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Mother Pelican
A Journal of Solidarity and Sustainability

Vol. 9, No. 6, June 2013
Luis T. Gutiérrez, Editor
Home Page

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Advances in Sustainable Development

SUMMARY & OUTLINE

This supplement attempts to be a radar screen for recent/emerging/forthcoming advances in sustainable development. In selecting items for this supplementary page, priority is given to information about publications and tools with an educational and human-centric focus. This update includes the following reminders that sustainable development has a human face:

1. Suggestions for Prayer, Study, and Action
2. News, Publications, Tools, and Conferences
3. Advances in Sustainable Development
4. Advances in Integral Human Development
5. Advances in Integrated Sustainable Development
6. Sustainability Games, Databases, and Knowledgebases
7. Sustainable Development Measures and Indicators
8. Sustainable Development Modeling and Simulation
9. Fostering Sustainability in the International Community
Note: Items in this page are updated as information is received and as time permits. If the reader knows about new pubs/tools that should be announced in this page, please write to the Editor.

1. Suggestions for Prayer, Study, and Action

PRAYER

PRAYER OF GRATITUDE FOR CREATION

Mother Earth

by St. Francis of Assisi

Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfolds rich blessing on our way,
O praise God! Alleluia!
The fruits and flowers that verdant grow,
Let them his praise abundant show.
O praise God, O praise God,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

STUDY

SUSTAINABILITY TRANSITION BEYOND 2015

Post2015Transition.jpg
LINK TO THE REPORT WEBSITE
Navigating Sustainable Development in the 21st Century: Final Report of the IHDP Future Earth Transition Team

Key highlights of the report

  • How Future Earth will adopt an integrated and solutions-oriented approach to global environmental change issues to inform a transition to global sustainability.
  • A proposed governance structure to ensure that excellence in research, across the range of natural and social sciences, engineering and humanities, and strategic stakeholder engagement, can be delivered under Future Earth.
  • The importance of co-designing research with stakeholders, and initial thinking on how to address capacity building at global and regional levels, how to develop a strategic approach to communications and engagement
  • Funding: current and future perspectives. Ways to open up the funding landscape for global environmental change research
  • Concrete steps towards the implementation of Future Earth

ACTION

PARTICIPATE IN YEAR-ROUND EARTH DAY PROGRAMS

EARTHDAY2013+++.png
PARTICIPATION OPPORTUNITIES

After Earth Day ...

22 April 2013 ...

What have I done?
What am I doing?
What shall I do?

See how many people are participating ...

Earth Day 2013: Highlights from The Face of Climate Change

HOW TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT


2. News, Publications, Tools, and Conferences

NEWS

cooltexticonnews


Elementa:
Science of the Anthopocene


Environmental Research Letters


Environmental Leader


Monthly Energy News


The Environment Nexus


Energy and Climate News


BURN Energy Journal


Environmental News Network


Planet Ark
World Environmental News


Mother Earth News


Climate Action News


Sustainable Development Media


World Pulse


SustainabiliTank


Environmental Science & Technology


EcoWatch


WiserEarth News


New Internationalist


The Global Journal


Trade & Environment Nexus


Yes! Magazine


Human Development News


Science Daily
Earth & Climate News
Sustainability News
Science & Society News


International Institute for
Sustainable Development (IISD)
Reporting Services

Policy-Strategy Coverage

Sustainable Development Policy & Practice
Sustainable Development - Small Islands
Biodiversity Policy & Practice
Climate Change Policy & Practice
Energy Policy Issues
Multilateral Environmental Agreements
Earth Negotiations Bulletin

Theme Coverage

Sustainable Development
Biodiveristy & Wildlife
Chemicals Management
Climate & Atmosphere
Forests - Deserts - Land
Human Development
Intergovernmental Organizations
Trade & Investment
Water - Oceand - Wetlands

Regional Coverage

Africa
Asia
Europe
Lating America & Caribbean
Near East
North America
South West Pacific

Rio+20 Coverage

UNCSDRIOPLUS20
Sustainable Development Conference
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4-6 June 2012


United Nations News Service
Rio+20: Making it Happen
UN Sustainable Development News
UN Gender Equality News


Value News Network


Catholic News Service


Anglican Communion News Service


Ekklesia Christian News Bulletin


Religion News Service


LiveScience News


Inter Press Service (PSI)


