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The big question for 2018 is whether last year's troubling trends for environment and development - rising global carbon emissions, multiple billion-dollar natural disasters, U.S. President Donald Trump's abandonment of climate action - will continue or turn in a more positive direction. As WRI President and CEO Andrew Steer noted during the Stories to Watch event in Washington on January 10, 2018, developments across several key topics will determine the answer.

A major initiative has been launched this week under the banner Global Forest Watch, promising to use advanced satellite and analytics technology to lead a new crackdown on illegal deforestation.

n 2016 and beyond, building owners and key decision makers will invest in an array of smart building solutions that embody the technology foundation of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing, according to a new white paper from Navigant Research.

While 2016 lacked the drama of Indonesia's 2015 fire and haze crisis, surging deforestation in Earth's largest rainforest and ongoing destruction of forests for industrial plantations meant that it was far from a quiet year for the planet's rainforests. So what's ahead for 2017? Here are eight things we'll be closely watching in the new year.

Apple's labor practices are under attack by China Labor Watch and Green America, who contend the company makes its iPhones with a hazardous mix of chemicals that threaten the health of factory workers assembling the devices in China

Starting this month, the big box giant aims to drive down the price of organic food nationwide with its new in-house line of 100 or so products in exclusive partnership with Wild Oats, a pioneering health brand of the 1980s. Walmart's new Wild Oats organic products - including kitchen cupboard staples like olive oil and black beans - will cost about 25 percent less than those sold by competitors, based on price comparisons of 26 national brands.

GE and Siemens have become two of the top wind energy developers in the US, writes analyst Scott Levine. GE turbines accounted for about 60% of the installed wind capacity added in the US last year, and in the first half of 2015, GE secured orders for more than 1,264 turbines. Last year, Siemens added 1,241 MW of installed capacity, or more than a quarter of the US market. Siemens and GE will likely continue to be key players in the US as the cost of wind continues to decline, Levine writes

In Burkina Faso, in West Africa, deforestation has reduced income and livelihoods. Simple steps have helped families deal with the loss of trees and brought their farms back to life. Green Treasure of the Sahel travels with one family as they go on a journey of discovery across the country to find out how they too can bring life back to their land.

Each year, Future 500 releases a Top 10 report of what they predict will be the most critical issues driving stakeholder engagement in the coming year. Watch their video breaking down the Top 10 issues in just 2 minutes.

From industry giants thinking beyond freshwater to startups tackling the wastewater, here are the names to watch.

Unilever and the World Resources Institute are partnering to increase transparency in agricultural commodity supply chains with the goal of ending tropical deforestation. The partnership will enable Unilever and its suppliers to use the Global Forest Watch Commodities platform to monitor forest cover change around commodity supply areas and processing facilities such as palm oil mills.

An Apple supplier in China making iPhone and iPad parts violated a number of health and safety, environmental and human rights laws, according to a report released by China Labor Watch and Green America.

Unilever partnered with the World Resources Institute (WRI) to expand access to the Global Forest Watch Commodities platform, which enables companies to monitor changes in forest cover associated with their supply chains. Unilever and its suppliers will begin using the platform and working with WRI to improve it.

As businesses look to keep up with rising global food demand, these concepts stand to change the way we eat.

From a real-time view into deforestation to an innovative approach to delivering fresh food while minimizing waste, here are sites to watch this year.

The mixed messages over the last few weeks alone - not to mention many other less-than-stellar environmental developments in recent years (hello, fracking) - raise one big question for 2016: which way from here on climate change? Here are five key areas to watch in the year ahead.

Why 3D printers, artificial intelligence, connected sensors, drones and self-driving cars should be on your list. 

Carbon pricing was in the spotlight at the climate talks. Post-Paris, these reports are essential for any business interested in emissions trading, carbon tax and more

Between Indonesia's massive forest fires, the official approval of REDD+ at climate talks in Paris, and the establishment of several major national parks, there was plenty to get excited about in the world of rainforests during 2015. What's in store for 2016?