As a deadly heatwave continued to grip Europe on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued an impassioned appeal for more ambitious global action on climate change caused by fossil fuels, to prevent irreversible damage.In a major keynote speech at London Climate Action Week, the UN chief highlighted how the world’s dependence on oil is driving both the climate crisis and an energy sovereignty crunch, the latter linked to massive shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and the war involving Iran, Israel and the United States.“These crises may seem separate but they share the same destructive origin: fossil fuels. And they demand the same answer: a fast, fair transition to clean energy and a surge in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing climate harm,” Mr. Guterres said, in a call for political leadership to push through global change akin to that required to phase out leaded gasoline and to ban chemicals that created a hole in the ozone layer.In brief: the UN plan for energy independence Cut emissions fast: emissions must peak now and reach net zero by 2050, including through a global push to curb methane pollution.Accelerate clean energy: renewables pick-up needs to continue, subsidies must end for fossil fuel projects and fossil fuel profits taxed to support vulnerable communities and the energy transition.Clean up AI: require major AI companies to disclose the environmental impact of their data centres and power them with renewable energy by 2030.Ensure a just transition: ensure the shift to clean energy creates jobs, supports communities and delivers development benefits for developing countries.Boost climate resilience: increase investment in adaptation, early warning systems and other measures to protect people most vulnerable to climate impacts.Unlock fair finance: expand affordable funding for developing countries to invest in clean energy, climate adaptation and sustainable development.Defend science and truth: strengthen trust in science, combat climate disinformation and protect environmental journalists and human rights defenders.Earth’s tipping pointsIt is more than a decade since world leaders agreed in Paris to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a remarkable show of international unity, led by the UN. Today, although that Agreement stands – and despite the US officially withdrawing for a second time in January this year – UN-backed scientists warn that average annual temperatures are likely to exceed that threshold in coming years.“Every fraction of a degree matters,” the Secretary-General insisted, as he forewarned of the irreversible damage to coral reefs unable to survive in too-warm waters, the melting ice sheets that threaten to reshape coastlines and displace millions, and the real possibility that some small island nations could disappear under the waves.Faced with this existential scenario, “the task before us is to strictly limit the overshoot, shorten its duration and bring temperatures down below 1.5°C as fast as possible”, Mr. Guterres maintained.‘Mother of all energy shocks’And while he pointed out that “any peace agreement is welcome and would bring much needed relief”, in reference to a 60-day pause in hostilities to allow ongoing Iranian-US talks in Switzerland, the UN chief noted that the Middle East crisis had unleashed “the mother of all energy shocks” comparable to the oil disruption of the 1970s and the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.As damaging as the Middle East war has been for highly industrialized nations, the UN Secretary-General insisted that developing countries have been hit even harder:“It is a debt shock, a food shock, a development shock”, he told the London audience.A just future from renewables“The good news is – unlike every past energy crisis – we now have a clear way out, a clean way out,” the Secretary-General continued.He noted that since 2010, the cost of solar energy has plummeted by almost 90 per cent, onshore wind by more than 70 per cent, and battery storage by 95 per cent.Renewables avoided more than the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the US, the EU and Japan combined, Mr. Guterres said, adding that clean energy investment now attracts almost twice as much as fossil fuels.“There are no embargoes on sunlight and no blockades on the wind,” he said.A seven-point plan for energy independenceAs part of the Secretary-General’s blueprint for a clean break with fossil fuels, he outlined seven key steps:1: Emissions must peak immediately and fall steeply this decade, reaching net zero by 2050. The G20 group of wealthy nations “must lead” on this, as it is responsible for around 80 per cent of global emissions, Mr. Guterres said. Ambitious measures include a global Call to Action on Methane to reduce emissions of the gas traps around 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide, but which breaks down in the atmosphere within just a decade or two.