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Cities are at the heart of the pandemic impact and response, and city leaders managing through the COVID-19 crisis have demonstrated commitment to integration, innovation, and partnership. GEF Cities Lead Aloke Barnwal makes the case that this approach will be critical to the future sustainability…

Protecting the global commons is not only the right thing to do – it improves the bottom line as well In the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, companies are increasingly committing themselves to helping to stabilize the Earth’s climate. It is encouraging to see these commitments coming in thick and…

On October 16 every year, we celebrate World Food Day to highlight the enduring vision of a world free from hunger and malnutrition. This year, we face the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19, which threatens food security and human health and may push another 130 million people into hunger by the end…

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the warning bells about our broken food system. As farmers and consumers grapple with disruptions in the global food supply chain, we are witnessing an exacerbation of threats to the natural environment. Since start of the pandemic, increases in deforestation…

There is everything to play for through reducing carbon emissions as the world emerges from the COVID-19 recession In the early weeks of this year, before all our lives were turned upside down by COVID-19, the International Energy Agency announced that global carbon dioxide emissions had flatlined…

The many overlapping crises of 2020 are not just hallmarks of a bad year. They reflect the human-caused environmental damage that will keep compounding in the epoch dubbed the Anthropocene, where humanity’s impact on the planet dominates all else. Writing for the World Bank's Voices blog, GEF CEO…

The post-coronavirus recovery will offer a chance to improve water security for the world's neediest people Access to clean water for washing hands has been the first line of defense during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has made water security a renewed priority for development assistance and for…

Global crises reqiure exceptional leadership to shift old systems into new ones Even before COVID-19 struck, we were entering the most important decade yet for humankind. Now, eight months into it, business and government leaders stand at a crossroads, as they choose how to rebuild economies and…

Momentum to reverse nature loss is growing, but there is still a long way to go In evolutionary time, a decade is but a flick of nature’s eyelid. That makes the rapid depletion of biodiversity over the past 10 years all the more distressing. Our forests are disappearing, our coral reefs are dying…

Businesses that integrate sustainability are more resilient As chief executive of a firm that has for 50 years helped the world’s leading organizations navigate sustainability challenges, I am often asked how companies should prepare for a next crisis such as COVID-19 or other future shocks. The…