WRI Insights

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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Four women planting tree saplings.
Commentary

The Challenge with Tree-Planting Initiatives — and How to Get Them Right

Tree-planting pledges offer hope for the world's degraded lands. But not all of them succeed. We explore the pitfalls of tree planting, and how to do it right.

Commentary
Electric cars in Amsterdam being charged
Commentary

For Electric Vehicles, Smaller Is Better

The growing shift to large EVs brings new challenges. Smaller models can cut emissions, reduce costs and make cities safer and more sustainable.

Commentary
A large ship used to test deep-sea mining methods on the open ocean.
Explainer

What We Know About Deep-Sea Mining — and What We Don’t

Some countries and companies hope to mine the ocean's floor for valuable critical minerals. But this may pose serious risks for marine life and the planet.

Explainer
People walk on a busy urban shopping street covered with shade sails.
Explainer

Cities Are Heating Up. Better Infrastructure Can Cool Them Down.

Infrastructure changes, like planting trees or painting roofs white, can significantly reduce temperatures and help cities combat urban heat island effect.

Explainer
Women planting trees.
Vignette

Farmers Restore the ‘Cradle of Civilization' in Kenya’s Greater Rift Valley

Years of deforestation, unsustainable land use and climate change have degraded Kenya's Greater Rift Valley, an area known as the "cradle of civilization." But farmers are bringing it back, one tree at a time.

Vignette
An electrician fixes a high-voltage transmission line above a traffic light.
Explainer

How Advanced Transmission Technologies Can Revamp the Aging US Power Grid

Deploying advanced transmission technologies can modernize the U.S. power grid and speed the clean energy transition, faster than building high-voltage long-distance transmission lines.

Explainer
A forested riverbank and wetland area with a city skyline in the background.
Commentary

Investors Look to Nature to Shield Against Growing Financial Risks

Financial institutions face growing nature-related risks. A few are beginning to acknowledge these risks — and shift toward nature-positive investments.

Commentary
Logging in the Amazon rainforest
Commentary

Organized Crime in The Amazon: A Growing Threat to the World’s Greatest Tropical Rainforest

Organized crime has long been an overlooked but growing driver of deforestation in the Amazon — one that’s pushing into new territories.

Commentary
The Baton Rouge skyline includes oil refineries and other chemical plants.
Commentary

The US Can’t Build a Competitive Industrial Future without Centering Communities

While decarbonizing the steel, cement and chemical industries to shift away from fossil fuels, equal attention must be focused on the people in nearby communities.

Commentary

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