Which European capitals have the most green space? 5 climate change stories to read this week

From providing habitats for wildlife to lowering the temperature, urban green spaces have a range of benefits.

Trees cover on average 30% of land in 38 of Europe’s capitals when viewed from above, according to data from the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Read more about the European capitals with the most green spaces.

From common waterborne viruses to deadly diseases like plague, new research shows that the effects of climate change exacerbate their spread. Scientists created this map of the findings, showing that atmospheric warming aggravates 160 diseases, while heavy precipitation worsens 122 and flooding aggravates 121.

There are four key ways that climatic hazards interact with pathogens and humans. One such way is that climate-related hazards are altering the ranges of animals and organisms that act as vectors for pathogens, such as rainfall patterns shifting mosquitoes closer to humans.

Discover the other three ways climate change is making infectious diseases worse.

People around the world are experiencing unprecedented heatwaves, wildfires, and deadly floods linked to climate change. As these deadly hazards increase with frequency and intensity each year, the number of 'climate deniers' is decreasing.

One such sign is the US Congress recently passing landmark climate legislation, with 7% fewer deniers than the previous session and 23% fewer than the Congress convened less than six years ago, according to a running tally.

These sentiments are increasingly being echoed around the world. Explore why opinions on climate change are evolving.

According to the UN, drought frequency and duration has increased by nearly a third globally since 2000. More than 2.3 billion people around the world currently face water stress and over 10 million people have died due to major drought events over the past 100 years.

“We need to steer toward the solutions rather than continuing with destructive actions, believing that marginal change can heal systemic failure, ” says Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

Learn more about where drought is hitting hardest around the world and what needs to be done.

The Speed & Scale Tracker shows achievements and setbacks on global goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. While electric vehicles are pulling their weight, our global food consumption of beef and dairy is lagging behind.

The World Economic Forum has also launched a tracking initiative to help industrial sectors - some of the heaviest emitters - reach net-zero emissions.

Explore where progress is being made or not on reaching net-zero emissions.