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Between 1997 and 2006, fossil fuel consumption in the Southeast grew by approximately 14 percent, significantly exceeding both the national average growth rate of 5 percent and the regional growth of non-fossil energy sources, which was less than 1 percent.

The report highlights that global water demand exceeds renewable supplies, with agriculture accounting for over 70% of withdrawals. It argues that increasing crop water productivity through mature technologies and improving policy incentives creates a significant opportunity for private capital investment, despite potential disruptions from the 2008 financial crisis.

The report examines the use of eminent domain to establish protected areas (PAs) in East Africa, highlighting how irregular land acquisitions and degazettement threaten biodiversity. It argues that PAs are only sustainable when established through transparent, inclusive, and accountable processes that respect private property rights and provide fair compensation.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) reported total revenue of $27,765,582 and total expenses of $28,102,119 for the 2008 tax year. The organization operates three primary program services: the Climate, Energy and Pollution Program, the Institutions and Governance Program, and the People and Ecosystems Program. WRI maintains a global presence with activities and grantmaking in regions including East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, North America, South America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. As of the end of the year, the organization held total assets of $53,223,660 and total liabilities of $3,795,121.

The report argues that humanity has depleted natural capital to achieve short-term gains, leading to a decline in 15 of 24 evaluated ecosystem services. It proposes a five-part action agenda: developing ecosystem service information, strengthening local community rights, managing across multiple scales, improving accountability, and aligning economic incentives. To implement this, the authors suggest creating new institutions such as Ecosystem Service Districts, Biome Stewardship Councils, a Commission on Macroeconomics and Ecosystem Services for Poverty Reduction, and a global Leaders' Forum.

The report finds that while many governments have established legal frameworks for freedom of information, actual practice lags behind, particularly regarding proactive information release and meaningful public participation. It argues that environmental access rights are human rights and that their implementation improves the legitimacy and quality of environmental decisions. The document identifies hurdles such as vested interests and lack of capacity, and provides recommendations for governments and advocates to foster a culture of openness and accountability in environmental governance.

Jonathan Lash, representing the US Climate Action Partnership (US CAP), advocates for a federal cap-and-trade program and a long-term emissions roadmap to transition the United States to a low-carbon economy. He emphasizes that clear federal rules are necessary to avoid a regulatory patchwork of state laws and to provide the market certainty required for large-scale private investment in clean energy technologies.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) asserts that carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) is the only viable near-term solution to curb emissions from the expanding use of coal, particularly in the U.S. and China. While energy efficiency, renewables, and nuclear power are important, they cannot currently offset coal use at the necessary scale. WRI argues that a carbon cap and trade regime is a critical first step to incentivize low-carbon investment, though current legislative proposals likely offer carbon prices too low to offset high capture costs. Consequently, the document calls for increased public funding for research, development and demonstration (RD&D) and additional policy tools to address regulatory and public acceptance barriers.

David Jhirad testifies that climate change will create new difficulties for U.S. foreign aid and security assistance, necessitating a constructive re-engagement with the international community on mitigation and adaptation. He advocates for strong domestic action to stabilize the global climate and ensure worldwide energy and economic security, while urging Congress to re-establish American leadership and clarify national and international policy.

The report presents a business case for Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), arguing that failing to secure community approval creates significant financial, operational, and reputational risks. Through four case studies in the Philippines, Argentina, Thailand, and Peru, it demonstrates that while FPIC requires an iterative process of information sharing and negotiation, the costs are minimal compared to the potential losses from project delays, asset write-downs, and lost revenues. The authors recommend that project sponsors, financiers, and host governments integrate FPIC into their decision-making and permitting processes to avoid costly conflicts.

The testimony argues that avoiding severe climate damage requires long-term global emissions reductions of 60-80% across all sectors. It emphasizes that because the 15 largest emitters account for 80% of global emissions, international solutions must align with national self-interests rather than uniform requirements. Proposed solutions include pricing greenhouse gas emissions, leveraging co-benefits for air quality and energy security, and investing in new technologies to maintain US competitiveness. The author also highlights the need for adaptation strategies to protect the poorest populations and calls for the US to take a more constructive role in the UN Climate Convention.

