WRI Insights

Most companies set sustainability targets based on what is considered feasible or competitive rather than what is necessary to preserve Earth's resources for future generations. With help from WRI, Mars is doing things differently.

The UK reduced its food loss and waste by an impressive 21 percent. In a new podcast, WRI's Liz Goodwin explains what families, companies and governments around the world can learn from the UK's success.

The UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) surprised many on October 4th by extending long-overdue protections for more than 250 species of rosewood, a timber rapidly being harvested to commercial extinction. The move will help maintain healthy tropical forest ecosystems and provide important resources for forest-dependent communities.

The Habitat III conference next week will see more than 45,000 leaders, decision-makers and experts sign into force the New Urban Agenda for sustainable cities. But the Agenda and the Habitat process don't stand alone -- going forward, they will be part of intensified efforts to achieve sustainable, equal development and combat climate change.

Finance is always a hot topic at climate negotiations, and this year's COP22 is no exception. Here are five key climate issues to watch at the Marrakech meeting in November.

Making transport sustainable for all city residents is a prominent part of the New Urban Agenda, the outcome document of the Habitat III conference. Making that vision a reality presents challenges to city leaders who struggle to address the immediate need to move people from homes to jobs with limited resources.

Restoring degraded landscapes and forests has the potential to enhance social and economic well-being while delivering powerful environmental benefits. The challenge is getting the funding to make that happen.

A good home gives families a base to build the foundations of society, but in urbanizing areas, good housing can be difficult to find. People like Jussara and her family in Porte Alegre, Brazil, face a trio of critical challenges to locating affordable housing that apply in many growing cities worldwide.

When delegates gather in Quito for Habitat III to adopt the New Urban Agenda for sustainable cities, they should keep in mind people like Adelaida, a banker and mother in Accra, Ghana, where unreliable, expensive electricity is a challenge. As a forthcoming paper of the World Resources Report shows, ensuring access to affordable energy and the economic opportunity it brings will be essential for a sustainable, prosperous urban future.

Indigenous Peoples and other communities hold and manage 50 to 60 percent of the world's land, yet governments recognize only 10 percent as legally belonging to these groups. That's bad economic policy, shows a new WRI report.