While scientific data on climate change is increasingly available, its causes and impacts are not always clearly traceable to local contexts. For instance, rising sea levels affecting an indigenous community could be traced to global warming, while the causes of an extended drought in central Africa are more complex and difficult to prove. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and UN Environmental Program aggregate and make government data available.
On the other hand, pollution can have both local causes and a clear local impact that disproportionately affects particular communities. While scientific data is more readily available in some parts of the world, citizen science initiatives are increasingly filling gaps with open source tools and technologies. The failure of governments to inform citizens about risks also raises access to information issues.
Global Witness has published an annual index of environmental defenders killed since 2002.
The Environmental Justice Atlas catalogs social conflict related to environmental issues around the world.