The World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental think tank, reported total revenue of $25,345,212 and total expenses of $21,237,532 for the 2005 tax year. The organization operates seven primary programs focusing on climate change, urban mobility, ecosystem protection, and environmental governance. Its largest program expenditure was for the People and Ecosystems Program ($4,443,154), followed by the Institutions and Governance Program ($3,450,686). WRI maintains a staff of over 130 experts and partners with nearly 400 organizations globally.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) reported 'net' CO2 emissions of 1,031 metric tons in 2004 and 978 metric tons in 2005, representing a 3% and 8% decrease respectively from its 2000 base year. To achieve its 'net zero' goal, WRI utilizes a combination of internal efficiency measures, the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs), and investments in GHG offsets through the Chicago Climate Exchange. The organization also updated its accounting methodology to exclude paper emissions from its primary goal due to calculation uncertainties, though it continues to track them separately. Beyond its own footprint, WRI manages several multi-stakeholder partnerships, including the GHG Protocol and Climate Northeast, to promote corporate greenhouse gas management.

The document outlines three primary methods for companies to obtain green power: retail green power programs, renewable energy certificates (RECs), and on-site generation. It provides a business case for the transition, focusing on GHG reduction, stakeholder relations, and cost stability. The guide also details procurement strategies to minimize premiums, such as energy efficiency upgrades and demand aggregation, and explains the methodology for accounting for carbon benefits in corporate GHG inventories using e-GRID emission factors.

The briefing identifies critical areas of focus for 2005, specifically questioning whether the second Bush Administration will address global warming or if leadership will shift to US state and city officials and the business community, and examining the implications of two major studies on global ecosystems and poverty for the USA.

The report examines decentralization reforms in countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, China, India, Indonesia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Senegal, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. It finds that most reforms fail to establish the necessary institutional infrastructure for democratic decentralization, often resulting in privatization or deconcentration instead. The author argues that for decentralization to be equitable and efficient, powers must be transferred to elected local governments that are accountable to the local population, rather than to customary authorities or NGOs. The report highlights that central governments frequently resist genuine power transfers by using 'capacity' arguments as an excuse to retain control over lucrative resources. It recommends shifting from complex management planning to a system of minimum environmental standards and sequencing power transfers to prioritize political and allocative decisions over technical ones.

WRI's fiscal year 2002 CO2 emissions were 1,306 metric tons, representing a 3.5% reduction from 2001. The primary emission sources were purchased electricity (42%) and air travel (40%). While air travel emissions have decreased to 1% below 2000 levels, electricity emissions have risen 24% since 2000, largely due to increased cooling requirements from another tenant in WRI's non-separately metered building. WRI has adjusted historical data using improved methodologies and now holds a surplus of carbon offsets. To maintain its commitment, WRI is exploring new ways to fund offsets and has published the 'Working 9 to 5 on Climate Change' guide to help other organizations reduce their footprints.

The report provides a geospatial analysis of the world's drylands, which cover approximately 40 percent of the global land area and support over two billion people. It evaluates the provision of ecosystem services including forage for livestock, food production, biodiversity conservation, freshwater, carbon storage, and energy. The analysis highlights that while drylands are often perceived as unproductive, they are critical for human survival, though they face significant threats from soil degradation, water scarcity, and human activities such as overgrazing and urbanization.

The document analyzes the environmental management strategies of Epson (China) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the Japanese Seiko Epson Corporation. It details the company's efforts to implement ISO 14001 certification across its office and production sites in China, alongside initiatives to reduce energy and paper use and replace CFC-based fire extinguishers. A central focus is the critique of a proposed cartridge take-back system in China, which the document argues is flawed due to low participation goals (one percent of cartridges sold), a lack of competitive intelligence, and insufficient consumer information.

The Reefs at Risk Caribbean project workshop focused on improving a threat assessment model for coral reefs using proxy indicators. Key discussions centered on refining data for coastal development, watershed-based pollution, overfishing, and coral bleaching. Participants recommended incorporating higher-resolution data, adjusting population density metrics for fishing pressure, and treating coral bleaching and disease as separate analysis layers rather than integrated threat model components. The workshop also addressed the need for better mapping of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the economic valuation of reefs.