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Illegal Russian Crab: An Investigation of Trade Flow

October 16, 2016

WWF investigated the trade flow of legal and illegal crab harvested in Russian waters throughout the North Pacific to better understand the impact on the global seafood market. Analysis used primary sources such as Russian crab stock assessments, publically accessible trade and customs data, satellite imagery of fishing boat movements, and interviews with experts to obtain a unique picture of the harvest of legal and illegal crab products.

Fixing Food : Towards a More Sustainable Food System

October 1, 2016

Fixing Food is an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report on food system sustainability globally, spanning agriculture, nutrition, and food loss and waste. It draws on an interview programme with experts from the academic, public and private sectors and is published alongside the Food Sustainability Index (FSI), a quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model, which ranks 25 countries according to their food system sustainability. The project was developed with the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN).

The Global Slavery Index 2016

June 1, 2016

The Global Slavery Index ('the Index') provides an estimate of the number of people in modern slavery, the factors that make individuals vulnerable to this crime, and an assessment of government action across 167 countries.The Global Slavery Index is based on state of the art research methodology that has been developed with the assistance of an independent Expert Working Group, comprised of world leading experts. The methodology has also been subjected to independent external review. This estimate is based on data from nationally representative, random sample surveys conducted in 25 countries. All surveys were conducted face-to-face in key local languages using a standardised instrument. Collectively, these surveys represent 44 percent of the global population. The results of these surveys have been extrapolated to countries with an equivalent risk profile.The 2016 estimate is an increase on the estimate provided in the previous edition of the Index. As efforts to measure this hidden crime are still relatively new, we are not asserting that modern slavery has increased in the intervening period. Indeed, results from our surveys reveal some national estimates have increased while others have decreased. We believe that the overall larger number reflects a significant increase in the quality and quantity of research on this issue. While the methodology will continually improve, even at this early stage, survey data have greatly improvedthe accuracy of our measures.

Trade and Jobs: Can We Trust the Models?

April 21, 2016

This paper notes the poor track record of CGE models like the ones used by the Peterson Institute and the International Trade Commission in projecting the changes in patterns of trade following recent trade deals. These models failed to project the large rise in the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico following the implementation of NAFTA or with South Korea following the implementation of KORUS. Past research has shown that these models also failed to correctly identify the winning and losing industries in trade with Mexico following NAFTA. This analysis shows that the ITC model similarly failed to identify winning and losing industries following the implementation of the KORUS.

Turning New Leaves: TreePlanet - Changing Attitudes Toward Forestation in South Korea

April 8, 2016

Tech-savvy social enterprise TreePlanet leverages growing environmental awareness, current cultural obsessions, and high internet productivity to develop profitable products and services that are designed to get consumers engaged with environmental causes."We are a tree-planting company," said Kim Hyungsoo, co-founder and chief executive officer of TreePlanet. Since 2011, the small enterprise has used revenue from various sources — mobile game advertising, product licensing, and crowdfunding — to pay for forestry initiatives that have resulted in the planting of more than half-a-million trees across working orchards, anti-desertification projects, and urban parks. But Kim's literal description of his company belies its true purpose — TreePlanet is, in fact, a project in raising awareness. As important, if not more so, to funding forestation projects is the goal of changing the attitudes of its customers, which TreePlanet does by facilitating a personal affiliation with forestry projects.

Improving Performance in the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing

April 1, 2016

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), Oceana, The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) and WWF are working together to support the harmonised and effective implementation of the European Union's Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 establishing a Community system to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Fact Sheet: Fuel Cells

November 5, 2015

Imagine a device that could take the most abundant element in the universe and convert it into electricity, heat, and water, without emitting any harmful pollution. Sounds too good to be true? But, such a device exists -- the fuel cell.A fuel cell is, in a way, a battery that can be refueled (as opposed to recharged). Fuel cells generate electricity by combining oxygen and hydrogen (or a hydrogen-rich fuel source) in a chemical reaction, and continue to operate so long as fuel is provided. When pure hydrogen is used, the only byproduct is heat and water -- there are no harmful emissions at all.This fact sheet will give an overview of fuel cells, examining their strengths and challenges, applications, and the impact of federal and state clean energy policies on their commercialization and deployment in the marketplace.

