sustainability

The world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022 — a record. China produces the most e-waste in absolute terms (12 million tonnes). Norway and Iceland generate the most per capita. Only 22% of e-waste is formally recycled. E-waste contains $62 billion in recoverable precious metals annually.

China had 1,827 GW of renewable power capacity at the end of 2024, 41% of the world total, per IRENA. See the top 20 countries by installed gigawatts and why capacity is not the same as generation.

China had more than 680,000 electric buses at the end of 2024, far ahead of any other country. This ranking compares fleets, 2024 sales, and market shares across China, India, Latin America, Europe, and the United States, and explains why the numbers are hard to line up.

A handful of countries already generate essentially all of their electricity from hydro, wind, solar, geothermal and bioenergy. This ranking uses Ember's generation data, with the year for every row, and explains why most leaders are hydro countries and what that means for everyone else.

Nobody can rank countries by national park count fairly, because 'national park' means different things in different legal systems. Here is what the protected-area data actually shows, from Zambia's 41% to the 63 US parks, and what protection achieves.

The United Kingdom protects 8.1 million km² of ocean — the most of any country. Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is the world's largest single MPA. The global target is 30% of oceans protected by 2030 (30x30). Currently only 8% is protected. Here's the full marine protection ranking.

China has about 641 GW of installed wind capacity, nearly half of the world's roughly 1,291 GW. The United States, Germany, India, and Brazil follow. Denmark ranks 17th by capacity but gets about 59% of its electricity from wind. Here is the 2025 ranking, what it measures, and what it leaves out.

India has the highest self-reported vegetarian share, but no clean global ranking of vegans and vegetarians exists. Here is what national surveys actually measured, why they disagree, and what the climate data says about plant-based diets.

Australia reports 53 million hectares of organic farmland, more than half the world total, much of it extensive grazing land. Austria, Uruguay, and Estonia lead on share of farmland. Here is who leads, how the numbers are counted, and what the yield gap means.

A cashmere sweater starts as a pound of fluff combed from a goat in a cold, dry steppe. The biology, the processing, and the ecology all push the price up.

No single list ranks countries by lake count, because the answer depends on how small a pond you are willing to call a lake. Here is what the national surveys and satellite inventories actually say, and which lakes hold the most water.

Species are disappearing tens to hundreds of times faster than the long-run average, and monitored wildlife populations have fallen by about three-quarters since 1970. Here is what the numbers mean, what drives the loss, and what has worked.