Triple Bottom Line
CSR News


The Progress Report


Global Health News


Kosmos Journal


ELDIS NEWSFEEDS

Eldis Development Newsfeeds

General - all subjects

Newsfeeds by Subject

Ageing populations
Agriculture
Aid and debt
Children and young people
Climate Change
Climate adaptation
Conflict
Corporate responsibility
Education
Environment
Finance policy
Food security
Gender
Globalisation
Governance
HIV and AIDS
Health
Health systems
ICT for development
Influencing policy
Jobs
Jobs, Events and Announcements
Livelihoods
MDGs
Manuals and toolkits
Migration
Participation
Poverty
Trade policy

Newsfeeds by Region

Africa
East Asia and Pacific
Latin America and Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
South Asia

PUBLICATIONS

cooltexticonpubs


A Post-2015 Action Agenda
for Sustainable Development

UN SDSN, 6 June 2013


Global Information Technology
Report 2013

WEF, 4 June 2013


A New Global Partnership:
Eradicate Poverty
and Transform Economies
through Sustainable Development

UN, 30 May 2013


A Guidebook to
Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform

GSI, 13 May 2013


Tracking Clean Energy Progress
IEA, May 2013


International Human Development Program
Annual Report 2012

IHDP, May 2013


Navigating Sustainable Development
in the 21st Century

UN IHDP, 9 May 2013


Reframing Sustainable Development:
A Critical Analysis

CIWEM, April 2013


Natural Capital at Risk:
The Top 100
Externalities of Business

TEEB, 15 April 2013


Fatal Fashion
SOMO, March 2013


Global Domestic Politics:
A Citizen's Guide to
Running a Diverse Planet

John Bunzl, ISPO, 28 March 2013


A Summary of
Current Climate Change
Findings and Figures

World Meteorological Organization
March 2013


The Wealth Report 2013
Knight Frank, March 2013


Environmental Pressures from European
Consumption and Production

EEA, 4 March 2013


Eco-justice Impacts and Opportunities
NCC, 1 March 2013


Environmental Decisions
in the Face of Uncertainty

NAS, 2013


Guide to Social Innovation
European Commission, February 2013


A World Connected:
Globalization in the 21st Century

Nayan Chanda & Susan Froetschel, Editors
YaleGlobal, 1 February 2013


Corruption Perceptions Index 2012
Transparency International, 28 January 2013


USA National Climate Assessment
Executive Summary
Full Report
USGCRP NCADAC, January 2013


Global Risks 2013
World Economic Forum, January 2013


Renewables Global Futures Report
REN21, January 2013


A Framework for Sustainable Development
Draft, UN SDSN, 19 December 2012


Closing the Gender Gap: Act Now
OECD, 17 December 2012


Global Energy Assessment (GEA)
WBGU, Germany, 12 December 2012


Guidebook to the Green Economy:
Common Green Economy Principles

UNDESA, November 2012


Climate & Development Research Review
CKND Global, 13 November 2012


Global Education Digest 2012
UNESCO, November 2012


Global Gender Gap Report 2012
World Economic Forum, November 2012


Back to Our Common Future
UN, SD21 Project, September 2012


Feeding a Thirsty World:
Challenges and Opportunities
for a Water and Food Secure Future

Stockholm International Water Institute, 2012


Climate Action Book 2011-2012
Climate Action/UNEP, 2012


Early Warning Systems
UNEP, 2012


2012 World Population Data Sheet
Population Reference Bureau, 20 July 2012


Trends in Global CO2 Emissions:
2012 Report

PBL Netherlands, 18 July 2012


Pervasive Gloom About the World Economy
Pew Research Center, 12 July 2012


Inside Stories on
Climate Compatible Development

CDKN, July 2012


Inclusive Wealth Report 2012
UN IHDP, June 2012


The Future We Want
UNCSD, 22 June 2012


Renewables 2012 Global Status Report
REN21, 11 June 2012


Beyond 2012:
The Future We Want "To Create"

UN CSD Education Caucus
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 2012


Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)
UNEP, 6 June 2012


Inclusive Green Growth:
the Pathway to Sustainable Development

World Bank, May 2012


Inclusive Green Growth
in Latin America & the Caribbean

World Bank, May 2012


Ending the Suffering of Millions of Women
UnCUT Voices Press, May 2012


Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices for 2011

US Dept of State, May 2012


International Economic Trends
FRB St. Louis, May 2012


World of Work Report 2012:
Better Jobs for a Better Economy

ILO, May 2012


Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas
IEA, May 2012


Ecosystem Services:
Charting a Path to Sustainability

NAS, May 2012


Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development
ISFD Brochure, ISDB, May 2012


Global Integrity Report 2011
Global Integrity, 7 April 2012


World Development Indicators 2012
World Bank, April 2012


Tracking Clean Energy Progress
IEA, 25 April 2012


Global Monitoring Report 2012:
Food Prices, Nutrition, and the
Millennium Development Goals

Peggy Garvin, World Bank, April 2012


Measuring Financial Inclusion:
The Global Findex Database

Heather Negley, World Bank, April 2012


2012 Global Cities Index
and Emerging Cities Outlook

Peggy Garvin, World Bank, April 2012


GLAAS 2012 Report:
UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment
of Sanitation and Drinking-Water

Adrian Janes, WHO, 15 April 2012


Global Report for Research
on Infectious Diseases of Poverty

TDR WHO, April 2012


A strategy for restoring confidence
and economic growth through green
investment and innovation

Dimitri Zenghelis
Grantham Research Institute
in Climate Change and the Environment
London School of Economics, April 2012.


World Happiness Report 2012
Earth Institute, April 2012


Dimensions:
The human factor in the
global environmental debate

IHDP UNU, Spring 2012


Map of the Global Transition
to a New Economy

GTNE, 17 March 2012


World Atlas of
Gender Equality in Education

UNESCO, 8 March 2012


Electricity from Renewables
ECLAREON, Berlin, 13 March 2012


Themed Edition on
The Geography of Sustainabilty
Journal of Sustainability Education, March 2012


Role of Policy and Institutions
in Local Adaptation to Climate Change

ICIMOD, March 2012


Global Outlook on Sustainable
Consumption and Production (SCP) Policies

UNEP, March 2012


Sustainable Insight:
Expect the Unexpected

KPMG, February 2012


State of the World’s Children 2012:
Children in an Urban World

UNICEF, 27 February 2012


Greening Development:
Enhancing Capacity for Environmental
Management and Governance
,
OECD, 10 February 2012


World Development Report 2012:
Gender Equality and Development
,
The World Bank, 2012


Development without Carbon as Climate Policy,
Elizabeth A. Stanton, Stockholm Environment Institute, January 2012


Sustainable Energy for All:
A Framework for Action
,
The Secretary-General’s High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All, January 2012


Green Energy for a Billion Poor,
Nancy Wimmer, World Council of Renewable Energy, 2012


RESCUE
(Responses to Environmental & Societal
Challenges for our Unstable Earth)
Synthesis Report
,
European Science Foundation,
Brussels, 16 February 2012


Research and Education:
Drivers of Transformation
,
German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), Berlin, February 2012


Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5), UNEP, 6 June 2012"> Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5),
Summary for Policy Makers,
UNEP, 20 February 2012


The State of Renewable Energies in Europe,
Adrian Janes, EurObserv'ER, 20 February 2012


21 Issues for the 21st Century:
UNEP Foresight Report
,
Peggy Garvin, United Nations, 20 February 2012


2012 Environmental Performance Index
EPI, Yale University, 26 January 2012


Resolving the Food Crisis:
Assessing Global Policy Reforms
Since 2007

ITAP, 25 January 2012


Human Rights Watch World Report 2012
HRW, 24 January 2012


Global Employment Trends 2012:
Preventing a deeper jobs crisis

ILO, 24 January 2012


ASEAN in the Global Economy:
An Enhanced Economic and Political Role

ERIA, 23 January 2012


Global Go-To Think Tanks Report 2011
TTCSP, 19 January 2011


Global Economic Prospects 2012
World Bank, 18 January 2012


World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012
United Nations, 18 January 2012


Ecumenical Women Advocacy Guide
Ecumenical Women, 10 January 2012


Human Rights Report 2011
Odhikar, Bangladesh, 7 January 2012


Global Risks 2012
World Economic Forum, January 2012


Poor People's Energy Outlook 2012:
Energy for earning a living

Practical Action, January 2012


Climate Change and Development Strategy
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), January 2012
One Pager ~ Full Report


TOOLS & DATABASES

cooltexticontools


Global Sustainability
Assessment System (GSAS):
A sustainability rating system
for the built environment

Bonnie James, Gulf Times, 26 May 2013


Nitrogen Footprint Calculator
N-Print, 15 May 2013


Exploring Oil Data
Johnny West, Open Oil, May 2013


Sustainability SWOT (sSWOT) Analysis Tool
WRI, April 2013


Sustainable Technologies Databases
EWBI, 2013


Renewable Energy Interactive Map
REN21, January 2013


Global Transition to a New Economy
Interactive Map

New Economics Institute, January 2013


Map of Climate Think Tanks
ICCG, January 2013


Sustainability SWOT Analysis Tool
WRI, December 2012


Energy Access Interactive Tool
IIASA, September 2012


Long Range Energy Alternatives
Planning System (LEAP)

SEI Energy Community, July 2012


Industrial Efficiency Policy Database
IETD, July 2012


Technology Cost Database for Renewables
NREL, July 2012


Mapping the Global Transition
to a New Economy

New Economics Institute
July 2012


Open Source Software for
Crowdsourcing for Energy Analysis

UNIDO, June 2012


Planet under Pressure 2012
Debate Graph


Adaptation Support Tool


Nitrogen Footprint Calculator


Terra Populus:
Integrated Data on
Population and Environment

NSF & University of Minnesota
March 2012


2012 Environmental Performance Index
Interactive Map & Database

EPI, Yale University, January 2012


Environmental Data Explorer


Clean Energy Information Portal


Mapping the Impacts of Climate Change


Eye on Earth
Global Mapping

EEA, December 2011


Database of Actions on Adaptation
to Climate Change

UNFCCC, December 2011


Climate Scoreboard
Climate Interactive, 2011


REN21 Renewables Interactive Map
REN21, 2011


Calculator of the
Carbon Footprint of Nations

NTNU, 2011


Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) for
Integrated Resource Assessment

NREL, November 2011


Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL)
Stockholm Environment Institute
November 2011


Global Adaptation Index
Global Adaptation Institute
Fall 2011


Gridded Population of the World
CIESIN, Columbia University, 2011


The New eAtlas of Gender
World Bank, 2011


Statistics and Tools
for Gender Analysis

World Bank, 2011


Gender Statistics Database
World Bank, 2011


Live World Data
The Venus Project, 2011


RETScreen
Clean Energy Analysis Software

RETScreen International, 2011


IGES CDM Methodology Parameter Data
IGES, 2011


IGES Emission Reductions Calculation Sheet
IGES, 2011


OECD Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit
OECD, 2011


OECD Family Database


OECD Social Expenditure Database


Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services
and Tradeoffs (InVEST)

Version 2.1, Natural Capital Project, 2011
FREE DOWNLOAD


Interactive Map and Rankings for the 2011 Failed States Index
Foreign Policy and Fund for Peace, August 2011


Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)
NASA & Columbia University


IGES GHG Database
IGES


Emission Factors Database
Ecometrica


Renewables Interactive Map
REN21


FICAT
Forestry Industry Carbon Assessment Tool
Green Resources, Tanzania


ACEGES
Agent-based Computational Economics
of the Global Energy System


Climate Hot Map
Union of Concerned Scientists


Solar Thermal Barometer
EurObserv-ER


BioCarbonTracker
Ecometrica


FORMA
Forest Monitoring for Action
CGDEV


WEAP
Water Evaluation And Planning System
WEAP21


GLTN
Global Land Tool Network
UN-HABITAT


UN-Energy Knowledge Network
including
Multi-dimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI)
and Energy Development Index (EDI)
UNIDO


Measuring Energy Poverty
Visualization Platform

STATPLANET & UNIDO


United Nations Data
UN Statistics Database
UN MDG Indicators
UN Human Development Index (HDI)


Humanity's Footprint Data
Ecological Footprint
Footprint for Nations
Footprint for Cities
Footprint for Business
Carbon Footprint
Personal Footprint
Footprint & Biodiversity
Footprint & Human Development


Earth Policy Institute Data Sets
Population, Health, and Society
Natural Systems
Climate Change
Energy Resources
Transportation Systems
Food and Agriculture
Economics & Development


World Bank
World Development Indicators (WDI)


ZACAT-GESIS
Data for the Social Sciences


STAR Database Beta-Test Now in Process
Invitation to Participate

Links Government Investment,
Science, Technology,
Firms, and Employment


Sustainable Society Index
Interactive Map


Interactive Mapping of
Population and Climate Change

Population Action International


Global Advocates Toolbox
Population Action International


Teaching and Learning
for a Sustainable Future:
Dissemination and Training Toolbox

UNESCO Education for
Sustainable Development


Economic Input-Output
Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA)

Green Design Institute
Carnegie Mellon University


CONFERENCES & JOURNALS

cooltexticonconf


Conference Alerts
Find Conferences Worldwide
by Topic, Country, or Keywords.



Calls for Papers
Find Calls for Papers Worldwide
by Specialization, Country, or Keywords.



Journal Articles
The latest Tables of Contents
from thousands of scholarly journals
Search by journal title, ISNN, or keywords


Selected Announcements


31st International Conference
of the System Dynamics Society

Cambridge, Massachusetts, 21-25 July 2013


The Earth is the Lord’s:
Renewing the Covenant of Creation

Chester, UK, 15-18 July 2013


European And Latin American Conference
On Climate Change Management

Antigua, Guatemala, Central America
29-30 August 2013


CFP on Gender and Society
SOCREL, 1 September 2013
CONTACT     SUBMISSIONS


World Association for
Sustainable Development
Annual Conference

London, UK
2-4 September 2013


EfS 2013:
Sustainable Cities:
Designing for People and the Planet

Coimbra, Portugal, 8-10 September 2013


ESSA 2013:
9th Conference of the
European Social Simulation Association

Warsaw School of Economics,
Warsaw, Poland, 16-20 September 2013


Liberating Power:
Asian Feminist Theological Perspectives

EWA, Bangalore, India
14-18 November 2013


Climate Leadership Conference
San Diego, California
24-26 February 2014


Sustainable Humanity, Sustainable Nature
Joint Workshop of the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the
Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
Vatican, 2-6 May 2014


Resilience 2014
Resilience and Development:
Mobilizing for Transformation

Montpellier, France, 4-8 May 2014


2014 Norwich Conference
on Earth System Governance:
Allocation and Access
in the Anthropocene

University of East Anglia
Norwich, UK, 1-3 July 2014

3. Advances in Sustainable Development

ENBIISDHEADER.jpg

"In a lecture delivered at Stanford University, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the current state of the world and "the future we must shape together." He outlined three ways to navigate our way through this "Great Transition," namely by advancing sustainable development, helping people meet their aspirations for democracy and dignity, and empowering women and young people.

On the sustainable development challenge, Ban underscored that he has made sustainable development the leading priority of the UN. He stressed the need to urgently "change course" to build the clean energy, low-carbon

"At the current rate, we will soon need two planet earths. But we have only one planet. There can be no Plan B because there is no planet B. Both science and economics tell us that we need to change course – and soon."

economy of tomorrow that will address the challenge of climate change. Noting the size of the economy of California, he noted that the state has "a special role" to play in spurring the on-going climate negotiations in order to reach a global, legally binding agreement on climate by 2015.

Ban also mentioned his Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL), stressing that California can contribute to efforts made to reach the goals set by the Initiative, namely to ensure universal access to modern energy services, double energy efficiency, and double the renewable energy share in the overall global energy mix. In concluding, Ban stated that "this time of Great Transition is also a period of great opportunity." [UN Secretary-General's Statement] [UN Press Release]

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)

The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), due to expire in 2015, are being reformulated into a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a renewed attempt to address the global scale and complexity issues involved in sustaining both people and planet. Six interconnected goals are under consideration: thriving lives and livelihoods, food security, water security, clean energy, healthy and productive ecosystems, and governance for sustainable societies. Reportedly, "the targets beneath each goal include updates and expanded targets under the MDGs, including ending poverty and hunger, combating HIV/aids, and improving maternal and child health. But they also define a set of planetary "must haves": climate stability, the reduction biodiversity loss, protection of ecosystem services, a healthy water cycle and oceans, sustainable nitrogen and phosphorus use, clean air and sustainable material use." For more information on the SDGs, see the following:

4. Advances in Integral Human Development

HDR2013COVER.png
HDR 2013 PRESS KIT
2013 Human Development Report

The 2013 Human Development Report (HDR) – "The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World" – was launched 14 March 2013 in Mexico City. It examines the profound shift in global dynamics that is being driven by the fast-rising powers of the developing world - and the implications of this phenomenon for human development. Excerpts:

"The rise of the South is radically reshaping the world of the 21st century, with developing nations driving economic growth, lifting hundreds of millions of people from poverty, and propelling billions more into a new global middle class, says the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) 2013 Human Development Report. "The rise of the South is unprecedented in its speed and scale," the 2013 Report says. Never in history have the living conditions and prospects of so many people changed so dramatically and so fast."

"The 2013 Human Development Index (HDI) Report shows major gains since 2000 in most countries of the South. Over the past decades, countries across the world have been converging towards higher levels of human development, as shown by the Human Development Index," says the 2013 Report. "All groups and regions have seen notable improvement in all HDI components, with faster progress in low and medium HDI countries. On this basis, the world is becoming less unequal."

"Environmental inaction, especially regarding climate change, has the potential to halt or even reverse human development progress."

HDR 2013 Brief     HDR HDI 2013 Brief     HDR Summary Report     HDR Full Report     HDI Statistics


IHDPAnnualReport2012-235.png
LINK TO THE REPORT


See also the
International Human Development
Program Annual Report 2012

IHDP Secretariat, Bonn, Germany
May 2013

"The comprehensive report presents IHDP's scientific and policy research on the most pressing challenges and opportunities of the human dimensions of global environmental change. In 2012, with the new Future Earth beginning to take shape, IHDP strived to ensure a leading role for the social sciences throughout the ongoing transition, while maintaining its proactive efforts in the science-policy sphere."

5. Advances in Integrated Sustainable Development

Integral Human Development and Subsidiarity

The Principle of Subsidiarity

Source: EZFord, YouTube, 23 February 2013

See also

Integral Human Development and Subsidiarity: A Closer Look
by Matthea Brandenburg & Carolyn Woo, PovertyCure Voice, 10 January 2013

"An issue or problem should be dealt with by the people who are closest to it"
Rudy Carrasco, PovertyCure Voice, 20 March 2012

Cardinal Reinhard Marx on Subsidiarity vs. Solidarity
Berkeley Center, Georgetown University, 20 June 2012

6. Sustainability Games, Databases, and Knowledgebases

World Resources Institute (WRI)
Sustainability SWOT (sSWOT) Analysis Resource Website
SWOT = "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats"

SWOT_Analysis_Matrix_Wiki.png
Source: Wikipedia

Trend Charts, Statistics, and Databases

IEA World Energy Outlook Facts & Graphs
McKinsey Resources & Urban World
OECD Country Statistics & Outlooks
UNDP Human Development Database
UNEP Issues for the 21st Century
UNEP Global Environmental Outlook
UNEP Environmental Data Explorer
World Bank Country Statistics

Corporate Sustainability Research, Analysis, and Tools

WRI: Aqueduct Water Resource Maps
WRI: Corporate Ecosystem Services
WRI: Greenhouse Gas Protocol
WRI: Stories to Watch
WRI: Profits & Sustainability Alignment
BCG & MIT Sustainability Tipping Points
Sustainable Business Modeling Tool
KPMG: Expect the Unexpected
Oxfam, CERES, and Calvert Investments
Physical Risks from Climate Change
WBCSD Vision 2050

Land Temperature Anomaly Video
Berkeley Earth

Berkeley Earth video representation of the land surface temperature anomaly, 1800 to the present. The map of the world shows the temperature anomaly by location over time. The chart at the bottom, shows the global land-surface temperature anomaly. The Berkeley Earth analysis shows 0.911 degrees Centigrade of land warming (+/- 0.042 C) since the 1950s.


Source: Berkeley Earth and YouTube

7. Sustainable Development Measures and Indicators

2013 Human Development Index (HDI)

The Human Development Index (HDI) is based on four indicators: life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita; and three dimensions: health, education, and living standards

Data Tools and Visualizations
HDI2013TOOLS.png
Country Profiles, Public Data Explorer, StatPlanet World Map, HDI 2012 Rankings

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2013

Sustainable Development - Interactive Visualizations Tool

Source: Maarten Lambrechts, Visualizing, 29 April 2013

8. Sustainable Development Modeling and Simulation

NASA Study Projects Warming-Driven Changes in Global Rainfall

A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought.

Model simulations spanning 140 years show that warming from carbon dioxide will change the frequency that regions around the planet receive no rain (brown), moderate rain (tan), and very heavy rain (blue). The occurrence of no rain and heavy rain will increase, while moderate rainfall will decrease. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

The study shows for the first time how rising carbon dioxide concentrations could affect the entire range of rainfall types on Earth.

Analysis of computer simulations from 14 climate models indicates wet regions of the world, such as the equatorial Pacific Ocean and Asian monsoon regions, will see increases in heavy precipitation because of warming resulting from projected increases in carbon dioxide levels. Arid land areas outside the tropics and many regions with moderate rainfall could become drier.

The analysis provides a new assessment of global warming's impacts on precipitation patterns around the world. The study was accepted for publication in the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters.

"In response to carbon dioxide-induced warming, the global water cycle undergoes a gigantic competition for moisture resulting in a global pattern of increased heavy rain, decreased moderate rain, and prolonged droughts in certain regions," said William Lau of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and lead author of the study.

The models project for every 1 degree Fahrenheit of carbon dioxide-induced warming, heavy rainfall will increase globally by 3.9 percent and light rain will increase globally by 1 percent. However, total global rainfall is not projected to change much because moderate rainfall will decrease globally by 1.4 percent.

