The Johannesburg gathering is being attended by a host of world leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey wants to host next year's UN climate change talks and is ready to organise the event alone if there is no agreement on sharing the event, a Turkish diplomatic source told AFP Sunday.

Global fossil fuel emissions are set to hit a new high in 2025, according to research published Thursday that also warns curbing warming under 1.5C would now be essentially "impossible".

The United States, the world's largest economy and second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is absent for the first time in the history of these meetings.

Oslo, Norway -- Norway's sovereign wealth fund said Wednesday that it would incorporate artificial intelligence tools into its investment analysis process to avoid losses stemming from climate change. The sovereign fund, the world's largest, is sustained by Norway's vast oil and natural gas reserves, but it pushes the companies it...

For years, Egyptian jasmine picker Wael al-Sayed has collected blossoms by night in the Nile Delta, supplying top global perfume houses. But in recent summers, his basket has felt lighter and the once-rich fragrance is fading.

Geneva, Switzerland - Faced with climate change diminishing farmers' yields, Nestle announced Wednesday that it was working on a technique to produce chocolate by using up to 30 percent more of the cocoa fruit. Chocolate is traditionally made using only cocoa beans taken from inside the pod, meaning that a...

Paris, France -- Abrupt and potentially irreversible changes in Antarctica driven by climate change could lift global oceans by meters and lead to "catastrophic consequences for generations", scientists warned Wednesday. More broadly, a state-of-knowledge review by a score of top experts revealed accelerating shifts across the region that are often...

Paris, France - Europe and the Mediterranean basin has been hit by a long-lasting drought covering over 45 percent of the region since mid-March, according to AFP analysis of European Drought Observatory (EDO) data made available on Tuesday. It is the first time since data collection began in 2012 that...

UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries on Thursday to accelerate negotiations ahead of the COP30 in Brazil as there was a lot left to be done.

Nice, France - A global summit on the dire state of the oceans kicks off Monday in France, with calls to ban bottom trawling and bolster protections for the world's overexploited marine areas. World leaders attending the UN Ocean Conference in Nice have been told to come up with concrete...

The planet is therefore expected to remain at historic levels of warming after the two hottest years ever recorded in 2023 and 2024, according to an annual climate report published by the World Meteorological Organization, the UN's weather and climate agency.

The United Arab Emirates registered a sizzling 50.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, the highest on record for May, following weeks of sweltering temperatures in the desert nation acutely vulnerable to climate change.

London, United Kingdom -- Talking trees powered by AI, drought-resistant crops and sweet potatoes sprouting among flowers -- the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show is facing the future with a focus on innovation and climate-change adaptation. Over five days starting Tuesday, more than 140,000 visitors are expected to view what the...

Washington, United States - The International Monetary Fund has approved an additional $1.3 billion assistance program for Egypt under its Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) meant to mitigate the impact of climate change, the organization said Tuesday. The Fund's Executive Board also completed the fourth review of an ongoing aid...

A carbon markets investor backed by Swiss-trading house Mercuria said on Wednesday it had joined with two non-profits to raise an initial US$1.5 billion to help protect the Amazon

In Tunisia's highlands, women harvest wild herbs to earn a living, but drought is making their work harder, shrinking incomes and opportunities

Paris, France -- World coal use is set to reach an all-time high in 2024, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday, in a year all but certain to be the hottest in recorded history. Despite calls to halt humanity's burning of the filthiest fossil fuel driving climate change, the energy watchdog...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Landmark talks on desertification are set to conclude in Saudi Arabia this week amid doubts that pledged funds will make a meaningful difference in the fight against the growing scourge. The 12-day meeting of parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), known as COP16, has...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Artificial intelligence (AI) has contributed to saving 150 million sheets of paper and conserving 1.5 billion liters of water, Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) President Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi said on Wednesday.In a speech at the Saudi Green Initiative Forum 2024 held on the sidelines...

London, United Kingdom - The British government said Wednesday that it has agreed to a partnership with Qatar that will see the Gulf state invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in climate technologies. "The partnership is expected to create thousands of highly skilled jobs over its lifetime and will see the...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- French President Emmanuel Macron and over 100 CEOs besides members of OPSWF, asset managers, and private equity fund representatives attended the seventh annual summit for the One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds (OPSWF) Group in Riyadh on Tuesday. Among the attendees was Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor Public Investment...

UN talks aimed at halting the degradation and desertification of vast swathes of land start in Saudi Arabia. Forest loss and degraded soils were reducing resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia will host the COP16 UN conference on land degradation and desertification next week as the top oil exporter pitches itself as an environmental defender despite criticism of its role at climate talks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the meeting for the United Nations Convention...

A group of 134 developing countries had pushed for at least $500 billion from rich governments to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.

At the COP29 talks in Azerbaijan, developing nations are demanding a bigger commitment from historic polluters most responsible for warming, but rich countries insist that massive financial pledges are not politically realistic. In a draft text revealed hours before two weeks of fraught bargaining were set to end, Azerbaijan said...

