In a recent review, FAO identified that 41 out of 54 countries in Africa included at least one policy or measure on more sustainable use of bioenergy in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Considering the critical role of sustainable bioenergy in sub-Saharan Africa, FAO’s…

Twenty-seven policy briefs were authored for the Global Preparatory Meeting for Review of SDG 7. IRENA released two reports, on renewable energy market analysis for Southeast Asia and prospects for the EU. A joint report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance and Facebook looks at options for bridging the…

This infographic shows the interactions and key questions around the relationship triangle of water, energy and food security, like: What are energy efficient water-treatment technologies? How does watershed management help hydropower? What technologies make irrigation more water efficient? et al.

The cultivation of bioenergy plants at fertile, arable lands increasingly results in new land use conflicts with food production and cannot be considered as sustainable, therefore. Marginal lands have been frequently considered as potential alternative for producing bioenergy from biomass. However…

Representing nearly 41% of the land above sea level, arid zones are home to more than two billion people who suffer from the ongoing degradation of the land and soil that provide them sustenance. Owing to desertification and droughts, nearly twelve million hectares of land are no longer arable each…

The land degradation‐neutrality (LDN) national baseline for Kenya in 2015 was established in terms of the three LDN indicators (land cover, land productivity, and carbon stocks), and using trends in GIMMS NDVI and land cover datasets over the 24‐year period from 1992 to 2015. Human‐induced land…

Sustainable Development Goal 15 is “Life on Land” and one of its core targets is Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). What is LDN and how can this new paradigm help integrate and accelerate other SDGs?

The Global Wetland Outlook provides a current overview of global wetlands: their extent, trends, drivers of change and the responses needed to reverse the historical decline in wetland area and quality.

Sustainable Energy for All’s Energizing Finance series is the first and only in-depth attempt to capture multiple years of data on investment for the two key areas of energy access: electrification and clean cooking. It focuses on public and private finance commitments in 20 developing countries –…

This research investigates the human impact on land-cover dynamics in arid agro-ecosystems. Using remote sensing and ancillary datasets combined with classification and regression tree (CART) models, we mapped land-cover class distributions over 22 years (1988–2009) to characterize agricultural…

The ten categories identified in our typology are based on real-world adaptation projects being financed through the Least Developed Countries Fund, the Special Climate Change Fund, and the Strategic Priority for Adaptation.

Deserts may be difficult to define, but they play an active role in the evolution of our global climate and society at large, and their future is of the utmost importance.

Soil damage, climate change, water and energy availability are all challenges for farming.

"Europe is now generating four times more wind power and 70 times more solar power as in 2005. This is good news, but a clear, forward-looking investment strategy is also necessary across the fossil fuel power sector to meet our long-term challenge to cut CO2 emissions. Europe is committed to…

In fact drought is extremely serious problem in the Arab region, and will increase causing serious threat, keeping in mind that all Arab countries are suffering from fragility of their ecosystems, and facing severe risks of depletion of soil, vegetation, and water resources on daily basis.

Overall, the growth prospects of the Emerging Asian economies (Southeast Asia, China and India) are expected to remain robust over the medium term amid global economic uncertainty.

Biodiversity’s contribution to ecosystem services in grasslands — at different levels of the food chain (known as trophic levels1) — has been assessed in a new study. Higher species diversity across trophic levels — particularly for plants, insects and soil microbial decomposers — is important for…

FAO is helping to reorient food and agricultural systems in countries most exposed to climate risks, with a clear focus on supporting smallholders. This booklet provides a summary of FAO’s holistic approach to the adaptation of agriculture.

The report begins by reviewing the evidence to date focussing on the magnitude and geographical distribution of food losses. In the next sections the role of energy in post-harvest losses is discussed. Thereafter, the main entry points within the food value chain where lack of access to energy is…

The Barcelona Dust Forecast Center is the first center specialized on dust forecast recognized by WMO. It operationally distributes dust forecasts for Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe.

Drought is one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. It often has large-scale and serious consequences particularly in poor countries. It has accompanied humankind ever since, but is projected to increase with climate change. Yet, in our present time drought no longer needs to be a disaster, its…

The International Day of Forests is observed on 21 March every year. This year, a special event to observe the Day was held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome under the theme, “Forests and energy”. The observance was held in conjunction with the…

Charcoal has been an important source of energy for centuries and remains so today; projections indicate that demand will continue to increase, especially in Africa. In many countries, however, a lack of regulation means that the charcoal sector is inefficient and can have locally and nationally…

How much do you know about forests and energy? International Day of Forests 2017 quiz

he third edition of the GTF provides an evidence-based look at progress at the regional, country, and international level toward ensuring universal access to modern energy services, doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix, and doubling the global rate of improvement in energy…