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The first item on the long list of issues to be addressed at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week: Climate change. On Tuesday President Barack Obama will address a group of world leaders at the U.N. Climate Summit, a one-day meeting hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and open to leaders of all 193 U.N. member states, though not all will attend, plus members of the private sector.

NEW YORK - Touted as the world's largest gathering ever on climate change, this week's U.N. Climate Summit will be as much about business as politics. Major companies, including Big Oil, will make pledges to help fight global warming by cutting their heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, protecting the world's forests and reducing methane leakage from fossil fuel production.

A new technology called bio-energy with carbon capture and storage, or BECCS, could potentially eliminate the equivalent of China's total carbon emissions from the planet's atmosphere, dramatically slowing the rate of climate change, according to a draft U.N. report. The system, which involves capturing and burying carbon emissions from burning biomass, has not yet been tested at scale but is increasingly seen as "an essential component" of any effort to tackle climate change, the report notes.

Apple is banning the use of two potentially hazardous chemicals, benzene and n-hexane, during the final assembly of iPhones and iPads as part of the company's latest commitment to protect the factory workers who build its trendy devices.

But the cult fast-food favorite opted to change its antibiotics policy last week, in the face of mounting pressure from environmental advocacy groups.

n what has been hailed as a far-reaching victory for global shark conservation, Air China has become the first airline in mainland China to ban shark fin cargo on its flights. The airline, which is headquartered in Beijing, announced the ban on Friday. "We were one of the first airlines in China to raise the awareness of the unsustainability of the global shark trade," says a message on the carrier's website. "We understand the community's desire to promote responsible and sustainable marine sourcing practices, and this remains important to Air China Cargo's overall sustainable development goals."

GREENSBORO, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As Wrangler® celebrates a milestone of three billion liters of water saved since 2007, the global leader in jeanswear and casual apparel announces a goal to reduce water usage at its facilities by 20 percent by the year 2020.

A zero-waste food retailer is readying to open up in Brooklyn, N.Y., that will allow shoppers to fill their own reusable containers and offer milk in glass bottles that shoppers can reuse on future trips. The concept of retailers like the Fillery are popular in Europe, but they have yet to catch on in the US market.

Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee rejected an amendment on Tuesday that would allow the federal government to allocate funds toward the UN Green Climate Fund. "The Green Climate Fund is the only multilateral institution that supports clean, resilient development around the world," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., adding that the US should be leading the initiative.

Climate change is already taking a serious toll on the planet, leading to heat waves, water shortages, melting ice caps, dying coral reefs and the extinction or migration of fish stocks, according to a report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Decisions made -- or left unmade -- by policymakers in the immediate future will shape global society for the rest of the century, the panel's report warns. "Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change," said Rajendra K. Pachauri, the panel's chairman

The United States and China contributed most to record mountains of electronic waste such as cellphones, hair dryers and fridges in 2014 and less than a sixth ended up recycled worldwide, a U.N. study said on Sunday. Overall, 41.8 million tonnes of "e-waste" - defined as any device with an electric cord or battery - were dumped around the globe in 2014 and only an estimated 6.5 million tonnes were taken for recycling, the United Nations University (UNU) said.

The oceans are crammed with floating junk, including thousands of pieces of plastic per square mile of water, the U.N. says. In a bid to raise awareness of the problem, Adidas has developed a prototype sneaker made mostly from recycled floating plastic. 

Pope Francis will release a major encyclical this week calling for the world's Catholics to take a stand against climate change and environmental degradation. The letter, the first such statement by a pope, will frame environmental activism as a social justice issue. "Pope Francis is personally committed to this issue like no other pope before him. The encyclical will have a major impact," U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres said. 

Could the U.N. climate negotiations held in Lima, Peru in December be a catalyst for financing more impactful sustainability projects in Latin America?

Chevrolet is buying up emissions credits linked to 11,000 acres of grasslands in North Dakota. In exchange for payments from Chevrolet, the ranchers who own the land agree not to till their properties, reducing carbon emissions. "The amount of carbon dioxide removed from our atmosphere by Chevrolet's purchase of these credits equals the amount that would be reduced by taking more than 5,000 cars off the road," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

A committee of the International Civil Aviation Organization has proposed standards for aircraft carbon dioxide emissions. "When fully implemented, the standards are expected to reduce carbon emissions more than 650 million tons between 2020 and 2040, equivalent to removing over 140 million cars from the road for a year," the White House said in a fact sheet

State leaders, delegates, business leaders, and other stakeholders have convened in Paris for the U.N. Conference of the Parties (COP 21). Here are a few highlights from last week: 

In an announcement at the United Nations COP21 global climate talks in Paris, a total of 114 companies have joined a Science Based Targets initiative orchestrated in partnership with CDP, the World Wildlife Fund and the U.N. Global Compact.

They'll always have Paris. But what did the U.N. climate summit mean to these business leaders who lived it? Execs from H&M, BASF and others weigh in

State leaders, delegates, business leaders, and other stakeholders convened in Paris for the U.N. Conference of the Parties (COP 21). Here are a few highlights from the final week: