Bibliothèque

This short video reports on the side event by the same title organized by UN-Water during COP21. A panel discussion brought together intergovernmental organizations, national and local government and the private sector to discuss how climate change impacts will be mostly felt on the water cycle, therefore existing water laws, transboundary agreements, water rights or concessions for water abstraction might need to be revisited and made more flexible to take into account the increasing variability in water availability. Water, land and forest management need to be considered jointly; the nexus approach calls for identifying and increasing synergies between water, energy and agriculture. Representatives of these sectors need to work together at all levels.

This technical document from the SEforALL Knowledge Hub conceptualizes a new multi-tier framework for defining and measuring access to energy. Binary metrics such as whether a household has an electricity connection, and whether a household cooks with non-solid fuels, do not help us understand the phenomenon of expanding energy access and how it impacts socioeconomic development. This report heralds a new definition and metric of energy access that is broader, covering energy for households, productive engagements and community facilities, and focusing on the quality of energy being accessed. 

This analytical document provides an update on how fast the world moved toward sustainable energy goals between 2010 and 2012. It tracks progress toward universal access to modern energy, doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements and doubling the share of renewable energy consumption in the global energy mix. The report also assesses whether the world is moving fast enough to achieve those goals by 2030. 

This technical document aims to provide strategic direction to the Sustainable Energy for All platform and its partners that operate on a global basis. It focuses on how to move further, faster in the coming five years towards the delivery of SEforALL’s three, 2030 objectives: ensure universal access to modern energy services; double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. It is framed in the context of agreements reached on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7) on energy and the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

This guidance document aims to assist Parties in implementing the Protocol on PRTRs. It also serves to promote understanding of this novel regulatory instrument and especially of the public’s role in promoting better environmental performance through the study and use of PRTRs. PRTRs can help countries meet the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change treaty since they allow to monitor the release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and of other toxic substances into the air, water and soil that seriously impact the environment and human health.

This technical document showcases standardized comparative risk assessment methods for estimating aggregate disease burdens attributable to different risk factors. These have been applied to existing and new models for a range of climate-sensitive diseases in order to estimate the effect of global climate change on current disease burdens and likely proportional changes in the future. 

This guidance document results from the EuroHEAT project on improving public health responses to extreme weather/heat-waves. It explains the importance of the development of heat–health action plans, their characteristics and core elements, with examples from several European countries that have begun their implementation and evaluation.

This activity report presents an overview of the science of the links between climate change and human health. It provides an update of the evidence on health risks caused by climate change, describes which populations are most vulnerable, and outlines the actions that will be necessary to protect health from climate change. 

This analytical document aims to inform discussions at the 2009 Copenhagen conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Authored by an international group of public health, environmental, and other scientists, each focuses on one sector in which greenhouse-gas emissions need to be reduced. These sectors are household energy use, urban land transport, electricity generation, and food and agriculture. Health implications of actions are examined in both high-income and low-income countries designed to reduce the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. 

This guidance document is based on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) mandate from member states to develop “programmes for health systems that will contribute to reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions”. It begins to define a framework for analysing and addressing the health sector’s climate footprint – including identifying seven aspects of a climate-friendly hospital. It also draws on a series of examples from around the world that demonstrate that the health sector is indeed already beginning to provide leadership in this most important area of concern to the global community. 

This training  intends to improve the knowledge of health professionals on the associations and implications of climate change on human health and to enhance stronger and more efficient participation of the health sector in addressing climate change challenges. It’s designed for public health professionals who are actively involved in the management and decision-making process related to health programmes.

This policy document reviews the scientific evidence for the linkages between health and biodiversity, climate change and desertification, the representation of health in the corresponding Rio Conventions, and the opportunities for more integrated and effective policy. It the importance of human health as an integrating theme across sustainable development, and a strong motivation for concerted global actions to address global environmental change.

This technical document is designed to provide basic and flexible guidance on conducting a national or subnational assessment of current and future vulnerability (i.e. the susceptibility of a population or region to harm) to the health risks of climate change, and of policies and programmes that could increase resilience, taking into account the multiple determinants of climate-sensitive health outcomes.

This report provides a first review of the interactions between climate change, gender and health. The effects of climate on human society, and our ability to mitigate and adapt to them, are mediated by social factors, including gender. It documents evidence for gender differences in health risks that are likely to be exacerbated by climate change, and in adaptation and mitigation measures that can help to protect and promote health.

This analytical document explains how health status has important social, economic, behavioural and environmental determinants and wideranging impacts. There is increasing recognition of the broader health concept that encompasses other species, our ecosystems and the integral ecological underpinnings of many drivers or protectors of health risks.

This video intends to expalin how Cambodia’s coastal city of Preah Sihanouk is making positive strides to address the threats of climate change, with the help of UN-Habitat. « Planning for Climate Change: A Strategic Values-Based Approach in Sihanoukville » showcases how UN-Habitat’s climate change planning approach can effectively help cities to build their resilience.

This video portrays today’s urban challenges using a paper and cardboard mock city, as part of its Urban October celebrations. As cities generate over 75% of the world wealth, attracting more people and conducing to urban sprawl, infrastructure and planning are key to reaching greener cities in order to alleviate the effects of climate change and provide a clean environment to their citizens. 

This technical document defines the rationale for green building intervention on social housing, details international examples of legislative and regulatory frameworks for enabling green social housing and identifies global and regional forms and approaches to green social housing. A range of technical measures for new social housing and environmental retrofitting of social housing are explained, along with the assessment of case studies, best practice and otherwise ineffective cases.

This guidance document explains how the implementation of gender-sensitive climate policies can maximize potential co-benefits and synergies. It provides advice on how to successfully take into consideration these challenges and opportunities in the context of urban climate policy.

This analytical document provides a contextual understanding of the challenges and opportunities of climate change in relation to human settlements in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It is a collection of initial thoughts in response to the call of Small Island Developing States for “the strengthening of the long-standing cooperation and support provided by the international community” and “enabling strong, genuine and durable partnerships at the sub-national, national, sub-regional, regional and international levels” (UNGA 2014).