Browse Research

This report Reviving the Western Indian Ocean Economy: Actions for a Sustainable Future details the values of the ocean assets, the growing threats they face and the priority actions needed to provide a more certain and sustainable future for its people.

The report All Hands on Deck: Setting Course to a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Baltic Sea Region looks at the sea’s economic and environmental situation through the lens of a “SWOT” analysis — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — that is based on the Principles, and it proposes a set of action steps to realize this singular opportunity: the chance to create a global model of prosperity and environmental stewardship in the Baltic Sea region’s maritime economy.

Living Blue Planet Report: Species, Habitats and Human Well-being shows that populations have been reduced on average by half globally in the last four decades, with some fish declining by close to 75 percent. The latest findings spell trouble for all nations, especially people in the developing world.

The global demand for clean innovation – new technologies, products and practices that improve environmental performance – is rapidly growing. Accelerating the pace of clean innovation in Canada is not only an important tool for meeting climate and environmental goals, it also represents a critical economic opportunity across all Canadian sectors.

Canada’s cleantech sector can tap into a fast-growing global market that is expected to be worth as much as C$2.5 trillion by 2020. Resource and manufacturing sectors can also gain market advantage through clean innovation. For example, McKinsey estimates that improvements in energy and resource efficiency will represent a C$3.8 trillion economic opportunity by 2030.

This research initiative seeks to define the clean innovation opportunity, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Canada's performance, and to identify the key opportunities for public and private actors to accelerate the pace of clean innovation.

As problems of governance, scarcity and pollution have spread and intensified, interest in protecting water has diversified. More than ever before, business leaders realise that their long-term profitability – even viability – depends on the right quantity and quality of water available at the right time and place to meet the needs of people, business and ecosystems. This business interest triggered the creation in 2008 of WWF’s Water Stewardship Programme.

The concept of water stewardship serves to unite a wide set of stakeholders interested in water management. In common usage, it often refers to business action on water challenges. In this brief, we are using the term in this common sense, as it relates to business – while acknowledging that there is no universally agreed definition. We define Water Stewardship for business as a progression of increased improvement of water use and a reduction in the water-related impacts of internal and value chain operations. More importantly, it is a commitment to the sustainable management of shared water resources in the public interest through collective action with other businesses, governments, NGOs and communities