Restoring Nature's Capital, a recent publication from the World Resources Institute (WRI), proposes an innovative strategy for business, governments, and civil society to reverse current ecosystem degradation. By treating natural systems as huge capital assets vital to our continued economic and social growth, the report takes a fundamentally human approach to valuing nature's goods and services. According to the authors, sustaining healthy ecosystems and investing wisely in "nature's capital" will depend heavily on the concept of governance: who makes decisions, how are they made, and with what information.

The potential for agriculture to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security is vast--over 70 percent of the global poor live in rural areas and many depend on agriculture as their primary source of income. To date, agricultural growth in the developing world has been constrained by various trade barriers and trade-distorting subsidies, which arose primarily but not exclusively in developed countries as a means to protect their agricultural sectors. At the global level, however, agricultural protectionism has significantly hindered free trade and disproportionately harmed developing country farmers.

For the past decade, agriculture has been a consistent stumbling block in multilateral trade negotiations. While both developing and developed countries have a strong interest in reducing restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, the issues involved are politically sensitive and engage powerful special interest groups. This monthly update will provide an overview of agricultural trade issues and recent negotiations, with particular attention to the implications for poverty alleviation in the developing world.

A recent survey by the World Wildlife Fund, a global conservation organization, brings promising news for the highly endangered mountain gorillas of Eastern Africa. Thanks to determined conservation efforts, the population has grown by 12 percent over the past decade, translating to an annual growth rate of about one percent per year. However, the total population remains dangerously low at only 700 individuals, indicating that ongoing protection and monitoring will be vital to the continued survival of this species.

Organic farming expanded by roughly 20 percent last year, making it the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture. Experts expect this trend to continue, increasing the organic industry's share of U.S. food spending above the 2006 level of three percent. However, this rapid growth has not kept pace with consumer demand, forcing the U.S. to become a net importer of organic products for the first time. To scale up production, organic farmers are now looking to the U.S. government for increased research investment and farmer support.

Road traffic accidents cause 1.2 million deaths each year, 90 percent of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. As the developing world continues to urbanize and motorize at an unprecedented pace, it is becoming increasingly vital to improve road safety around the globe. In recognition of the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week (23-29 April 2007), the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a new report, Youth and Road Safety, which describes the current problem and offers potential solutions.

On April 22, 1970, millions of Americans took to the streets in a nationwide demonstration, giving birth to the modern environmental movement. The issues of concern three decades ago remain important topics today: oil spills, industrial pollution, and loss of wilderness and biodiversity, just to name a few. However, the possibility of global climate change was largely unknown in 1970, and it has only recently grabbed the international spotlight as one of the most serious environmental threats of the 21st century. Not surprisingly, the theme of Earth Day 2007, to be celebrated this Sunday, is "A Call for Action on Climate Change."

The building sector currently accounts for 30-40 percent of global energy use. With continued population growth and economic development, building construction and operation will increasingly contribute to global climate change. However, a recent publication by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) explains that significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions could be achieved with the right combination of government regulation, increased use of energy-saving technologies, and behavioral change. According to some conservative estimates, such improvements could reduce global CO2 emissions by 1.8 billion metric tons, which would more than fulfill current Kyoto Protocol obligations.

Despite growing concerns over the health of global fisheries and marine ecosystems, less than one percent of the oceans are currently protected, compared to 12 percent of total land area. Participants of last week's Marine Summit gathered to share scientific evidence of increasing human pressures on the world's oceans. Expressing grave concern over the pace and scale of changes occurring in marine environments, the Summit is urging governments to increase the extent and connectivity of marine protected areas (MPAs) by setting aside at least 10 percent of oceans under national jurisdiction through legally binding agreements.

Although little known in most countries, Chagas disease affects nearly nine million people worldwide, primarily children. Historically, Chagas was only known to occur in Latin America, but recent human migrations have carried the disease to several European countries and parts of the United States. This alarming trend has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO), with support by Bayer HealthCare, to increase prevention and treatment efforts in afflicted Latin American countries.

Last Friday, scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released Volume 2 of the Fourth Assessment Report, which explores the impacts of climate change on natural and human systems and the relative ability of these systems to adapt. Entitled "Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability," this latest volume issues an alarming forecast of human-induced warming, including large-scale biodiversity loss, decreased water and food availability, and new human health threats. This follows the February 2nd release of Volume 1, which determined with 90 percent certainty that global warming is a result of human activities.