More than 700 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still use traditional biomass on open fires or inefficient traditional cookstoves for cooking. A new report shows that a transition towards clean cooking not only reduces child mortality, but also can save money and has positive effects on biodiversity and climate.

The world is not on track to achieve internationally agreed environmental targets. To get back on track, wide-ranging innovations in production and consumption are required, combined with integrated policy approaches. This is concluded in the sixth Global Environment Outlook published by UN Environment. 

In 2017 the increase in global greenhouse gas emissions resumed at a rate of 1.3% per year, reaching 50.9 gigatonnes in CO₂ equivalent, excluding those from land-use change. This was mainly due to emissions of CO₂ and methane (CH₄), which increased by 1.2%, after two years of almost no growth.