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Organisations that focus on environmental issues on a global scale
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- Agriculture
- Centre for Information on Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LIESA) - independent organization with the mandate to
contribute to poverty alleviation through the promotion of agro-ecological approaches, documentation, analysis, and publication
of succesfull experiences in low external input and sustainable agriculture
- Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN) (Barcelona, Spain) - international non-governmental organisation which
promotes the sustainable management and use of agricultural biodiversity based on people's control over genetic resources and
local knowledge
- Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) (Minneapolis, MN, USA) - promotes resilient family farms, rural communities
and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy
- International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) (Tholey-Theley, Germany) - democratic federation that aims
to provide authoritative information about organic agriculture and to promote its worldwide application
- Pesticide Action Network International (PAN) (San Francisco, USA) - network of over 600 participating nongovernmental
organizations, institutions and individuals in over 60 countries working to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with
ecologically sound alternatives
- Physicians & Scientists for the Responsible Application of Science & Technology (PSRAST) (Sweden) - campaigns for an
international moratorium on the release into nature and use of geneticially engineered organisms as food
- Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming (London, UK)
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- Biodiversity
- Biodiversity Conservation Information System (BCIS) (Washington, DC) - consortium of ten international conservation
organisations and programs of the World Conservation Union, which acts as a framework for members' networks to work
together toward the common goal of supporting environmentally sound decision-making and action by facilitating access to
biodiversity data and information
- Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) (Washington, DC) - joint initiative of Conservation International, the Global
Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank, aimed at dramatically advancing
conservation of Earth's biodiversity hotspots by providing support to nongovernmental, community and grassroots organizations
- Colibri International - society for the defence and conservation of biodiversity within all regions, national and global
- Convention on Biological Diversity (Montréal, Canada) - international pact among most of the world's governments that sets out
commitments for maintaining the world's ecological underpinnings as it goes about the business of economic development,
aimed at the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the
benefits from the use of genetic resources
- Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNDP, Montréal, Canada) - international agreement governing the
transboundary movement of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology, which seeks to ensure an
adequate level of safety in the transfer, handling and use of LMOs which may have adverse effects on the conservation and
sustainable use of biological diversity, also taking into account potential risks to human health
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) (Cambridge, UK) - the world biodiversity information and assessment
centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which provides information for policy and action to conserve the
living world
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- Business & Industry
- Centre for Design (Australia) - works with academia, government agencies, and industry to promote environmental product
design, strategic product development, market intelligence and trends analysis, life cycle assessment for design, think-tank
workshops, environmental research, policy development, case studies, and an international knowledge-base
- Center for Environmental Leadership in Business (CELB) (Washington, DC) - creation of Conservation International and the Ford
Motor Company which provides a forum for collaboration between the private sector and the environmental community,
promoting business practices that reduce industry's ecological footprint, contributing to conservation, and creating value for the
companies that adopt them
- Greening of Industry Network (Enschede, Netherlands) - international network of professionals from research, education,
business, civil society organizations, and government, focusing on issues of industrial development, environment and society,
and dedicated to building a sustainable future
- International Corporate Environmental Reporting Site (Milieujaarverslagen) (Woudenberg, Netherlands) - provides links to
environmental news and resources
- International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) (London) - voluntary non-profit organization of
petroleum companies and associations, which aims to develop and promote scientifically sound, cost-effective, practical,
socially and economically-acceptable solutions to global environmental issues pertaining to the petroleum industry
- International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) (McLean, VA, USA) - nonprofit, member-governed, organization
dedicated to advancing understanding of the relationships among ecological, social, and economic systems for the mutual
well-being of nature and people
- International Society of Industrial Ecology (ISIE) (New Haven, CT, USA) - society that promotes industrial ecology as a way of
