Climate Facts: Two billion people have no access to safe drinking water, says WMO

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can prove difficult to digest. TheCable’s quick climate facts will help demystify these concepts through easy-to-understand and straight-to-the-point explanations.

Here are some to keep at the tip of your fingers:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reached a new record high of 57.4 gigatonnes in 2023.

UNEP said the GHG gas concentrations in the atmosphere have reached their highest levels and have continued to rise.

It added that global concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) are now 50 percent higher than there were in the pre-industrial era.

To achieve the pre-industrial level of 1.5°C, the organisation said the world must cut down on emissions by at least 43 percent.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says about two billion people globally do not have access to safe drinking water.

According to the organisation, this is exacerbated by climate change and population growth, and the number is expected to rise.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says consumption of healthy and sustainable diets can reduce emissions from food systems and improve health outcomes.

The organisation said without intervention, food system emissions is expected to increase by up to 40 percent by 2050, given the rise in population.