A Major Initiative of the World Resources Institute

Welcome to EarthTrends, an online collection of information regarding the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world. Committed to the principle that accurate information drives responsible decisions by governments and individuals, EarthTrends offers the public a large breadth of statistical, graphic, and analytical data in easily accessible formats.

Much of the environmental information on the internet is fragmented, buried, or only available at a price. EarthTrends gathers data from the world’s leading statistical agencies, along with WRI-generated maps and analyses, into a single database for rapid searching and retrieving. To facilitate the comparison of data from different sources, EarthTrends supplements its content with detailed metadata that reports on research methodologies and evaluates the information’s reliability. All of these resources are made available to the public at no charge.

Our users range from individuals who influence environmental policy—whether in governments, academia, corporations, think-tanks, or other civil society groups—to educators, students, and the public at large. To meet their diverse needs, we present information in multiple formats and differing levels of complexity. We encourage you to explore the data within our ten topic areas and five information tools to fully grasp the capabilities of EarthTrends!

Date Added: Jan 22, 2009 Hits: 0 Rating: 0.00 Votes: 0

The World Resources Institute (WRI) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people’s lives.

Our mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Because people are inspired by ideas, empowered by knowledge, and moved to change by greater understanding, WRI provides—and helps other institutions provide—objective information and practical proposals for policy and institutional change that will foster environmentally sound, socially equitable development.

WRI organizes its work around four key programmatic goals:

* People & Ecosystems: Reverse rapid degradation of ecosystems and assure their capacity to provide humans with needed goods and services.

* Governance: Empower people and support institutions to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable decision-making.

* Climate Protection: Protect the global climate system from further harm due to emissions of greenhouse gases and help humanity and the natural world adapt to unavoidable climate change.

* Markets & Enterprise: Harness markets and enterprise to expand economic opportunity and protect the environment.
A fifth goal—Institutional excellence—supports and enhances WRI’s ability to achieve results.

Date Added: Jan 22, 2009 Hits: 0 Rating: 0.00 Votes: 0