Ground-breaking research gives reasons for concern as well as optimism about the planet

Two reports on how well the world is doing in rising to the challenge of environmental and socially sustainable growth were published recently.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its findings on global temperature trends, for the first time in six years. The other report, published every three years, focused on the "corporate temperature", studying the attitudes of more than 1,000 CEOs to sustainability. It is the largest research study of top executives ever conducted on sustainability.