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In 2022, a third La Niña year brought much rain to Australia and Southeast Asia and dry conditions to the other side of the Pacific. These patterns were expected, but behind these variations there are troubling signs the entire global water cycle is changing. Our research team watches the global water cycle closely. We analyze observations from more than 40 satellites that continuously monitor…

​​​​​​​Land plays an essential role in the realization of a range of rights under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Secure and equitable access to, use of and control over land for individuals and communities can be essential to eradicate hunger and poverty and to guarantee the right to an adequate standard of living. The sustainable use of land is…

A lack of job opportunities is the leading factor driving people to join fast-growing violent extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new report released by the UN Development Programme . The report entitled, Journey to Extremism in Africa: Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement, underscores the importance of economic factors as drivers of recruitment. Lack of…

NEW DELHI: India during its G20 presidency will take forward three key environmental issues — land degradation and biodiversity loss, marine pollution and the need for protection of mangroves and coral reefs, and circular economy and resource efficiency — and try to build consensus among member countries on ways and means to address these concerns as its final outcome. The three broad…

The three Rio Conventions have been linked – at least on paper – since the 1992 Earth Summit. While each treaty stands on its own, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), both of which were opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit, and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the negotiation of which was called for in…

Storing water will be vital to adapt to climate change, according to a new World Bank report. The world faces a water storage gap as demand for fresh water grows and glaciers, snowpack, and wetlands decline. A new approach that integrates built and natural water storage is needed to holistically manage water throughout entire water systems. In the 1960s, farmers…