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The briefing by WWF and IISD offers policy guidance for COP 14 regarding the mainstreaming of biodiversity into the infrastructure sector, following a decision from COP 13 to address biodiversity in energy, mining, infrastructure, manufacturing, and health. It mentions upcoming discussions by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and references two specific case studies: bus fleet electrification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and hybrid infrastructure in the Bogotá River basin, Colombia.

The study establishes a nutrient mass balance for Pelican Lake, Manitoba, finding that the lake acts as a net sink for phosphorus and a net source of nitrogen. External nutrient loads are strongly linked to surface hydrology and agricultural land use, with internal recycling from sediments contributing significantly to phosphorus levels. The findings suggest that remediation should focus on high-agricultural sub-catchments and the regulation of the Pembina River inlet dam.

The Practitioner’s Guide to Developing River Basin Report Cards outlines a five-step process—identifying values/threats, choosing indicators, defining thresholds, calculating scores, and communicating results—to synthesize complex ecological, social, and economic data into simple grades. It emphasizes the necessity of stakeholder engagement, the role of 'champions' in driving policy change, and strategies for overcoming barriers such as insufficient data, political resistance, and trans-boundary complexities. Through case studies from the USA, Colombia, India, the Philippines, and Australia, the guide demonstrates how these tools can increase public awareness and influence resource allocation and management decisions.

Environmental groups, represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit on September 22, 2017, to stop Lucky Minerals from conducting extensive gold exploration in Emigrant Gulch. The project, approved by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, involves 24-hour drilling over two years and is viewed as a precursor to large-scale mining that could threaten the local tourism economy and the environment of Paradise Valley and the Custer Gallatin National Forest.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and other partners advocate for updating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) to better address pollution and toxic chemical exposure. They highlight the severe health impacts of pollution, including 7,700 premature deaths annually from poor air quality, and emphasize the disproportionate burden on vulnerable populations such as children and Indigenous communities. The statement supports legislative changes to recognize the right to a healthy environment, implement binding air and water quality standards, and increase transparency in product labelling.

The document explains the requirements of California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), detailing the components of Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) and the role of Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs). It identifies six 'undesirable results' that plans must avoid, such as land subsidence and seawater intrusion, and explains the technical tools used to manage these, including water budgets and hydrologic models. The guide emphasizes the subjective nature of 'sustainability' and provides a framework for stakeholders to engage in the planning process, set minimum thresholds, and collaborate with technical experts to ensure plans reflect community values.

The document explains the framework of California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which requires local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to achieve groundwater sustainability by 2040 (or 2042 for low-priority basins). It details the four main components of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP): basin description, sustainable goals to avoid six 'undesirable outcomes', management projects, and monitoring plans. The guide emphasizes that sustainability is a social and technical definition determined by local community values. It provides a framework for understanding water budgets and hydrological models, stressing the need for open-source software and the integration of community values into technical data. Finally, it outlines pathways for public engagement, such as joining GSA boards or advisory committees, and lists critical questions to ensure transparency and accountability in the planning process.

The document argues against the year-round use of E15 (15% ethanol, 85% gasoline), stating that increasing ethanol proportions during the ozone season leads to higher smog and ground-level ozone, which impairs lung function. It further claims that corn ethanol production has caused the loss of over 7 million acres of grassland, degraded water quality via farm runoff, and may have higher life-cycle GHG emissions than gasoline unless specific biomass heat sources are used in biorefineries.

The report finds that while voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) are increasingly adopted in key agricultural sectors, they remain a marginal force globally, covering less than 1% of global agricultural area as of 2014. VSSs show strong alignment with habitat conservation, with 87% prohibiting production on recently converted forestland, but are poorly equipped to address climate change, with no standards requiring strict GHG emission reductions. The analysis reveals that standards typically mandate practices rather than performance outcomes, and their impact is often limited by a reliance on developed-country demand and a tendency to be adopted where compliance is least costly. The report suggests five policy options, including supporting biodiversity-driven implementation and developing integrated data systems, to better leverage VSSs for biodiversity protection.

Five environmental and health organizations are urging the Canadian Minister of Health to set a completion deadline of April 2018 for the PMRA's second special review of atrazine. The groups argue that the initial review was too narrow in scope and delayed, noting that atrazine has been banned in the European Union since 2004 due to groundwater contamination. They emphasize that continued delays prolong risks to human health and the environment, including endocrine disruption in aquatic animals and exposure through drinking water.