finding innovative solutions to complicated environmental problems and facilitates communication among scientists, engineers,
policymakers, managers and advocates who are interested in how environmental concerns and economic activities can be
better integrated
- International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE) (Geneva) - independent, non-governmental non-profit environmental
organisation of medical doctors which works to defend the environment, both locally and globally, to prevent numerous illnesses,
to ensure the necessary conditions for health, and to improve the quality of life
- Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF) (London) - voluntary association of oil companies having an interest in the
shipment and terminalling of crude oil and oil products, with a focus on the safe and environmentally responsible operation of oil
tankers and terminals and promoting continuous improvement in standards of design and operation
- SafeClimate for Business - joint project of the World Resources Institute and the Center for Environmental Leadership in
Business, dedicated to helping business of all sizes understand and take action on climate change
- World Business Academy (Ojai, California, USA) -
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) (Geneva, Switzerland) - coalition of 165 international companies
united by a shared commitment to sustainable development via the three pillars of economic growth, ecological balance and
social progress
- Worldgrowth.org (Melbourne, Australia) - non-profit advocacy organisation which promotes the benefits of trade and
market-based solutions to growth, development and sustainable development through reports, studies and research on growth,
development and trade, with the aims of lifting people out of poverty, securing sustainability and improving the environment
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- Climate
- Climate Action Network (CAN) (Bonn, Germany) - worldwide network of NGOs working to promote government and individual
action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels
- Climatechangesolutions.com (Drayton Valley, CAL, Canada) - website of interactive tools, resources and success stories on
actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, drawing on the real-world experience of Canadian industry, governments and
individuals to highlight the many untapped 'win-win' solutions available to address climate change and providing easy access to
the information, tools and resources needed to translate concerns about global climate change into concrete local actions that
can reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (Geneva) - established by the WMO and UNEP to assess on a
comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to
understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and
mitigation
- SysTem for Analysis, Research, and Training (START) (Washington, DC) - non-governmental, non-profit organization that seeks
to establish and foster regional networks of collaborating scientists and institutions in developing countries that conduct
research on regional aspects of environmental change, assess impacts and vulnerabilities to such changes, and provide
information to policy-makers
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) (Bonn, Germany) - website of the Secretariate which provides
organizational support and technical information for the Parties to the Convention and observers participating in the
intergovernmental negotiations and related activities to combat climate change
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- Conservation & Restoration
- A Rocha (Cambridge, UK) - Christian nature conservation organisation which undertakes a family of projects in Europe, the
Middle East, Africa, North America and Asia
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) (Surrey, UK) - global network of botanic gardens for plant conservation
- Conservation International (CI) (Washington, DC) - international non-profit organization that applies innovations in science,
economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the
hotspots, major tropical wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems, believing that the earth's natural heritage must be
maintained if future generations are to thrive spiritually, culturally and economically
- Global Nature Fund (GNF) (Radolfzell, Germany) - non-profit, private, independent international foundation which aims to foster
the protection of nature and environment, as well as animals, by initiating and carrying out nature/environment protection
projects to preserve the animal world, and to protect migrating species, their habitats and their migratory routes
- International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (Gland, Switzerland) - union of members from some
140 countries, including more than over 70 governments, 100 government agencies, and more than 750 NGOs, which works to
influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure
that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) (New York, NY) - environmental action organization which uses law, science, and
the support of more than a million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a
safe and healthy environment for all living things
- Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) (Arlington, VA, USA) - international professional organization of over 6000 individuals
dedicated to promoting the scientific study of the phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological
diversity
- Society for Ecological Restoration International (SER) (Tucson, AZ, USA) - non-profit organization of 2300 scientists, planners,
administrators, ecological consultants, first peoples, landscape architects, philosophers, teachers, engineers, natural areas
managers, writers, growers, community activists, and volunteers, which works to promote ecological restoration as a means of
