Be informed. Be challenged. Be inspired.

Trump withdraws from Paris climate agreement, again

Washington DC, US Reuters President Donald Trump once again withdrew the United States from the Paris climate deal on Monday, removing the world’s biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade. The move places the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries […]

Last year was the hottest year on record, scientists say

Brussels, Belgium Reuters Global temperatures in 2024 exceeded 1.5 Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time, bringing the world closer to breaching the pledge governments made under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, scientists said on Friday. The World Meteorological Organization confirmed the 1.5 degrees breach, after reviewing data from US, UK, Japan and […]

United Nations warily awaits Donald Trump’s return to power

United Nations Reuters The United Nations has been planning for the possible return of Donald Trump and the cuts to US funding and engagement with world body that are likely to come with his second term as president. There was a sense of “déjà vu and some trepidation” at the 193-member world body, said one […]

As plastic treaty talks open, countries more divided than ever

Reuters Countries are under pressure to make progress on a first-ever global plastics treaty this week, but they face tense negotiations in the Canadian capital with parties deeply divided over what the treaty should include as talks begin on Tuesday. If governments can agree on a legally binding treaty that addresses not just how plastics […]

Pope Francis reflects on three decades of international cooperation on climate change

Pope arrives at general audience Nov 2019

Vatican City RNS Only a few days after the United States officially gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, Pope Francis took the opportunity to praise a gathering of environmental regulators meeting in Rome this week.  In a statement to participants of the 31st meeting for the Montreal Protocol on Substances […]

US House backs Paris agreement in first climate bill in a decade

The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed its first climate change bill in a decade, voting 231-190 to require that Trump administration keep the United States as a party to the Paris climate agreement. The Climate Action Now Act would require President Donald Trump to develop a plan for the United States to meet […]

“No tomorrow” for many unless consumption falls – UN

Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Global exploitation of natural resources – from water, sand and timber to oil, coal and gemstones – has more than tripled in 50 years, the United Nations said on Tuesday, warning of devastating environmental impacts unless demand is reduced. Surging consumption of natural resources – 92 billion tonnes in 2017 – […]