The last great hope of avoiding catastrophic climate change may lie in a substance so commonplace that we typically ignore it or else walk all over it: the soil beneath our feet. The earth possesses five major pools of carbon. Of those pools, the atmosphere is already overloaded with the stuff; the…

Damage to vulnerable infrastructure caused by climate hazards could triple by the 2020s and rise over ten-fold by the end of the century.

Hadjara Ali watched with displeasure as a tractor dug trenches through the parched earth in her remote Niger village, preparing ground for planting where grass has not grown in years. By using machines, women will no longer be obliged to do the back-breaking work left by men who leave their villages…

COP23 adopted gender action plan that co-opts women in climate change fight. Women’s roles to include decision making in adaptation, mitigation processes. But impact of gender-sensitive projects is unclear and traditional values could be barrier

The EEA ‘Environmental Indicator Report 2017’ gives an overview of the EU’s progress towards 29 environmental policy objectives. These are relevant to the achievement of the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) three key priority objectives: natural capital; resource-efficient, low-carbon economy…

With the reality of climate change becoming more real by the day, including its impact on food sources, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is urging communities around the world not to take the prickly cactus for granted. “Climate change and the increasing risks of droughts…

The Global Soil Organic Carbon Map (GSOCmap) is not just a map! It is also a consultative and participatory process involving 110 countries, which makes this map totally new and unique! The GSOCmap provides users with very useful information to monitor the soil condition, identify degraded areas…

Desertification is a very broad term, which has been defined in many different ways. One definition is “land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub- humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities".

This Policy Brief considers the interlinkages between climate change, migration and security. It argues that despite the lack of scientific consensus the potential consequences are too large to ignore and no-regret policy options should be adopted. Furthermore it discusses the relationship between…

Part of the project “Enabling the use of global data sources to assess and monitor land degradation at multiple scales”

To commemorate International Translation Day, celebrated every year on 30 September, the Languages Service of the Division of Conference Management of the United Nations Office at Geneva is pleased to announce the launch of the 2017 St. Jerome Translation Contest.

Each year the Global Risks Report works with experts and decision-makers across the world to identify and analyze the most pressing risks that we face. As the pace of change accelerates, and as risk interconnections deepen, this year’s report highlights the growing strain we are placing on many of…

With the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration underway, review finds successes and many challenges ahead to restore Africa’s degraded lands and improve livelihoods