Category: Society
Sustainable Development in Colombia: Trends, Examples and Parks
Colombia is one of the 17 megadiverse countries, which together are home to 70% of the world’s biodiversity, which makes it vital to protect the environment as the country develops economically. Its national parks system has 61 protected areas covering about 23.3 million hectares, including marine areas, and its Human Development Index reached 0.788 in…
OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: Key Findings and Projections
The OECD’s Environmental Outlook to 2050, published in 2012, projects a world population of more than 9 billion, with 70% living in urban areas. Without action, terrestrial biodiversity would shrink by 10%, water demand would grow by 55% and greenhouse gas emissions would rise by 50% by 2050. What will the world’s environment look like…
Sustainable Development in Mexico: Progress and Challenges
Mexico is one of the most megadiverse countries in the world: according to CONABIO, it holds about 12% of the planet’s terrestrial biodiversity and ranks second in reptile species richness, third in mammals and fifth in amphibians and vascular plants. Its challenge is to conserve this natural wealth while its economy grows. What progress has…
8 Facts You Need to Know About the Global Food System
The global food system produces enough food for everyone (about 3,000 calories per person per day in 2023, according to FAO data), yet some 645 million people faced hunger in 2025. About a third of all food is lost or wasted (1.3 billion tonnes a year, according to a 2011 FAO estimate), and a handful…
Why Access to Electricity Matters for Education, Health and Growth
Access to electricity remains out of reach for millions of people: according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), about 750 million people lacked electricity in 2023. Its absence holds back education, health, safety and economic growth, and it hits sub-Saharan Africa hardest: about 600 million people there had no access in 2023, 80% of the…
Sustainable Companies: What They Are and Their Global Ranking
A sustainable company has a minimal negative environmental impact and seeks to meet the triple bottom line: economy, society and the environment. Every year, Corporate Knights magazine publishes its ranking of the 100 most sustainable companies in the world; its 2015 edition only included companies with a market capitalization above US$2 billion and featured just…
UN Sustainable Development Goals: The World Toward 2030
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the 2030 Agenda, are an intergovernmental platform of 17 goals for every community in the world. They follow on from the Millennium Development Goals, which the UN created in 2000 and which expired in 2015, and they have their origin in the 2012 Rio+20 conference. What are…
Challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) replaced the Millennium Development Goals, expanding from 8 goals and 21 targets to 17 goals and 169 targets. Their sheer breadth spreads efforts thin, and they include no binding mechanisms to hold governments accountable, which makes them hard to achieve, especially in countries with weak institutions. What are the main…
Sustainable Development Actions: What Each Sector of Society Can Do
Actions for sustainable development are shared among four actors (governments, private companies, NGOs and civil society), all aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. What actions contribute to sustainable development at the individual level? Changing consumption habits, such as recycling, using public transportation or a bicycle, and choosing sustainable products. Governments act in four areas, which…
Uzbekistan Natural Resources: Gold, Natural Gas and Uranium
Uzbekistan’s natural resources are based on natural gas, oil and gold. What are Uzbekistan’s most valuable natural resources? The country produces about 129 tonnes of gold a year, much of it from the Muruntau mine, one of the largest in the world; it ranks 17th in natural gas production; and its gold reserves total 1,800…
