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The World Resources Institute (WRI) acknowledges President Biden's initial climate actions, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the 2030 emissions target, but warns that the U.S. is not currently on track to meet these goals. WRI calls on the U.S. Congress to pass a budget package focusing on clean energy, electric transportation, and building energy efficiency to create jobs and address inequities in marginalized communities.

The report finds that while updated NDCs show increased country ownership, better alignment with national planning processes like National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and a higher number of prioritized actions, most of these actions remain implementation-unready due to a lack of clear indicators, costs, and time frames. It highlights a general lack of understanding and explicit planning for transformative adaptation and a limited operationalization of 'Loss and Damage' concepts within national contexts.

The document outlines the financial landscape for electric school bus (ESB) adoption in the US, noting that while ESBs can cost up to three times more than diesel buses upfront, they offer significant lifetime operational savings. It details various funding mechanisms—including grants, rebates, vouchers, and loans—and identifies specific funding sources from the federal government (such as the IIJA), state programs (like California's HVIP), and local utilities or air quality districts. The guide also emphasizes the role of financing and 'stacking' multiple funding streams to make electrification viable for school districts.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) responds to a 2021 external review that found the organization achieved 71% of its 2018-2022 strategic targets. WRI commits to improving its monitoring and evaluation systems, increasing flexible funding, and deepening the integration of poverty, gender, and social equity (PGSE) into its operations. The organization plans to create new senior roles to enhance strategic alignment and global network performance, while balancing high-quality research with the urgency of climate action.

The report finds that while countries are making incremental progress in strengthening their NDCs, the current pace and scale of ambition are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement goals. By September 2022, 139 new or updated NDCs had been communicated, aiming for a 2030 emissions reduction of 5.5 GtCO2e more than initial commitments, which represents a 7 percent reduction from 2019 levels—far below the 43 percent reduction required for the 1.5°C target. The analysis highlights that 77 percent of NDCs include GHG reduction targets, 86 percent include adaptation components, and 53 percent estimate finance requirements totaling nearly $4.3 trillion.

The document identifies climate change as the primary health threat to humanity, noting that extreme weather events directly impact health and livelihoods, leading to involuntary migration. It advocates for strengthening public health systems through climate-resilient facilities, early warning systems, and a transition to low-carbon urban infrastructure. A critical gap is highlighted in funding, as less than 1% of international climate finance is currently allocated to health sector adaptation.

The document outlines strategies for adapting global physical, social, and ecological infrastructure to climate risks, emphasizing the need for immediate investment in low-carbon resilience, the integration of nature-based solutions, and the inclusion of local and Indigenous knowledge. It highlights the vulnerability of essential systems—including energy, transport, and health—and advocates for protecting vulnerable populations through social safety nets and inclusive decision-making.

The document argues that climate adaptation is most effective and sustainable when it is locally led, integrating Indigenous and local knowledge systems and ensuring the agency of marginalized groups. It emphasizes that local communities are best positioned to identify relevant stressors and solutions, and calls for the integration of locally led adaptation into national policies and social protection programs to address social inequities.

The report finds that while updated NDCs show increased ambition and better alignment with national planning, a massive gap remains between current commitments and the emissions reductions needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. Mitigation efforts have improved in scope and transparency, but many sectoral measures remain vague. Adaptation components are more prevalent in developing countries and show increased focus on equity and critical systems, though implementation details like timeframes and indicators are often missing. Climate finance requirements reported in NDCs total $4.282 trillion, highlighting a significant need for increased international support.

Spain's coal industry has seen a massive decline in employment from 45,000 in 1990 to approximately 1,700 by 2017, driven by EU mandates and the economics of renewable energy. To address the resulting economic distress and depopulation in rural mining towns, the Spanish government implemented the 2019 Just Transition Strategy and the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030. These frameworks utilize 'Just Transition Agreements'—participatory regional action plans—to diversify local economies and support workers through reskilling and early retirement. While the government has established a transparent process and strong stakeholder coordination, challenges remain in redressing decades of economic decline and securing funding for new projects without a dedicated funding pool.

