This is an essential site for anyone interested in
environmental and development issues, providing an exhaustive resource
with up-to-date facts and figures as well as cogent analysis and policy initiatives. EarthTrends is the
information portal of the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based
environmental think tank that ‘provides information, ideas, and solutions to global environmental problems’. The site has ten main sections: Coastal and Marine Ecosystems; Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems; Climate and Atmosphere; Population, Health and Human Well-being; Economics, Business and the Environment; Energy and Resources; Biodiversity and Protected Areas; Agriculture and Food; Forests, Grasslands and Drylands; and Environmental Governance and Institutions. Each of these in turn can be explored via several options: Searchable Databases, Data Tables, Country Profiles, Maps, and Features.
This comprehensive set of variables, along with the superb search facilities, allow for any type of inquiry; you can search by category of information, by country or region, by development status, or simply by typing your query in the search box. The Searchable Databases contain information on any environmental or demographics-related topic falling within the ten main sections, allowing you to focus your inquiry very specifically – for example, you can find comparative data on energy consumption by industry sector in developing countries; or the number of protected wildlife areas in a region or country; or the use of pesticides in any country in the world. The Country Profiles provide charts, graphs and vital statistics from each topic area for each country, while the Features present in-depth articles (with a helpful summary) on a wide range of topical environmental and sustainable-development issues. (These, like material elsewhere on the site, are all downloadable as PDF files.)
There are also hundreds of links to related organizations large and small, bibliographies of data providers, and a facility for sending questions and comments to the WRI.
The site is clearly laid out and nicely designed, with very helpful thematic color-coding. Navigating the site is easy, whether you’re looking up specific information or browsing a general topic. From here you can also access the other sections of the WRI site, including information on its publications and multimedia.
This site is a must for anyone interested in the environment, whether students, researchers, scientists, or the general public.