UN environment agency calls for urgent action on ‘triple planetary crisis’

UN environment agency calls for urgent action on ‘triple planetary crisis’

Harnessing the power of wind, wind turbines offer a clean and sustainable source of energy.

UNDP/Sergei Gapon Harnessing the power of wind, wind turbines offer a clean and sustainable source of energy.

   

By Vibhu Mishra

18 February 2025 

Climate and Environment

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) called on Tuesday for urgent action to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, warning that progress on all fronts remains slow and uneven.

“Last year brought both successes and disappointments in global efforts to tackle the triple planetary crisis,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, introducing the agency’s latest Annual Report.

She also pointed to ongoing geopolitical tensions that are hindering environmental cooperation.

“Environmental multilateralism is sometimes messy and arduous. But even in complex geopolitical times, collaboration across borders and across our differences is the only option to protect the foundation of humanity’s existence – Planet Earth.”

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Ambitious climate targets vital

UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2024 warned that countries must cut emissions by 42 per cent by 2030 to keep global warming within the 1.5°C target agreed in the landmark Paris Agreement.

Without drastic action, temperatures could rise between 2.6°C and 3.1°C this century, climate models warn, with catastrophic consequences.

UNEP is actively working with over 60 low and middle-income countries to accelerate their transition to electric vehicles, part of a larger push to cut emissions from the transport sector.

UN scientists highlight the kind of national projects making a difference, including Antigua and Barbuda procuring fleets of electric buses, and Kenya introducing legislation for major investments in electric motorcycles and public transit.

Ending plastic pollution

Plastic pollution, one of the most pressing global environmental threats, is another major focus, as international efforts continue to negotiate a legally binding ban.

In Busan last year, 29 out of 32 articles of a new global plastic treaty were agreed. However, negotiations are continuing on a final text.

UNEP is calling on countries to bridge their differences before the next round of negotiations.

“Nations must work towards agreeing on a strong instrument to end plastic pollution before the seventh UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in December,” Ms. Andersen said.

A call for greater action

The UNEP head called for bolder commitments, particularly as countries prepare to submit their next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to limit global warming later in February.

“Humanity is not out of the woods,” Ms. Andersen warned.

“Temperatures are rising, ecosystems are disappearing, and pollution remains a deadly threat. These are global problems that require global solutions. The world must pull together to build a fairer, more sustainable planet.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1160236

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Scaling up or losing steam?

 Parliamentarians debate the future of the SDGs

13 February 2025

As the clock ticks toward 2030, parliamentarians gathered at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday to assess the state of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and the verdict was anything but unanimous.

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Amid deepening global debt, taxation disputes and a widening gap between ambition and action, tensions flared over how (and whether) the SDGs can still be salvaged.The meeting, themed Scaling up Action for the Sustainable Development Goals: Finance, Institutions and Politics, underscored the urgency of rebooting the 2030 Agenda.“We are far behind from where we need to be on almost every single one of the SDGs,” said President of the General Assembly Philémon Yang.With only 17 percent of SDG targets reportedly on track, the discussions revealed sharp divides over priorities and outlook.Some called for renewed commitment; others questioned whether the goals should be replaced entirely.

Debt and developmentDebt emerged as a key sticking point, with countries like Malta and Morocco pointing to the “great difficulty” of accessing financial mechanisms designed to support SDG implementation. The Benin delegate went further, arguing that global wealth remains unevenly distributed, requiring structural concessions for heavily indebted nations.But there was little consensus on solutions.

Cyprus defended its tailored tax system, arguing that small service-based economies cannot afford high taxes without stunting growth essential to development.Meanwhile, Chile warned of the increasing use of tariffs as leverage in global decision-making, raising concerns about economic coercion in an already unequal system.US economist Jeffrey Sachs, a leading voice on global development, called for action based on “fundamental fairness”, emphasising that many developing nations bear no historical responsibility for climate change yet struggle to access funding for basic needs.“The money is there, believe me, it's there” he said, “but it's not flowing to the low income and lower middle-income countries right now.

”Political will: Commitment or fatigue?Despite the financial hurdles, UN officials insisted that a lack of political will remains a fundamental barrier.Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy challenged the perception of weak national ownership of the SDGs, noting that while commitment exists, it has not translated into sufficient results.“17 percent doesn’t look like a pass rate,” he admitted.

 Nevertheless, “What would the figures have been like if there never had been the SDGs? What would the world look like?”, he put to the room.Still, frustrations ran high. Some delegates questioned the effectiveness of existing frameworks.A delegate from Sweden called for replacing the SDGs with new, more relevant goals, arguing that the 17 goals agreed amid fanfare in 2015 had run their course.

Morocco pushed back, warning that abandoning existing commitments before they are achieved would be futile. “We must achieve what we adopted in 2015,” the delegate stated.Nigeria offered a middle ground, suggesting a redesigned approach to align national interests with global multilateralism.

Meanwhile, a parliamentarian from Qatar reflected on lessons from the SDGs’ predecessor, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), noting that while many targets were unmet, they laid the groundwork for future progress.Where next for the SDGs?As the meeting wrapped up, it was clear that while the SDGs remain the most ambitious global development framework, the road ahead is fraught with challenges.

