What's new in sustainable development

How Sniffer Dogs Can Help Protect Lakes From Oil Spills

Scientists at IISD Experimental Lakes Area have discovered, for the first time, that dogs can sniff out oil spills buried in freshwater lakes under ice, with a 100% success rate.

"Electrify, Baby, Electrify": In 2025, governments must choose a safer world

Despite Donald Trump's anti-climate stance and a weak COP 29 climate finance deal, 2025 is the year for governments to prioritize the clean energy transition.

CBA Is Gaining Momentum in Southern Africa: Here’s how to scale it up

Community-based adaptation (CBA) is a proven approach to building resilience to climate change. But despite being around for over 20 years, there are still gaps in the policy context and limited resources available to realize its potential. Why? IISD experts reviewed over 50 policy documents from Southern Africa, revealing the gaps and the opportunities.

United States Tops the List of Latest Oil and Gas Exploration Licences

Last month, 78 oil and gas licences were awarded in two countries. The United States accounted for 77 of these licences, which, if fully exploited and burned, threaten to release 18.4 million tonnes of CO2. Find out more in the latest edition of Carbon Minefields.

What’s Ahead for Trade, Nature, and Energy in 2025

As we settle into 2025, our experts reflect on what’s ahead in their work areas. Alice Tipping unpacks the opportunities ahead for trade. Alec Crawford explains why we need nature more than ever. Chris Beaton explores ways financial support for fossil fuels can be redirected for the benefit of people and the planet.

Five Key Priorities to End Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Canada

Despite Canada’s policy to end fossil fuel subsidies, it continues to funnel billions in public funds to the sector without transparent reporting. As the G7 president in 2025, Canada has a pivotal opportunity to lead by fully phasing out fossil fuel supports and investing in a cleaner, more equitable future. Here are five recommendations for effective subsidy reform.

Challenging Gender Discriminatory Norms in Sub-Saharan Africa

The SUNCASA project held a series of training sessions to tackle discriminatory gender norms and address the challenges that limit women and marginalized groups from participating in nature-based solutions governance and accessing natural resources.

How Nature-based Infrastructure Can Improve Access to Nutritious Food in Ethiopia

Our new SAVi Assessment indicates that for every USD 1 invested in Ethiopia's Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Capacity and System Strengthening Project, up to USD 2.37 could be returned over a 26-year period, amounting to USD 46 billion in avoided costs and added environmental, social and economic benefits.

Tracking NBS Progress in NAP Processes

Join us on February 19 for a session focusing on showcasing the extent to which nature-based solutions (NbS) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) have been taken up in countries’ national adaptation plan (NAP) processes, based on a recent report published by the NAP Global Network Secretariat.

Job Opportunities at IISD

At IISD, we believe in investing in people who are passionate and talented at what they do. Help enhance our work across all of our focus areas and make an impact on the planet and its people.

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