearly half of China's major cities are suffering "moderate to severe" levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released on Friday. ...more

Finance firms urge ambitious action on plastic pollution 22/4/2024

A group of 160 financial companies on Friday urged governments to agree a treaty to end plastic pollution that would help spur private sector action, ahead of the next round of global talks in Canada. ...more

Ocean spray emits more PFAS than industrial polluters, study finds 22/4/2024

Ocean waves crashing on the world’s shores emit more PFAS into the air than the world’s industrial polluters, new research has found, raising concerns about environmental contamination and human exposure along coastlines. ...more