Search Climate Insights Directory

WWF advocates for a circular food economy to address the fact that up to 40% of food produced for human consumption is wasted annually. This inefficiency contributes to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and costs society $1.1 trillion globally. WWF's approach focuses on three pillars: farm circularity and nutrition, circular supply chains, and policy and community advocacy. The organization leverages its global network and partnerships, including the 'Food is Never Waste' coalition and the '123 Pledge Campaign', to halve per-capita global food waste by 2030. Additionally, the WWF Impact platform provides catalytic investing and market partnerships to fund innovations that repurpose wasted food.

A WWF study of 46 US schools found that students waste an average of 39.2 pounds of food and 28.7 cartons of milk annually. This translates to an estimated $1.7 billion in national annual losses. The report highlights that milk waste is particularly high due to misconceptions about USDA reimbursement rules and the use of cartons over dispensers. It proposes that reducing waste—even by a conservative 3%—could provide significant funding for initiatives like Farm to School (F2S) and the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), which improve student nutrition and support local economies.

The report highlights the 'black box' nature of the animal feed industry, where complex supply chains and proprietary formulations mask risks such as deforestation, human rights abuses, and high greenhouse gas emissions. To address this, WWF and Grieg Seafood developed an ESG screen for feed ingredients, initially tested on salmon aquaculture, to standardize data requests and enable 'apples-to-apples' risk comparisons. The tool aims to move the industry toward greater traceability and is intended for expansion into other animal protein sectors like swine and poultry.

The document examines the nexus between environmental crime and climate change, arguing that illegal activities such as deforestation, marine pollution, and waste trafficking impair the ability of natural ecosystems to sequester carbon and withstand climate impacts. It highlights a gap where climate change is largely absent from criminal justice systems, and environmental crime is missing from the climate agenda. The paper proposes using the concept of 'public harm' and 'aggravating circumstances' to integrate climate impacts into prosecutorial and judicial decision-making. It also warns that climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' that may drive new forms of criminality and increase pressure on justice infrastructure.

The document outlines the Environmental and Social Management Framework (MGAS) for a project aimed at the long-term financial sustainability of Peru's National System of Protected Natural Areas (SINANPE) in the Amazon biome. It identifies potential environmental and social risks associated with infrastructure investments and resource management across six pre-selected protected areas. The framework integrates WWF's Integrated Safeguard Policies and Procedures (PPIS), specifically addressing natural habitats, involuntary resettlement, and indigenous peoples. It establishes a governance structure involving PROFONANPE and SERNANP, a grievance mechanism, and requirements for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) for specific investments.

The document examines the relationship between the Paris Agreement and aviation emissions, asserting that the ICAO's goal of stabilizing net emissions at 2020 levels is inconsistent with the Paris Agreement's objective to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C or well below 2°C. It notes that while the Paris Agreement covers all anthropogenic emissions, it does not specify how to address international transport, leaving a gap that the ICAO's GMBM must fill. The briefing emphasizes that domestic aviation emissions fall under nationally determined contributions (NDCs), which account for one third of total aviation emissions. It further highlights that Article 6 of the Paris Agreement provides essential frameworks for the environmental integrity of carbon markets, which are critical since the GMBM relies heavily on offsets. The document concludes that ICAO member states, all of whom are parties to the Paris Agreement, must ensure the GMBM reflects the Agreement's spirit of increasing ambition over time.

The report outlines the governance needs, implementation phases, and structural scenarios for Electronic Monitoring (EM) in industrial tuna fisheries. It emphasizes the transition toward performance-based standards to accommodate rapid technological evolution in AI and machine learning, while comparing centralized versus decentralized governance models and various service provider engagement strategies.

The ESMP for Biological Corridor 3 (Sarpang) categorizes planned 2025 activities as Category B, meaning impacts are site-specific and reversible. It details mitigation strategies for the maintenance of the Sarpang Range Office, the control of invasive plant species, and the maintenance of the Shawali Forest Nursery. The plan integrates WWF's Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP) and Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) laws, providing frameworks for stakeholder engagement, grievance redressal, and occupational health and safety.

The document outlines the environmental impact of product life cycles, with a heavy emphasis on the crisis of plastic pollution. It provides actionable tips for consumers and offices to reduce waste through better shopping choices, recycling, and composting. It also highlights WWF's systemic initiatives, such as the ReSource hub and the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance, to transform the plastic value chain and shift away from fossil-fuel-based plastics.

The document outlines specific corporate actions across four ocean-dependent sectors—offshore wind, tourism, shipping, and seafood—to achieve a 'nature-positive' vision. Key recommendations include avoiding the conversion of natural habitats like mangroves and dunes, implementing nature-inclusive designs, reducing vessel speeds in sensitive areas, and adhering to sustainable certifications such as MSC and ASC.

The report outlines a vision for 'No Plastic in Nature' by 2030, focusing on the role of the private sector in eliminating unnecessary plastics, doubling global recovery, and shifting to sustainable materials. It provides a blueprint for corporate action centered on strategic organizational alignment, innovative product design, consumer engagement through behavioral science, and the development of local collection and recovery infrastructure.

The report assesses the economic value of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (BBRRS), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, focusing on tourism benefits. It finds that four of the seven MPAs within the BBRRS generate up to US$18.8 million annually from tourism recreation. The document argues that these economic benefits far exceed management costs, providing a strong case for protecting the reef against threats such as offshore oil exploration, unsustainable coastal development, and climate change. It calls on the Belizean government to enact a moratorium on oil exploration and implement stricter land-use regulations to remove the BBRRS from the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.

WWF's Markets Institute proposes 'Farmers Post,' a system integrating a third-party web platform with the USPS to enable direct-to-consumer shipping of fresh produce. The initiative aims to increase revenue for small and minority farmers, reduce the 50% waste of fresh produce grown in the US, and expand access to nutritious food for low-income and food-insecure populations. The report outlines potential revenue for the USPS, identifies logistical hurdles such as temperature control and liability, and describes pilot programs with 4P Foods and Healthy PlanEat to test food hub and virtual models.

The report finds that 48% of Fortune 500 companies have set climate or energy targets, with a notable increase in the smallest quintile of the index. Leading sectors include Consumer Staples, while the Energy sector significantly lags. The report highlights a shift toward science-based targets and 100% renewable energy commitments, noting that 190 companies reported $3.7 billion in annual cost savings from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in 2016. It provides recommendations for companies, policymakers, investors, and the electricity sector to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The document outlines various methodologies for 'situation analysis' to help conservation practitioners understand how corruption, power dynamics, and systemic risks can derail project implementation. It categorizes these approaches into broad systemic analyses—such as Political Economy Analysis (PEA), Political Ecology, and Corruption Risk Assessments (CRA)—and focused techniques like stakeholder and value chain analysis. The guide emphasizes that the most effective analysis is one that is manageable within available resources and directly informs programming through a 'thinking and working politically' approach, including the use of Everyday Political Analysis (EPA) to adapt to changing contexts.

Between 2010 and 2017, USAID-funded projects in Nepal's Kanchenjunga Conservation Area (KCA) provided livelihood benefits to all 1,257 households in the region. Key interventions included adaptive irrigation, which increased annual agricultural revenue by over USD 400,000, and greenhouse farming, which increased annual incomes by USD 18,000 for 199 households. Additionally, 34% of households adopted improved cookstoves, saving over 280 truckloads of firewood annually, and 50% of the population benefited from improved pasture management.

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.

The report highlights that over one-quarter of global irrigated food production relies on unsustainable groundwater extraction, leading to land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and ecological damage. It proposes four key strategies for sustainable management: measuring and managing data, setting sustainable extraction limits, enhancing recharge through managed and nature-based solutions, and reducing demand through crop shifting or fallowing. The authors emphasize that strong water governance and local partnerships are essential to implement these technical solutions effectively.

The document examines how corruption undermines Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) by exploiting weak tenure, restricting information access, and diverting benefits. It identifies key vulnerability points in land administration and revenue sharing, and proposes strategies to mitigate these risks, including human rights-based approaches, strengthening tenure, increasing transparency through digitalization, and ensuring genuine Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).

The 'Promoting Dryland Sustainable Landscapes and Biodiversity Conservation in the Eastern Steppe of Mongolia' project (2020-2025) is a GEF-funded initiative to restore 6.86 million hectares of dryland. It focuses on biodiversity conservation, soil fertility restoration, and GHG emission reduction through four components: enabling environment strengthening, scaling up sustainable management, enhancing landscape connectivity, and project coordination.