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After three years of drought, more than 23 million people across parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia face severe hunger. When the region’s long-awaited rains arrived in March, they should have brought some relief. But instead, flash flooding inundated homes and farmland, washed away livestock, and closed schools and health facilities. Mortality and malnutrition rates remain a serious cause for concern. and partners launched a rapid scale up of life-saving assistance in drought-hit Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, which helped to keep famine at bay in Somalia.

Muhammad Kasim, his wife, and eldest son repair fish nets damaged during the recent floods. “We come from a family of fishermen. Fishing is in our blood – it is my badge of honour. It’s also our only source of income,” said Kasim. His lifelong profession and source of income for his large family is now in jeopardy until waters recede and ecological balance is restored. Income from fishing heavily depends on the season. As the floods struck during peak fishing season, local fishermen will have to seek other options to put food on the table. In 2022, the Government of Pakistan launched the “Living Indus” initiative to restore the river’s ecosystem, so the Indus basin can become resilient to climate change.

The UN’s  (IPCC) today released a – the first such comprehensive scientific assessment since the Paris Agreement – underscoring that effective options exist and need to be put into action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change. The UN Secretary-General called on every country and every sector to massively fast-track efforts to tackle the climate crisis, saying “our world needs climate action on all fronts – everything, everywhere, all at once.”

Our weather, climate, and water cycle know no boundaries. International cooperation is essential to contending with our changing climate.   (23 March) is a reminder of it. This year, the observance day also marks ’s 150th anniversary. Throughout this time, meteorological services have worked around the clock to collect and standardize data that underpin the weather forecasts we now take for granted. The history of WMO is a remarkable story of scientific vision, technological development, and a unique cooperation system to serve society. !

The (IPCC) is holding (13-17 March) in Switzerland. This is the last step towards the launch of its latest flagship publication, the , set to be released on 20 March. This document will provide policymakers with a high-level, up-to-date understanding of climate change, its impacts, future risks, and options for addressing it. During the session the Panel, consisting of 195 IPCC member governments, will conduct the final review and approval of this report, which is expected to confirm that inaction is no longer an option.

People everywhere are taking steps to be part of the solution to the climate crisis. More than 10 million actions have been logged through the UN’s ActNow campaign. ActNow is the United Nations campaign for individual action on climate change and sustainability. Every one of us can help limit global warming and take care of our planet. Learn more about the campaign and log in your actions through the .

The planet is experiencing a dangerous decline of nature due to human activity. One million plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. The recent adoption of the , a global blueprint to save the planet’s dwindling biodiversity, will try to reverse this nature loss through a package of ambitious targets. But why is biodiversity so crucial to combat climate change? Discover the reasons that make biodiversity our strongest natural defense against climate change.

Methane: you’ve probably heard of it, but what is it and why is it important to reduce it? Methane is a greenhouse gas mainly emitted from dumpsites, oil and gas wells, coal mines, wetlands and cow burps.

Faced with a growing energy crisis, record greenhouse gas concentrations, and increasing extreme weather events,  in Sharm el-Sheikh (6 to 18 November) see

On September 7, the UN marked the third International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. However, the skies are far from clear of air pollution. Only a month ago, the World Health Organization () warned that practically all the air we breathe is polluted, and that it’s killing around seven million people every year.

Conor Lennon from UN News spoke to Martina Otto and Nathan Borgford-Parnell from the , which is hosted by the UN Environment Programme (). They discussed the evolving science surrounding the issue, the extent to which air pollution is improving – if at all – and why international collaboration is essential, if the number of annual deaths is to be addressed.

Music: Ketsa, Within the Earth
Audio Credit: UN News/ Conor Lennon
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Malcolm Lightbody

Together with the Government of Japan, the UN Department of Political and 91�鶹����building Affairs (UN DPPA) developed a Virtual Reality (VR) experience on climate change in the Asia Pacific region. This documentary captures impressions of participants and comments of the organizers during the launch event for the VR experience in New York City. In April 2022, DPPA released the VR experience “Sea of Islands” that brings viewers virtually to the Pacific islands to see the impact of the climate crisis. It encourages viewers to grasp the urgency, scale and pressing nature of climate change.

Nature-based solutions like habitat restoration, reforestation, coastal protection and invasive species removal create jobs at over 

Thirty years ago, the Earth Summit, which took place in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, paved the way for the establishment of three major conventions on the environment - specifically on biodiversity, climate change and desertification. As countries meet on all three conventions in 2022,  and indigenous rights activist Hindou Ibrahim talks about the indispensable role that indigenous communities around the world play in protecting life on our planet - its biodiversity, land and climate. 

Rich and healthy soils are the basis of all life on Earth. Yet up to 40 percent of the planet’s land is degraded, affecting half the world’s population. Especially at risk are people living in drylands – covering 45 percent of the Earth’s surface – which are prone to desertification and the devastating impacts of climate-related shocks such as disease, drought, flooding and wildfire. Around 12 million hectares of land are lost each year to degradation.  and its partners are working towards a land degradation-neutral world, to support ecosystem functions and improve food security.

A mother of three children, Laiku Lama worked as a farmer in the mountainous district of Humla, one of the most isolated and underdeveloped regions in Nepal. In 2018, she left her family to board a plane for the first time in her life. After six months studying in India, she literally enlightened her village upon her return: as a newly certified solar technician, she installed solar home lighting in 220 houses, benefitting over 2,100 people. Laiku was one of three Lama women who became so-called Solar Mamas, thanks to a South-South cooperation initiative.