Home
Topics
Resources

Land

Water

Biomass

Critical raw materials

Environmental pressures

Climate change

Biodiversity loss

Pollution

Economy

Circular economy

Trade

Energy
Pressures around land use are emerging as one of the defining environmental challenges of modern times as competition for productive and ecologically valuable land intensifies.

The global economy’s thirst for water – a finite but underpriced and undervalued resource – is growing, as water-intensive products cross borders in ever greater volumes.

Biomass – crops and forestry products for food, energy, materials and industry – faces rising demand, making sustainable production, use and preservation essential to resilient economies and ecosystems.

Demand for the critical raw materials (CRMs) essential to low-carbon energy and digital technology is growing fast, driving risks to supply security, geopolitical dependency, price volatility, and environmental and social harm.

Climate change is emerging as one of the defining challenges of modern times as rising temperatures and extreme weather events disrupt economies, infrastructure and ecosystems, accelerating the need for mitigation, adaptation and resilient policies to support the transition.

Biodiversity loss, driven by habitat destruction, climate change, pollution and resource overuse, threatens essential ecosystem services such as food production, clean water, climate regulation and resilience to environmental shocks.

Pollution results from excessive production, consumption and poor waste management, contaminating land and oceans, harming wildlife, disrupting ecosystems and creating long-term environmental and human health risks.

A circular economy promotes resilience by eliminating waste, reusing materials and regenerating nature. Despite major economic and environmental benefits, adoption remains challenged by resource nationalism, inequality and policy trade-offs.

Trade is redistributing the world’s natural resources and products dependent on them faster, and more widely, than ever – spreading benefits and harms, and deepening dependencies, systemic risks and geopolitical entanglements.

The transition to low-carbon energy is advancing unevenly but rapidly, driven by emissions reduction imperatives, energy security concerns and economic opportunity.
Data
Trade

Natural resources trade

Circular economy trade

Policies

Circular economy policies

Bioeconomy policies

Data methodologies
Insights
About

Topics
Resources
Environmental pressures
Economy
Data
Trade
- Natural resources trade
- Circular economy trade
Policies
- Circular economy policies
- Bioeconomy policies
- Data methodologies
Insights
About

Insights

Filter by:

Insight type

Article Explainer External publication Podcast

Topics

Resources

Land Water Biomass Critical raw materials

Environmental pressures

Climate change Biodiversity loss Pollution

Economy

Circular economy Trade Energy

Tags

Built environment Finance Food Forests Governance Mobility Plastics Textiles

Walt Patterson

Clear filters

1 publication found

Non-tradable resources and the global electricity transition
Energy

Non-tradable resources and the global electricity transition
- Walt Patterson, 5 March 2018
Read insight

Subscribe to our emails
About Chatham House
Privacy Notice
Cookie Settings
Terms of Use
Site by Applied Works

© Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2026