Heavy rainfall is defined as months that receive an average of more than about 0.35 of an inch per day. Light rain is defined as months that receive an average of less than 0.01 of an inch per day. Moderate rainfall is defined as months that receive an average of between about 0.04 to 0.09 of an inch per day.

Areas projected to see the most significant increase in heavy rainfall are in the tropical zones around the equator, particularly in the Pacific Ocean and Asian monsoon regions.

Some regions outside the tropics may have no rainfall at all. The models also projected for every degree Fahrenheit of warming, the length of periods with no rain will increase globally by 2.6 percent. In the Northern Hemisphere, areas most likely to be affected include the deserts and arid regions of the southwest United States, Mexico, North Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and northwestern China. In the Southern Hemisphere, drought becomes more likely in South Africa, northwestern Australia, coastal Central America and northeastern Brazil.

"Large changes in moderate rainfall, as well as prolonged no-rain events, can have the most impact on society because they occur in regions where most people live," Lau said. "Ironically, the regions of heavier rainfall, except for the Asian monsoon, may have the smallest societal impact because they usually occur over the ocean."

Lau and colleagues based their analysis on the outputs of 14 climate models in simulations of 140-year periods. The simulations began with carbon dioxide concentrations at about 280 parts per million -- similar to pre-industrial levels and well below the current level of almost 400 parts per million -- and then increased by 1 percent per year. The rate of increase is consistent with a "business as usual" trajectory of the greenhouse gas as described by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Analyzing the model results, Lau and his co-authors calculated statistics on the rainfall responses for a 27-year control period at the beginning of the simulation, and also for 27-year periods around the time of doubling and tripling of carbon dioxide concentrations. They conclude the model predictions of how much rain will fall at any one location as the climate warms are not very reliable.

"But if we look at the entire spectrum of rainfall types we see all the models agree in a very fundamental way -- projecting more heavy rain, less moderate rain events, and prolonged droughts," Lau said.

Kathryn Hansen
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, 3 May 2013

9. Fostering Sustainability in the International Community


UN launches
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
to help find solutions to global problems

The scale of the global sustainable development challenge is unprecedented. The fight against extreme poverty has made great progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but more than 1 billion people continue to live in extreme poverty. Inequality and social exclusion are widening within most countries. With the world at 7 billion people and current annual GDP of US$70 trillion, human impacts on the environment have already reached dangerous levels. As the world population is estimated to rise to 9 billion by 2050
SDSN2012BANNER.png
and global GDP to more than US$200 trillion, the world urgently needs a framework for sustainable development that addresses the challenges of ending poverty, increasing social inclusion, and sustaining the planet.

Under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, and in line with the recently launched High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was announced on August 9, 2012 and will provide global, open and inclusive support to sustainable-development problem solving at local, national, and global scales. The SDSN will work together with United Nations agencies, other international organizations, and the multilateral funding institutions including the World Bank and regional development banks, to mobilize scientific and technical expertise to scale up the magnitude and quality of local, national and global problem solving, helping to identify solutions and highlighting best practices in the design of long-term development pathways.

The Sustainable Development Solutions Network: Mobilizing scientific and technical expertise for local, national, and global problem solving

Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General on the MDGs, will direct the project with the core aim of creating an open, inclusive, and world-class global network of expertise and problem solving. The network will comprise mainly universities and scientific research institutes, but will also tap technical expertise within technology companies, science foundations and academies of sciences and engineering. Columbia University's Earth Institute will serve as the Secretariat for the Network.

The global network will accelerate joint learning and help to overcome the compartmentalization of technical and policy work by promoting integrated approaches to the interconnected economic, social, and environmental challenges confronting the world.

The network should therefore spawn a new kind of sustained problem solving, in which experts, leaders, and citizens in all parts of the world work together to identify, demonstrate, and implement the most promising paths to sustainable development.

ABOUT SDSN: Link to the SDSN Website

DRAFT REPORT: An Action Agenda for Sustainable Development, Draft SDSN Report for Public Consultation, 7-22 May 2013

POINT OF CONTACT: Erin Trowbridge, trowbridge@ei.columbia.edu

UNITED NATIONS
Sustainable Energy for All
INITIATIVE

Three broad objectives to be achieved by 2030:

  • Ensuring universal access to modern energy services
  • Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency
  • Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
  • Sustainable Energy for All: Actions and Commitments

    UNSEFA2030
    Sustainable Energy for All

    UNITED NATIONS
    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)
    Summary Report, UNEP, 20 February 2012
    Full Report, UNEP, 6 June 2012

    Three highest priorities:

  • Aligning governance to the challenges of global sustainability
  • Transforming human capabilities for the 21st century
  • Ensuring food safety and food security for 9 billion people

  • GEO5UNEP2012.jpg
    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)

    POST2015.MDG.SDG.SDSN.jpg
    Post-2015 Action Agenda
    for Sustainable Development

    UNITED NATIONS
    Post-2015 Action Agenda
    for Sustainable Development

    SDSN REPORT PRESS RELEASE
    6 June 2013

    "A new report issued today by a top-level United Nations knowledge network under the auspices of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon lays out an action agenda to support global efforts to achieve sustainable development during the period 2015-2030.

