WRI Insights

Scant information exists on emissions in Indonesia's provinces, making it difficult to evaluate local climate action in the country. The new Indonesia Climate Data Explorer provides insights on emissions and climate commitments from 34 provinces.

There's plenty of U.S. corporate demand for renewable energy, but not enough supply. Multinational corporations including Facebook and Microsoft have joined the new Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance to make their preference for more renewable power felt.

Cities and women can be key players in managing future water demand, including reducing risks from the fastest-growing water users--energy and industrial activities.

A recent joint study by WRI and others revealed that saving tigers from extinction is within reach, as long as their remaining landscapes are effectively monitored and protected.

As the world's largest greenhouse gas emitting nation, China needs to show climate leadership to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Beyond cutting carbon dioxide emissions, China can make great strides by curbing emissions of non-CO₂ gases, which constitute nearly one-fifth of its total greenhouse gas inventory.

Most of the Caribbean's sewage spews into the sea untreated, bringing with it pollutants like nutrients, fecal matter, oil and more. Part of the reason is that Caribbean governments lack data on how wastewater pollution affects ecosystems and human health, or what realistic solutions exist.

Transportation is a major source of carbon emissions in China and the United States—20 and 30 percent, respectively. It's why experts and officials came together to brainstorm low-carbon solutions at the recent US-China Transportation Forum. Four ideas emerged.

Whether preserving a forest, changing the tax code or approving a new medical treatment, the impact of government choices spill over into other areas. That can help or it can hurt. A key question in fostering sustainable development is how to have coherent policies -- within and among different countries -- that work together rather than canceling each other out.

Most national governments can legally acquire land for public needs such as roads, schools and other infrastructure, in a process known as expropriation. But in many countries, weak laws allow governments and companies to take land for private interests without adequately compensating and resettling displaced people. Here are six ways to bring those laws up to global standards.

More than 80 percent of the Caribbean's wastewater enters the ocean untreated, spurring the growth of algae on coral reefs and increasing the risk of infections for swimmers, among other issues. While many have been aware of this problem in Tobago for more than 20 years, there's been little government action.