No Shadow, No Worry

August 5, 2015

A fervor for education paid big post-war dividends for the Republic of Korea, but also spawned a private market that undermines public education and gave rise to the World Without Worries about Shadow Education (WWWSE) campaign to increase knowledge and decrease anxiety among students.WWWSE was founded in 2008, its goal to strengthen public education by reducing reliance on private education. To strengthen public education, national policies would have to change; that could only happen if minds were changed.  In six years' time, WWWSE, or, for short, World Without Worries (WWW), changed many mindsets across the country, from towns to cities to provinces, and, finally, to the nation's capital.WWW began with a series of lectures and research papers about the negative effects of shadow education on the nation's children, including the 40% of those aged 13 to 19 who in a government survey blamed suicidal thoughts on the premium attached to high grades and the CSAT pressure-cooker; and those aged 9 or above who in another government report rated their quality of life the lowest of those similarly aged across 31 of the world's advanced nations.In 2014, WWW's efforts resulted in an achievement few would have imagined: the passage of a national law regulating "preceding education" – or education ahead of the proscribed schedule for learning in the public school curriculum. The law was aimed at ending one of shadow education's most dramatic effects – almost 92% of students already know what will be taught in the public schools, by at least by one semester in advance and often times by many more semesters.

Universal Water and Sanitation: How Did the Rich Countries Do It?

March 1, 2015

This finance brief summarizes the history of water and sanitation services provision in the U.S., U.K., and South Korea and considers whether this historical experience is relevant to low- and middle-income countries today.

Better Growth Better Climate: The New Climate Economy Report - The Global Report

September 17, 2014

The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate was set up to examine whether it is possible to achieve lasting economic growth while also tackling the risks of climate change.Its report seeks to inform economic decision-makers in both public and private sectors, many of whom recognise the serious risks caused by climate change, but also need to tackle more immediate concerns such as jobs, competitiveness and poverty. The report brings together evidence and analysis, learning from the practical experience of countries, cities and businesses across the world.

The Global Forum on Migration and Development: Perspectives from Asia and the Pacific

May 7, 2014

Several governments in the Asia-Pacific region have actively engaged in the United Nations' Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) for the past seven years, as both participants and leaders. Virtually every country in the region has assigned representatives in GFMD's network of country focal points, eight Asia-Pacific countries are part of GFMD Steering Group, and a number have contributed to the roundtable and thematic meetings either as co-chairs or team members. Three countries from the region were also part of a 14-member Assessment Team that outlined the future of the Forum after 2012. The region's active engagement has helped shape the themes and topics of GFMD meetings, beginning with the first meeting convened in 2007. However, during this time, the challenges facing migrants and their families have not abated. To remain relevant, the GFMD must become as instrumental in shaping the reality on the ground as it has been in shaping the global discourse on migration and development. The 2012 GFMD assessment shows participant states' demand for a more development-focused and results-driven forum.The GFMD could provide more opportunities for collaboration between governments and other migration stakeholders. While becoming more action-oriented, it should continue to shape the agenda on migration and development and set international priorities among the wide range of issues that demands attention. Toward these ends, the GFMD would benefit from (1) an enhanced linkage with regional fora and processes; (2) a more dynamic people-to-people networking platform where policymakers can find partners, pilot projects, test ideas, and develop policy and programmatic tools; and (3) a more focused, action-oriented, and results-driven process for the next five years. This brief argues that although the Global Forum on Migration and Development was primarily designed as a venue for changing the discourse on migration, the success of its efforts to date and the pressing need for progress on the ground both indicate that it is time to assess how the Forum can facilitate concrete action.

Gains from Trade? The Net Effect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on U.S. Wages

September 10, 2013

Recent estimates of the U.S. economic gains that would result from the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are very small -- only 0.13 percent of GDP by 2025. Taking into account the un-equalizing effect of trade on wages, this paper finds the median wage earner will probably lose as a result of any such agreement. In fact, most workers are likely to lose -- the exceptions being some of the bottom quarter or so whose earnings are determined by the minimum wage; and those with the highest wages who are more protected from international competition. Rather, many top incomes will rise as a result of TPP expansion of the terms and enforcement of copyrights and patents. The long-term losses, going forward over the same period (to 2025), from the failure to restore full employment to the United States have been some 25 times greater than the potential gains of the TPP, and more than five times as large as the possible gains resulting from a much broader trade agenda.