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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Early Insights on Long-term Climate Strategies
by and -Under the Paris Agreement, countries are invited to communicate “mid-century long-term low GHG emissions development strategies,” or “long-term strategies” by 2020. These strategies are central to achieving the long-term goal of limiting warming to well below 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) and...
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Powering Cities in the Global South: How Energy Access for All Benefits the Economy and the Environment
by , , and -Millions of residents in some of the fastest growing cities in the world don’t have access to clean, reliable energy, and the challenge of reaching them is not getting easier. In 2012, only 58 percent of the urban population had access to electricity in low-income countries, and nearly 500...
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Emerging Green Tariffs in U.S. Regulated Electricity Markets
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WRI’s work on green tariffs became an initiative of the Renewable Energy Buyers’ Alliance (REBA) in March 2019. Learn more about REBA here...
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Thirsting for Justice
Transparency and Poor People’s Struggle for Clean Water in Indonesia, Mongolia, and Thailand
by and -Industrial facilities release upwards of 400 million tons of toxic pollutants into the world’s waters each year. Yet secrecy around the amount and type of chemicals that companies discharge is still the norm, especially in Asia. Contaminated water threatens the region’s poorest communities—those...
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A Tool for Designing a Policy Package to Achieve Indonesia’s Climate Targets
Summary of Methods and Data used in the Indonesia Energy Policy Simulator
by and -Indonesia, one of the world’s major greenhouse gas emitters, has outlined a plan to unconditionally reduce its emissions by 29 percent relative to a business-as-usual case in 2030 and up to 41 percent conditioned on international assistance. Policymakers need to design supporting policy packages...
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Predicting Future Forest Loss in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s CARPE Landscapes
by , and -The Central Africa Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE) is an initiative of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), whose main objectives are to mitigate climate change and sustainably manage forests in Central Africa. As the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC)...
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Roundtable at the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology: Embracing a 21st Century, Low-Carbon Economy
Opening Remarks of Manish Bapna, Executive Vice President, World Resources Institute
by -On June 20, Executive Vice President of the World Resources Institute Manish Bapna spoke to the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology at a roundtable about science and policy perspectives on climate change. Manish corrected the Trump administration’s misleading statements on climate...
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Confronting the Urban Housing Crisis in the Global South: Adequate, Secure, and Affordable Housing
by , , and -Well-located, secure and affordable housing is lacking in many cities and is only projected to get worse – it is estimated that 1.6 billion people will lack adequate housing by 2025. Good housing is fundamental to physical and financial security, economic productivity, healthy communities, and...
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Implementation Guide for Utilities: Designing Renewable Energy Products to Meet Large Energy Customer Needs
by -Large-scale corporate energy buyers are seeking renewable energy as a central element of their overall energy strategy. In a few states, these commercial and industrial (C&I) customers have collaborated with their utilities to create new opportunities to buy renewable energy in ways that...
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Water Quality Targeting Success Stories
How to Achieve Measurably Cleaner Water Through U.S. Farm Conservation Watershed Projects
by -This joint report from WRI and the American Farmland Trust features lessons learned from six water quality targeting project success stories and highlights key factors that allowed these programs to achieve desirable environmental outcomes. It concludes with recommendations for both public and...
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Financing the Energy Transition: Are World Bank, IFC, and ADB Energy Supply Investments Supporting a Low-Carbon Future?
by , , and -Finance provided and catalyzed by multilateral development banks (MDBs) will help pay for implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement in many developing countries. Although MDBs already track and report on their climate finance, less is known about how...
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Mapping the Linkages Between the Transparency Framework and Other Provisions of the Paris Agreement
by , , , and -The Project for Advancing Climate Transparency (PACT) consortium advances the development of robust and effective transparency and accountability rules and processes for the Paris Agreement on climate change. This working paper aims to lay the groundwork for the Paris Agreement’s transparency...
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Encouraging Design Practices for Sustainable Mobility in India: A Guidebook
by , , , and -Encouraging Design Practices for Sustainable Mobility in Indian Townships: A Guidebook, is WRI India’s publication that highlights the role of urban design interventions that can be applied in townships or gated communities in cities, that promote the use of sustainable modes such as walking,...
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U.S. Renewable Energy Map: A Guide for Corporate Buyers
by -The U.S. Renewable Energy Map: A Guide for Corporate Buyers answers the question, "where is there opportunity to purchase large-scale renewable energy from utilities across the United States?" By identifying these opportunities, buyers can...
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Study on International Practices for Low Emission Zone and Congestion Charging
by , , , , , and -The traffic congestion and its high socioeconomic cost, brought by China’s fast urbanization, has forced the demand for congestion mitigation and emission reduction in the transport sector onto the government’s agenda. Several Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou are...
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Visualizing Climate Equity: The CAIT Equity Explorer
by , , and -The Climate Access Indicators Tool (CAIT) Equity Explorer (WRI 2014), part of WRI’s CAIT Climate Data Explorer suite, is an online visualization tool that aims to inform the UNFCCC international climate negotiations by providing a unique approach to climate equity. This technical note discusses...
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Elephant in the Boardroom: Why Unchecked Consumption is Not an Option in Tomorrow’s Markets
by , , and -The Elephant in the Boardroom: Why Unchecked Consumption is Not an Option in Tomorrow’s Markets is a new working paper from WRI that can guide discussion within companies about an uncomfortable truth: many of today’s business models are not fit for tomorrow’s resource-strained world....
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Fact Sheet: Clean Energy Job Growth in The United States
by and -The clean energy economy in the United States—including wind, solar, and efficiency industries—is putting more and more Americans to work. This fact sheet outlines the latest data on how many Americans are working in clean energy and where the jobs are located.
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Logging, Mining, And Agricultural Concessions Data Transparency: A Survey Of 14 Forested Countries
by , , , , , and -Global demand for timber, agricultural commodities, and extractives is a significant driver of deforestation worldwide. Transparent land-concessions data for these large-scale commercial activities are essential to understand drivers of forest loss, monitor environmental impacts of ongoing...
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Sludge to Energy: An Environment-Energy-Economic Assessment of Methane Capture from Sludge in Xiangyang City, Hubei Province
by , , and -Rapid urbanization in China has substantially increased the quantity of liquid waste in municipalities, and has simultaneously engendered massive investments in wastewater conveyance and treatment. This increase in the number of wastewater treatment plants has generated a sharp rise in the...