    "The post-2015 process is a chance for the global community to work towards a new era in sustainable development," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "The latest report from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the result of a collaboration between top scientists, technologists, businesses, and development specialists, is a critical input to the work we are doing to shape an ambitious and achievable post-2015 agenda."

    "The report, entitled "The Action Agenda for Sustainable Development," was delivered to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon by the Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (or SDSN). It outlines 10 sustainable development priorities, covering the four main dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth and the end of poverty, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and good governance.

    "The Secretary-General created the SDSN to bring together academia, civil society, the private sector, and development practitioners from all parts of the world. The Leadership Council of the SDSN consists of dozens of top global thinkers and development leaders from all regions, rich and poor countries alike.

    "It is a great honor for the Leadership Council of SDSN to deliver this new report to the UN Secretary General," said Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the SDSN and head of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, which hosts the secretariat of the network.

    "The report is available online, and an earlier draft has already received thousands of comments from around the world. The council welcomes worldwide discussion of the report, and particularly invites comments from young people. "This report, after all, is about their future," Sachs said.

    "UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is mobilizing global action around the greatest challenge of our time: sustainable development," Sachs said. "It is no longer good enough for economies to grow. We must also end extreme poverty, a goal within reach by 2030. We must manage the economy to protect rather than destroy the environment. And we must promote a fairer distribution of prosperity, rather than a society divided between the very rich and very poor."

    "By many measures, the world is a long way from sustainable development. Many poor countries do not grow adequately, and extreme poverty remains widespread. Humanity is dangerously changing the climate, depleting fresh water supplies, and poisoning the air and water. Most economies are becoming less equitable as well, with widening gaps between the rich and poor. And conflicts remain widespread, with the world’s poorest regions being most vulnerable to violent outbreaks.

    "To help get the planet back on course, the world’s governments agreed last year at the Rio+20 Summit to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals. The world’s governments asked the UN Secretary-General to coordinate the preparation of these goals by the year 2015 to make a seamless transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A crucial meeting of the UN General Assembly will take place on Sept. 25, 2013 for this purpose.

    "Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has put into motion several high-level processes to help devise the SDGs that will have maximum benefit for humanity during the years 2015-2030. First, there is a large outreach of global discussion being led by the UN itself. Second, there are intensive negotiations among governments as called for by the Rio+20 Summit. Third, there is a High-Level Panel of political leaders that has recently issued its report.

    "In its report, the SDSN has identified 10 priority challenges of sustainable development:

    • End extreme poverty and hunger
    • Achieve development and prosperity for all without ruining the environment
    • Ensure learning for all children and youth
    • Achieve gender equality and reduce inequalities
    • Achieve health and wellbeing at all ages
    • Increase agricultural production in an environmentally sustainable manner, to achieve food security and rural prosperity
    • Make cities productive and environmentally sustainable
    • Curb human-induced climate change with sustainable energy
    • Protect ecosystems and ensure sound management of natural resources
    • Improve governance and align business behavior with all the goals

    "These 10 priorities can form the basis for the SDGs that would apply to all countries during the years until 2030.

    "Well-crafted Sustainable Development Goals will help guide the public’s understanding of complex sustainable development challenges, inspire public and private action, promote integrated thinking, and foster accountability, the report said. The SDGs will complement the tools of international law, such as global treaties and conventions, by providing a shared normative framework. Children everywhere should learn the SDGs, Sachs said, to help them understand the challenges that they will confront as adults. The SDGs will also mobilize governments and the international system to strengthen measurement and monitoring for sustainable development.

    "The world has at its disposal the tools to end extreme poverty in all its forms by the year 2030 and to address the sustainable development challenges outlined in this document," Sachs said. "If the world mobilizes around a shared agenda for sustainable development and ambitious, time-bound Sustainable Development Goals, then rapid, positive change on the required scale is feasible, thanks to rising incomes and unprecedented scientific and technological progress. And, we can indeed be the generation that ends extreme poverty, ensures that all people are treated equally, and stems the dangerous climate and environmental risks facing our planet."


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