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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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 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 a composite overall water risk score. All Aqueduct 3.0 data can be accessed...
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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...
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Transformative Adaptation in Livestock Production Systems
by , , and -Climate change impacts on agricultural systems are intensifying. The recent IPCC report illustrates that as temperatures climb, changes in the climate are pushing systems beyond sustainable boundaries. This is the case with certain livestock...
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Scaling Up Ambition: Leveraging Nationally Determined Contributions and Long-Term Strategies to Achieve the Paris Agreement Goals
by , , , , and -For the past two years, at the invitation of the Argentine and Japanese G20 presidencies, UNDP and WRI have together advised the G20 Climate and Sustainability Working Group on the key role that long-term strategies and NDCs are playing to advance the G20 agenda and address climate change. This...
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How to Enable Electric Bus Adoption in Cities Worldwide
by , , and -Electric buses could pioneer a new age of clean and efficient urban transport and put cities on track towards sustainability. However, electric bus adoption is not accelerating fast enough for the world to meet transport-related global climate objectives and help limit global temperature rise to...
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Barriers to Adopting Electric Buses
by , , and -Electric buses, which have zero tailpipe emissions, hold the potential to provide outsized air quality and climate benefits. Faster adoption of cleaner buses is an important part of the bigger climate solution, helping put cities on track towards sustainability. Despite the promise of electric...
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From Mobility to Access for All: Expanding Urban Transportation Choices in the Global South
by , and -Many cities are experiencing a decline in access to jobs, services and people due to a confluence of two trends: rapid urbanization and motorization. Lack of access afflicts both low-income communities scattered throughout the city and low- to medium-income people living in suburbs and...
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Restoration Opportunities Atlas of India
by , , , , , and -Protecting forests from degradation, deforestation and fragmentation, and tree-based landscape restoration are globally recognised as cost-effective solutions for combatting climate change. As part of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris climate agreement, India committed...
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Choosing the Right Path
Low-Cost Policy Options for Enhancing Mexico’s Climate Goals While Achieving Long-Term Social Benefits
by , , , and -New WRI analysis indicates that Mexico can save more than 25,000 lives and $5 billion in public health costs over the next 12 years by aggressively pursuing policies and actions that reduce air pollution and the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.
Addressing three sectors...
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Mainstreaming Adaptation in Action: Case Studies from Two States in India
by , , and -India will face considerable and varied climate change impacts in the coming decades. The country has a large population with high poverty and low adaptive capacity, heavy dependence on climate-sensitive sectors, and is likely to face negative climate change impacts. These factors make...
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Guadalajara: Revisiting Public Space Interventions through the Via RecreActiva
by , and -This case study in the World Resources Report, “Towards a More Equal City,” tells the story of the Via RecreActiva – a ciclovía, or bike path, in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico. More than 60 kilometers of streets are closed every Sunday for this...
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Building Capacity for the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework
What Can We Learn From Countries’ Experiences and UNFCCC Processes?
by , , , and -The Paris Agreement’s enhanced transparency framework places new and more stringent requirements on developing countries. For many countries, to implement these new requirements capacity-building support is vital. This new paper from the Project for Advancing Climate Transparency examines...
