Climate Change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.
Since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels, which generates greenhouse gases that trap the sun's heat and raise temperatures. Examples of greenhouse gas emissions that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main emitters. Clearing land and forests can also release carbon dioxide. Landfills for garbage are a major source of methane emissions.
Greenhouse gas concentrations are at their highest levels in 2 million years, and emissions continue to rise. As a result, the Earth is now about 1.1° warmer than it was in the late 1800s, and the last decade (2011-2020) was the warmest on record. The consequences of climate change include, among others, intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and declining biodiversity. The impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action now, adapting to these impacts in future will be more difficult and costly.
The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change. UNFCCC stands for United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Convention has near universal membership (198 Parties) and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement, whose main aim is to keep the global average temperature rise this century as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
In 1988, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme created the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide an objective source of scientific information about climate change.
Learn about different aspects of climate change discussions - like Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), mitigation, adaptation and resilience, loss and damage, the Global Stocktake, climate finance, and more - on the UN Climate Change website under Topics.
International Court of Justice (ICJ) public hearings on States’ legal obligations with respect to climate change began on 2 December 2024 and are scheduled to conclude on 13 December. The hearings are part of the process towards the court issuing an advisory opinion, which will clarify States’ legal obligations under international law and the consequences for breaching them. The case is the largest ever seen by the world court. The hearings can be followed on UN Web TV.
COP29 concludes 24 November with a new financing agreement
The new finance goal agreed at COP29, known formally as the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), will triple finance to developing countries, from the previous goal of USD 100 billion annually, to USD 300 billion annually by 2035, and will secure efforts of all actors to work together to scale up finance to developing countries, from public and private sources, to the amount of USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035. COP29 also reached agreement on carbon markets, transparent climate reporting and adaptation.
COP 29 Declaration on Green Digital Action
On 16 November 2024 the inaugural Digitalisation Day took place at COP29, with the COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action receiving endorsements from more than 1,000 governments, companies, civil society organizations, international and regional organizations, and other stakeholders. Learn about the role of the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and read more at UN News.
Opening of COP29 and publication of WMO State of the Climate 2024 Update
The UN Climate Change Conference COP29 opened on 11 November in Baku. The World Meteorological Organization the same day released its State of the Climate 2024 Update for COP29, noting that the year 2024 is on track to be the warmest year on record. The Update once again issued a Red Alert at the sheer pace of climate change in a single generation, and highlights that the ambitions of the Paris Agreement are in great peril.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced on 8 November that public hearings will be held from 2-13 December 2024 on the request for an advisory opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change. Ninety-eight States and twelve international organizations have expressed their intention to participate in the oral proceedings before the Court. The hearings can be followed live in their entirety on the website of the Court and on UN Web TV.
UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2024: Come Hell and High Water
The UN Environment Programme on 7 November 2024 released its annual Adaptation Gap Report, finding that nations must dramatically step up adaptation, starting with a commitment to act on finance at COP29. While planning and implementation of adaptation are generally increasing, it is not fast enough, and meeting the climate challenge will require greater volume of adaptation finance, a more strategic approach, and better capacity-building and technology transfer. Read more at UN News, download the full report, and find more resources at the dedicated UNEP page.
2024 State of Climate Services
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on 7 November 2024 released its annual State of Climate Services report, highlighting that as climate change impacts intensify, the need for climate services to support mitigation, adaptation and increase resilience has never been higher. In the past five years, there has been progress in provision of this climate information for decision-making, but big gaps remain and investment lags far behind need. 2023 was the warmest year on record to date, with the unprecedented warmth continuing into 2024. Many climate extremes are becoming more frequent and intense. While weather and climate-related reported deaths are decreasing over time due to better early warnings and disaster risk management, economic losses are increasing. The report highlights both progress and persistent challenges in delivering critical climate information.
According to the 2024 edition of the Emissions Gap Report released on 24 October 2024 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), annual greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high, and urgent action must be taken to prevent catastrophic spikes in temperature and avoid the worst impact of climate change. Without dramatic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, the world could face an inevitable and catastrophic 3.1°C temperature rise. Read an overview at UN News and visit the dedicated UNEP page to find the full report and further resources.
Pre-COP29 meeting
The UN Deputy Secretary-General addressed the opening of the Pre-COP 29 meeting on 10 October 2024, highlighting the importance of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on Climate Finance and the next generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The 29th session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will take place in Baku 11-22 November 2024.
Latest United in Science report appeals for urgent and ambitious action
The UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) release the 2024 edition of the United in Science report on 18 September, ahead of the Summit of the Future. The report shows the science is clear, and that we are far off track from achieving vital climate goals. The impacts of climate change and hazardous weather are reversing development gains and threatening the well-being of people and the planet. Greenhouse gases and global temperatures are at record levels. The emissions gap between aspiration and reality remains high. Under current policies, there is a two thirds likelihood of global warming of 3 °C this century. However, there is still hope that advances in natural and social sciences, new technologies and innovation could be game changers for climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. See more at WMO.
UN Secretary-General's call to action on extreme heat
Following new global heat records, on 25 July 2024 UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued an urgent call to action to better protect billions around the world exposed to crippling effects of extreme heat, as global temperature rise continues unabated. Read more at the UN News article, and access the pdf HERE.
World Meteorological Organization reports June 2024 hottest on record
WMO reports that it was the hottest June on record for the globe and the 13th month in a row to set a monthly temperature record, according to new data issued by the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Read more in the UN News story.
