Human waste may be a topic that people generally do not or prefer not to think about. However, its capture and disposal (often referred to in terms of sanitation) play a vital role in human health and development. The importance of sanitation as a basic human need has made it an international development priority and a key target in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Even though since 1990 the percent of the global population with access to improved sanitation has increased (see Figure 1.), lack of improved sanitation still threatens human health and development particularly in developing regions of the world.

The number of piracy attacks reported this year have already far exceeded those of last year. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), as of September 23, 2009, 294 piratical incidents have been reported, with 97 occurring in the Gulf of Aden and 47 off of the remaining coasts of Somalia. Figure 1 shows the placements of pirate attacks within the Gulf of Aden from July to September, 2009.

A new report of scientific findings confirms not only that human activity is the primary cause of rising temperatures, but that climate change impacts are accelerating.

The compilation of peer-reviewed research includes evidence that melting rates for mountain glaciers around the world doubled between 2004 and 2006, and that more than 28,000 plant and animal species are changing habits due to new climatic conditions.

After decades of progress fighting global hunger, the last few years have seen a precipitous increase in the number of hungry people in the world. Kostas Stamoulis, the Secretary General of the Committee on World Food Security, puts it starkly, "we have more hungry people in the world [today], than we ever had in the history of human kind." The recent trend in hunger, shown in Figure 1, projects a historic high in 2009 with 1,020 million people going hungry every day.

We are looking for a highly motivated and innovative person to play a significant role in the ongoing development and management of EarthTrends. The successful applicant will help to fulfill WRI's mission of guaranteeing public access to information and analysis related to sustainable development and the environment.

The World Resources Institute is currently accepting applications for a Cynthia Helms Fellow. We are looking for a highly motivated and innovative person to help develop a special collection of EarthTrends information covering China. Applicants must be Chinese nationals.

In our continuing efforts to provide the most reliable and current information, the EarthTrends team has recently updated some of our most popular indicators, including the latest population estimates and fossil fuel production data, along with many others. Here are a few interesting factoids from this latest data. Test your global knowledge or discover even more interesting trends by accessing the full datasets below.

• The most densely populated country in the world:
  Singapore, with 6,699 people per square kilometer (the global average is 51!)
• Country with lowest life expectancy:
  In Swaziland, the average person lives only 31.2 years
• Country producing the most coal:
  China produces over one billion toe (tonnes of oil equivalent) of coal each year, nearly twice that of the second largest producer, the United States.

In the last quarter century, China's breakneck economic growth has lifted over 50 million people out of poverty and tripled energy demand. Experts predict that China will surpass the United States to become the world's largest consumer of energy and fossil fuels soon after 2010. And because of its heavy reliance on coal, China already emits more carbon dioxide than any country on earth.

The rate and path of this energy growth is of enormous consequence for both China and the world. At stake are issues of global importance, including climate change and competition over dwindling oil resources. Perhaps more important for China, however, are domestic concerns such as severe urban air pollution, energy security, and sustained economic growth.

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The members of the EarthTrends team at the World Resources Institute, together with our data providers, compile a world-class collection of environmental and sustainable development information to the public at no charge. In order to maintain these services to our users, we need to demonstrate that our site is making tangible contributions to research, education, and policymaking. Tell us how our information is assisting you in your work or studies, and what improvements can be made to the EarthTrends web site. Access the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=g_2bPE1GsTSW6nZypkmG0s0Q_3d_3d.

The World Resources Institute is seeking a highly motivated and innovative person to play a significant role in the continuing technical development and management of two of our premier on-line information tools: the Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) and EarthTrends: The Environmental Information Portal. Depending on the applicant's interests and abilities, up to 40% of the position could include research support as well: analysis of climate and sustainable development issues, project planning, and data compilation.