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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.

The report analyzes air quality around 270 schools in Bengaluru, finding that PM2.5 levels frequently exceed WHO and US EPA standards, particularly during school departure times and winter months. It links this pollution to increased childhood asthma and respiratory issues, and recommends policy interventions such as restricting heavy traffic around schools and increasing monitoring networks.

The report positions urban centers as critical drivers for climate leadership and economic recovery, specifically examining Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Africa to propose pathways for inclusive and climate-resilient futures.

The Dakar Bus Rapid Transit Pilot Project is a public sector initiative in Senegal designed to transition the Greater Dakar Area from a car-oriented city to a resilient, people-oriented one. The project involves the construction of an 18.3km segregated BRT line connecting the Dakar plateau to the northern suburbs, utilizing a fleet of 159 electric articulated buses. With a total indicative cost of USD 352.5 million, the project seeks USD 60 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to specifically fund electric vehicle equipment, solar-powered stations, and eMobility capacity building. Beyond mitigation, the project integrates 40km of new drainage networks to address Dakar's high vulnerability to flooding.

The report identifies the transport sector as Mexico's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and argues that green bonds can bridge the investment gap for sustainable mobility. It highlights specific projects, such as electric buses in Mexico City and the Mexico-Toluca train, while outlining the Climate Bonds Standard for certifying eligible low-carbon transport assets.

The document argues that Brazilian municipalities, particularly small and medium-sized ones, face significant credit and technical barriers to financing infrastructure. It proposes the use of Pooled Financial Management Mechanisms (MFGCs) to aggregate demand and reduce risk, drawing on international examples from France, the Nordic countries, Mexico, India, and the Philippines. The brief identifies regulatory hurdles in Brazil, such as the Fiscal Responsibility Law, and recommends updating the legal framework to allow subnational consortia more autonomy in raising funds and improving governance to attract green and sustainable capital.

The document argues that Brazilian municipalities, particularly small and medium-sized ones, face significant financial and regulatory barriers to infrastructure investment. It suggests that subnational consortia can overcome these hurdles by adopting Pooled Finance Mechanisms (PFMs)—such as club deals, aggregation platforms, and bond banks—to access capital markets and attract green investment. The brief identifies a USD 1.3 trillion green investment opportunity in Brazil and recommends updating Law 11,107/2005 and the Law of Fiscal Responsibility to facilitate autonomous fundraising and improve governance for public consortia.

The study finds that nearly 50% of daily trips in Nairobi are made via non-motorized transport (NMT), yet these users account for 66.3% of traffic fatalities. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable, with a high concentration of deaths among males aged 20-44. Infrastructure is severely lacking, characterized by narrow or non-existent footpaths, poor lighting, and a lack of protected cycle lanes, particularly in low-income eastern districts. The report recommends expanding NMT networks, enhancing road safety enforcement, and improving street lighting and drainage to create a more inclusive and sustainable transport system.

The document describes the outcomes of the Bangalore Urban Mobility Lab, a collaborative effort by RMI, RMI India, Micelio, and the Government of Karnataka. During a workshop on 19–20 February 2020, over 150 stakeholders from government, the private sector, and civil society identified and prioritized more than ten actionable solutions to address the city's mobility challenges. The report intends to share these insights to accelerate the scaling of sustainable, clean, and citizen-centric transportation in Bangalore, while noting that the COVID-19 pandemic may require adaptations to the implementation process.

The briefing examines the impact of the pandemic on public transit, emphasizing that while ridership has fallen, the system remains essential for emissions reduction and frontline workers. It argues that the crisis provides an opportunity to modernize transit through data science, shift from timetable-based planning to trip-based models, and prioritize dedicated bus lanes over a sole focus on electrification to challenge the dominance of single-occupancy vehicles.

