UN weather agency warns of water crisis without urgent reforms
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Global water resource management is “fragmented and inadequate” and countries should urgently adopt reforms to ramp up financing and boost cooperation on emergency warning systems ahead of a looming crisis, the UN weather agency said on Tuesday. Climate change is expected to increase water-related hazards such as droughts and floods while the number […]
UN says world likely to miss climate targets despite COVID pause in emissions
Zurich, SwitzerlandReuters The pace of climate change has not been slowed by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the world remains behind in its battle to cut carbon emissions, the United Nations said on Thursday. The virus-related economic downturn caused only a temporary downturn in CO2 emissions last year and it was not enough to reverse […]
Air quality improved slightly in 2020 during lockdowns, UN agency says
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Key air pollutants temporarily plunged by unprecedented levels during coronavirus lockdowns last year, with fine particle pollution falling by more than a third across parts of Asia, a UN agency said on Friday. Particulate matter (PM 2.5) fell by up to 40 per cent across Africa, South America and Southern Asia and by […]
Weather disasters killed two million in last 50 years, UN agency says
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The number of disasters, such as floods and heatwaves, driven by climate change have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, killing more than two million people and costing $US3.64 trillion in total losses, a UN agency said on Wednesday. The World Meteorological Organization says its “Atlas” is the most comprehensive review of […]
2019 was second-hottest year ever, more extreme weather coming – WMO
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Last year was the second-hottest year since records began, the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday, adding that heat was likely to lead to more extreme weather events like the Australian bushfires in 2020 and beyond. The figures from the Geneva-based WMO crunches several datasets including from NASA and the UK Met Office. […]
It’s official: India just experienced its hottest decade on record
New Delhi, IndiaThomson Reuters Foundation The past decade was India’s hottest on record, with extreme heat directly killing about 350 people last year, the national meteorological department’s chief said on Tuesday. India has faced some of the fastest-rising threats from climate change, environmentalists say, with increases in blistering heat, powerful cyclones, drought and flooding. Between […]
Global temperature rises could bring “destructive” effects, UN says
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Global temperatures could rise sharply this century with “wide-ranging and destructive” consequences after greenhouse gas emissions hit record levels last year, international climate experts warned on Tuesday. The head of the World Meteorological Organization said global temperatures could rise by three to five degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century – more than […]
Baking cities advance ‘slowly’ in race against rising heat threat
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation With urban populations surging around the world, cities will struggle to keep residents safe from fast-growing heat risks turbo-charged by climate change, scientists and public health experts warned this week. Heat is already the leading cause of deaths from extreme weather in countries including the United States. The problem is particularly […]
July may set global record as hottest in recorded history – United Nations
New York City, USThomson Reuters Foundation The planet endured what may have been the hottest July in history, the World Meteorological Organization said on Thursday, just a week after a European heat wave shattered all-time records and also coming on the heels of the world’s warmest-ever June. The month’s first 29 days were marginally warmer […]