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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The Evolution of Bike Sharing: 10 Questions on the Emergence of New Technologies, Opportunities, and Risks
by , , , , and -This working paper seeks to provide decision makers at the city level a series of frequently asked questions and responses in order to assess the adoption and implementation of bike sharing. It is not designed to be a comprehensive guide to bike-sharing implementation, nor is it meant to provide...
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A Tool for Designing Policies to Achieve India’s Climate Targets
Summary of Methods and Data Used in the India Energy Policy Simulator
by , and -India, the world’s fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter, has pledged to reduce its emissions intensity per unit gross domestic product (GDP) by 33 to 35 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 through its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The Energy Policy Simulator, a System Dynamics...
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Johannesburg: Confronting Spatial Inequality
by and -This case study in the World Resources Report, “Towards a More Equal City,” examines transformative urban change in Johannesburg, South Africa, through transit-oriented development (TOD). The paper reviews the evidence on whether Johannesburg’s TOD strategy...
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Aligning Electricity Transmission and Distribution Investments with a Paris Agreement Pathway
by and -Parties to the Paris Agreement committed to “making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low GHG emissions and climate-resilient development (Article 2.1c).” It is especially critical that energy-sector infrastructure is Paris aligned, given the large carbon lock-in potential of...
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Towards Smarter Service Provision for Smart Cities: Accounting for the Social Costs of Urban Service Provision
by , , , , , , , , and -India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and urbanisation is both a challenge and an opportunity for India with huge implications for the rest of the world. One critical concern for India’s urbanising future is the provision of basic urban services for all its citizens. Using...
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Prepared Communities
Implementing the Urban Community Resilience Assessment in Vulnerable Neighborhoods of Three Cities
by , , , and -Climate change affects poor and marginalized communities first and hardest. Particularly in cities, a lack of access to basic services, a long history of unsustainable urban development, and political exclusion render the urban poor one of the most vulnerable groups to climate induced natural...
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Here Comes the Sun: Residential Consumers’ Experience with Rooftop Solar PV in Five Indian Cities
by , and -This working paper documents residential consumers’ experiences with solar rooftop PV systems. The data is captured through household surveys conducted across five Indian cities. The study is an attempt to understand the challenges faced by residential consumers at various stages of their...
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Creating a Sustainable Food Future
A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050
by , , , , and -By 2050, nearly 10 billion people will live on the planet. Can we produce enough food sustainably? The synthesis report of the World Resources Report: Creating a Sustainable Food Future shows that it is possible – but there is no silver bullet. This report offers a five-course menu of...
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Stronger Than the Storm: Applying the Urban Community Resilience Assessment to Extreme Climate Events
by , , and -Climate change is a global phenomenon, but the impacts are distributed locally and unevenly in cities. The urban poor are the most affected by climate change and are more likely to live in areas that lack sufficient infrastructure to respond to climate risks.
WRI has developed the Urban...
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Toward Paris Alignment
How the Multilateral Development Banks Can Better Support the Paris Agreement
by , , , , and -To contribute to the fight against climate change, the MDBs have to date largely operated under what we refer to as a Climate Finance Paradigm. That paradigm involves defining, tracking, and maximizing the amount of climate finance that MDBs provide and mobilize. Climate finance has been...
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Leading on Ambition: Opportunities for the Enhancement of Nationally Determined Contributions by Climate Vulnerable Forum
by , , , , and -Current commitments in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are not sufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5oC. The Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms that significantly strengthened mitigation efforts are essential. The 48 of member...
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Moving the Green Belt and Road Initiative: From Words to Actions
by , , , and -China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is investing in projects developing infrastructure worth $6 trillion across many of the world’s fastest-growing economies. The Chinese government has taken initial steps to incorporate environmentally sustainable, or green, strategies and objectives into...
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Kampala: Rebuilding Public Sector Legitimacy with A New Approach to Sanitation Services
by and -This case study in the World Resources Report, “Towards a More Equal City,” examines transformative urban change in Kampala, Uganda, by following its sanitation reforms. The research follows the political process that created favorable conditions for the...
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Fighting for Clean Air Around the Globe: Air Quality Workshop Outcome Document
by -From April 11–13, 2018, WRI’s Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, OpenAQ, and WRI’s Governance Center, in its role as secretariat of The Access Initiative, hosted a workshop on air quality with 15 civil society experts from...
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Stories from the WRI Sustainability “Living Lab”
by , , , , , and -This report shares 2015-16 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for WRI’s operations, compares the data to WRI’s historic results (link to historical reports), and specific cases, called stories, from the Sustainability Initiative’s efforts to reduce these emissions. Additional analysis and data of...
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Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies: Approaches and Methodologies for Their Design
by , , , , , , and -Long-term low greenhouse gas development strategies offer an opportunity for the G20 to set the leadership direction that will help steer the world toward a viable climate future. These strategies were a focus area of the G20 Climate Sustainability Working Group in 2018.
This paper was...
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From Planning to Action: Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation Into Development
by , , , , and -As extreme weather events become more frequent and stronger, it is critical that policymakers and development practitioners incorporate climate change adaptation objectives into their sectoral policies and plans. This process, called mainstreaming, has the potential to improve the resilience of...
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Transforming Agriculture for Climate Resilience: A Framework for Systemic Change
by , and -Transformative approaches to adaptation in agriculture will be needed to maintain and enhance global food security, avoid maladaptation and reduce growing risks of crisis and conflict. Today, the agriculture sector practices adaptation with relatively limited incremental adjustments to existing...
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Strengthening Nationally Determined Contributions to Catalyze Actions That Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
by , , , , , and -Early and ambitious action to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) is essential to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. SLCPs include methane, hydrofluorocarbons, black carbon, and tropospheric ozone. Actions to reduce these highly potent...
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Setting the Stage for the Green Climate Fund’s First Replenishment
by and -The Green Climate Fund (GCF) – with a mandate to accelerate climate action in developing countries – has great potential to support transformational investments in developing countries to achieve the goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. It is therefore crucial that the GCF succeed in...