As the UN climate talks limp into a second week in Azerbaijan, the world is no closer to a finance deal for poorer countries that will determine the success or failure of COP29. UN climate boss Simon Stiell said that "bluffing, brinkmanship and premeditated playbooks burn up precious time and...

Major emitters must take the lead, but every nation has a role in addressing the climate crisis. Success hinges on ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions, strengthened by robust financial support and capacity-building efforts. The coming months are critical for translating commitments into impactful action, adds the author.

Dozens of world leaders convene in Azerbaijan on Tuesday for COP29 but many big names are skipping the UN climate talks where the impact of Donald Trump's election victory is keenly felt.

The small group of developed countries that currently contributes the money wants the donor pool expanded to include other rich nations and top emitters, including China and the Gulf states, something firmly rejected by Beijing.

The organization’s Trade and Development Report 2024 warned that this new “low normal" growth is insufficient to tackle pressing development and climate goals or help ease widespread discontent amidst a global cost-of-living crisis that has left many households in vulnerable positions.

Over 500 experts gathered at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils 2024 in Dubai to address the world’s most pressing issues related to economic inequality, climate emergency and geopolitical tensions.

Paris, France - For supporters, biodiversity credits could unlock billions in much-needed funding for nature, but critics fear a repeat of scandals that have dogged other financial approaches to protecting the environment. Paying to safeguard tropical rainforests or compensate for habitat destruction is an area of growing interest, and trading credits...

Washington, United States - The World Bank announced Thursday that it delivered a record $42.6 billion in climate change financing in the last financial year, up 10 percent from a year earlier. The development lender has looked to boost its climate financing commitment under new president Ajay Banga, who took over...

AI-powered tools are crucial for measuring emissions accurately, enhancing accountability in achieving climate goals, Naim Yazbeck, the General Manager of Microsoft UAE, told TRENDS in an exclusive interview.

Geneva, Switzerland – A recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlights the growing concern that unequal access to green financing and technologies could worsen existing economic inequalities. The report, Accelerating an Equitable Transition: A Data-Driven Approach, stresses the urgent need for an institutional response to ensure that the...

Bonn, Germany -- The incoming president of the COP29 UN climate summit in Azerbaijan told AFP on Friday that his country would keep increasing fossil fuel production "in parallel" with investments in cleaner alternatives. Mukhtar Babayev defended his country's hosting of the world's most important climate summit despite its surging natural...

Political and business leaders in the Arabian Gulf region push for sustainability agenda to secure clean environment for the future generations. Calls have been made to work through collaborative models of private and public partnerships to achieve green goals.

Paris, France -- Last year's northern hemisphere summer was the hottest in 2,000 years, according to a new study published on Tuesday. Scientists say 2023 was the hottest year globally since records began in 1850, but the study in the journal Nature indicates human-caused climate change pushed northern summer highs well...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions "most likely" exacerbated the intense rains that lashed the UAE and Oman last week, causing deaths and widespread flooding, an expert group of scientists said Thursday. Extreme rainfall in El Nino years has become 10-40 percent heavier in the...

LOS ANGELES, US – The booming use of electric vehicles in parts of California is reducing CO2 emissions in those areas, a study showed on Thursday, bolstering a key pillar of the state's drive towards net zero. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, say a network of sensors set up...

While previous research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense, the new paper differed by treating heat waves as distinct weather patterns that move along air currents, just as storms do. For every decade between 1979 to 2020,  researchers found heat...

The region is spearheading sustainability initiatives to address climate challenges, with Saudi Arabia making significant strides towards renewable energy and clean technology.

After four years of drought, Iraqi farmer Mohammed Sami was about to abandon his father's parched land, but then a water-saving irrigation system revived his crops and his hopes. He is among hundreds of farmers in the country battered by heatwaves, scarce rain and depleted rivers to benefit from new...

“Water is the fundamental element of life, enabling human societies to stabilize, develop civilizations, and achieve prosperity. Water is the most valuable resource on our planet; it serves as a vital link between humans, food, nature, and climate. However, today, we face significant challenges due to the scarcity of water,"...

Copenhagen, Denmark - Developing countries should not have to set stricter targets for cutting their carbon emissions before funds are available to help them transition to cleaner energies, the chairman of this year's UN climate negotiations said Thursday. Addressing a ministerial climate meeting in Copenhagen, Azerbaijan's Mukhtar Babayev said "there is...

Methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry have risen for three consecutive years, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), hitting near record highs in 2023.

The Middle East is emerging as an important region in the battle against methane emissions, crucial for curbing global warming. say a latest IEA report.

PARIS, FRANCE – Heatwaves and floods inflict greater economic pain on rural women than men because climate change intensifies existing inequalities, the United Nations' food and farming agency said on Tuesday. Scientists say the effects of rising temperatures are already being felt most acutely by the poorest and most vulnerable people...

El Nino, the large-scale warming of surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, typically has the greatest impact on the global climate in the year after it develops, in this instance 2024. The weather phenomenon occurs on average every two to seven years, and episodes typically last...