Governance

Communities everywhere grapple with environmental injustices that leave them without a say in the decisions that impact their lives and the natural resources on which they depend. Indigenous Peoples are losing forests that have sustained their way of life for generations. City residents don’t know if their water is safe to drink. And farmers are struggling to protect their crops from an onslaught of climate impacts – droughts, floods, fires and rising seas – that they had little hand in creating.

Governments are trying to tackle these challenges, but many lack the knowledge, capacity or funds to advance just, sustainable solutions. Progress stalls, while the need for effective solutions becomes increasingly urgent in a warming world. That’s where WRI comes in.

WRI’s Governance Center works with governments, the private sector, civil society and citizens to address issues that matter most to poor, vulnerable communities: adaptation to climate change, affordable, reliable access to clean energy, environmental rights, water and air pollution, social equity and open, responsive government. We start with analyses of voice, power and vulnerability in environmental decision-making. Who suffers and who benefits when governments enact or fail to enact an initiative? Who has a seat at the table, and who is left out? What do citizens need to shape policy, and what steps can governments take to become more inclusive, transparent and accountable to their citizens?

But improving decision-making is just the beginning. That’s why our research also concentrates on follow-through and building momentum for change – the critically important steps that officials across all levels of government must take to respond to citizens’ concerns and realize ambitious commitments, like the Paris Agreement or the Sustainable Development Goals. What are the political, economic and social dynamics that underpin success? How can governments pass effective laws, strengthen institutions to enforce them, and marshal the financial or technical resources needed implement policy? And what can leaders do to sustain political support for action across election cycles?

Using our analysis, we build citizens’ capacity to engage in the environmental decisions that impact their lives and mobilize civil society networks that drive bottom-up change. Open, accessible data platforms created in partnership with WRI, like PREPdata and LandMark, make it easier for people everywhere to understand the threats facing their communities, track governments’ response to these risks and hold officials to account. These same tools also help policymakers and corporate executives make hard choices in the face of uncertainty and rapid change. WRI supports these leaders in adopting policies that equitably address today’s most pressing environmental challenges, and we help convene high-level partnerships, like the Global Commission on Adaptation, to accelerate action.

Interested in the Center’s latest research, analysis and commentary? Subscribe to our newsletter, Greening Governance, follow us on Twitter @WRIGovernance and check out our Greening Governance Seminar Series.