GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Directories, Databanks, and
Portals about the Global Environment
Climate.gov-- Major
climate information portal, from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the
U.S. Department of Commerce. Posts global
environmental, climatic, weather, and oceanographic
information. Also see NOAA's National Centers
for Environmental Information, the
worldwide Climate
Monitoring center, and the Sea Level
Evaluation and Assessment Tool, which "provides a snapshot of the ocean’s rise
or fall for locations across the planet."
Climate
Attribution Database-- Thematically organized
database of research on the "causal links between human
activities, global climate change, and impacts on human
and natural systems," for scholars, scientists, lawyers,
and policy practitioners, sponsored by the Sabin Center
for Climate Change Law and the Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory.
Climate Change Indicators
Dashboard-- From the International Monetary Fund,
"an international statistical initiative to address the
growing need for climate-related data used in
macroeconomic and financial policy analysis... [which]
aims to become a comprehensive aggregator for statistical
indicators on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions
from economic activity, trade in environmental goods,
green finance, government policies, and physical and
transition risks." Presents abundant global and country
data and analysis in textual and graphic forms.
Climate Reanalyzer--
"Provides visualizations of existing publicly-available
datasets and models. This website is produced by the Climate
Change Institute at the University of Maine."
Copernicus Climate Change Service--
As part of the European Union's Earth Observation
Programme, "The C3S mission is
to support adaptation and mitigation policies of
the European Union by providing consistent and
authoritative information about climate change. We
offer free and open access to climate data and
tools based on the best available science."
Excellent source of data and analysis.
ECOLEX: The Gateway to Environmental Law-- From the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Conservation Union, several large databases of national and international legal instruments and materials related to environmental management, searchable by subject area, keyword, country, or date.
Environmental Performance Index--
Biennial index presents interactive results of
collaboration between Yale and Columbia Universities to
rank countries on environmental performance indicators
across policy categories covering "both environmental
public health and ecosystem vitality." Results are shown
in interactive maps, country rankings, country profiles,
and case studies. Also posts news and blogs.
Freshwater Ecoregions of the World--
"Global biogeographic regionalization of the Earth's
freshwater biodiversity... covering virtually all
freshwater habitats on Earth, [an] ecoregion map, together
with associated species data." From the Nature
Conservancy.
Frontiers in
Climate-- "Publishes rigorously peer-reviewed,
cutting-edge research on a broad range of topics that
cover the applications of scientific advances in climate
research, with a focus on mitigation and adaptation in the
Anthropocene (in line with SDGs)."
Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change-- IGO established by the
World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations
Environment Programme "to assess scientific, technical
and socio-economic information relevant for the
understanding of climate change, its potential impacts
and options for adaptation and mitigation." Posts many
reports, press releases, official documents, and graphic
presentations on the topic. Note the the Sixth
Assessment Report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical
Science Basis.
Sea Level
Projection Tool-- From the U.S. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Sea Level
Change Team, a tool that "makes extensive data on future
sea level rise from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change [2021 report] easily accessible to the public" on a
map of the world over time.
World
Meteorological Organization-- Beyond meteorology
itself, this international professional organization posts
many studies on climate change. Peruse the large online Library.
Other
Sources about the Global Environment
• Berkeley Earth-- Statistics,
data and analysis from an
"independent U.S. non-profit organization focused
on environmental data science" that "supplies comprehensive open-source world air
pollution data and highly user-accessible global
temperature data that is timely, impartial, and
verified... we
further question and investigate the nature of
relationships between this data and timely human and
environmental issues, such as ocean temperature and
acidification."
• Center for International Earth Science Information Network-- From Columbia University's Earth Institute, to further the interdisciplinary study of global environmental change. See especially their very useful Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center, with datasets, interactive maps, and links designed to integrate social and natural science data for better decision making on environmental issues.
• Convention on Biological Diversity-- Website of the Convention on Biological Diversity, with news, fact sheets, country profiles, and many reports on the Convention and related topics. See especially their flagship publication "Global Biodiversity Outlook."
• Environmental News Network--
"A collection
of resources, teachers, experts and tools that provide
objective information and knowledge about the
increasingly complex field of environmental science."
Posts news, features, newsletter, and special
reports.
• European Environmental Agency--
News, publications, datasets, multimedia, and maps from
this European Union organization. Also check out the European
Environment Information and Observation Network.
• Forestry Site of the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations--
Detailed databased information on the world's forests.
Note the State of the World's Forests and the Global
Forests Resources Assessments sections.
• Global Footprint
Network-- "International think tank working to
advance sustainability through use of the Ecological
Footprint, a resource accounting tool that measures how
much nature we have, how much we use and who uses what."
The site develops, applies, and allows users to apply the
concept of the Ecological Footprint to "bring about new
solutions and spark a global dialogue about ecological
limits and overshoot."
• Greenpeace International-- This famous environmentalist group offers
information on many topics, emphasizing climate, oceans,
forests, agriculture, toxic pollution, and nuclear
matters.
• International Institute for Sustainable
Development-- IISD's
mission is to promote sustainable development in decision
making, internationally and within Canada, for audiences
and clients including businesses, governments,
communities, and concerned individuals. Many publications are available.
• International Water Management Institute--
International research center supported by the network of
60 governments, private foundations and international and
regional organizations, the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research, with
the mission of improving the "management of land and water
resources for food, livelihoods and nature," especially in
developing countries. Posts a wide variety of
publications, analytical tools, and databases.
• MIT
Climate Portal-- From the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, "an online home for timely, science-based
information about the causes and consequences of climate
change – and what can be done to address it."
• Mongabay-- NGO that
"seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands
and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging
trends in climate, technology, economics,and finance on
conservation and development." Posts useful news and
analysis of regional and global trends and issues in
environmental science and conservation.
• Pacific Institute-- "Creates and advances solutions to the world's most pressing water challenges. Our vision is to create a world in which society, the economy and the environment have the water they need to thrive now and in the future." Publishes the ongoing Water Conflict Chronology to track and analyze conflict about water around the world.
• UN-Water-- Official United Nations site that posts much information on and analysis of "all aspects of freshwater, including surface and groundwater resources and the interface between fresh and sea water. It includes freshwater resources, both in terms of their quality and quantity, their development, assessment, management, monitoring and use (including, for example, domestic uses, agriculture and ecosystems requirements)."
• UNESCO Water Security Portal--
"Intended to enhance access to information related to
freshwater available on the World Wide Web. The site
provides links to the current UNESCO and UNESCO-led
programmes on freshwater and will serve as an interactive
point for sharing, browsing and searching websites of
water-related organizations, government bodies and NGOs,
including a range of categories such as water links, water
events, learning modules and other on-line resources."
• United Nations Atlas of the Oceans--
"An Internet portal providing information relevant to the
sustainable development of the oceans. It is designed for
policy-makers who need to become familiar with ocean
issues and for scientists, students and resource managers
who need access to databases and approaches to
sustainability." Free registration required.
• United Nations Environment-- To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Be sure to consult the major UNEP yearbook "Global Environment Outlook." You may find the Resources and Data section to be helpful. Also consult the U.N. Climate Change website. For more data, maps, and country reports, also try the United Nations Environment Programme partners at GRID-Arendal. Note the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the world biodiversity information and assessment center of the UNEP.
• World Air Quality
Index-- From IQ Air, live measures and rankings of
air pollution in major cities around the world.
• World Bank Environment Site--
Outlines World Bank projects related to the environment
and provides plentiful data and analysis of environmental
conditions and issues around the world.
• World Resources Institute-- A policy research center striving to address
how societies can meet basic human needs and promote
economic growth without undermining natural resources and
environmental integrity. This site posts a large number of
full-text studies, an annual report, maps, data, videos,
and other resources.
• World
Water
Council-- Based in Marseille, this "international
water policy think tank dedicated to strengthening the
world water movement for an improved management of the
world's water resources" posts news and analysis about
world water issues and about conferences on the topic.
• World Wildlife Fund-- World's
largest independent conservation organization. Note the Publication and Resources page and
especially the Living Planet Report, a quantitative
picture of the world's natural environment and the human
pressures upon it, through the Living Planet Index, to
measure the change in the health of the world's natural
ecosystems since 1970.
• Yale Environment 360-- "Online
magazine offering opinion, analysis, reporting and debate
on global environmental issues [with] original articles by
scientists, journalists, environmentalists, academics,
policy makers, and business people, as well as multimedia
content and a daily digest of major environmental news,"
from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental
Studies.