“The world phased out leaded gasoline. We eliminated ozone-depleting chemicals. Methane pollution must be next,” the UN chief stressed.2: Clean energy projects should be promoted and public subsidies ditched for new fossil fuel projects. “The eight largest fossil fuel companies reported pocketing an extra $6.5 billion in the first quarter of this year alone…I urge governments to tax them" to help vulnerable families and communities and accelerate the shift to clean, affordable energy, Mr. Guterres said.3: Every major AI company should “measure and publicly disclose the full environmental impact” of data centres: their carbon, water and land footprints – and commit to power every data centre with renewable energy by 2030. Today, AI data centres already consume more electricity than most nations; “it’s time to come clean”, the UN chief noted.By 2030, AI data centres could use enough water to meet the basic needs of all 1.3 billion residents of sub‑Saharan Africa for an entire year, the UN chief said.4: “No more extraction without development:” Mr. Guterres called for greater support for the move to clean energy in a way that benefits workers and communities everywhere and developing countries too, driven forward by the UN Climate Conference – COP31 – in Türkiye. “The transition itself is no longer in question,” he stressed, adding: “It will be either managed or chaotic, fair or unequal, a source of stability or of greater division; and these choices are still ours to make.”5: Protect those most at risk from climate chaos by helping them adapt, because this “saves lives, safeguards homes and communities, helps economies absorb shocks and holds societies together”, the Secretary-General insisted. Contingency systems need to be put in place before shocks become humanitarian and economic catastrophes, Mr. Guterres added. At the same time, developed countries must deliver on their “long-standing commitment to double adaptation finance, with a clear trajectory toward tripling it”, he said.6: Support fair finance to support phasing out fossil fuels and the green transition at scale and at speed: because many developing countries face borrowing costs that are two to three times higher than in wealthier economies.“Countries rich in renewable potential are being locked out of the clean energy revolution,” the UN chief maintained, pointing to African countries which receive only two per cent of global clean energy investment even though they possess 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources.Mr. Guterres highlighted the $600-800 billion in additional lending capacity of multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank. This should be used “aggressively” to finance the infrastructure of the future and climate adaptation, along with other investment measures such as taxing high-emitting sectors, he maintained.Equally, “developed countries must keep their promises", including support to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage and the Green Climate Fund, the Secretary-General continued, noting that the $300 billion pledged to developing countries must be delivered along with concrete steps to mobilize $1.3 trillion a year by 2035.7: Finally, the UN Secretary-General urged support for science as the bedrock of truth and early warning systems - and to tackle climate falsehoods, since "disinformation is spreading deliberately to delay climate action, entrench vested interests, and erode trust”.Human rights defenders and journalists reporting on the climate and the environment should be protected and trust in evidence and institutions bolstered, Mr. Guterres insisted, pointing to the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, led by the UN, UNESCO and Brazil in support of this goal.Adapted from UN News story

Asia experienced one of its warmest years on record in 2025, with rising temperatures, accelerating glacier loss, record ocean heat and increasingly severe weather extremes highlighting the growing impacts of climate change across the region, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).The State of the Climate in Asia 2025 report finds that the mean temperature across Asia was 0.96°C above the 1991–2020 average, making 2025 between the second and fourth warmest year on record for the region. The report also notes that Asia has warmed faster than the global average in recent decades, with the warming trend during 1991–2025 approximately twice that observed during 1961–1990.“Asia is impacted by rising temperatures, warming ocean waters, higher sea levels and retreating glaciers,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “Heavy rainfall, flooding and drought have a heavy economic and human cost, while extreme heat, dust storms and glacial flooding are becoming major hazards. This report highlights the importance of observations, early warning systems and impact-based forecasting to adapt to our changing climate.”The report paints a picture of a region facing increasingly complex climate risks across land, mountains and oceans.While temperatures across most of Asia remained above average, the strongest positive anomalies were recorded across north-western parts of the continent and in a broad belt stretching from western China to Japan. In contrast, cooler-than-average conditions prevailed across parts of South Asia, including the Indian subcontinent.Extreme rainfall and droughtPrecipitation patterns varied widely across the region during 2025.Most of southern Asia received above-average rainfall, with the Indian monsoon bringing exceptionally heavy precipitation. Above-average rainfall was also recorded across much of South-East Asia and parts of East Asia.At the same time, below-average rainfall and prolonged dry conditions were observed across West and Central Asia. Long-term drought conditions contributed to water shortages in the Islamic Republic of Iran.The human and economic impacts of extreme weather were significant. In Pakistan, monsoon flooding was associated with more than 1,000 deaths and left over 3 million people requiring assistance. In Viet Nam, prolonged flooding linked to multiple weather systems resulted in at least 200 deaths and economic losses estimated at US$1.9 billion.Glaciers continue to shrinkThe report highlights mounting concerns in High-Mountain Asia, often referred to as the world's “Third Pole” because of its vast stores of ice.All 23 monitored glaciers in the region lost mass during the 2025 glaciological year. Below-average winter snowfall combined with persistently above-average temperatures drove substantial glacier retreat across many mountain ranges.Multiple glacial lake outburst floods and glacier collapse events were