National priorities continue to clash with multilateral ambitions and financial constraints risk derailing progress even further.But if there was one point of agreement, it was that inaction is not an option.As President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Tulia Ackson reminded delegates, “We must be willing to think less in terms of our own political interest and more in terms of the common good.”Citing Nelson Mandela, she added: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

https://news.un.org/ru/story/2025/02/1461211

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Генеральный секретарь ООН в Париже: «Мы не готовы к будущему ИИ»

Фото ООН

 

Глава ООН Антониу Гутерриш на саммите в Париже.

11 февраля 2025 

Экономическое развитие

Мир не готов к будущему ИИ, заявил сегодня в Париже на Саммите по вопросам действий в области искусственного интеллекта Генеральный секретарь ООН Антониу Гутерриш. «Мы, может быть, даже не готовы к настоящему», – сказал он.

ИИ, который когда-то был предметом «научной фантастики», теперь стал мощной силой, трансформирующей мир, подчеркнул Генсек. «ИИ меняет то, как мы живем, работаем и взаимодействуем», – отметил он. ИИ способствует прорывам в таких сферах, как образование, здравоохранение и сельское хозяйство, но при этом бросает вызов ценностям и правам людей.

Не допустить неравенства в сфере ИИ

Использование ИИ связано с огромной ответственностью, сказал Гутерриш. Сегодня возможности ИИ сосредоточены в руках немногих: в то время как некоторые компании и страны делают рекордные инвестиции в соответствующие технологии, большинство развивающихся стран остаются в стороне, подчеркнул Генеральный секретарь, призвав не допустить неравенства в сфере ИИ.

«Нам нужны скоординированные усилия для создания устойчивой цифровой инфраструктуры в беспрецедентных масштабах», – заявил Гутерриш.

«Сегодняшний запуск Фонда ИИ для общественных интересов является важным вкладом», – добавил он.

Управление ИИ: технологии должны служить человечеству

ООН предлагает инклюзивную, прозрачную и эффективную платформу для управления ИИ. «Мы работаем над укреплением этой платформы», – заявил он.

Принятый на Саммите будущего в прошлом году Глобальный цифровой пакт включает в себя первое универсальное соглашение по управлению ИИ. «Он объединяет мир вокруг общей цели: технологии должны служить человечеству, а не наоборот», – сказал Генсек.

Создание Независимой международной научной панели по ИИ станет ключевым шагом в реализации этого видения. «Эта панель будет способствовать общему пониманию рисков, преимуществ, возможностей и способностей ИИ», – отметил глава ООН. Он призвал международное сообщество поддержать создание этой панели.

Государства-члены также договорились создать Глобальный диалог по управлению ИИ в рамках ООН, чтобы все страны могли участвовать в формировании будущего ИИ. «Через Глобальный диалог мы можем согласовать усилия по управлению ИИ по всему миру», – сказал Гутерриш.

Вице-президент США Джей Ди Вэнс предостерег от чрезмерно строгого контроля над искусственным интеллектом. «Чрезмерное регулирование сектора ИИ может убить преобразующую отрасль, которая только начинает набирать обороты», – добавил он.

ИИ и климат

Глава ООН отметил, что ИИ может стать важным инструментом в борьбе с изменением климата, но он также может создать дополнительную нагрузку на природные ресурсы.

«Необходимо разрабатывать алгоритмы ИИ и инфраструктуру, которые потребляют меньше энергии», – подытожил он.

«ИИ не заменит творчество»

Выступая на саммите, певец Фаррелл Уильямс отверг опасения относительно того, что ИИ может сделать людей ненужными или отобрать у них работу. «Вокруг этого существует слишком много страхов», – сказал он.

«Мы не будем использовать ИИ, чтобы написать песню», – заявил Уильямс, добавив, что технологии «не заменят творчество».

https://news.un.org/ru/story/2025/02/1461211

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It’s official: January was the warmest on record

© Unsplash/Craig Manners

 

January 2025 was the warmest since records began, at 1.75°C above the pre-industrial level.

6 February 2025

 Climate and Environment

The world has just experienced the hottest January ever recorded, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday, citing data crunched by UN partner the Copernicus Climate Service

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Last month was 1.75 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level and 0.79°C above the 1991-2020 average, despite expectations that the La Nina weather phenomenon might bring cooler temperatures.

In 2015, the international community agreed to try to limit average global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Surprise data

The January data was “surprising” even to climate change experts at Copernicus, the European climate change service, which noted that it was the 18th month in the last 19 where the global-average surface air temperature was more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level.

“January 2025 is another surprising month, continuing the record temperatures observed throughout the last two years, despite the development of La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific and their temporary cooling effect on global temperatures,” said Samantha Burgess, Copernicus Strategic Lead for Climate.

For many in the northern hemisphere January 2025 will be remembered by “wetter-than-average conditions” over western Europe, as well as parts of Italy, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries, Copernicus said, highlighting “heavy precipitation” and flooding in some regions.

Regional variations

On the other hand, drier than average conditions were recorded in the northern UK and Ireland, eastern Spain and north of the Black Sea.

Beyond Europe, it was wetter than average in Alaska, Canada, central and eastern Russia, eastern Australia, southeastern Africa, and southern Brazil, with regions experiencing floods and associated damage.

But drier-than-average conditions took hold in southwestern United States and northern Mexico, northern Africa, the Middle East, across Central Asia and in eastern China as well as in much of southern Africa, southern South America and Australia.

Global temperature rise is primarily attributed to humans burning fossil fuels which have led to record concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Other factors are also key, including deforestation. 

https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/02/1159846

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