Data released this week revealed a hidden but growing threat to the world’s food supplies: water.

Our analysis showed that one-quarter of the world’s crops now face water-related risks. Climate change is making precipitation more unpredictable, while competing demands from farms, industries and households put increasing pressure on limited water supplies.

But the news is not all grim. WRI experts explain how we can still grow enough food to nourish every person, even in a water-constrained world.

Next week, at the 16th UN biodiversity conference (COP16), world leaders will put forth new national plans to tackle ongoing ecosystem destruction. Their task couldn’t be more urgent, with species disappearing at a shocking rate around the globe. Crystal Davis, Global Director of WRI’s Food, Land and Water program, outlines five things countries must accomplish at COP16 and beyond to halt the biodiversity crisis.

Recent findings suggest that forests and land absorbed almost no net carbon last year. As wildfires, deforestation and degradation sap the land’s ability to fight climate change, WRI research shows that forests managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities are some of the last remaining carbon sinks in the Amazon — one of the most critical ecosystems for the health and safety of the planet.

Renewable energy is now expected to meet almost half of global electricity demand by 2030. But the current growth rate is still shy of the world’s goal to triple renewable capacity this decade. The eight countries scaling renewable energy the fastest can help light the way for others.

New WRI analysis reveals which agricultural regions — and which crops — face the greatest risks from water shortages and increasingly erratic rainfall.