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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Putting a Price on Carbon: Evaluating A Carbon Price and Complementary Policies for a 1.5° World
by -To achieve the Paris Agreement goals and limit global temperature rise this century to 1.5°C, the global economy must be rapidly transformed. A carbon price is needed to incorporate climate change costs into economic decision-making to significantly reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions,...
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Enhancing NDCs: A Guide to Strengthening National Climate Plans
by , , , , , and -Published by WRI and UNDP, Enhancing NDCs: A Guide to Strengthening National Climate Plans is designed to help practitioners think through how to structure their country’s enhanced NDCs across three dimensions: strengthening targets to reduce emissions (mitigation), enhancing climate resilience...
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Accelerating Building Decarbonization: Eight Attainable Policy Pathways to Net Zero Carbon Buildings For All
by , , , , and -Buildings that emit no greenhouse gas emissions during their operation are vital to meeting the SDGs and Paris Agreement targets. But in the past, zero carbon buildings have been assumed to be only attainable by technologically advanced or wealthy countries. New WRI research finds there are...
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Utilizing City-Utility Partnership Agreements to Achieve Climate and Energy Goals
by , , and -U.S. local governments, such as cities and counties, as well as many investor-owned electric utilities, are increasingly setting ambitious climate and energy targets. To achieve these targets, customer-utility innovation and collaboration is essential.
Although customers and utilities...
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Opportunities to Advance Mitigation Ambition in China: Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by -Non–carbon dioxide (CO2) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a substantial driver of climate change and have significant negative impacts on air quality, human health, and food production. In 2014, the last year with official data, non-GHG emissions in China were greater than total GHG...
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The Future of Disaster Risk Pooling for Developing Countries: Where Do We Go from Here?
by , and -Climate-related disasters are increasing in frequency and severity and both economic and human losses are climbing. Unfortunately, developing countries, which are the least equipped to deal with disasters, are often impacted the most. Over the past two decades, new financial tools have emerged...
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Energy Access Explorer: Data and Methods
by , , , , , and -Today, about 840 million people lack access to electricity. To effectively expand energy access, government planners need to understand and have access to data and analytical tools that capture key attributes of the unserved and under-served populations they are trying to reach. This paper...
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Data and Ambition Loops for Enhanced Climate Action: Potential Drivers and Opportunities in Asia
by , , , and -For the public to have confidence that progress is being made towards national climate goals, countries need to be up front and transparent about reporting on their greenhouse gas emissions. But governments cannot transparently report their emissions on their own: they often need to turn to the...
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Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Setting a Global Action Agenda
by , and -The world is at a critical moment in the fight against food loss and waste, with momentum building to address the 1.3 billion tons of food that is lost or wasted each year. But action is not yet at a pace needed to achieve SDG Target 12.3 by 2030.
The report Reducing Food Loss and...
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Green-Gray Assessment: How to Assess the Costs and Benefits of Green Infrastructure for Water Supply Systems
by , , , and -A growing body of research shows that healthy watersheds are a vital component of a well-functioning water supply infrastructure system. WRI’s Green-Gray Assessment (GGA) method allows stakeholders to value the costs and benefits of integrating green or natural infrastructure into water supply...
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Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA): A Method For Implementing and Valuing Water Stewardship Activities
by , , and -WRI and partners at Quantis, LimnoTech and Valuing Nature have developed a new approach for implementing and valuing water stewardship activities. The Volumetric Water Benefit Accounting (VWBA) meets a critical need in corporate water stewardship: a common method for assessing the benefits of...
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Natural Infrastructure for Aquifer Recharge Financial Calculator: Method, Data and Assumptions
by , and -The Natural Infrastructure for Aquifer Recharge Financial Calculator, is an excel based tool with a flexible financial model that estimates the private costs and benefits, including the return on investment (ROI), of natural infrastructure interventions designed to enhance aquifer...
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Unaffordable and Undrinkable: Rethinking Urban Water Access in the Global South
In 2015, UNICEF and the World Health Organization reported that over 90% of the world’s population used improved drinking water sources. But new research suggests the indicators used by UNICEF/WHO grossly overestimated the state of water access, especially in cities of the global south. Analysis...
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Aqueduct 3.0: Updated Decision-Relevant Global Water Risk Indicators
by , , , , , , , , , and -This publication was updated on September 9 to fix errors on Table 3.
This technical note serves as the main reference for the updated Aqueduct™ 3.0 water risk framework, in which we combine 13 water risk indicators—including quantity, quality, and reputational risks—into...
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ACCC: Renewables Accelerator Procurement Guidance: Summary of Methods and Data
by , and -The American Cities Climate Challenge: Renewables Accelerator website is a resource developed in partnership by World Resources Institute and Rocky Mountain Institute to help cities procure renewable electricity. The procurement guidance section is a key...
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Building America's Clean Future: Pathways to Decarbonize the Economy
Testimony of Dr. Karl Hausker, Senior Fellow, U.S. Climate Program, World Resources Institute
by -On July 24, WRI Senior Fellow Karl Hausker, Ph.D., testified in a hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change. The hearing, titled “Building America’s Clean Future: Pathways to Decarbonize the Economy,”...
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Creating a Sustainable Food Future
A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050 (Final Report)
by , , , and -By 2050, nearly 10 billion people will live on the planet. Can we produce enough food sustainably? World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future shows that it is possible – but there is no silver bullet. This report offers a five-...
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Assessing the Effectiveness of Climate Resilience Grants to Local Governments in Least Developed Countries
by and -Building resilience to increasingly intense climate change impacts requires effective, urgent adaptation action at the local level. While much progress has been made within the international and national arenas, efforts to successfully implement adaptation at the subnational level remains uneven...
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Apparel and Footwear Sector Science-Based Targets Guidance
by , , and -The greenhouse gas emissions of the global apparel and footwear sector are significant and likely to grow. Given the environmental and business implications of increasing global emissions, companies in the sector should actively pursue a comprehensive strategy to limit their climate impacts and...
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Good Governance for Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategies
by , , and -Long-term planning for climate and development requires tailored governance and institutional arrangements. Most countries have some experience with climate-change planning over near- and medium-term horizons through efforts such as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and low-emissions...