The provided text consists of appendices detailing an optimization model to assess the scalability of diversified crop rotations in Iowa, the potential for substituting corn with oats and alfalfa in livestock feed, and methodologies for calculating soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions. It argues that longer rotation systems can maintain profitability while improving soil health and reducing pollution. The analysis includes specific scenarios for converting corn acreage in the most erodible counties and across the entire state, utilizing non-linear models to estimate nitrous oxide (N2O) reductions and carbon sequestration benefits.

The document describes zebra mussels as filter-feeding molluscs from Eastern Europe that attach to hard surfaces in high densities. It details their spread from the Great Lakes into Manitoba, likely via the Red River or overland transport, and identifies their presence in the Red River and Lake Winnipeg. Ecological risks include the depletion of algae affecting fish and insect populations, as well as the potential for shoreline algal blooms. The author advises the public to clean equipment moved from Lake Winnipeg to other water bodies and warns of physical injury from sharp shells.

The document details how the 2014 Farm Bill allocates funding for conservation programs to mitigate agricultural pollution and enhance soil productivity. It describes specific practices such as cover cropping, no-till operations, and intercropping, while outlining the four primary USDA conservation programs: EQIP, ACEP, CRP, and CSP.

The 2014 Farm Bill allocated $57.6 billion to conservation programs, focusing on voluntary on-farm practices. Key tools include cover crops, no-till/low-till operations, and intercropping, which aim to reduce nutrient runoff and sequester carbon. The document details four primary USDA programs: EQIP, ACEP, CRP, and CSP, outlining their funding, objectives, and the specific environmental benefits they provide, such as carbon sequestration and the protection of wetlands and marginal lands.

The report criticizes the European Commission's 2016 proposal for EDC identification criteria, arguing that its sector-specific focus on pesticides and biocides creates regulatory gaps and legal uncertainty. The authors contend that this approach deviates from international GHS standards, ignores the 7th Environmental Action Programme's mandate for harmonised criteria, and risks lower levels of protection in consumer products like cosmetics and medical devices.

Friends of the Earth (U.S.) argues that Donald Trump's presidency endangers the foundations of American democracy and the U.S. Constitution. The organization pledges to fight attacks on laws protecting air, water, and food supplies, while supporting public protests and congressional resistance to the new administration.

The document outlines a framework for evaluating whether Canada's public policy regime adequately addresses threats to its freshwaters. It introduces a hierarchical threat classification system based on the IUCN approach, categorizing threats into quantity, quality, habitat, and pervasive/cross-cutting classes. Through a sample analysis of 26 water management instruments, the author demonstrates a methodology to identify policy gaps and scientific research needs. The paper argues that a coordinated, pan-Canadian approach is necessary to align water science with policy to protect aquatic biodiversity and resources, particularly in the face of climate change.

The document proposes a framework for measuring agricultural resilience in eastern Ontario, Canada, moving beyond traditional risk-reduction to a holistic, system-based approach. It identifies 36 indicators across six themes—climate change, population, farmland production, market and economy, rural infrastructure, and natural environment—to track the capacity of rural systems to absorb shocks and adapt. The authors emphasize that while some data is readily available, significant gaps exist in detailed farm economic data. The briefing argues for cross-sectoral collaboration to break down government 'silos' and suggests that these indicators are transferable to other agricultural regions across Canada.

Agricultural runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus is a primary driver of water contamination and eutrophication in the U.S., particularly affecting the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. While the Clean Water Act does not regulate water leaving farmers' fields, various state-level initiatives and federal programs, such as the USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), promote voluntary best management practices to reduce nutrient loading. Climate change is expected to worsen these issues by increasing the frequency of extreme weather events that trigger higher runoff.

Agricultural runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus is a primary driver of water contamination, leading to eutrophication and hypoxic zones in the Gulf of Mexico and Great Lakes. Climate change is expected to worsen this by increasing the frequency of heavy rains and subsequent nutrient runoff. While the Clean Water Act does not regulate water leaving farmers' fields, various state-level voluntary and mandatory programs, alongside the federal Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), aim to reduce nutrient loading through best management practices like cover crops and no-till operations.