Check the links above for regularly updated facts and findings on climate and its links to the economy, social issues, nature and more.
For downloadable pdfs of factsheets and graphic assets, see the Digital Library ( the second link above)

Adaptation

Adaptation to climate change safeguards people from higher temperatures, rising seas, fiercer storms, unpredictable rainfall and more acidic oceans. Some people are more vulnerable to these effects, such as those living in poverty.

Finance

Public climate finance, including $100 billion that developed countries have agreed to provide to developing countries each year, supports critical infrastructure for adaptation, resilience and the new renewable energy-based economy.

Gender Equality

Empowering women and girls to have a voice and a role in decision-making on climate change-related issues is essential for sustainable development and greater gender equality.

Economy

Climate action is not a budget buster or economy-wrecker. Shifting to a green economy could yield a direct economic gain of $26 trillion through 2030 compared with business-as-usual. This could produce over 65 million new low-carbon jobs.


Jobs

A green transition, including a shift to renewable energy, the manufacturing of electric vehicles and construction of energy-efficient buildings, will create 24 million jobs by 2030, far more than the 6 million that could be lost.

Renewable Energy

Derived from natural resources that are abundant and continuously replenished, renewable energy is key to a safer, cleaner, and sustainable world. Sunlight, wind and water, for example, are such sources that are constantly being replenished.

Food and Agriculture

Producing food causes emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases in various ways. Deforestation and clearing of land for agriculture and grazing, digestion by cows and sheep, and the production and use of fertilizers and manure for growing crops all cause emissions, as does the use of energy to run farm equipment or fishing boats, usually with fossil fuels. Emissions also come from packaging and distributing food.

The unsustainable use of land, soil, water and energy for food contributes to greenhouse gas emissions that cause rising temperatures. Higher temperatures in turn affect resources to produce food. Up to 811 million people in the world faced hunger in 2020, as many as 161 million more than in 2019.
Systems to produce, package and distribute food generate a third of greenhouse gas emissions and cause up to 80 per cent of biodiversity loss. Without intervention, food system emissions will likely increase by up to 40 per cent by 2050, given rising demand from population, more income and dietary changes.
The food system currently accounts for around 30 percent of the world’s total consumption of energy, most still produced using fossil fuels that generate emissions.
Over 17 per cent of food is wasted, and up to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed.
Under higher temperatures, declines in crop yields are likely. Heat stress also results in impaired quality and increased waste.
The ocean has absorbed more than 90 per cent of the excess heat in the climate system, making it more acidic and less productive. This along with practices such as overfishing threatens marine resources that feed 3.2 billion people.
Changes in snow cover, lake and river ice, and permafrost in many Arctic regions have disrupted food supplies from herding, hunting, fishing and gathering activities, harming livelihoods and the cultural identity of Arctic residents.
Many practices can advance climate adaptation in food systems, such as erosion control, grazing land management, genetic improvements for tolerance to heat and drought, heterogeneous diets, and reduced food loss and waste.
Pilot climate-smart agriculture initiatives in a number of countries have boosted productivity, lowered emissions, improved soil quality and water efficiency, and increased incomes and climate resilience.
Consumption of healthy and sustainable diets presents major opportunities for reducing emissions from food systems and improving health outcomes, including through lower consumption of energy- and land-intensive animal-sourced foods.


Nature

Healthy ecosystems can provide 37 per cent of the mitigation needed to limit global temperature rise. Damaged ecosystems release carbon instead of storing it.

Ocean

The ocean is central to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing the Earth’s climate. The ocean generates 50 per cent of the planet’s oxygen (UNEP), absorbs 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions (IPCC) and captures 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by these emissions (UNEP).