WRI Insights

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Commentary

COP22 in Marrakech Needs Mayors and Merchants, Not Just Ministers

Non-state actors like local governments, businesses and industry groups will play a key role in driving forward climate action at COP22 in Marrakech.

Commentary
Miami flood
Commentary

New White House Report Offers Climate Resilience Blueprint for Next Administration

Given the increasing costs of extreme weather and other climate impacts in the United States, it's clear that resilience needs to be incorporated into all future investments and planning. A White House report released today outlines key opportunities for the next administration.

Commentary
Sugar pumpkins
Commentary

Don’t Let Pumpkin Season Go To Waste

Roughly 15 million pumpkins are thrown away after Halloween in the United Kingdom. That's enough to make a bowl of pumpkin soup for everyone in Britain.

Commentary
Quito and clouds
Commentary

Habitat III: Milestone for the World’s Cities or Business as Usual?

Last week, 30,000 people gathered in Quito for Habitat III to adopt the New Urban Agenda, an influential vision for cities aimed at guiding national decision-making over the next 20 years while supporting the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Going forward, what does the Quito meeting mean for urban leaders?

Commentary
bus rapid transit
Commentary

Development Finance Institutions Have a Role to Play in Creating Sustainable Cities

By 2050, nearly 70 percent of the world's population will reside in cities, increasing the size of the world's urban population by more than two-thirds. Cities will need to focus on building the right things to ensure this growth happens sustainably—so how can they pay for it?

Commentary
California drought
Commentary

If Climate Change Is the Existential Crisis of Our Age, Why Isn’t it Getting More Attention?

Climate change has been largely ignored in the U.S. election, while coverage on major broadcast networks declined by 5 percent between 2014 and 2015. Experts like Thomas Friedman, Joe Romm and Andrew Steer weigh in on what's needed to push climate firmly into the public discourse.

Commentary
Young orangutan
Commentary

Reflections on Leonardo DiCaprio’s New Climate Change Film, Before the Flood

*Before the Flood* explores how human activities, such as deforestation in Indonesia's Leuser ecosystem, are fueling global climate change. WRI Forest Legality Initiative Chip Barber reflects on his experience in the Leuser 30 years ago, and how the landscape has changed.

Commentary
Forest in Brazil
Commentary

Restoring Degraded Land in Latin America Can Bring Billions in Economic Benefits

New WRI research shows that bringing life back to degraded lands in Latin America and the Caribbean would yield $23 billion in net benefits over 50 years.

Commentary
Many communities in the U.S. West depend on such sources for drinking water. Photo by Kara DiFrancesco.
Commentary

U.S. Cities Go to the Source to Protect Drinking Water

A Colorado wildfire that caused $25 million in damage also played havoc with Denver's drinking water supply, prompting the Mile-High City and others to invest in watershed protection to safeguard forests where the water they need originates. Protecting forested watersheds is critical for utilities that serve over 10,000 U.S. cities. Here are 10 factors that can guide watershed investment.

Commentary
Field of solar panels in Ohio
Commentary

Green Tariffs Take Off in the US, Expand Access to Renewable Energy

The number of green tariffs, or renewable energy purchasing programs offered by utilities, has doubled in the United States since the end of 2015. Part of the reason is demand from corporations seeking more access to wind and solar.

Commentary

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