What Did I Learn? On Departing WRI, Reflections on Nine Years at the Helm

Andrew Steer reflects on his nine-year tenure as leader of the World Resources Institute (WRI), outlining the organizational strategies and lessons learned to effectively drive global environmental and climate change.

• WRI's effectiveness in driving change is attributed to creating focused, attractive product lines and tools, such as Global Forest Watch, the New Climate Economy analysis, and the Cool Food Pledge.
• The organization operates on a "Count It, Change It, Scale It!" model, which combines globally respected data and research with practical on-the-ground presence and global convening power.
• WRI has shifted from being viewed as a traditional NGO to a partner for senior global decision-makers, establishing standards for corporate and city greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and facilitating Track 2 Dialogs for climate negotiations.
• The NDC Partnership, launched at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference and hosted by WRI, supports 120 national governments and 42 international institutions in implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• WRI's growth strategy emphasizes expanding only when there is clear demand and purpose, as seen in the opening of offices in Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Colombia, and utilizing a "modular" approach based on global platforms tailored to local contexts.

APA

Steer, A. (2021). What Did I Learn? On Departing WRI, Reflections on Nine Years at the Helm. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/andrew-steer-parting-reflections-wri

Chicago

Steer, Andrew. What Did I Learn? On Departing WRI, Reflections on Nine Years at the Helm. World Resources Institute, 2021. https://www.wri.org/insights/andrew-steer-parting-reflections-wri.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Steer |first1=Andrew |title=What Did I Learn? On Departing WRI, Reflections on Nine Years at the Helm |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=16 April 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/andrew-steer-parting-reflections-wri |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{steer2021what, author = {Steer, Andrew}, title = {{What Did I Learn? On Departing WRI, Reflections on Nine Years at the Helm}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/andrew-steer-parting-reflections-wri}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }