State of the art in sustainability thinking, inspired by interdisciplinary ideas of ecological economics. This book is focusing on sustainability pathways, new economic theory, democracy and institutions, multidimensional assessment of sustainability, macroeconomic modelling and policies, climate…

Adverse climatic conditions, a sluggish global economy and conflicts are key factors driving food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, the United Nations agriculture agency said on Thursday. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) 2017 Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and…

When journalists write about climate-linked migration, who do they turn to for information? Who do they interview, and who are their trusted sources? These are vital questions as the people the media turn to are – in part – the people who get to define the debate about climate-linked migration.

GCECA is an initiative by UN Environment, the Government of the Netherlands and Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), and has formed partnerships with over 50 international organisations, NGOs, governments, financial institutions, knowledge institutions and businesses to…

Drought is arguably one of the most devastating natural disasters in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Climate change is expected to add to this threat. Drought has far-reaching socio-economic and ecological implications that include loss of lives and livelihoods, famine, lack of water…

A new map was released today detailing croplands worldwide in the highest resolution yet, helping to ensure global food and water security in a sustainable way.

Land restoration is not a “glamorous subject even when you give all the numbers,” admits Monique Barbut, the Executive Secretary of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNCCD). But she also stresses that by 2050, the world population will reach 10 billion. To feed that extra 2.4…

This article examines the relationship between gender inequality and food security with a particular focus on the role of international research and funding institutions, using the examples of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)…

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss: Terrestrial ecosystems provide a series of goods, raw materials for construction and energy, food and a series…

In 2013 and 2014, Jordan updated its Rangeland Strategy to enshrine Hima into law, helping to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 15, Target 3, to stop desertification and restore degraded land and soil. Jordan’s Hima policies have won recognition in the form of a Future Policy Award from the World…

When the heat is on, ground shrinkage means subsiding soils. Sustained drought could cause structural problems in parts of Spain.

The 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23), held under the Presidency of Fiji, concluded on 17 November 2017. This COP represented the opportunity to take stock of how climate migration continues to be integrated not only in the official climate negotiations but also in the numerous…

Managed carefully, soils are a reusable resource, but in a scale of human lifetimes they cannot be considered as a renewable resource. Land Degradation Neutrality is a new paradigm in environmental politics for avoiding, reducing and reversing land degradation in an integrated way. The response…

Climate change is one of the most important challenges that humanity collectively faces in the 21st century. The repercussions for foreign policy agendas are substantial: increasing water scarcity, more flooding, and extreme weather events threaten millions of livelihoods across the world, sometimes…

This book highlights how climate change has affected migration in the Indian subcontinent. Drawing on field research, it argues that extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, cyclones, cloudbursts as well as sea level rise, desertification and declining crop productivity have shown higher…

A first atlas to offer a better understanding of complex rural migration patterns in sub-Saharan Africa has been published today. The atlas – Rural Africa in motion. Dynamics and drivers of migration south of the Sahara – also highlights the important role rural areas will continue to play in…

The 2017 edition of the World Statistics Pocketbook is the forty-first in a series of annual compilations of over 50 key statistical indicators from more than 20 international statistical sources and are presented in one-page profiles for 30 world geographical regions and 232 countries or areas…