recorded during the year, underlining growing risks for mountain communities and downstream populations that depend on glacier-fed rivers for water, agriculture and energy.Oceans reach new extremesAsia's oceans continued to absorb the effects of a warming climate.Ocean heat content reached a new record in 2025, continuing a long-term upward trend observed since the 1990s. Record subsurface ocean warming was concentrated in parts of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, central equatorial Indian Ocean and North Pacific.Marine heatwaves affected almost the entire ocean area of Asia during the year. Between July and September, more than 10 million square kilometres of ocean experienced marine heatwave conditions, among the highest levels observed since records began in 1993.Sea levels across Asia also reached their highest level since satellite records began in 1999. Across much of the northern Indian Ocean, sea-level rise continued at rates significantly higher than the global average. Along the coasts of the Indian subcontinent, sea levels rose at an average rate of 4.9 millimetres per year during 1999–2025, compared with the global mean rate of around 3.6 millimetres per year.The report also notes continuing ocean acidification, with record low surface pH levels observed in parts of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and tropical Indian Ocean during 2025.Early warnings save livesThe report highlights the growing importance of early warning systems and preparedness in reducing disaster risks.In China’s Liangshan region, heavy rainfall demonstrated the value of timely warnings and coordinated emergency action. Early evacuation measures helped reduce disaster impacts and save lives.A contrasting example was seen in Sri Lanka, where Tropical Cyclone Ditwah brought extreme rainfall, with around 10 per cent of the country's annual rainfall recorded within 24 hours. The event led to more than 640 deaths, displaced over 200,000 people and caused major economic losses estimated at around four per cent of GDP.According to Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), rising temperatures are increasing risks across multiple sectors.“Across Asia and the Pacific, heat is intensifying multi-hazard risks, intersecting with food systems, public health, infrastructure and oceans and placing new pressures on health and livelihoods,” she said.The report underscores the need for strengthened climate services, impact-based forecasting and early warning systems as countries across Asia seek to adapt to a rapidly changing climate and protect vulnerable communities from escalating climate-related hazards.

Staff from across the United Nations system in India came together at UN House in New Delhi on Friday to mark the International Day of Yoga, highlighting the importance of well-being, mindfulness and healthy workplaces. Opening the event, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India Stefan Priesner underscored the importance of physical and mental well-being in supporting resilience, productivity and a healthy work-life balance. The observance brought together colleagues from across UN agencies for a morning of wellness activities, including a guided yoga session and an interactive discussion on posture and ergonomics.Organized by the Federation of United Nations Staff Associations in India (FUNSA India), the event provided an opportunity for UN personnel to reflect on the importance of self-care and well-being while strengthening connections across the UN family. This year's observance was held under the theme "Yoga for Healthy Ageing," which highlights the role of yoga in supporting physical health, mental well-being and active ageing throughout life.Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, the International Day of Yoga is observed annually on 21 June to raise awareness of the many benefits of yoga and its contribution to health and well-being worldwide. 

UN Secretary General António Guterres welcomed on Sunday a new peace deal between the United States and Iran, calling it a “critical step” toward ending the conflict.According to a statement issued by his Spokesman, the agreement provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a framework for further negotiations.The Secretary‑General expressed “deep appreciation” for the role of Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and other regional countries in supporting the talks.He said he hopes the parties will build on the momentum and “redouble their efforts” toward a final resolution. He also reaffirmed that the United Nations stands ready to support efforts toward a “durable and comprehensive peace.”The conflict began in late February with US and Israeli strikes across Iran. Iran responded with attacks on Israel and US‑allied states in the Gulf. The fighting led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes.Despite a ceasefire agreed in April, the United States and Iran have exchanged intermittent fire, including two rounds of tit‑for‑tat strikes this week.Earlier on Sunday, Mr. Guterres strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on Beirut. In a separate statement, he said the strikes took place despite a ceasefire and at a time when Washington and Tehran were expected to reach an agreement to help pave the way to peace.He warned that the conflict is having a “devastating impact” on the global economy and urged all parties to show “maximum restraint” at a crucial moment. He also expressed hope for a successful outcome to ongoing efforts by the United States and Iran.The crisis in Lebanon is part of unrest across the wider region. It erupted on 2 March, just days after the US and Israel began bombing Iran, prompting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon to fire on Israel. This story is adapted from UN News