WRI Insights

New analysis reveals that since 2000, more than 8 percent of the world’s Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) have been degraded—an area measuring 104 million hectares, or three times the size of Germany. **In other words, human activities disturbed 20,000 hectares of pristine forest every day for the past 13 years.**

On September 23, heads of state and leaders in finance, business and civil society will gather in New York City for the United Nations Climate Summit, aimed at jump-starting talks to reach a global climate agreement by December 2015. It's hardly the first time these actors have convened to counter climate change. Here's why this summit is worth watching.

Dozens of countries are deciding whether or not to develop their shale gas and tight oil resources in order to reduce emissions, create new jobs, and increase national energy supplies. However, extracting natural gas and tight oil from shale poses water risk. We analyzed water stress levels in the 20 countries with the largest shale gas and tight oil resources, and found that 40 percent face high water stress.

Brazil is a big investor in environmental stewardship, including several government-managed funds meant to protect the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. However, [new analysis](http://www.imazon.org.br/publicacoes/livros/governanca-de-fundos-ambientais-e-florestais-na-amazonia-legal) shows that in many cases, these funds aren’t being properly managed.

The just concluded [U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit](http://www.whitehouse.gov/us-africa-leaders-summit) focused attention on Africa’s promises and challenges, including energy, agriculture and the [$14 billion in investment pledged by companies](http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-announce-14-billion-dollars-in-us-corporate-investments-in-africa/1971790.html). The visiting heads of state—just shy of 50—also discussed [climate change](http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/us_africa_leaders_summit_schedule_8.pdf) and its effects on crop production, nutrition and food security. New research by the World Resources Institute and Rights and Resources Initiative on the climate dividends of secure community land rights can help Africa address these challenges.

The solution to improving food security and resilience in Africa is no secret: all sectors need to work together to scale up climate-smart agriculture. What's needed now is political will to make that happen.

After 17 months of debate, the UN Open Working Group has proposed a set of Sustainable Development Goals to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, which expire next year. These goals focus on eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. How do these newly proposed goals square with this ambitious aim?

The more cars on the road, the more challenges a city faces. Developing countries like Mexico have experienced increased car ownership in recent years, as much as 23 percent annually since 1995.

Community land lies at the heart of rural life in Africa, so losing community rights to land can undermine livelihoods and trigger conflict. Most governments recognize customary tenure arrangements that establish communities' rights to land and natural resources, but few governments have the strong legislation needed to help communities protect the land they depend upon. A new video explains.

Trees have become an iconic image of environmentalism, but that doesn't necessarily mean we should plant millions of them. While scale is important for landscape restoration, we need to reconsider quality and not just quantity. When does the presence of a tree really make a difference, and when is it neither an environmental or economical solution to a host of [complex issues](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wri.org%2Fblog%2F2013%2F12%2Fwhat-does-it-take-successful-forest-landscape-restoration&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNF-ww747vU4resNb0HIPX5KDCI3nw)? What are the implications for food security, biodiversity and landscape protection?