sustaining the diversity of life on Earth and reestablishing an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture
- Society for Human Ecology (SHE) (Bar Harbor, ME, USA) - international interdisciplinary professional society that promotes the
use of an ecological perspective in both research and application
- World Conservation Trust (IWMC) (Lausanne, Switzerland) - global coalition of experts and wildlife managers promoting the
conservation of habitat and wildlife resources and advocating the use of science-based techniques in managing environmental
issues
- World Parks (Washington, DC) - international conservation organization that takes a unique approach to preserving the Earth's
threatened species and ecosystems by purchasing and protecting lands that are critical for preventing immediate species
extinctions and are exceptionally rich in biological diversity
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- Energy & Radiation
- Biomass Energy Research Association (BERA) (Washington, DC) - association of biofuels researchers, companies, and
advocates that promotes education and research on renewable biomass energy and waste-to-energy systems
- Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) (Powys, UK) - concerned with the search for globally sustainable, whole and
ecologically sound technologies and ways of life
- Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (CREST) - aims to accelerate the use of renewable energy by
providing credible information, insightful policy analysis, and innovative strategies amid changing energy markets and mounting
environmental needs by researching, publishing, and disseminating information, creating policy tools, and hosting highly active,
on-line, renewable energy discussion groups
- International Network for Sustainable Energy (INFORSE) (Copenhagen, Denmark) - world-wide network of 200 NGOs in more
than 60 countries working for sustainable energy solutions to reduce poverty and protect the environment
- International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) (Fontenay-aux-Roses, France) - medium that allows those engaged in
radiation protection activities in all countries may ro communicate more readily with each other and through this process to
advance radiation protection in many parts of the world, applying relevant aspects of science, medicine, engineering, technology
and law to provide for the protection of man and his environment from the hazards caused by radiation, in order to facilitate the
safe use of medical, scientific, and industrial radiological practices for the benefit of mankind
- Nuclear Information Resource Service (NIRS) (Washington, DC) - information and networking center for citizens and
environmental organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues
- Sustainable Energy and Economy Network (SEEN) (Washington, DC) - works in partnership with citizens groups nationally and
globally on environment, human rights and development issues with a particular focus on energy, climate change, environmental
justice, gender equity, and economic issues, particularly as these play out in North/South relations
- SustainAbility (London & NY) - consultancy, think tank and public interest group
- Thoreau Center for Sustainability (San Francisco, CA, USA) - global center, named after the American writer and naturalist,
Henry David Thoreau, which is dedicated to addressing the world's most critical environmental, cultural, and social challenges
- Union for Sustainable Development (UDD) (Union pour le développement durable) (Quebec, Canada) - brings together ecologists
and scientists involved in social debates where sustainable development is at stake
- Village Earth - consortium which aims to achieve sustainable village-based development by connecting communities with global
resources through training, consulting, and networking with organizations worldwide
- World Information Service on Energy (WISE) (Netherlands) - part of the international anti-nuclear movement for 25 years
- World Nuclear Association (WNA) (London, UK) - global industrial organisation that seeks to promote the peaceful worldwide
use of nuclear power as a sustainable energy resource for the coming centuries, concerned specifically with nuclear power
generation and all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including mining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, plant
manufacture, transport, and the safe disposition of spent fuel
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- Environmental Law
- Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) (US & Switzerland) - public interest, not-for-profit environmental law firm
founded in 1989 to strengthen international and comparative environmental law and policy around the world, providing a full range
of environmental legal services in both international and comparative national law
- Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) (Montral, Canada) - promotes sustainable societies and the
protection of ecosystems by advancing the understanding, development and implementation of international sustainable
development law
- Environmental Law Institute (ELI) (Washington, DC) - independent non-profit center which conducts policy studies on the
environment and sustainability and reaches out with educational programs, publications and technical assistance across the US
and abroad
- Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (E-LAW) (Eugene, OR, USA) - gives public interest lawyers and scientists around the
world the skills and resources they need to protect the environment through law, and serves low-income communities around
the world, helping citizens to strengthen and enforce laws to protect themselves and their communities from toxic pollution and
environmental degradation
