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260 results
Drill Rigs and Battleships Are the Answer! (But What Was the Question?) Oil Efficiency, Economic Rationality, and Security
The authors contend that energy efficiency is a far more cost-effective and reliable method for reducing oil dependence than drilling in frontier areas or investing in synthetic fuels. They provide data showing that from 1973 to 1986, efficiency gains significantly outperformed supply expansions in terms of effective energy supply. The paper highlights the transportation sector, particularly light-vehicle efficiency, as the most critical area for potential savings, suggesting that higher CAFE standards could save billions of barrels of oil. It also examines savings in buildings, industry, and utilities, arguing that these 'negabarrels' are cheaper to produce than extracting new oil. Finally, the authors link energy efficiency to broader national security goals, including the mitigation of climate change, the reduction of nuclear proliferation, and the decrease of geopolitical volatility in the Middle East.
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Document type: Research paper
Guidelines for planning equitable disaster resilient development
The guidelines propose a dual approach to planning for disaster resilience: examining trade-offs and implementing equitable resilience. The first approach identifies five dimensions of trade-offs—aggregation, participation, equity, time, and risk—that can inadvertently create new vulnerabilities if not addressed. The second approach, equitable resilience, focuses on four elements: recognizing subjectivities, ensuring inclusion and representation, working across multiple scales, and allowing for systemic transformation. The document emphasizes that sustainable development requires confronting power imbalances and prioritizing the needs of marginalized groups to avoid the cycle where development efforts exacerbate disaster risk.
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Document type: Guide
Brief for GSDR 2015 Transforming disaster risk reduction for more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development
The document identifies critical gaps in current disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts, specifically the neglect of cultural and contextual factors in vulnerability assessments. It argues that DRR, climate change adaptation, and development are currently 'siloed' and must be integrated to avoid unsustainable patterns of exploitation and loss. The authors call for a shift from top-down, expert-driven governance to transformative, bottom-up approaches that incorporate local knowledge and non-economic assets. To achieve this, they propose using holistic, mixed-method research tools, such as Knowledge Elicitation Tools (KnETs), to better understand the tacit drivers of decision-making and organisational culture.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate Change in the United States
The document argues that the costs of failing to reduce carbon emissions in the United States are prohibitive, citing projected damages to coastal infrastructure, public health, water resources, agriculture, transportation, and energy systems. It highlights that under high-emissions scenarios, the annual economic impact could reach 1.9 percent of GDP by 2100. Specific regional risks include severe sea-level rise in Florida and the Northeast, extreme heat waves in Midwestern cities, water scarcity in the Southwest, and increased wildfire frequency in the West Coast and Rocky Mountain regions. The document advocates for a reduction of carbon emissions by at least 80 percent from 2005 levels by 2050 to avoid the worst consequences.
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Document type: Fact sheet
State Progress Toward Clean Power Plan Benchmarks in 2020
The report provides a state-by-state breakdown of progress toward 2020 Clean Power Plan benchmarks, noting that some states have exceeded 500% of their goals while others show 0% progress. It highlights the role of energy efficiency, renewable energy standards, and regional initiatives in achieving these targets.
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Document type: Report
Alaska
Alaska has warmed at more than twice the rate of the rest of the United States over the last 50 years, leading to significant permafrost thaw, coastal erosion, and disruptions to marine and terrestrial ecosystems. These changes threaten public infrastructure, commercial fisheries, and the survival of ice-dependent species like polar bears.
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Document type: Fact sheet
America’s New Climate Economy: A Comprehensive Guide to the Economic Benefits of Climate Policy in the United States
The document assesses the economic benefits of transitioning to a low-carbon economy in the United States, highlighting that clean energy investments create more jobs than fossil fuel spending and that renewable energy is increasingly cost-competitive. It warns that delaying climate action could result in annual GDP losses of 1-10% by 2100, while emphasizing the potential for revitalizing rural communities and boosting the domestic manufacturing sector through cleantech.
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Document type: Research paper
Bottom Line on GHG Emissions Registries
The document defines GHG emissions registries as databases for tracking emissions from individual emitters, distinguishing them from top-down national inventories. It details the legal mandate for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop a national registry by mid-2008, funded by a December 2007 appropriations bill. The text outlines the role of registries in cap-and-trade programs—specifically for ensuring compliance and market efficiency—and describes the technical requirements for data collection, quantification, and verification to ensure consistency and transparency.
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Document type: Fact sheet
WRI Summary of The American Power Act (Kerry-Lieberman Discussion Draft)
The American Power Act (APA) proposes a comprehensive US framework to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a mandatory cap-and-trade system, targeted emission reduction goals, and strategic investments in clean energy. The bill establishes a phased-in cap on covered gases, starting in 2013 and reaching an 83 percent reduction below 2005 levels by 2050. It includes specific provisions to expedite nuclear power development, deploy carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), and provide financial assistance to consumers and workers during the transition to a low-carbon economy. The APA also addresses international climate activities, including the use of international offsets and border adjustments to prevent carbon leakage.
