Publications
WRI is committed to producing high-quality research, including reports, issue briefs, working papers, and technical notes. Our publications are subject to peer review, and are held to traditional "academic" standards of excellence, such as objectivity and rigor. We also ensure that all of our publications are timely, fit for audience, and rooted in a strategic plan for achieving positive change in the world. If you notice an error in one of our publications or have concerns about the quality of our research, please contact the authors and copy Vice President for Science and Research Janet Ranganathan.
All of our publications are available to download.
The World Resources Report is the flagship publication of World Resources Institute. The inaugural edition, An Assessment of the Resource Base that Supports the Global Economy, was published in 1986. Subsequent editions have been published at regular intervals and have provided in-depth analyses of issues ranging from human health and the environment to climate change, ecosystem services and environmental governance. Every World Resources Report builds on a strong evidence base to develop fresh insights that can help decision-makers evaluate and implement the most effective solutions.
Creating a Sustainable Food Future
Sustainably feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050 is possible – but it will require significant innovation and investment by the public and private sector.
Towards a More Equal City
The World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City focuses on helping cities in rapidly urbanizing regions alter their development trajectories as demand for infrastructure and services grow.
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Enhancing NDCs: Opportunities in Transport
by , , , , and -Limiting warming in line with the Paris Agreement goals requires deep cuts in transport emissions, even as demand for transport continues to grow. Yet under business as usual, emissions are projected to double. Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) – countries’ plans to address climate...
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NDC Enhancement: Opportunities in Agriculture
by , , , , , and -This paper aims to help countries think through the process of enhancing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to include strengthened actions in the agriculture sector. The paper underscores the need for a tailor-made approach to NDC enhancement that is suited to a country’s unique...
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Enhancing NDCs: Opportunities in the Power Sector
by , , and -Limiting global warming to 2 or 1.5°C requires a virtually decarbonized power sector by 2050.The world is not on track to achieve this. In 2018, while renewable energy (RE) generated ¼ of global power, coal produced 38%, and remained the largest source of electricity generation, producing 30% of...
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NDC Enhancement: Opportunities in the Forest and Land-use Sector
by , and -Conservation, restoration, and improved management of forests are cost-effective solutions for large-scale reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removal of carbon from the atmosphere and thus help to hold the global temperature increase to well below 2.0°C or 1.5°C above preindustrial...
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Setting a Common Time Frame for Nationally Determined Contributions
by and -As countries discuss options to finalize the guidelines necessary to operationalize the Paris Agreement, they are discussing how to apply common time frames to their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). This paper explores a number of options currently under consideration.
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Making Sense of Article 6: Key Issues and What's at Stake
by , and -Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will meet in Madrid, Spain, in December 2019 to finalize the rule book for the Paris Agreement, among other tasks. An essential element of discussions concerns Article 6, which provides for international cooperation...
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Using Renewables for Electric Vehicle Demand: A Review of Utility Program Designs and Implementation Strategies
by and -This paper explores the range of approaches and emerging program designs currently used in the United States to match EV loads and renewable energy, with an emphasis on methods that more closely link the timing and location of the EV demand with renewable energy supply.
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Forest-Based Climate Mitigation: Lessons from REDD+ Implementation
by , , , , , , , and -This issue brief is based on a 2018 working paper and summarizes the REDD+ experience over the past decade, taking stock of lessons learned from REDD+ implementation to inform future...
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Surabaya: The Legacy of Participatory Upgrading of Informal Settlements
by and -This case study in the World Resources Report (WRR), Towards a More Equal City, describes the history of Surabaya, Indonesia’s inclusive housing policy and how the Kampung Improvement Program (KIP) became a model for in situ slum upgrading efforts...
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Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Ten Interventions to Scale Impact
by , , , , , , , , , , , , and -This report lays out 10 “scaling interventions” designed to accelerate and spread adoption of policies and practices to help achieve a 50% reduction in food loss and waste worldwide, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.
The publication builds off the report, ...
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Public-Sector Measures to Conserve and Restore Forests: Overcoming Economic and Political Economy Barriers
by , , and -This working paper is a contribution to the FOLU 2019 report, Growing Better: Ten Critical Transitions to Transform Food and Land Use. The paper answers four questions:
- Why are forests critical to economic development and human well-being?
- What public sector ...
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The Scale of Illicit Trade in Pacific Ocean Marine Resources
by , and -The paper quantitatively determines the impacts from illicit trade in marine resources the Pacific Ocean. The purpose of the analysis is to inform the country engagement at APEC in November and motivate action on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). The volume of unreported marine...
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International Efforts to Increase Energy Efficiency and Opportunities to Advance Energy in the United States
Testimony of Jennifer Layke, Global Director for Energy, World Resources Institute
by -On October 22, WRI Global Director for Energy Jennifer Layke testified in a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing, titled “International Efforts to Increase Energy Efficiency and Opportunities to Advance Energy in the United States,” examined...
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Financial Implications of Parched Power: Insights from an Analysis of Indian Thermal Power Companies
by , , and -Climate-related risks pose inevitable threats to investors and the assets in which they invest. Institutional investors have become increasingly concerned about-climate-related risks, but physical risks, which represent the direct physical impacts from climate change, are not well understood....
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Use of Near-Real-Time Deforestation Alerts
A Case Study from Peru
by , , and -Though satellite-based forest monitoring has improved substantially over the last decade, to the point where deforestation can now be detected on a weekly basis across the tropics, there has been little research into how this information is used for on-the-ground decision making. This paper...
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Unpacking Green Targets: A Framework for Interpreting Private Sector Banks’ Sustainable Finance Commitments
by , , and -Private sector banks are facing political, market, and societal pressure to direct finance towards low carbon, sustainable development. One way they’re signaling their response is through sustainable finance commitments: publicly-made, time-bound commitments to provide or facilitate capital for...
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Financing Electric and Hybrid-Electric Buses
10 Questions City Decision-Makers Should Ask
by , , and -As electric and hybrid-electric buses gradually become a reality worldwide, achieving a better understanding of the mechanisms supporting investments in these new technologies as well as their assets is more important than ever. The global electric bus fleet grew about 32 percent in 2018, and it...
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The Road to Restoration
A Guide to Identifying Priorities and Indicators for Monitoring Forest and Landscape Restoration
by , , , , , , , , , , and -By declaring the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the UN has recognized that there are only 10 years left to restore the world's degraded land. Countries are striving to fight climate change by 2030 through their Paris Agreement commitments and...
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Setting Site Water Targets Informed By Catchment Context
A Guide For Companies
by , , , , , , , , , , and -The purpose of this guide is to support companies in setting effective site water targets that are informed by catchment context. This guide introduces three critical elements for setting effective site water targets that:
- Align with the priority water challenges within the ...
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Key Policy Issues in the Green Climate Fund: A Guide for the Perplexed
by , and -The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is the world’s biggest multilateral climate fund. The Fund seeks to mobilize both public and private finance to support a paradigm shift toward low-emissions and climate-resilient development, balance funding between mitigation and adaptation, achieve a broad array...
