In Costa Rica, Liberia and Brazil advances in transparent, participatory governance are empowering citizens and ensuring better environmental and development outcomes.
governance
Increasing transparency across the electricity sector to boost access to affordable, reliable energy
With Fiji presiding over this COP, discussions were expected to focus on adaptation—the question of how we deal with climate impacts—even before a summer of storms rocked South Asia and the Caribbean. Climate Resilience Practice director Christina Chan explains what to expect from discussion of adaptation at COP.
Better data on land tenure would help Paraguayan beef exporters reach higher-value markets while protecting Indigenous Peoples from deforestation that threatens their way of living.
Tundu Lissu, a leading opposition member of the Tanzanian parliament and a former colleague who worked on community land rights, was injured in what may have been political violence. Peter Veit, who has known Lissu for decades, writes about his friend and the risks he ran by making a difference.
Irma is the latest in a series of devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean. Though many countries and territories have prioritized disaster risk management, extreme storms like this one can set vulnerable communities back for years.
Despite years of requests, Javanese villagers can't get the government to tell them the facts about their polluted river. Meanwhile, their fishing catches―and income―continue to decline.
The gold rush in Mongolia has left a toxic aftermath: contaminants from the mining process have leached into the water that poor communities rely on for drinking, bathing and raising livestock. Residents need the government to tell them if the water is safe to use.
Communities near a toxic hot spot in Thailand want the government to tell them what's in their water. Despite the country's strong "right to know" laws, they aren't getting the answers they need.
Returning to WRI as a Distinguished Senior Fellow on forest and governance issues, Frances Seymour reflects on the impact of technology and international efforts to turn the tide on deforestation.