By Shanta Roy NEW YORK (IDN) – The much-publicized Climate Action Summit, hosted by the United Nations on September 23, took off on a not-so-positive note even though it was billed as a high-level meeting of world political leaders. Despite dire warnings from UN Secretary-General António Guterres of an impending “climate emergency” – with hurricanes, […]
UN Reviews the SAMOA Pathway for Most Vulnerable Countries
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Progress made in addressing the priorities of the highly vulnerable small island developing States (SIDS) will draw the focus of the United Nations General Assembly when it conducts a high-level review of the SAMOA Pathway on September 27 as part of the ACTION FOR PEOPLE AND PLANET that […]
New Report Highlights Growing Gap Between Global Targets and Climate Reality
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – A landmark new report has underlined the glaring – and growing – gap between agreed targets to tackle global warming and the actual reality. The report, United in Science, includes details on the state of the climate and presents trends in the emissions and atmospheric concentrations of […]
Leaders Demand Urgent Climate Action in Dorian’s Wake
By Josephine Latu-Sanft The writer is Senior Communications Officer, Communications Division, Commonwealth Secretariat. LONDON (IDN) – In the lead up to September 23 global climate summit in New York and barely two weeks after Hurricane Dorian battered The Bahamas, the Commonwealth’s top official is calling for urgent action to tackle climate change and its disastrous […]
Outer Space, the Common Heritage of Mankind, In Peril
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK (IDN) – The world’s arms race—which is being played out with sophisticated weapons largely in the battle fields of Asia and the Middle East – is steadily advancing into a new frontier: outer space. And he who dominates outer space, argue military analysts projecting into the future, may perhaps dominate […]
Need to Boost Climate Finance for Developing Countries
By Robert Johnson PARIS (IDN) – A new report will call for attention when climate finance provided and mobilized by developed countries for climate action in developing countries is discussed at the Climate Action Summit at the UN in New York on September 23 and in the run-up to the COP25 climate talks in Santiago […]
Extinction ‘Imminent’ for Small Islands
By Sean Buchanan NEW YORK | GENEVA (IDN) – Islands are often emblazoned across tourism pamphlets, glorified as the epitome of natural beauty and portrayed as idyllic places of escape. But this image is far from the dark reality they face. Changes in sea level, temperature, precipitation, a growing number of extreme storms and floods, […]
Introducing the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative
UN Messenger of Peace @JaneGoodallInst introduces @IRIforests, a new global effort uniting people of all faiths to end tropical deforestation. Watch the video and share this important message: InterfaithRainforest.org/video #FaithsForForests
‘Green Tickets’ for First Ever UN Youth Climate Summit
UN Chief Urges Young People Worldwide to Join Online and in Local Communities By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – In an obvious expression of support for the ‘FridaysforFuture’ movement, whose initiator Greta Thunberg is sailing to New York, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is keen to mobilize youth for what he has termed […]
Prosecutors Are Key to Progressing Environmental Law
By UN Environment NAIROBI (IDN) – If human society is to stay within the bounds of critical ecological thresholds, it is imperative that environmental laws are widely understood, respected and enforced. This is the environmental rule of law. Since the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development of 1992, the world has converged on protecting our […]