Global Issues

NAIROBI & SRINAGAR, India, January 22 (IPS) - The world is pouring trillions of dollars each year into activities that destroy nature while investing only a fraction of that amount in protecting and restoring the ecosystems on which economies depend, according to a new United Nations report released on today  (January 22). Read the full story, “Big Nature-Based Finance Turnaround Needed to Restore, Protect Ecosystems”, on globalissues.org →

UNITED NATIONS, January 22 (IPS) - In 2025, global ocean temperatures rose to some of the highest levels ever recorded, signaling a continued accumulation of heat within the Earth’s climate system and raising deep concern among climate scientists. The economic toll of ocean-related impacts—including collapsing fisheries, widespread coral reef degradation, and mounting damage to coastal infrastructure—is now estimated to be nearly double the global cost of carbon emissions, placing immense strain on economies and endangering millions of lives. Read the full story, “World’s Oceans Hit Record Heat in 2025, at Great Economic and Social Costs”, on globalissues.org →

WASHINGTON DC, January 22 (IPS) - Nepal has a unique opportunity for transformation. The recent youth-led protests underscored aspirations for greater transparency, governance and a more equal distribution of economic opportunities and resources. This yearning resonated in Nepal and beyond. Read the full story, “Steering Nepal’s Economy Amid Global Challenges”, on globalissues.org →

As President Trump launched the international Board of Peace plan for Gaza on Thursday, top independent rights experts tasked by the UN Human Rights Council with investigating grave abuses linked to the Hamas-Israel war pledged to continue their work seeking justice and accountability for all.Read the full story, “Gaza: War crimes probe pledges to continue work for justice and accountability”, on globalissues.org →

The world spends billions to protect nature, but trillions are being invested in business activities that harm the environment. Read the full story, “For every $1 spent protecting nature, $30 goes to destroying it”, on globalissues.org →

Russian forces launched a fresh wave of strikes across Ukraine this week which have left hundreds of thousands of families without electricity and heating amid freezing temperatures. Read the full story, “World News in Brief: Winter attacks in Ukraine, looming food aid cuts in Nigeria, drought in Kenya”, on globalissues.org →

A tense standoff between the Syrian Government and Kurdish-led forces in the country’s northeast risks igniting wider instability just as Syria struggles to emerge from years of conflict and authoritarian rule, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Thursday.Read the full story, “Syria: Renewed clashes risk derailing fragile transition”, on globalissues.org →

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed urged countries to protect the UN Charter in a powerful speech to the Danish Parliament on Thursday, urging countries to “stand up for a rules-based order” – or pay the price. Read the full story, “‘Dangerous nostalgia’ is a threat to multilateralism, UN deputy chief tells Danish MPs”, on globalissues.org →

A rising trend towards government-enforced internet shutdowns – with at least 300 incidents in more than 54 countries over the last two years – is prompting renewed warnings from the UN about the threat these digital blackouts pose to freedom of expression, access to information and human rights.Read the full story, “UN warns of rising internet shutdowns as digital blackouts spread worldwide”, on globalissues.org →

NYERI, Kenya, January 21 (IPS) - For the last twenty years, Sarah Nyaga, a smallholder farmer from Embu County in central Kenya, has farmed coffee. Like most across Kenya, she relies on the export market. A greater percentage of Kenya’s coffee ends up within the European Union market, but a new law threatens to disrupt what has been a source of income for thousands of farmers like Nyaga. Read the full story, “Thousands of Kenya’s Smallholder Coffee Farmers Risk Losing EU Market as Deforestation Law Takes Effect”, on globalissues.org →