Climate action is now officially about defending our human rights
The official countdown to COP26 is on! In two weeks, world leaders will get together in Glasgow, Scotland, to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Young people, environmental activists, indigenous communities, and many others who want to make our planet healthier and end the war on nature are expecting concrete actions and credible plans to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.
UN News will be on the ground in Glasgow from 1 to 12 November, bringing you daily coverage from the United Nations Climate Conference. News stories, features, videos and even a daily podcast will be making their way to your inbox.
In the meantime, we can tell you that the past two weeks were filled with wins for the environment. The highlight: For the first time ever, the UN Human Rights Council recognized access to a “safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment” as a basic human right. This move, by the world’s top intergovernmental human rights body, sparked global celebrations (we’ve got all the details for you in our featured story).
Also, more than 100 countries committed to develop, adopt and implement a plan to put our planet's biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030, and thousands of experts are right now reunited at the second UN Sustainable Transport Conference finding ways to make transport more climate-friendly and accessible for all. And if that wasn’t enough good news, after a five-year absence, rare flamingos returned to Kazakhstan, right on time for World Migratory Bird Day.
We are also celebrating today World Food Day and you can become a food hero by taking simple actions to help transform our food systems and even get healthier in the process.
Important reports on climate change and water, as well as on coral reefs and infrastructure were also released, and a UN Development Programme platform allowing you to send messages to global leaders attending COP26 is ready to use.
Now that you have all the information: scroll down for some of the best UN climate content. Next stop, Glasgow!
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On 8 October, loud and unusual applause reverberated around the chamber of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. A battle fought for decades by environmental activists and rights’ defenders, had finally borne fruit.
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For the first time ever, the United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world, passed a resolution recognising access to a healthy and sustainable environment as a universal right.
But why is this recognition important, and what does it mean for climate change-affected communities?
There are six key things you need to know, compiled by us here at UN News.
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Biodiversity commitment builds hope for ‘living in harmony with nature’
More than 100 countries are committed to develop, adopt and implement an effective post-2020 global framework, that aims to put biodiversity on a path to recovery, by 2030 at the latest.
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Sustainable transport key to green energy shift: UN Secretary-General
With global transport at a crossroads, government leaders, industry experts, and civil society groups are meeting in Beijing, China, for a UN conference to chart the way forward to a more sustainable future for the sector, and greater climate action overall.
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Global health community prescribes climate action for COVID recovery
Ambitious national climate commitments are crucial for States to sustain a healthy, green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new UN health agency report.
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COP26: It’s (almost) here
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What's COP? What's a stake? What's happening day by day?
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Featured video: Industry and a livable planet
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Here’s our dilemma: we need industry to make the things we need, like cars, buses, tractors and computers. But we also need a clean, livable planet.
Leading Indian environmentalist Sunita Narain says we can have both, by using the right sources of energy and cutting back on waste.
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Sunita Narain: "We have the power and knowledge to create a world with billions of green jobs"
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No Denying It, the UN Climate Action Podcast
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Episode 7: Mamadou Ndiaye Introduces Cassia Moraes
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You aren’t alone. You just haven’t found your community yet.
Cassia Moraes knows the power of community. She’s building a global network of young people, trained to take on climate jobs and to support each other in solving the climate crisis.
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Report: Decade of climate breakdown saw 14 per cent of coral reefs vanish
Between 2009 and 2018, the continuous rise in sea temperature cost the world 14 per cent of its coral reefs – that’s more than the size of Australia’s reefs combined.
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A call to action:
Dear World Leaders Campaign
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Are you worried about the future? now you can send a message to the Presidents and Primer Ministers attending COP26 and taking the decisions that will impact our planet for decades to come.
Dear World Leaders is an initiative by the UN Development Programme to raise awareness of the global climate crisis ahead of COP26 in Glasgow - and beyond.
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Social Media moment:
UN Secretary General calls for decisive action ahead of COP26.
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Featured from UN agencies:
Infrastructure for climate action
A new report from UNOPS, the UN Environment Programme and the University of Oxford has revealed the extent to which infrastructure defines our climate.
In a landmark finding, the research reveals that infrastructure is responsible for 79 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
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Interview corner:
Safe and sustainable transport
Many developed countries have announced plans to ensure that fossil-fuel powered cars will be taken off the roads in the coming decades, but Jean Todt, the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, stresses that, in developing countries, much more immediate concerns, such as access to public transport and reducing accidents, need to be addressed as a priority.
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Can we make transport safe and sustainable? An interview with motorsport chief, Jean Todt
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From UN Climate Change
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Overrepresentation of Men in UN Climate Process Persists
New reports published ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow in November show that decision-making and technical panels under UN Climate Change (known as “constituted bodies”) are increasingly integrating a gender perspective into their work, but that male overrepresentation on constituted bodies and on government delegations still remains an issue of concern.
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The End of Coal?
The demand for new coal power plants has collapsed since the 2015 Paris Agreement, with more than 75 per cent of the planned coal plants being scrapped since the Paris Agreement was signed. It’s an uplifting statistic, and one that suggests coal’s days are numbered.
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Conversations to keep an eye on:
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In case you want to catch up:
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Here are more climate stories and blogs from other UN Agencies:
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DO YOUR PART FOR CLIMATE ACTION
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