Higher Wages, a Stronger Bottom Line and Job Growth
Department of Labor | READ STORY

New data released shows that raising the minimum wage in some states does not appear to have had a negative impact on job growth, contrary to what critics said would happen. At the beginning of this year, 13 states increased their minimum wages. In those states, job growth overall outpaced job growth in those that didn’t increase their minimum wages.

10 Deadliest U.S. Cities for Pedestrians
Weather | READ STORY

Smart Growth America’s Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) ranks your chances of being hit and killed while walking to or from work each day. The PDI takes into account the total number of people who died, the rate of deaths per 100,000 people and the percentage of people who commute by foot. An interactive map of this information is available here.

Economic suicides in the Great Recession in Europe and North America
BJPsych | READ STORY

There has been a substantial rise in ‘economic suicides’ in the Great Recessions afflicting Europe and North America. Job loss, debt and foreclosure increase risks of suicidal thinking and all of these traits occur during economic recessions.The monitoring of suicide during the great recession allows for a better understanding of whether or not rising suicide rates are inevitable.This report presents those findings.

Human Impacts on Biodiversity
Science | READ STORY

Human impacts on animal biodiversity are an under-recognized form of global environmental change. Among terrestrial vertebrates, 322 species have become extinct since 1500, and populations of the remaining species show 25% average decline in abundance.This is a very concerning loss of biodiversity; this report discusses why this has occured and what it may mean for the future.

US Lags Behind on Energy Efficiency, Study Shows
ACEEE | READ STORY

The U.S. ranks near the bottom of the second annual International Energy Efficiency Scorecard, released Thursday by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. The report uses 31 metrics to judge countries which are then used to create the energy efficiency scores. The report may be accessed here; the scorecard infographic may be accessed here.

Ipsos Global Trends 2014: Navigating the new
IPSOS MORI | READ STORY

The "Global Trends Survey" is the largest study of its kind it looks at the attitudes and behaviors of consumers and citizens in 20 key countries around the world. The survey discusses categories such as privacy, economy, environment, and security. The environmental category may be viewed here.