Recent estimates of global fossil fuel subsidies for production and consumption are staggering, putting the total near US$730 billion annually or higher. In a time of economic hardship, dangerous climate change, and growing demand for reliable and cleaner sources of energy, these fossil fuel subsidies are a reckless and irrational use of taxpayer money and government investments.

The World Bank released its annual book compiling environmental data, which includes information from more than 200 countries relating to agriculture, forests, energy, water, sanitation, and ocean health. The 2012 Little Green Data Book functions as a compilation of information allowing countries to value and organize their natural capital. The datasets include an Adjusted Net Savings indicator, which calculates savings considering factors such as natural resource depletion and pollution damage.

The purpose of this report is to improve the knowledge base for facilitating investments in land management technologies that sequester soil organic carbon. While there are many studies on soil carbon sequestration, there is no single unifying volume that synthesizes knowledge on the impact of different land management practices on soil carbon sequestration rates across the world. A meta-analysis was carried out to provide soil carbon sequestration rates in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Vulnerable populations are minimally resilient to shocks, whether caused by humans or natural disasters. Emerging threats and new trends—such as climate change, population growth, aging societies, urbanization, infectious as well as noncommunicable diseases, and environmental degradation—are bound to aggravate the consequences of shocks on already vulnerable populations by triggering damage, loss, and displacement. Such threats pose an additional hurdle to the stated policy objective of the international community to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.

Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development makes the case that greening growth is necessary, efficient, and affordable. Yet spurring growth without ensuring equity will thwart efforts to reduce poverty and improve access to health, education, and infrastructure services. Countries must make strategic investments and farsighted policy changes that acknowledge natural resource constraints and enable the world’s poorest and most vulnerable to benefit from efficient, clean, and resilient growth.

Health levels varied greatly among people 50 and older in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa, but hypertension and arthritis were the two most common chronic conditions in all six countries according to the first-ever U.S. Census Bureau report to use data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE).

Rapid urban growth in developing countries has created an unprecedented demand for energy services. Cities face the enormous challenge of improving energy access to urban communities in order to improve education, health and basic socioeconomic conditions. These eight case studies demonstrate innovative, successful approaches to delivery of energy services to the urban and peri-urban poor. The case studies focus on electricity and clean fuels, and are taken from India, Brazil, Colombia and Bangladesh.

Nepal has a very high rate of child malnutrition: half (49%) of children under five are stunted and one third (39%) are underweight. Maternal undernutrition is also a significant problem in Nepal: One in four (24%) women of reproductive age has chronic energy deficiency (Body Mass Index

Sustainable Low-Carbon City Development in China, summarizes the lessons of the World Bank’s activities related to sustainable urban development in China. The report presents overall policy recommendations in low-carbon city development and highlights specific experiences across key sectors, including energy, transport, solid waste, and water. The report also explores cities’ role in climate adaptation and opportunities presented by carbon finance and other global mechanisms to finance low-carbon city development.

Adaptation to climate change in developing countries is to a large extent about building resilience, including social and institutional responsiveness to change. In that sense it is about “development.” However, adaptation finance is not development assistance. It is better thought of as a financial transfer based on the “causal responsibility” for the disproportionate costs to the poor of climate change associated with carbon emissions of the rich.