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State of Global Water Resources 2023
The State of Global Water Resources report highlights severe stress on global water supplies, with five consecutive years of below-normal river flows and reservoir inflows. This shortage is affecting communities, agriculture, and ecosystems. In addition, glaciers experienced their largest mass loss in the last 50 years, with 2023 marking the second year of widespread ice loss globally. The report also highlights that 2023 was the hottest year on record, marked by prolonged droughts and widespread floods, driven by both the La Niña to El Niño transition and human-induced climate change. The report offers a global assessment of water resources, drawing on data from meteorological and hydrological services to inform decision-makers in water-sensitive sectors and disaster risk management. It complements the WMO's "State of the Global Climate" series. Now in its third year, this edition is the most comprehensive, including new data on lakes, reservoirs, soil moisture, and glaciers. It aims to build a global dataset of hydrological variables to support early warning systems for water-related hazards by 2027. With 3.6 billion people currently facing water shortages, projected to exceed 5 billion by 2050, the report underscores the urgent need for action to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation.
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Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization 2024
Resolve
Author: United NationsThe Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization (A/79/1) is issued in response to Article 98 of the UN Charter and highlights how the UN Secretariat translates resources into impact. The Report covers nine sections: (i) forging pathways for sustainable development; (ii) fostering peace and security; (iii) propelling African growth; (iv) upholding human rights; (v) securing humanitarian assistance; (vi) advancing justice and international law; (vii) championing disarmament; (viii) combating drugs, crime and terrorism; and (ix) enhancing our operations. The e-book for this publication has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.
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United in Science 2024
A Multi-organization High-level Compilation of the Latest Weather, Climate, Water and Related Environmental and Social Sciences for the Future
The science is clear – greenhouse gas emissions are rising, global temperatures are shattering records, and extreme weather is wreaking havoc with our lives and our economies. Urgent and ambitious action is needed to support sustainable development, climate action and disaster risk reduction. The decisions we make today could mean the difference between a future of breakdown or a breakthrough to a better world for people and the planet. United in Science 2024 emphasizes the transformative impact of new technologies and innovative approaches across weather, climate, water and related environmental and social sciences. From artificial intelligence (AI) to cutting‑edge satellite technologies and virtual realities that bridge the physical and digital worlds, scientific and technological advances are enhancing weather, climate, water and related environmental applications as well as informing strategies for responding to global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development. The report also underscores the necessity of transdisciplinary approaches that help apply science and technology in local contexts and boost their impact by embracing diverse knowledge, perspectives and experiences to co-develop and implement solutions. While significant gaps and challenges remain, enhanced collaboration across scales is essential to harness the full potential of weather, climate, water and related environmental and social sciences to ensure that their benefits are accessible to all.
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State of the Climate in Africa 2023
The WMO report on the State of the Climate in Africa 2023 is the fifth annual report on the climate in WMO Regional Association I (Africa). It provides an assessment of past and current climate trends across the African continent using the latest data and information on extreme weather and climate events and their socioeconomic impacts. Over the past 60 years, Africa has recorded a warming trend that has become more rapid than the global average. In 2023, the continent experienced heatwaves, heavy rains, floods, tropical cyclones, and prolonged droughts. While many countries in the Horn of Africa and north-western Africa continued to suffer from exceptional multi-year drought, others experienced extreme precipitation events leading to flooding with significant casualties. These extreme events had devastating impacts on communities, with serious economic implications. The report is the result of a multi-agency effort, with contributions from African National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), WMO Regional Climate Centres (RCCs), specialized United Nations agencies and international organizations, the African Development Bank, the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) project, and numerous experts and scientists.
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State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2023
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2023 report details how sea level rise in the region is above the global average. Sea surface temperatures have risen three times faster than the global average since 1980. During that time marine heatwaves have approximately doubled in frequency since 1980 and are more intense and are lasting longer. The report was prepared in cooperation with National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and other United Nations agencies and international partners. It also looks at climate drivers in 2023 – including the last El Niño event – temperature, precipitation and extreme events like tropical cyclones, drought and extreme heat in the region.
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The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 presents how far we have come towards reaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The report warns that with just six years remaining to the 2030 deadline, and nearly a year from reaffirmed commitments at the SDG Summit, current progress falls far short of what is required to meet the targets outlined in the 2030 Agenda. The scarring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating conflicts, geopolitical tensions, and growing climate chaos are hitting SDG progress hard. The report reveals that only 17 per cent of the SDG targets are on track, with nearly half showing minimal or moderate progress, and over one-third stalling or regressing. The report documents increasing global inequalities, with an additional 23 million people pushed into extreme poverty and over 100 million more suffering from hunger in 2022 compared to 2019. For the first time this century, per-capita GDP growth in half of the world’s most vulnerable nations is slower than that in advanced economies. Overall global health progress has decelerated alarmingly since 2015. Many countries have experienced declines in student math and reading skills. Wars are upending millions of lives. The number of forcibly displaced people has reached an unprecedented level, nearly 120 million by May 2024 and civilian casualties spiked by 72 per cent between 2022 and 2023. Environmental crises are threatening the foundations of planetary ecosystems. 2023 was the warmest year on record, with global temperatures nearing the critical 1.5°C threshold. Greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to reach new highs.
