Electronic Resources

Earthtrends: the Environmental Information Portal

Earthtrends is a free online database from the World Resources Institute that focuses on issues of sustainable development and the environment. It includes data from over 40 sources, including international and national agencies as well as private corporations and organizations. This site includes time series for over 200 countries and 500 variables in subjects ranging from agriculture and food, biodiversity, climate, economics, business and the environment, energy, population, and water resources. In some cases statistics go back forty to fifty years. In addition, the site offers country profiles, maps, selected articles, and links to related information. Free registration is required to view some data. This is a useful resource for quickly accessing and comparing a variety of sources and for comparing countries and regions on a wide range of environmental and social topics.