Combating Desertification and Drought

UNCCD COP16 Raises Hopes for Ambitious Global Land Action

By Stella Paul
While many delegates at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16) hope that this could be the convention’s own Paris moment—referring to the historic Paris agreement inked by UNFCCC signatories—however, this hedges heavily on the UN parties’ seriousness to combat drought, desertification and land degradation.

Courage, not Compromise? A Rallying Cry that Failed a Deadlocked COP Meeting

By Simone Galimberti
Courage and not compromise. That was the motto desperately launched by members of the civil society in the twilight of the negotiations of the Plastic Pollution Treaty in Busan, South Korea last week.

Arab Region Leaders, Experts Gather to Find Solutions to Water Scarcity, Sustainable Development

By Joyce Chimbi
The Arab region is among the most water-scarce areas globally, as nearly 392 million people live in countries facing water scarcity or absolute water scarcity. So dire is the situation that, of the 22 Arab countries, 19 fall below the annual threshold for water scarcity in renewable resources, defined as 1,000 cubic meters per person.

Forest Fires in the Amazon Threaten Earth’s Stability

By Oritro Karim
This year has been the worst for the Amazon rainforest in almost two decades. Although there has been a measured decline in deforestation when compared to 2023, forest fires have ravaged acres of critical ecosystems. For the first eight months of this year, the Amazon has seen routine forest fires, totalling to over 53,000 recorded instances.

Explainer: COP16—What’s It About and What Does It Need to Achieve?

By Cecilia Russell
‘Peace with Nature’ is the theme for the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which will take place in Cali, Colombia, between October 21 and November 1, 2024.

Micro-Dams, a Solution to Water Shortages in Rural Brazil

By Mario Osava
Water shortage is over, springs have emerged or become perennial, small ponds with fish have formed and pastures have become greener and more permanent, all thanks to the ‘barraginhas’, the Portuguese name given in Brazil to micro-dams that retain rainwater and infiltrate it into the soil.

UNICEF Director of Global Communication and Advocacy Naysán Sahba visits Zambia


 

 
In Zambia, over 6.5 million people need humanitarian assistance because of the drought. 3.5 million of them are children.

The World Bank Must Double Its Fund for the Poorest Nations like Mine to Tackle Hunger Crisis

By Simplex Chithyola Banda
After El Niño-induced floods and devastating drought, roughly two in five people in Malawi – a country of some 20 million people – are now facing the looming prospect of acute hunger by the end of the year.

Transforming African Food Systems from the Ground Up

By Inga Jacobs-Mata, Maya Rajasekharan, Namukolo Covic and Moses Odeke
All news is local, they say. The same is true of innovations—those many new technologies, policies, and practices that steadily stream from research to enhance our lives.

A River’s Contrasts and Inequalities in the Arid Lands of Brazil

By Mario Osava
Osmir da Silva Rubez refuses to join the drip system, and is the only one among the 51 families living in the Mandacaru Public Irrigation Project in Juazeiro, a municipality in the state of Bahia, in the Northeast region of Brazil, to maintain the furrows that carry water to their crops.

World Environment Day 2024

Ecosystems are being threatened all over the world. From forests to drylands. From farmlands to lakes.

Rising Temperatures Drive Human-Wildlife Conflict in Zimbabwe

By Ignatius Banda
Rising temperatures are being blamed for an increase in human-wildlife conflicts in Zimbabwe as animals such as snakes leave their natural habitat earlier than usual.

Drought and Unequal Water Rights Threaten Family Farms in Chile

By Orlando Milesi
Lack of water threatens the very existence of family farming in Chile, forcing farmers to adopt new techniques or to leave their land. The shortage is caused by a 15-year drought and exacerbated by the unequal distribution arising from the Water Code decreed in 1981 by the 1973-1990 dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, which turned water into a tradable commodity and gave its owners rights in perpetuity.

Peru’s Andean Peoples ‘Revive’ Water that the Climate Crisis Is Taking From Them

By Mariela Jara
"The rich world has caused the climate change that is drying up our water sources, and here we are doing everything we can to recover them because otherwise we will die," said Juan Hilario Quispe, president of the small farming community of Muñapata, just over 50 kilometers from the Peruvian city of Cuzco.

For Africans, the Climate Debate Around the Role of Livestock Misses the Mark

By Huyam Salih and Appolinaire Djikeng
Africa is contending with a climate crisis it did not create without sufficient recognition for the unique rights and needs of the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population. Not only is the continent least responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, having historically produced just a tiny fraction, but it is also disproportionately impacted by the consequences of emissions generated elsewhere.

Beware Carbon Myopia at COP28: Why Climate and Nature Action Must Now Come Together in the Race for a Liveable Planet

By Midori Paxton
As COP28 delegates focus on the first Global Stocktake, there is no doubt that the race to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions is vital. But while electric vehicles and solar power uptake have seen visible and welcome progress in particular, the transition to a thriving future on a healthy planet requires much more than decarbonization alone.

Dear World Leaders, Are You Listening Now?

By Farhana Haque Rahman
Another year and another UN climate change conference. As our ‘world leaders’ prepare for two air-conditioned weeks of wrangling at COP28 in Dubai later this month, forgive us for sounding underwhelmed, despairing, and even cynical about these annual jamborees where actions rarely match promises.

Back to Nature to Avoid Water Collapse in the Capital of Chile

By Orlando Milesi
A return to nature is the main solution being promoted by communities and municipalities to avoid the water shortage that threatens to leave Santiago, the capital of Chile, home to more than 40 percent of the 19.5 million inhabitants of this South American country, without water.

Community Solutions Combat Water Shortages in Peru’s Highlands

By Mariela Jara
The lack of water is so severe in Peru's highlands that farming families are forced to sell their livestock because they cannot feed them. "There is no grass or fodder to feed them," says Fermina Quispe, a Quechua farmer from a rural community located at 4,200 meters above sea level.

Climate Change Turns African Rivers into Epicentres of Conflict

By Maina Waruru
Almost all major river basins in Africa have become the epicentres for conflicts over the last 20 years, and agricultural yields on the continent could drop by up to 50 percent in the coming years owing to the drying up of 'traditional' water sources, thanks in part to effects climate change and degradation of the environment, the inaugural edition of the State of Africa's Environment Report 2023 released in Nairobi finds.

El Niño’s Impact on Central America’s Small Farmers Is Becoming More Intense

By Edgardo Ayala
The effects of El Niño on agriculture in Central America are once again putting pressure on thousands of small farmer families who are feeling more vulnerable economically and in terms of food, as they lose their crops, due to climate change.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
*#*