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WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update
Target Years: 2024 and 2024-2028
The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update is issued annually by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It provides a synthesis of the global annual to decadal predictions produced by the WMO-designated Global Producing Centres and other contributing centres for 2024-2028. According to the latest report, there is an 80 percent likelihood that the annual average global temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years. The global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2024 and 2028 is predicted to be between 1.1°C and 1.9°C higher than the 1850-1900 baseline. It says that it is likely (86%) that at least one of these years will set a new temperature record, beating 2023 which is currently the warmest year.
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State of the Climate in Latin America and the Caribbean 2023
The present WMO report is the fourth in an annual series starting with the year 2020. It summarizes the observed climate trends and high-impact events, as well as associated socioeconomic impacts, in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Tropical cyclones, heavy precipitation and flooding events, extreme heat and severe droughts led to significant human and economic losses in the region throughout 2023. The second half of 2023 was particularly influenced globally by El Niño conditions, which contributed to a record warm year and exacerbated extreme events in the region. This happened on top of well-established long-term climate change and the associated rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events. The report highlights the advances made in integrating meteorological data into health surveillance (focusing on disease), reflecting a move towards stronger public health strategies. Despite this improvement, there is still a need for substantial developments and investments in weather services infrastructure and tailored climate services.
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State of the Climate in Asia 2023
The WMO State of the Climate in Asia 2023, is the fourth edition of climate reports published annually for this region and has involved National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), WMO Regional Climate Centres (RCCs), and several research institutions, as well as United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations. The report provides the status of key climate indicators and latest data and information on impacts, risks and policy from United Nations agencies. It addresses specific physical science, socio-economic and policy aspects that are relevant to Asia and responds to Members needs in the fields of climate monitoring, climate change and climate services.
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European State of the Climate 2023
Summary
In 2023, the impacts of climate change continued to be seen across Europe, with millions of people impacted by extreme weather events, making the development of mitigation and adaptation measurements a priority. To achieve this, understanding climate trends is vital. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), together with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), today release the 2023 European State of the Climate report (ESOTC 2023). The report provides descriptions and analysis of climate conditions and variations from across the Earth system, key events and their impacts, and a discussion of climate policy and action with a focus on human health. The ESOTC also includes updates on the long-term evolution of key Climate Indicators.
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State of the Global Climate 2023
The publication provides a summary on the state of the climate indicators in 2023 with sections on key climate indicators, extreme events and impacts. The indicators include global temperatures, greenhouse gas concentration, ocean heat content, sea level rise, ocean acidification, Arctic and Antarctic Sea ice, Greenland ice sheet and glaciers and snow cover, precipitation and stratospheric ozone, with an analysis of major drivers of inter-annual climate variability during the year including the El Niño Southern Oscillation and other ocean and atmospheric indices. The highlighted extreme events include those related to tropical cyclones and windstorms, flooding, drought and extreme heat and cold events. The publication also provides most recent finding on climate related risks and impacts including on food security and population displacement.
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Green Finance and Decarbonization of Petrochemicals
Slim Pickings in a Crucial but Hard-to-abate Industry
The petrochemical industry is a little studied but crucial sector that needs to rapidly ramp up its climate ambition if it is to align with the SDGs and contribute to the objectives of the Green New Deal. The implications of not doing this are significant, both in terms of the environment (petrochemicals being a major producer of carbon emissions, chemical pollutants and plastic), and in terms of potentially provoking financial and economic instability and “climate Minsky” shock. This paper builds on a previous study by the authors that analysed thousands of financial transactions to identify the respective roles played by public and private banks, bond markets and other sources of capital in this sector. This paper now digs deeper into so-called “green” finance and, in particular the market-based mechanism of green bonds. It draws on empirical evidence from global financial databases and development banks, and from case-study analysis of two development-bank financed green bond issues to the petrochemical sector. Both issuances are in Asia, the world’s manufacturing hub and driving force behind increased petrochemicals production and facilities. Lessons learned here are extremely relevant for the climate change debate, as the region is at the forefront where impact will be greatest in the near-term. This paper finds that “green finance” is at best marginal, so that significant chances are needed in the provision of finance to the petrochemical industry, if it is to influence the region’s green transition and meeting the goals of Agenda 2030. Market mechanisms still offer only the slimmest pickings, making it likely that dedicated public financial institutions such as public banks will be required for any major investment push.
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