Achieving Social Equity in Climate Action: Untapped Opportunities and Building Blocks for Leaving No One Behind

This research paper from the World Resources Institute examines the intersection of climate action and social equity, arguing that while climate measures in key systems offer significant opportunities to reduce inequality, these opportunities are currently underutilized.

• Climate action measures across six systems—industry, energy, transport, cities, agriculture, and forestry—possess significant but largely untapped potential to reduce social inequalities.
• Low-income and disadvantaged populations are the most affected by climate change and pollution and stand to benefit most from clean solutions, yet they encounter the highest barriers to accessing policy gains and are disproportionately burdened by the costs of these policies.
• Achieving a just transition and ensuring no one is left behind requires a shift from simply focusing on social co-benefits toward proactively empowering and prioritizing underserved groups, as climate actions are typically designed within existing socioeconomic and power structures that generate inequality.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Achieving Social Equity in Climate Action: Untapped Opportunities and Building Blocks for Leaving No One Behind. https://www.wri.org/research/achieving-social-equity-climate-action

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Achieving Social Equity in Climate Action: Untapped Opportunities and Building Blocks for Leaving No One Behind. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/achieving-social-equity-climate-action.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Achieving Social Equity in Climate Action: Untapped Opportunities and Building Blocks for Leaving No One Behind |url=https://www.wri.org/research/achieving-social-equity-climate-action |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendachieving, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Achieving Social Equity in Climate Action: Untapped Opportunities and Building Blocks for Leaving No One Behind}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/achieving-social-equity-climate-action}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }