When US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on 28 February, triggering one of the most serious geopolitical crises in years, the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow channel just 34 kilometres wide at its narrowest point – became a global flashpoint overnight.

Artificial Intelligence is not only responsible for worrying amounts of earth-warming greenhouse gases: the technology's environmental footprint is also expanding at a pace that could strain the planet’s natural resources.

Across the Middle East, countries facing severe energy access challenges are turning to renewables to power essential infrastructure, from hospitals to schools and street lighting.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called on Thursday for greater protection for environmental and land defenders, noting that hundreds worldwide have been killed or detained in recent years.

In the wood-panelled rooms of New York’s storied Explorers Club, where portraits of pioneering adventurers line the walls, diplomats, scientists and ocean advocates gathered on Tuesday evening with a shared sense of urgency – and anticipation.

The UN urged all countries on Tuesday to bolster early warning systems after confirming the onset of El Niño, warning that the Pacific Ocean-warming phenomenon will bring above-average temperatures “nearly everywhere” and fuel more extreme weather.

The world is heading into another period of dangerous heat, a new UN report warns on Thursday, and it’s nearly certain global temperatures over the next five years will stay “at or near record levels” as climate change accelerates across land and sea.

A landmark General Assembly resolution adopted on Wednesday is “a powerful affirmation” of international law, climate justice and science, according to UN chief António Guterres.

Record-breaking temperatures, deadly floods, worsening drought and intensifying hurricanes are placing millions of people across Latin America and the Caribbean at growing risk of hunger, displacement and water shortages, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

Recycled plastics could help reduce the world’s growing waste crisis, but only if food packaging is carefully regulated to prevent contamination, according to a new analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

More than 150,000 people have been affected by Tropical Cyclone Maila, the latest storm in the Pacific area, which continues to drive what the UN relief coordination office OCHA has described as “significant humanitarian needs” across the Solomon Islands.

As global electricity demand grows, so does the popularity of nuclear energy. In the Middle East, several countries are evaluating or advancing nuclear power projects, balancing weighty issues such as regional security, climatic conditions and international cooperation.

Did you know that millions of birds may be migrating silently overhead right now as you read this – and you don’t even need to leave the house to see them?

As oil prices have risen amid geopolitical turmoil, one perhaps overlooked driver of climate change is coming into sharper focus: the production of plastics which are deeply tied to fossil fuels.

In Somalia’s Puntland region, dried out watering holes, animal carcasses and old pots filled with ash have become part of the landscape as worsening drought conditions deepen a growing hunger crisis.

New data shows record heatwaves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic last year, with glaciers shrinking and snow cover declining, according to the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO). 

Senior UN climate leaders are getting behind countries mobilising this week for a transition away from fossil fuels at a groundbreaking event in Colombia.

As global energy markets remain volatile and the price of oil high due to instability and conflict in the Middle East, more countries are looking at investing in renewables to shield their economies from the shocks caused by fossil fuel reliance, rein in import bills – and meet key climate action targets. 

The ongoing insecurity in the Middle East, where a large proportion of the world’s oil and gas is extracted, is forcing many countries to focus on how they can ensure access to cheap and reliable energy supplies primarily through the use of renewable power sources.

The head of the UN’s civil aviation agency, ICAO, has called for immediate global action to protect commercial flights from escalating military threats, including missiles, drones, and GPS signal jamming.