Bonn Climate Change Conference
The June climate meetings organized by the UNFCCC in preparation for The UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) in November concluded on 13 June. Find an overview here of progress that came out of the meetings.
Secretary-General's special address on climate action "A Moment of Truth" on World Environment Day (5 June)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a special address on Climate Action, warning of urgent climate risks and calling for immediate action from global leaders to secure a livable future within the next 18 months. In particular, he laid out urgent action that must be taken: slash emissions; protect people and nature from climate extremes; boost climate finance; clamp down on the fossil fuel business. Read his remarks here, and watch the recording of the speech, delivered in New York at the American Museum of Natural History, here.
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivers unanimous advisory opinion that countries have an obligation to reduce carbon emissions
The 21 May 2024 ITLOS ruling in Case No. 31, the request submitted to the Tribunal by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law, said that greenhouse gas emissions qualify as marine pollution and that countries have an obligation to reduce emissions and to protect the marine environment from climate change impacts and ocean acidification. UN rights experts have applauded the ruling. Read more in the UN News Story, see the press release from UN experts on the ruling, the ITLOS press release (EN -- FR), and the full ITLOS Advisory Opinion of 21 May 2024 (EN -- FR).
UNHCR launches fund to shield refugees and other displaced people from climate shocks
The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR on 24 April launched the UNHCR Climate Resilience Fund, seeking to boost the protection of refugees and displaced communities who are most threatened by climate change. UNHCR also recently launched the Focus Area Strategic Plan for Climate Action 2024-2030, a document that sets out a global roadmap for prioritized action. The plan has set four interdependent objectives for protection, solutions, resilience, and adaptation to be achieved in support of national governments, together with partners.
REWATCH – Cop29: can countries unlock new climate finance?
The Geneva Press Club and Geneva Solutions hosted a talk on 4 November 2024 dedicated to climate finance, moderated by Geneva Solutions and featuring panellists from Aroha, the Center for International Environmental Law, and UN Trade & Development.
Semaine du Climate - Ville de Genève - 19 novembre au 1er décembre
La Ville de Genève organisera la deuxième édition de la Semaine du climat avec plus de 50 événements gratuits, et avec de nombreux partenaires au programme dans différents lieux: débats, ateliers ou encore projections de films permettront aux citoyen-ne-s de mieux cerner les enjeux climatiques et les solutions à leur disposition pour réduire leur empreinte carbone
Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with support from the Swiss Federal Office of the Environment, the Geneva Environment Network is a partnership of over 75 environment and sustainable development organizations based in the Geneva region That organizes and hosts meetings on the environment and sustainable development, and promotes public awareness of environmental issues. See upcoming events on their Events page.
This initiative led by UN Geneva - with support from the Governments of Switzerland, China and Nigeria, the University of Geneva and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) - focuses on implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identifying strategic opportunities to maximize the added-value of International Geneva. See the Toolkit for ideas to get involved.
Graduate Institute Geneva SDG Portal
The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva has made their SDG-related activities and research available through this online portal, searchable by goal: SDG 13 - Climate Action.
University of Geneva Institute for Environmental Sciences
Learn about the research happening in Geneva on climate and connect to projects, research hubs, events on sustainable development and more.
City of Geneva - Climate Change in Geneva
Learn about the city's action plan on climate change and how you can be involved, and also about organisations in Geneva working on climate change and events happening in the city that focus on climate change. See also the page in French.
COP 29 (the 29th conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - UNFCCC) was scheduled for 11-22 November 2024 in Baku, Abseron, Azerbaijan. The Conference concluded in the early hours of 24 November 2024 with a new finance goal to help countries to protect their people and economies against climate disasters.
Visit the host country website, read what the UN Secretary-General said to the COP 29 World Leaders Action Summit and learn more at UN News about the UN Climate Change Conference, the focus of COP29, and what happened over the two weeks of the conference.
At COP 28 the Conference of the Parties accepted the offer of the Government of Brazil to host the thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties, the twentieth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement from Monday, 10 November, to Friday, 21 November. The Government of Brazil has announced that the event will take place in Belém, Pará, for the first time in an Amazonian city.
COP 28 was scheduled to take place 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and concluded on 13 December. Learn more on the dedicated portal from UN Climate Change and also at the COP 28 host country website.
2020 publication produced by the United Nations Perception Change Project, in partnership with the IHEID Environmental Committee, and interactive website presenting 10 suggestions for each of the 17 SDG goals for what you can do on a daily basis to protect the environment and help mitigate climate change effects.
Discover open access materials about climate change available through the UN Library Geneva catalogue Global Search!
And discover more open access electronic resources.
Explore other research guides on climate change and related subjects
UN Library Geneva related guides
Sustainable Development Goals
Conference Primer: Environment
Dag Hammarskjöld Library related guides
Climate Change - A Global Issue
UN Documentation: Environment
Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Library related guides
Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible
Derechos ambientales y gobernabilidad
Environment and climate change statistics for Latin America and the Caribbean
Estadísticas ambientales y de cambio climático para América Latina y el Caribe
Huella de carbono
Huella Ambiental y de Carbono en las Exportaciones y el Comercio Internacional
Organizaciones Internacionales y los ODS
Rio+20 y desarrollo sostenible
Peace Palace Library
Environmental Law
UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe
Climate Change Library Backgrounder
Changement climatique, fiche d'information
World Bank/IMF Library Network
Climate Change
The United Nations Library & Archives Geneva will continue to update this guide to reflect the wealth of climate change resources and the latest developments in the international response. Please check back often to see the new resources added.
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