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Document type: Executive summary
How to enjoy winter: 5 lessons from wildlife
The guide outlines five 'lessons' from wildlife to help humans navigate winter, focusing on energy conservation, active engagement with the environment, heat retention, resource preparation, and migration. It details specific animal behaviors—such as the torpor of brown bears, the insulating layers of musk oxen, and the migration of monarch butterflies—to suggest corresponding human mindsets for the season.
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Document type: Guide
How big is the Arctic Ocean? And other Arctic facts
The Arctic region, covering parts of eight countries and including the 5.4 million square mile Arctic Ocean, is facing severe threats from industrial development and climate change. Warming in the Arctic is occurring up to four times faster than the global average, leading to shrinking sea ice that endangers ice-dependent species like polar bears and threatens to disrupt global ocean currents through glacier melt.
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Document type: Fact sheet
What's the difference between buffalo and bison?
The document clarifies that while bison and buffalo both belong to the Bovidae family, they are distinct animals found in different regions. Bison are native to North America and Europe, characterized by shoulder humps and beards, while buffalo are native to Asia and Africa, featuring smoother backs and different horn structures. It details the two bison species (American and European) and two buffalo species (water and African), noting their specific physical traits, habitats, and domestication histories.
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Document type: Guide
What’s black and orange and in the wild?
The document highlights five animal species—the monarch butterfly, emperor penguin, tiger, puffin, and clown fish—detailing their physical characteristics, behaviors, and habitats. It specifically notes that climate change reduces food availability for monarch butterflies and, along with habitat loss, poses risks to emperor penguins.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Monarch milkweed finder
The guide identifies milkweed as the essential food source for monarch caterpillars and the only plant where they lay eggs. It attributes the decline of migratory monarch populations to the loss of millions of acres of milkweed caused by agricultural expansion, urban growth, and the use of herbicides and GMO crops. To mitigate this, the document provides a regional directory of native milkweed species for the US and Canada, categorized by soil and climate requirements, and encourages planting a variety of nectar-producing plants to support adult butterflies during their migration between Mexico and northern North America.
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Document type: Guide
Why do polar bears have white fur? And 10 other polar bear facts
Polar bears are marine mammals vital to Arctic ecosystems that rely on sea ice for hunting ringed seals and breeding. They face severe threats from climate change, which causes the loss of sea ice habitat, and increasing industrial impacts such as offshore petroleum operations. WWF is working to protect the species through eDNA monitoring, climate advocacy, and community-based conflict reduction projects in Alaska and Russia.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The Economics of Oil Development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
WWF-US analysis, utilizing Rystad Energy modeling, concludes that oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is economically unviable. The study finds that the breakeven price for the nine leases awarded in 2021 ranges from $62.5 to $83.60 per barrel, significantly exceeding projected future oil prices under various scenarios, including the IEA's Net-Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario. Additionally, the report highlights substantial risks from thawing permafrost impacting infrastructure, high costs of frontier development, and a growing lack of financial and insurance support from major global institutions.
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Document type: Research paper
Illegal Russian Crab
The report finds that illegal crab harvesting in Russia has significantly exceeded legal limits over the past decade, with imports to Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. often far surpassing official Russian harvest data. It details laundering techniques such as triangular trade and misdeclaration, and highlights the ecological risk of stock collapse in the Russian Far East. The document recommends multilateral cooperation among Russia, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. to establish a harmonized traceability system.
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Document type: Report
IDENTIFICATION GUIDE FOR 4TH EDITION AND IVORY SUBSTITUTES
The document outlines a comprehensive procedure for the identification of ivory, focusing on macroscopic and microscopic morphological characteristics. It details the specific diagnostic features of proboscidean (elephant and mammoth), pinniped (walrus), cetacean (sperm whale, orca, narwhal), and other mammalian (hippopotamus, warthog) ivories. It also provides a framework for identifying common substitutes, such as bone, vegetable ivory, and resins, using ultraviolet light and instrumental analysis. Additionally, the guide covers modern forensic techniques including DNA and isotope analysis for determining species, age, and geographic origin, and offers a strategy for detecting illegal ivory trade on online platforms.
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Document type: Guide
America is All In
The document outlines the existential threat of climate change, specifically noting impacts in the US such as droughts in California and wildfires in the West. It advocates for a transition to a 100% renewable energy supply by 2050, urging US corporations to set science-based targets and reaffirm support for the Paris Climate Agreement. Additionally, it provides a detailed list of energy-saving actions for individuals to implement at home and in the workplace to reduce their carbon footprint.
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Document type: Guide
OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT IN ALASKA’S BRISTOL BAY
The document outlines the ecological risks posed by proposed offshore oil and gas development in Alaska's Bristol Bay, focusing on the threat to the critically endangered eastern North Pacific right whale. It details how noise pollution, vessel strikes, oil spills, and invasive species could jeopardize the recovery of several endangered whale species in the region.
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Document type: Fact sheet