Blog Posts: forest restoration

In two of Indonesia's prized parks, forest restoration only took off when drivers of degradation were addressed. In one instance, that meant providing affordable health care.

The Forest Resilience Bond, backed by several foundations, an investment company and even an insurer, provides an innovative way to bring down costs to utilities and other stakeholders.

Social network analysis has been used in fields as diverse as epidemiology and counterterrorism. Now, WRI experts have devised a guidebook for applying social network analysis to environmental interventions and sustainable development.

We need to accelerate our climate action. Virtuous cycles between levels of government are already speeding the pace of progress and innovation.

Restoring forests in 4,000 targeted hectares would over time reduce sediment pollution by a third and turbidity by half in São Paulo's stressesd water system.

Countries are joining the restoration movement, and especially the Bonn Challenge. But few have yet aligned their restoration and climate commitments. Doing so would make the planet greener—and the air cleaner—faster.

Most climate change solutions focus on mitigation—ways to slash emissions as quickly as possible, such as by adopting renewable energy. But research shows these aren't enough. To prevent the worst impacts of climate change, the world will need to reach net-negative emissions, a point at which we're actually removing more carbon from the air than we're putting in.

Drought is fueling water shortages and food insecurity in Karangazi, Rwanda. Jean Baptise Mutabaruka knows that planting trees would help his community, but he's struggled to find funding.

Toxic air pollution. Plastic-filled oceans. Sucking carbon from the skies. These are just a few of the stories that will shape 2018's legacy.

While restoring degraded landscapes yields $7-$30 for every $1 invested, it still isn't receiving the funding it needs. That's where governments come in.