EarthTrends has recently updated a number of indicators in the searchable database with new data. Updated indicators include those related to sources of CO2 emissions, AIDS/HIV, water and sanitation, and energy consumption. Click 'read more' for a complete listing. If you have any questions, please contact us.

When it comes to climate change, U.S. states make a difference--even when compared internationally. If states were ranked individually, six states--Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Florida--would rank among the top 30 greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters internationally.

This map, featured in Science magazine, shows how regions within the U.S. compare to major emitters. The lower 48 states are approximately equivalent to China, Brazil and the United Kingdom combined: or the United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, India, South Korea and Canada.

- What is renewable energy? - Should my office switch?
- What if my office isn't near a wind farm?
- Is it simple to buy?
- What are my options?

Many office- and retail-based companies are switching to renewable energy and "greening" their energy supply. While this is often not difficult to do, the overwhelming amount of information available can make it a confusing process, especially for newcomers.

By Tim Herzog

As the 2006 UN Conference of the Parties to the Climate Convention (COP-12) begins, an overview of greenhouse gas (GHG) sources is helpful. GHGs come from almost every human activity. This figure is a comprehensive break-down of major sectors, activities and major greenhouse gases at the global level. The chart was recently included in the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change.

The twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-12) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is November 6-17 in Nairobi, Kenya. This is the annual international meeting to assess the progress of global efforts to address climate change.

From small businesses to large economies, the long-term availability of energy worldwide is paramount to growth and development. Energy provides industry with a means to manufacture goods, generates the electricity and heat that we require on a daily basis, allows for the rapid transport of people and products, and enables food production and access to potable water.

The availability of energy in our current global framework relies extensively on the availability of fossil fuels: the oil, natural gas, and coal that together constitute 80 percent of global energy consumption.

Over 35 million volunteers from 122 countries are set to participate in this year's Clean Up the World Weekend, 15-17 September. The annual event, held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is a community-based initiative seeking to inspire people everywhere to clean up and protect their local environments.

EarthTrends is pleased to announce that we are launching a series of podcasts--audio files which can be downloaded and listened to on personal music players. The podcasts are a collaboration between World Resources Institute, StopGlobalWarming.org, and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, produced as part of these organizations' continuing efforts to spread awareness and factual information about global warming and compel people to take action.

The three winning entries of the EarthTrends Environmental Essay Competition have been formatted as pdf files and are available for download. In addition, we have recently updated nearly 70 indicators, including labor, land, GDP, and trade data sets with the most recent statistics available. Click 'read more' for a complete listing.

The World Resources Institute is currently accepting applications for an EarthTrends fall intern. The closing date for this position is 10 September 2006.