WRI Insights

O Brasil possui maior quantidade de água doce do que qualquer outro país no mundo—12% do volume total de todo planeta. Então, como São Paulo—a maior e mais rica cidade da América do Sul—está ficando sem água? Três mapas ajudam a contar essa complexa história.

A new report, *[Corn or Current? The Agro-Industrial Water Conflict](https://www.msci.com/www/research-paper/executive-summary-corn-or/023379580)*, shows where conflicts between industry and agriculture for limited water supplies could be most severe. It reveals that $21 billion in U.S. electricity sales and $1.2 billion in farm products face water risks.

Brazil has [more freshwater](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2201.html) than any country in the world – [12 percent](http://www.lavieeco.com/news/actualites/le-bresil-possede-12-de-l-eau-douce-de-la-planete-selon-une-etude-de-l-agence-nationale-des-eaux-22373.html) of the entire planet’s total volume. So how is São Paulo—the richest, largest city in South America—running out of water? Three maps help tell the complicated story.

A [new WRI study](http://www.wri.org/publication/seeing-believing-creating-new-climate-economy-united-states) finds that there are many [“win-win” opportunities](http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/10/numbers-how-us-economy-can-benefit-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions) for the United States to reduce emissions and save money for consumers and businesses. Over the coming weeks, our blog series, [Lower Emissions, Brighter Economy](http://www.wri.org/tags/lower-emissions-brighter-economy), will evaluate these opportunities across five key areas—power generation, electricity consumption, passenger vehicles, natural gas systems, and hydrofluorocarbons—which together represent 55 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The IPCC reports are the most comprehensive, authoritative consensus on climate change. Check out nine findings that illustrate how the trends documented in the IPCC continue to take a toll, and in some cases, may be underestimated.

The final installment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) [fifth assessment report (AR5)](http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/), set to be released this weekend, is the most comprehensive evaluation of climate change to date. It paints a vivid picture of how climate change is already impacting communities around the world, as well as where we’re headed if emissions don’t drop significantly. Here’s a look at three infographics that underscore the report’s findings.

Satellite measurements have shown evidence that methane emissions from U.S. natural gas production are likely a much larger problem than the EPA or the oil and gas industry acknowledges.

See why major companies are joining together in their commitment to renewable energy, and how they can help scale up renewable energy throughout the corporate sector.

For the past week in Bonn, Germany, climate negotiators have tackled core issues that are key to reaching a new international climate agreement in 2015. Many questions came into sharper focus, as did the central tasks for the next major moment in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks—COP 20 in Lima, Peru in December. As this Bonn session concludes, here are some takeaways on what needs to happen in Lima to set the stage for an ambitious, effective global climate agreement.