World's Centenarian Population Projected to Grow Eightfold by 2050
Pew Research | READ STORY

While centenarians make up a small share of the world's older population, their proportion is growing. In 1990 there were 2.9 centenarians for every 10,000 adults ages 65 and older around the world. That share grew to 7.4 by 2015 and is projected to rise to 23.6 by 2050.

"Gig Economy": While U.S. Gains, Rural Shows Net Loss
Daily Yonder | READ STORY

One national study finds that the proportion of "alternative work arrangements" like freelancing and self-employment is on the rise. But by one measurement, rural America's gig economy declined over a similar period. What's going on? Because of digital advancements, the "traditional" gig economy of contract workers, temps, freelancers, and other self-employed workers has converged with the sharing economy.

Global Resevoir Storage Capacity
Circle of Blue | READ STORY

Water storage, which helps buffer society against seasonal and annual fluctuations in precipitation, remains a critical and controversial question, especially as countries seek to adapt to climate change by adding new reservoirs. Most of the prime spots have already been dammed, but new reservoirs are still being proposed.

Counties with More Federal Land Fare Better, Study Says
Daily Yonder | READ STORY

As the West debates federal lands policy, a new report questions the assertion that federal lands hurt local economies. Instead, Headwaters Economics finds that more federal land in a county correlates with larger populations and more jobs.

Mapped: The global coal trade
Crabon Brief | READ STORY

The global coal trade doubled in the decade to 2012 as a coal-fueled boom took hold in Asia. Now, the coal trade seems to have stalled, or even gone into reverse. This change of fortune has devastated the coal mining industry, with Peabody - he world's largest private coal-mining company - the latest of 50 US firms to file for bankruptcy. It could also be a turning point for the climate, with the continued burning of coal the biggest difference between business-as-usual emissions and avoiding dangerous climate change. Carbon Brief has produced a series of maps and interactive charts to show how the global coal trade is changing.

When Could the Paris Agreement Take Effect? Interactive Map Sheds Light
World Resources Institute | READ STORY

The Paris Agreement Tracker enables people to monitor countries' progress toward ratifying the Paris Agreement, and allows users to create their own combinations for bringing it into force.

Global Military Spending Rises to $1.7 Trillion
Belfast Telegraph | READ STORY

Global military spending rose in 2015 to nearly $1.7 trillion, the first increase since 2011, driven by Middle East conflicts inlcuding the battle against the Islamic State, the Saudi-led war in Yemen, and fears about Iran.