WRI Insights

According to a new report, the $65 billion U.S. corn industry faces a range of water-related risks that could disrupt production. Other countries face similar threats. **In fact, [one-third of the world’s corn production occurs in highly or extremely highly water-stressed regions](http://www.wri.org/applications/maps/agriculturemap/#x=64.51&y=9.90&l=3&v=home&d=maize).**

The U.S. Department of Agriculture could potentially spend part of its budget for water quality improvements seven to 12 times more cost effectively than it does now. A new WRI analysis shows how, explains why USDA isn’t already doing so, and proposes ways to make a complex policy a reality.

For more than 30 years, the USDA has worked to reduce water pollution by offering farmers throughout the nation financial and technical help to put conservation measures in place. While these efforts have successfully addressed environmental problems at the individual farm level—such as soil erosion—agriculture remains [a key source of water pollution](http://www.wri.org/blog/2012/08/how-food-production-impacts-water-quality). However, it’s only a small portion of farms that generate the majority of agriculture’s contribution to U.S. water pollution. [New research shows](http://www.wri.org/publication/national-targeting-modeling-study) that targeting conservation funds to these farms with the most potential to reduce pollution could be [up to 12 times more cost effective](http://www.wri.org/publication/national-targeting-modeling-study) than the usual practice of disbursing funds widely. And encouragingly, a new USDA program aims to capitalize on a similar targeted approach.

What do Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have in common? They are among the few countries that are linking their national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data with GHG data from individual industrial facilities. Inventories are a fundamental tool for countries and facilities to measure and manage their GHG emissions. Establishing these linkages and sharing data between different inventory systems will continue to be critical in improving the quality of inventories, increasing their usefulness, reducing emissions at both the national and facility level, and enhancing their value for decision makers.

Although there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to developing a sustainable national GHG inventory system, countries can learn from each other’s experiences: *What’s worked and why? What hasn’t worked and why? And how have countries built their capabilities for compiling a national inventory over time?*

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its [Clean Power Plan](https://archive.epa.gov/epa/cleanpowerplan/carbon-pollution-standards-new-modified-and-reconstructed-power-plants-regulatory.html), the first time the United States has set standards to limit carbon pollution from existing power plants. The Plan sets emissions reduction goals for individual states; once the goals are finalized next year, states will develop plans to achieve the necessary reductions. EPA’s modeling indicates that the standards will reduce national carbon pollution from power plants by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

A new initiative from WRI and the [Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)](http://www.rspo.org/) aims to shed light on how oil palm concessions affect forests. [Global Forest Watch Commodities](http://commodities.globalforestwatch.org/) (GFW-Commodities) combines the RSPO’s maps of certified sustainable palm oil production sites with global forest data—information that can empower companies to manage their forests and supply chains more sustainably.

As the global wild fish catch peaked in the 1990s, aquaculture—or fish farming—has grown rapidly to meet world fish demand, more than doubling production between 2000 and 2012. **New research shows that aquaculture production will need to more than double again between now and 2050 to meet the demands of a growing population.** The question is: Can aquaculture grow sustainably?

The EPA's [proposed rule](https://archive.epa.gov/epa/cleanpowerplan/carbon-pollution-standards-new-modified-and-reconstructed-power-plants-regulatory.html) to cut carbon pollution from power plants [is a critical step](http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/05/5-essential-facts-about-emissions-standards-power-plants) in avoiding the worst consequences of global warming. Without significant reductions from the power sector—America’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions—the country cannot meet [its goal](http://www.wri.org/publication/can-us-get-there-here) of reducing its emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. EPA’s proposal provides a flexible framework that puts those reductions within reach. Here’s a look at how the proposed rule would impact states and the future of U.S. climate action.

To help city leaders shift to a planning paradigm that creates more compact neighborhoods and sustainable cities, [EMBARQ](http://www.embarqmexico.org/) has released a [Transit-oriented Development Guide for Urban Communities](http://www.wrirosscities.org/research/publication/transit-oriented-development-tod-guide-urban-communities). The guide combines best practices from existing communities and design guidelines for creating healthy, sustainable, people-oriented cities.