- International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC) (Geneva, Switzerland) - independent research organisation focusing
on international and comparative environmental law issues, with a particular emphasis on India and East Africa
- International Nuclear Law Association (INLA) (Brussels, Belgium) - arranges for and promotes studies and the knowledge of
legal problems related to the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy under the special aspects of the protection of man and his
environment, and helps promote the exchange of information among its members and to cooperate on a scientific basis with
similar associations and institutions
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- Forests
- Ancient Forest International (AFI) (Redway, CA, USA) - international ancient forest network that develops opportunities for
wildlands philanthropists and communities to work together to acquire and protect strategic and invaluable forestlands and
which has helped coordinate the purchase of nearly a million acres of ecologically critical forested land, primarily along the
Pacific coast of North and South America
- Forest.org (Madison, WI, USA) - works to end deforestation, preserve old-growth forests, conserve and sustainably manage
other forests, conserve water and climatic systems and commence the age of ecological restoration
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) (Consejo de Manejo Forestal) (Oaxaca, Mexico) - international non-profit organization
representing environmental and social groups, the timber trade and the forestry profession, indigenous people's organizations,
community forestry groups and forest product certification organizations from around the world, which supports environmentally
appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests
- Global Living Project (GLP) (East Corinth, VT, USA) - educational and research-oriented non-profit environmental organization
working in response to a myriad of global problems resulting from overpopulation and over-consumption, the GLP conducts an
ongoing and multi-faceted investigation into how humanity can live equitably and harmoniously within the means of nature
- International Center New Forests Projects (ICNFP) (Washington, DC) - people-to-people, direct-action program aimed at
initiating reforestation and reduce deforestation in developing countries by providing farmers, community organizations, and
environmental groups with the training and materials necessary to begin successful reforestation projects and to protect their
watersheds
- Rainforest Action Network (San Francisco, USA) - works to protect tropical rainforests and the human rights of those living in
and around those forests, and to strengthen the worldwide rainforest conservation movement by supporting activists in tropical
countries as well as organizing and mobilizing consumers and community action groups
- Rainforest Alliance (New York, NY) - international nonprofit organisation, dedicated to education, research, and partnerships,
which aims to develop and promote economically viable and socially desirable alternatives to the destruction of tropical forests,
a biologically diverse natural resource
- World Rainforest Movement (WRM) (Montevideo, Uruguay) - international network of citizens' groups of North and South involved
in efforts to defend the world's rainforests, working to secure the lands and livelihoods of forest peoples and supports their efforts
to defend the forests from commercial logging, dams, mining, plantations, shrimp farms, colonization and settlement, and other
projects that threaten them
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- Lakes, Rivers & Dams
- Estuarine Research Federation (ERF) (Port Republic, MD, USA) - international organization which promotes research in
estuarine and coastal waters
- International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) - scientific organization made up of
researchers studying the Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world, as well as those with an interest in such
research
- International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology (SIL) (Societas Internationalis Limnologiae) (Millbrook, NY, USA)
- promotes and communicates new and emerging knowledge among limnologists to advance the understanding of inland aquatic
ecosystems and their management
- International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) (Paris) - group of 82 countries which advances the art and science of water
resources through dams and aims to develop them in a technically safe, ecologically and socio-economically sustainable
manner
- International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC) (Japan) - works for sustainable management of world lakes and
reservoirs
- International Rivers Network (IRN) (Berkeley, CA, USA) - supports local communities working to protect their rivers and
watersheds and to halt destructive river development projects, and encourages equitable and sustainable methods of meeting
needs for water, energy and flood management
- Living Lakes (Lee Vining, CA, USA) - international network and partnership whose mission is to enhance the protection,
restoration and rehabilitation of lakes, wetlands, other freshwater bodies of the world and their catchment areas
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- Mountains
- Mountain Forum (Kathmandu, Nepal) - global network that promotes global action toward equitable and ecologically sustainable
mountain development through information sharing, mutual support and advocacy
- International Mountain Society (IMS) (Berne, Switzerland) - association that aims to advance knowledge and disseminate
information about mountain research and mountain development throughout the world in order to promote sustainable mountain
development
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