The report analyzes the climate impact of transportation network companies (TNCs) in seven major U.S. cities. It finds that non-pooled ride-hailing trips emit 47% more than private vehicle trips of the same length, largely due to 'deadheading' (driving without passengers). When accounting for the modes of transport that ride-hailing displaces—including mass transit, walking, and biking—typical ride-hailing trips are approximately 69% more polluting than the trips they replace. The analysis suggests that a transition to electric vehicles and an increase in pooling rates to 50% could reduce these emissions by 52% relative to displaced trips.

The project aims to transition Vientiane Capital's new BRT system from diesel EURO IV buses to low carbon electric vehicles. With a total cost of USD 39.5 million, the initiative includes the procurement of a base fleet of 97 electric buses, the installation of charging equipment, and the creation of a battery management plan for sound disposal and recycling. The project is expected to reduce emissions by 93,070 tCO2eq over its 16-year lifespan and serve as a national flagship for e-mobility in Lao PDR.

The document describes the Urban Mobility Lab's Solutions Workshop held in Delhi on June 26-27, 2019. This initiative, a partnership between the Delhi government (via DDC-D) and RMI, seeks to translate the city's draft electric vehicle policy into practical, scalable pilot projects to reduce vehicular pollution and modernize the movement of people and goods.

The statement urges national governments to align their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with the IPCC 1.5°C report, specifically calling for peaking emissions by 2020 and reaching net zero by 2050. It highlights the existing commitments of non-state actors—including over 900 companies, 9,000 cities, and hundreds of investors—as evidence that a zero-carbon transition is possible. The signatories demand specific policy interventions, including carbon pricing between US$40-100/tCO2-e by 2030, the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, and the implementation of TCFD financial reporting recommendations by 2020.

The report identifies approximately 300 international cooperative initiatives (ICIs) under the Global Climate Action Agenda, noting that Nordic countries are highly active participants, with 62% of these initiatives involving at least one Nordic country. It argues that while these initiatives vary in scale and transparency, they are critical for bridging the estimated 32 Gigaton emissions gap by 2030 required to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The analysis highlights seven specific initiatives—including the Under2 Coalition and the New York Declaration on Forests—as high-potential areas for Nordic leadership and support, aligned with the 2019 Declaration on Nordic Carbon Neutrality.

The report evaluates the Dakar BRT project, finding that while it is not financially viable under traditional accounting, it generates massive net benefits when externalities like time savings and reduced transport costs are included. The project is expected to reduce GHG emissions and accidents, though it may cause net job losses in traditional transport sectors.

The SAVi evaluation of the Dakar BRT project reveals that while the project is not financially viable under conventional accounting—showing negative Net Present Value (NPV) across most scenarios—it generates substantial positive externalities. These include significant avoided transport costs, time savings, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents. When these externalities are integrated into the financial analysis, the project's Internal Rate of Return (IRR) increases from 2.17% to 37.69% in the default demand scenario, demonstrating strong socio-economic profitability despite operational financial losses.

The paper develops a methodology to estimate fuel economy in sub-Saharan African cities, specifically Nairobi, by collecting data on both formal and informal vehicle fleets. Using general linear modelling (GLM) and artificial neural networks (ANN), the study found that fuel economy for bodabodas, tuktuks, passenger cars, and matatus in Nairobi is 2–3 times worse than in their countries of import. The GLM was identified as the more effective model for predicting fuel economy based on vehicle characteristics.

The document analyzes the evolution of bicycle-sharing schemes (BSS) across four technological generations, moving from simple free-bike models to sophisticated dockless and electric systems. It provides a comprehensive guide for city officials on planning, regulatory frameworks, financing, and safety, emphasizing the need for proactive governance to manage the risks and opportunities of the 'fourth generation' of bike sharing.

The paper examines the decline of urban accessibility in the global South due to rapid urbanization and motorization. It introduces an access-mobility framework to categorize under-served residents and proposes three priority action areas: building safe, democratic street networks; developing integrated, user-oriented transport services; and managing private vehicle demand. The authors emphasize that these actions require capable governance and sustainable funding models to move cities from a vicious cycle of car-dependency to a virtuous cycle of balanced, multimodal transport.