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WMO: new “Air Quality and Climate Bulletin”
Clare Nullis, for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), presented the new WMO “Air Quality and Climate Bulletin” issued today ahead of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (7 September). Dr Oksana Tarasova, Chief, WMO Atmospheric Environment Research Division, explained that the new, yearly Bulletin was about the state of air pollution and how it related to climate. A particular focus was on 2020, a year that had been notable for its climate extremes and pollution events.
The Bulletin showed that after measures, such as lockdowns, had been taken by states to reduce the mobility of people and control the spread of COVID-19, improvements in air quality were recorded, especially in the level of particles – up to 40% in South-East Asia. But air quality was also dependent on meteorological influences, and other pollutants, like ozone, had increased. Even with the taking down of transports and of other emissions, in many parts of the world the air quality still not met the requirements of the WMO.
The Bulletin also showed that air quality was also controlled by natural phenomena, especially biomass burning. In 2020, smoke pollution had impacted air quality in Siberia, in the United States, in Australia, with a dramatic deterioration of air quality. Sand- and dust-storms had also affected air quality in 2020 - like the “Godzilla episode”, when dust from the Sahara had crossed the Atlantic and impacted air quality in North America. Intensity and frequency of such events would increase in the future, as the IPCC had warned in its last report. That would, in turn, lead to further deterioration of air quality in many countries.
Dr Tarasova stressed that policy changes seeking to improve air quality had repercussions on policies that seek to limit climate change, and vice versa. She also noted that extreme measures such as lockdowns were no substitute for long-term policies.
Answering questions, Dr Tarasova explained that a decrease in the concentration of PM2.5 particles (smaller than 2.5 microns) had been noticed in most of the cities in South-East Asia, with a maximum at about 40%. In Europe, the lockdowns had had no impact the level on PM10 or other small particles in such countries as Sweden – a factor here was the initial level of pollution, which was comparatively low thanks to the longer-term policies already in place.
It was important to reduce the amount of both cooling and warming particles at the same time, as some particles were detrimental to both human health and the environment: WMO was advising policy makers on how to tackle these two aspects simultaneously.
Situation in Afghanistan
Answering journalists’ questions, Babar Baloch, speaking from Pakistan for the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that it was difficult to gather information on the uncertain situation inside Afghanistan as well as at the borders with its neighboring countries. Reports on certain events – such as a reported stampede at the Spin Boldak crossing point, inside Afghanistan – were hard to verify.
Traditionally, there always had been a lot of movement of persons and commercial flows between Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. Afghans were still able to come through, but it was a very regulated and managed flow, with ID documents or visas to be shown.
UNHCR had stayed in Afghanistan during many highs and lows in the last 40 years. Over the last two decades, more than six million Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan had gone back home – more than had left Afghanistan. Numbers now were much lower, a thousand perhaps. Afghans felt uncertainty and stayed closed to home. Those who came across now were telling that they had left due to insecurity and that they wanted to seek asylum.
So far, HCR was seeing no large influx of refugees trying to cross borders to Pakistan and Iran; HCR was analyzing the reasons behind this phenomenon. A displacement crisis was, in fact, taking place inside Afghanistan. Without the entry of trade and support, this could lead to a major crisis. The international community should not turn a blind eye on Afghans and Afghanistan.
Announcements
Mr. Zaccheo announced that on Wednesday, 8 September, at 10 a.m., Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan, President of the Human Rights Council, would hold a press conference before the opening of the Council’s 48th session (13 September – 8 October 2021).
Also on Wednesday, 8 September, at 3 p.m., the Group of eminent international and regional experts on Yemen would hold a press conference on the launch of its 4th report.
The 88th session of the Committee in the Rights of the Child would open next Monday, 6 September, at the Palais Wilson (ground floor). During this in-person session, the Committee would review the reports of the Czech Republic, Poland, Eswatini and Switzerland.
As for the Conference on Disarmament, it was still reviewing the draft annual report of its 2021 session. The date and time of its next public meeting would be announced at a later stage. The 2021 session would end on 10 September.
On Monday, 6 September, at Quai Wilson, a photo exhibition entitled “From Geneva to the World” (#MultilateralismMatters) would open with a vernissage at 5:30 p.m. The European Union delegation and the United Nations in Geneva had put together the event to affirm that multilateralism was the best way to respond to global challenges. Opening remarks would be made by EU Ambassador Lotte Knudsen, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, WIPO Director General Daren Tang and Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly Clements. The women choir Tao Mousso would accompany the opening ceremony.
Finally, Mr. Zaccheo announced that the exhibition “Divers égales unis” had opened at the Musée Rath (Place de Neuve in downtown Geneva). In exposition would be some of the masterpieces from the Palais des Nations, among other items and activities. Multimedia content was available for journalists wishing to cover the event (assets available here: https://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/979/un-rath-museum-geneva-03-september-2021
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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