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Textile fibre production has more than doubled over the past 30 years, leading to increased demands for both natural and fossil resources. Consumption of these resources must be controlled in order to reduce our environmental impact. However, it is important that novel means of production and consumption are economically viable and do not compromise human health and welfare. This…

The case for urgent action in the global food system is now compelling. We are at a unique moment in history as diverse factors converge to affect the demand, production and distribution of food over the next 20 to 40 years. The needs of a growing world population will need to be satisfied as critical resources such as water, energy and land become increasingly scarce. The food system…

The report addresses a much debated issue – bioenergy and associated land use change, and how the climate change mitigation from use of bioenergy can be influenced by greenhouse gas emissions arising from land use change. The purpose of this background report is to supply a more detailed, fully referenced version for practitioners, and researchers, in support of the short version (IEA Bioenergy:…

In the past decades, debates on agriculture, land use and management of natural resources have coined a wealth of new terms. In many cases, these are in full vogue for just a period, replace older ones or are used for political reasons. Meanwhile, there are so many terms that it is difficult to keep track and distinguish them from each other. This annotated glossary offers a unitary…

The Drylands worldwide contain the largest concentrations of poverty and suffer the greatest pressures on their natural resources such as water, soils, and biodiversity. Their populations are extremely vulnerable to the adverse consequences of environmental changes related to climate variability and change, and are among the least able to cope effectively with them. Desertification alone, as a…

Geographical overview.Geophysical events (Earthquake, tsunami, volcanic activity). Meteorological events (Tropical storm, extratropical storm, convective storm, local storm). Hydrological events (Flood, mass movement). Climatological events (Extreme temperature, drought, forest fire). Intensification of extratropical storms, Increase in heavy rain, Increase in heatwaves, Increase in…