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Insights is WRI’s flagship publication dedicated to telling stories about the intersection of people, nature and the climate. Through analysis, commentary and data-driven articles, WRI's researchers share expertise and highlight solutions for securing a sustainable future.

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Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Commentary

For Indigenous Peoples, Losing Land Can Mean Losing Lives

A new sugarcane plantation forced 600 Cambodian families off their land. Many lost all their belongings, and parents, unable to farm and afford school fees, sent their children to work in Thailand. It's a shocking story, but one that's all too familiar for the 2.5 billion people living on indigenous and community lands.

Commentary
Rooftop solar panels
Commentary

The World Is Moving On Since Trump Announced Intent to Withdraw From the Paris Agreement on Climate Change

President Trump announced one year ago that he would pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, other countries and U.S. states, cities and businesses have moved forward with climate action.

Commentary
Electric vehicles
Commentary

7 Signs of Progress: A Year of National Climate Action

From phasing out coal to banning oil drilling, several nations stepped up their climate action this year. A new timeline tracks climate announcements.

Commentary
Choral Mauladia, a street vendor and trade unionist in Ahmedabad. Photo: Getty Images Reportage.
Commentary

Informal Workers Make Cities Work For All: 3 Stories from Thailand, India and Colombia

More than 60 percent of workers are members of the informal economy. Instead of ignoring the informal economy, cities should plan for it; doing so will increase sustainability and productivity while protecting some of the world's least-advantaged.

Commentary
Banks could be more transparent about their climate progress.
Commentary

The World Is Counting on Banks to Deliver Climate Finance. Counting Their Progress Is No Easy Feat.

Analysis of 35 large banks found that, by and large, they are unable to convey their overall climate progress. Many report on their climate-friendly investments, but few offer the full picture by also reporting their financing of activities that add emissions, too.

Commentary
Plastic pollution piles up on a beach on Clipperton Atoll in the Pacific.
Commentary

Barriers to a Circular Economy: 5 Reasons the World Wastes So Much Stuff (and Why It's Not Just the Consumer's Fault)

Most people blame consumers for the 1.3 billion tons of trash the world generates every year. The reality is that there are more systemic issues at play.

Commentary
Forest watershed
Commentary

Forests and Wetlands Are Water Infrastructure. New Green Bond Helps Finance Their Protection

Wetlands, forests and other green spaces are the original water infrastructure. For the first time, they can now be financed through bonds – just like other built infrastructure such as treatment plants and dams.

Commentary
An apprentice trains for a job in energy efficiency.
Commentary

Boosting the Cool Factor of Energy Efficiency

The world needs to double its global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. To get there will require a massive effort—and right now, the United States is lagging behind.

Commentary
Solar panels installed at the Googleplex.
Commentary

As Apple, Google and Others Promote Renewable Power, What Is the Best Way to Evaluate Corporate Energy Leadership?

Big buyers of electricity have keyed in on a single metric, but a more holistic understanding of leadership can unlock creative ways to accelerate the renewables revolution.

Commentary
Soybean harvesting in Caroline County, Md.
Commentary

Forests Could Be Casualties in a U.S.-China Trade War

China's tariff on U.S. soy could drive production to South America. Without precautions, deforestation could follow.

Commentary

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