Introducing Resource Watch: Data for a Sustainable Future
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The challenges we face as stewards of Earth are staggering and often unprecedented. Extreme weather events—many of them harbingers of a changing climate—are hammering communities around the world, leaving devastation that costs billions of dollars. Loss of the planet’s tree cover reached a new high in 2016. The global population is set to grow by at least 2 billion people by mid-century—and each of them, like us, will be wondering what’s for dinner.
These are complex issues playing out at a scale as great as Earth itself, with stakes to match. Trusted and timely data can help us make better sense of them. But few data sources are open and curated in a way that supports the kind of urgent, informed decision-making these challenges demand.
It’s in this spirit that we present Resource Watch, an open-data solution to help people everywhere monitor the planet’s pulse, uncover insights and take action for a more sustainable future. Resource Watch gives you the tools to explore issues you care about, dive deep into credible data and monitor a range of issues—from earthquakes to local air quality—in near-real time.
Browse more than 200 global data sets on topics ranging from food insecurity to electricity access, and overlay them to find previously unexplored connections. Keep an eye on areas of concern all over the world with automated email alerts showing forest change, fires and human conflicts. Or visit our topic pages for the latest information on water issues, climate change and more.