Search Climate Insights Directory

This chapter from the Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO-5) report analyzes the increasing pressures on global land resources driven by population growth, economic development, and globalization, while discussing the necessity of improved governance and capacity building for sustainable land management.

This research paper proposes an integrated systems framework to address global phosphorus security, emphasizing the need to recover phosphorus from diverse waste streams to mitigate water pollution and ensure future food security as phosphate rock becomes scarcer.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the full life cycle of plastic, from fossil fuel extraction to waste management and environmental degradation. It warns that planned expansions in plastic production threaten the global goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5°C, projecting that cumulative emissions could consume up to 13% of the remaining carbon budget by 2050.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that offshore oil and gas activities—including exploration, production, transport, and decommissioning—pose severe threats to marine ecosystems, human rights, and the global climate. It calls for oceans everywhere to be made off-limits to these activities to address the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

This fact sheet provides a progress update on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7, 'Ensuring Environmental Sustainability', detailing global trends in forest loss, carbon emissions, water stress, ozone depletion, biodiversity, and urban slum conditions.

This report by the World Resources Institute examines the role of aquaculture in meeting global fish demand by 2050. It argues that aquaculture production must more than double to meet projected needs, while simultaneously improving productivity and environmental performance to ensure sustainability.

This working paper details the methodology for creating the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, a global database and interactive tool designed to translate complex hydrological data into intuitive water-related risk indicators for decision-makers.

This working paper, based on a October 2012 workshop convened by the World Resources Institute and the ClimateWorks Foundation, assesses the landscape of independent efforts to track the adoption, implementation, and impact of global climate change policies. It identifies critical gaps in current tracking efforts and provides recommendations for researchers, funders, and governments to improve the monitoring of climate policy effectiveness.

The Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems (PAGE) reports that nearly 30% of global coastal land area has been altered or destroyed by human demand. Increasing coastal populations, rising nutrient pollution, overfishing, and the effects of global climate change—including rising sea levels and warmer oceans—threaten the capacity of these ecosystems to provide essential services such as food, biodiversity, and shoreline stabilization.

The 2012 fact sheet reports that the United States had its hottest year on record and that 2011 and 2012 saw the highest number of billion-dollar extreme weather events in history. It highlights the impact of Hurricane Sandy on New York and New Jersey, noting nearly $80 billion in losses, and notes a century-long 8-inch rise in global sea levels.

A guide by the World Resources Institute designed to help service-sector companies manage, track, and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to mitigate climate change.

This research paper provides an updated view of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2005, specifically focusing on the revised contribution of land-use change to total emissions based on updated data and methodologies.