Natural resources

Previously always at the margins of global affairs, the Arctic has now found its way to the centre of the issues which will challenge and define our world in the twenty-first century. The region is warming faster than anywhere else on the planet and its future is uncertain, with the rush to claim the territory one of the ugliest aspects of the hydrocarbon era. In The Future History of the Arctic, geopolitics expert Charles Emmerson weaves together the history of the region with reportage and reflection, revealing a vast and complex area, loaded with opportunity and rich in challenges.

This volume is a consolidated collection of selected papers presented by participants in the thematic working groups of a four-day workshop in Geneva entitled "Practising and Promoting Sound Environmental Management in Refugee/Returnee Operations" organised by the Environment Unit in UNHCR's Engineering and Environmental Services Section (EESS).

This report explores the economic impact of climate change in Zambia through the assessment of six sectors, agriculture & food security, natural resources, water, energy, health, and infrastructure. The analysis is conducted via scenario planning. 

In recent years, journalists and environmentalists have pointed urgently to the melting Arctic as a leading indicator of the growing effects of climate change. While climate change has unleashed profound transformations in the region, most commentators distort these changes by calling them unprecedented. In reality, the landscapes of the North American Arctic—as well as relations among scientists, Inuit, and federal governments— are products of the region’s colonial past.

These bylaws were developed through a consultative process involving stakeholders of the Building Drought Resilience (BDR) Project implemented by IUCN with funding from Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). The goal of the bylaws is to support the sustainable management of land and water resources in the Lower Tana River Catchment through enhanced natural resource governance in order to build resilience of communities to drought. Upon their adoption/endorsement by the County Governments, these bylaws will be implemented through the framework of the Council of Elders.

These bylaws were developed through a consultative process involving stakeholders of the Building Drought Resilience (BDR) Project implemented by IUCN with funding from Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). The goal of the bylaws is to support the sustainable management of land and water resources in the Lower Tana River Catchment through enhanced natural resource governance in order to build resilience of communities to drought. Upon their adoption/endorsement by the County Governments, these bylaws will be implemented through the framework of the Council of Elders.

The sustainability challenges we face today are greater than any we have previously confronted. This year, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Law is a necessary part of the solution to sustainability challenges. To achieve sustainability goals, appropriate and well-implemented legal frameworks and tools must be in place. And, importantly, they must be effective. And to ensure thatlaws work, we must first understand what makes law effective.