Climate Change
Climate change is the long-term alteration of temperature and weather patterns. Unexpected changes in weather patterns make it difficult to maintain and grow crops in regions that rely on farming because expected temperature and rainfall levels can no longer be counted on. Climate change has also been connected with other damaging weather events, such as more frequent and more intense hurricanes, typhoons, floods, downpours, and winter storms. Climate change is largely caused by human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. Carbon emissions from fossil fuels, methane, and nitrous oxide, among others, are called “greenhouse gases.” When released into the Earth’s atmosphere, these gases trap heat from the sun’s rays causing Earth’s average temperature to rise. This rise in the planet's temperature is called global warming. While the climate has continually changed throughout the Earth's history, it has usually been a slow process over thousands of years. Climate change caused by human activity is occurring at a much faster and more dangerous rate.
Events and Articles
Showing 111 - 120 of 408 results
How to Make Hybrid Meetings Work
All three Rio Conventions announced in-person meetings for the final quarter of 2021. The trio of organizations—UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)—all seem to be going ahead full steam. The UNFCCC Bureau just announced it will hold three weeks of informal talks in June and agreed decision making is an in-person affair, to occur at the next formal meeting. (The day after this article was originally published, the UNCCD announced its COP will take place in 2022. A virtual ExCOP will adopt an interim budget this year.)
53rd bis Session of the IPCC (IPCC-53 bis)
Delegates sought to advance the intergovernmental process around the IPCC’s influential climate change reports despite the pandemic, the virtual setting, and simmering tensions.
7th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum
Forum participants agreed to a set of recommendations based on five enabling conditions: climate governance, planning and processes, science and assessment, technologies and practice, the need to value capital in all its dimensions, and finance and investment. The Forum deepened discussion on each enabler through four thematic resilience streams, namely inclusive resilience, nature-based resilience, economic sector resilience, and community and local resilience.
7th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-7)
ARFSD 7 adopted the “Brazzaville Declaration”, and a summary report articulating African priorities, policy options and recommendations for the regions input to the 2021 HLPF.
High-Level Dialogue on Energy Technical Working Groups
Actors from UN and international agencies, national governments, and business, academic, and civil society organizations came together to provide input on five themes (energy access; energy transition; enabling SDGs through inclusive, just energy transitions; innovation, technology and data; and finance and investment) to inform the upcoming High-level Dialogue on Energy that will be held under the auspices of the UN General Assembly.
Climate Ambition Summit 2020
On the fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the United Nations, United Kingdom, and France, in partnership with Chile and Italy, co-convened a high-level event to mobilize government and non-governmental leaders to demonstrate their commitment to the Paris Agreement and the multilateral process.
59th Meeting of the GEF Council
The Council meetings included extensive discussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, deliberating the pandemic’s impact on project management, and considered a white paper by the GEF COVID-19 Task Force outlining how environmental action can reduce future threats of disease outbreak. The GEF Council also endorsed a new private sector engagement strategy, outlining how the GEF will work in a systematic manner with industry groups, companies, and investors to reverse unsustainable global trends and deliver global environmental benefits.
UN Climate Change Dialogues 2020
With COP 26 delayed due to COVID-19, the UNFCCC decided to hold a series of virtual events to keep climate action and momentum alive, implement mandated events for 2020, and discuss ongoing and emerging issues, such as a sustainable recovery from the pandemic.
High-level Roundtable on Climate Action
In a moderated roundtable event that included remarks by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, global climate leaders highlighted the "boldest actions" on the Secretary-General’s “6 climate-positive actions”, which were launched on Earth Day.
Coverage of Selected Side Events at the UN Summits Week 2020
The 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly opened with a gathering of world leaders from 23-29 September 2020. These leaders and other stakeholders participated in a series of summits, high-level meetings and side events.