Water scarcity and drought are set to wreak damage on a scale to rival the COVID-19 pandemic with risks growing rapidly as global temperatures rise, according to the United Nations.
The world needs to restore nature on land areas equivalent to the size of China by 2030 if it is to feed a fast-growing population, curb pollution, halt species loss and meet global goals to tackle climate change, U.N. agencies say.
The dirt tracks winding through southern Colombia's tangled jungle often mark the beginning of the end for besieged patches of rainforest in this part of the Amazon.
An area the size of Israel was deforested in the Amazon biome last year as destruction surged 21% in the region spanning nine countries that is home to the world's largest rainforest, according to the Amazon Conservation organization.
Brazil's main environmental enforcement agency, Ibama, handed out 20% fewer fines in 2020, a Brazilian non-profit factchecking initiative says, as the government rolls back conservation efforts and Amazon deforestation skyrockets.
Continuing large-scale deforestation in Brazil's Amazon region suggests a new government aim to become "carbon neutral" by 2060 lacks credibility, Brazilian scientists have said.
Heat-related deaths are surging around the world, particularly among older people, scientists said on Thursday, warning of growing pressure on health systems hit hard by COVID-19.