The document details an external review of WRI's 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, evaluating its seven global challenges and core functions. It employs a mixed-methods approach, including 'Outcome Harvesting' and a 'Traffic Light System' to measure progress. Preliminary findings indicate that the Forests program is the strongest performer (95.9% achievement), while the Governance Center is partially on track (44% achievement). The review also assesses WRI's growth, the impact of COVID-19, and the integration of gender and social equity across its global operations, including specific assessments of its offices in Africa, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.

The External Review finds that WRI is 'Mostly on Track' with its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, achieving 71.3% of its targets by October 2021. While WRI remains a critical global player in environment and development, the review identifies significant risks related to rapid organizational growth, a potential tilt from research toward advocacy, and under-resourced core functions. The report highlights a need for a 'step-change' in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and a more systematic integration of poverty, gender, and social equity (PGSE) across its programs. WRI's Africa office is also 'mostly on track,' though it faces challenges in coordinating global programming with regional priorities.

The 'Closing the Loop on Textile Waste in Kenya' partnership, led by Enviu, PurFi, and Upset Sourcing East Africa, utilizes a chemical recycling technology to process textile waste into high-quality materials for new manufacturing. The initiative has sold 100,000 kg of textile cotton waste and employs a sorting team of women processing 36,000 kg per month. By collaborating with Kenya's Export Processing Zone Authority (EPZA), the partnership aims to integrate circular waste-to-value solutions into the country's expanding textile industry to reduce environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The paper evaluates four scenarios—a Reference Scenario and three increasing levels of policy ambition—to determine the effectiveness of tax credits, infrastructure spending, and performance standards in decarbonizing the U.S. economy. It finds that while tax credits and spending drive early adoption, sector-specific performance standards and negative emissions technologies are essential to reach net-zero by 2050. The analysis concludes that decarbonization is economically feasible, with potential net savings of 0.3 percent of U.S. GDP by 2050 under reference oil prices.

The World Resources Institute evaluates COP26, noting that while 151 new national commitments were submitted, they are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C. The statement highlights progress on phasing down coal, doubling adaptation funding, and addressing loss and damage, while criticizing the failure of developed nations to meet the $100 billion annual finance goal and the decision to allow old emission credits in carbon markets.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) argues that G20 nations have failed to make their COVID-19 recovery spending environmentally sustainable, investing $262 billion in fossil fuels compared to $67 billion in clean energy. To address this, WRI introduces a typology of five policy levers—monetary policy, financial and real-economy policies and regulations, fiscal policy and budget support, public finance, and information instruments—to guide governments toward Paris-aligned investments. Analysis of recovery packages between March 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021, reveals a preference for 'business-as-usual' interventions and a critical lack of investment in climate adaptation and resilience.

The document examines the challenges ride-hailing drivers face when switching to electric vehicles in the US, Europe, and Canada, noting that EV adoption in this sector often lags behind the general vehicle stock. It proposes targeted interventions, including reducing up-front costs, expanding affordable charging infrastructure for renters and low-income communities, and improving driver education. The research utilizes data from Uber and a WRI methodology to evaluate 10 cities via scorecards.

The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, including leaders from 16 nations, advocates for a transition to a sustainable ocean economy to close the emissions gap. The Panel identifies six key action areas—nature-based solutions, renewable energy, industry decarbonisation, sustainable food, carbon capture and storage, and research—noting that these actions could provide up to 21% of the annual emissions cuts required to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2050. Member nations commit to developing Sustainable Ocean Plans to manage 100% of their national waters sustainably within five years.

The briefing argues that while multilateral development banks (MDBs) have made some progress in aligning direct investments with the Paris Agreement, they remain far from fulfilling their overall commitment. Key deficiencies include a lack of standardized fossil fuel exclusion policies, inconsistent greenhouse gas accounting, and a failure to align indirect investments and policy-based loans. The author emphasizes that MDBs must reform their financial instruments and engage in debt relief to ensure developing countries do not sacrifice climate action due to COVID-19 related debt burdens.

The analysis reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the climate finance gap in developing countries, leading to domestic budget reallocations away from climate projects toward health and economic recovery. International climate finance has also decreased, with a higher reliance on loans that increase national debt burdens. The report highlights that climate-finance needs, estimated at $4.6 trillion based on a sample of NDCs, far exceed current flows, and that pandemic-related restrictions have delayed the approval and execution of critical climate projects.