Climate solutions are often divided into either mitigation actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or adaptation actions that help people adjust to climate change. But strategies and technologies that do both at once exist, and should be top priorities.
Data shows that the energy sector produces 73% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and 10 countries account for more than two-thirds of annual emissions.
This chart offers a comprehensive view of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It describes the sources and activities across the global economy that produce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the type and volume of gases associated with each activity.
To prevent the most dangerous impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions will have to reach net zero by 2050. That will require both deep cuts in emissions and the removal of remaining emissions directly from the atmosphere. Making that happen will take concerted U.S. innovation akin to a moonshot. In this case, it's a CarbonShot.
With global greenhouse gases on track to rise — again — to their highest level in history, there's increasing interest in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In just a year, carbon removal has gone from being seen as a "radical fix" to a necessary tool to address the climate crisis.
Climate scientists recently found that extreme heat is leading to more pre-term births, warming waters in New England are linked to a decline in fishermen, and unprecedented changes in the Arctic show the region is changing more quickly than anticipated. This post summarizes these and other studies published in December 2019.
Countries are announcing plans to submit enhanced and updated national climate commitments and long-term strategies ahead of the 2020 deadline. Track these announcements on Climate Watch.
Zero carbon buildings aren't a thing of the future. They're viable and affordable right now, and present a massive opportunity to fight climate change cheaply.
More and more countries are setting goals to reach net-zero emissions. Here we unpack what "net-zero emissions" really means, and why these goals are important.
This guidance provides recommendations for companies in the apparel and footwear sector to set science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. It provides case studies on best practices in target setting and strategies for achieving emissions reductions.
This technical note is intended to help bus operators and transit agencies make informed decisions about alternative bus types during the preliminary analysis phase and to help them determine whether the transition to a “clean fleet” is financially viable and worthwhile based on expected emissions reductions.
This paper provides recommendations for companies to improve the credibility and consistency of claims they make about the comparative greenhouse gas impacts of their products, frequently called “avoided emissions”.
Corporations increasingly claim that their products reduce emissions. But these claims are often unverifiable or inaccurate, according to WRI's investigation of more than 300 companies.
This technical note describes the structure, the input data sources, and the limitations and assumptions of the India Energy Policy Simulator.
In his first Insights post as Director, WRI United States, Dan Lashof focuses on some good news from California: a comprehensive suite of climate policies helped the Golden State meet its 2020 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions four years early, while California's economy grew.
Parts of the United States are experiencing blizzard and frigid temperatures, possibly spurred by climatic changes. It's reminiscent of the types of extreme conditions we witnessed over and over last year.
This paper assesses when countries’ emissions have peaked or whether they have a commitment that implies an emissions peak in the future.
As Indonesia implements new policies and plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, a WRI working paper lays out steps it can take to meet its highest targets.
This working paper identifies key national mitigation policies and quantifies their emissions abatement potential to allow Indonesia to select a strategy to deliver on its climate commitment. The analysis focuses on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the land-use and energy sectors, which account for over 80 percent of Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Is your company ready for the low-carbon future? Join experts and companies from the retail, auto manufacturing and electric utility sectors for a workshop on methods to access corporate climate leadership.