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The WRI Sustainable Catering & Events Policy mandates that food ordered with WRI funds for U.S. office events be vegetarian and vegan. It provides a framework for selecting vendors based on sustainability, outlines strict rules against high-impact meats like beef, lamb, and goat, and sets protocols for reducing food and material waste. The policy is grounded in WRI research indicating that shifting away from animal-based proteins is essential for limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius and reducing agricultural land-use change.

The case study highlights the growth of Kenya's restoration economy through examples like GreenPot Enterprises and Honey Care Africa. It demonstrates that restoring degraded landscapes—using bamboo for soil stabilization or apiaries for pollination—can generate significant revenue and improve farmer incomes. While Kenya's strong GDP growth and government commitment to restore 5.1 million hectares by 2030 provide a supportive environment, the report identifies a critical gap in growth capital, specifically investments in the $3-10 million range needed for scaling.

The World Resources Institute argues that the U.S. Secretary of Energy should leverage the falling costs of wind and solar energy to position the United States as a global leader in clean technology. The statement highlights Texas's growth in wind power under Rick Perry's governorship as a model for national energy development.

As of January 2017, 65 companies representing over 48 million MWh of annual demand by 2020 have signed the Corporate Renewable Energy Buyers' Principles. These principles aim to resolve procurement challenges, such as the need to work around traditional utilities, by advocating for greater choice, cost-competitive options, and streamlined financing to help businesses meet public climate and energy goals.

The report analyzes the implementation of congestion charging and low emission zones in London, Singapore, and Stockholm. It highlights the importance of national legal safeguards, strong local political will, transparent revenue allocation, and effective public communication. Key findings include significant reductions in traffic volume and pollutants in all three cities, though the specific technologies used—such as London's ANPR and Singapore's DSRC—varied based on local needs and urban landscapes.

The paper analyzes four prominent studies of the Clean Power Plan (CPP)—conducted by the EPA, NERA Economic Consulting, Synapse Energy Economics, and M.J. Bradley & Associates—to explain why they produce conflicting results regarding electricity bills. By comparing these studies against a range of independent expert forecasts and empirical data, the authors find a strong correlation between the optimism or pessimism of a study's underlying assumptions and its final economic conclusions. Specifically, studies assuming higher costs for solar and wind power and less interstate cooperation tend to project higher compliance costs, while those assuming rapid technological progress and high energy efficiency savings project lower costs or even decreases in electricity bills.

The document identifies three primary energy challenges for cities in the global South: the urgent need for increased access, unsustainable growth in energy demand, and the risk of locking in carbon-intensive development models. It proposes three scalable solutions: accelerating the shift to cleaner cooking fuels, scaling up distributed renewable energy (specifically solar PV), and increasing the energy efficiency of buildings and appliances. The authors argue that these interventions provide dual benefits, improving health and livelihoods for the urban poor while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution for the city as a whole. Implementation requires coordinated governance, policy reforms such as removing fossil-fuel subsidies, and innovative financing models like pay-as-you-go schemes.

The report reveals a systemic imbalance where community land formalization is burdensome, costly, and slow, while company land acquisition is relatively fast and flexible. It argues that this 'uneven playing field' threatens the livelihoods of 2.5 billion people and increases environmental risks, recommending reforms to make community procedures more accessible and transparent.

The report analyzes seven multilateral climate funds—the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Adaptation Fund (AF), Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and Strategic Climate Fund (SCF)—against five strategies for transformative change: achieving impact at scale, promoting country ownership, improving efficiency, supporting equitable allocation, and increasing accountability. It finds that the proliferation of funds has led to overlapping roles and inefficiencies. The authors recommend short-term reforms to clarify fund specialization and long-term architectural changes, including the potential consolidation or sunsetting of certain funds, such as the CIFs, SCCF, and LDCF, to streamline the climate finance landscape.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) calls on Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, to demonstrate a commitment to the Paris Agreement and U.S. climate leadership upon his appointment as Secretary of State. WRI warns that withdrawing from the Paris Agreement would damage U.S. international relations and allow China to lead in green technologies and jobs.

The World Resources Institute highlights the Paris Agreement as a critical turning point in global climate action, noting increased support from cities, companies, and investors. The statement emphasizes that nearly 50 countries have committed to a 100% renewable energy future and urges the United States to remain in the agreement, citing strong domestic public support and the alignment of its international allies.

The document outlines four established ways to generate revenue from restored land: timber and fuelwood (wood), non-wood forest products (such as fruits and essential oils), improved agricultural productivity for crops and livestock, and nature-based tourism. It also notes the rapid development of new markets for ecosystem services, specifically carbon storage and water quality improvement.

Manish Bapna, representing the World Resources Institute and the Open Government Partnership (OGP), argues that while open government cannot solve all global crises alone, it is a necessary prerequisite for solving them. He identifies a failure of governance evidenced by the rise of populism, extreme poverty, and climate change. To combat this, he proposes five steps: protecting civic space, fostering citizen-centered governance, pursuing transformational rather than incremental change, improving tangible quality-of-life outcomes (such as clean air and water), and reinvigorating political leadership to deepen the impact of OGP commitments.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) warns that the appointment of Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA threatens the agency's ability to protect public health and the climate, citing Pruitt's record of questioning climate science and fighting emissions reductions.

The New Climate Economy report 'Better Cities, Better Growth: India’s Urban Opportunity' finds that compact cities in India experienced faster economic growth from 2002-2012 than sprawled cities. Smart urban growth could save India between $330 billion and $1.8 trillion annually by mid-century, representing up to 6 percent of GDP. The document identifies three target areas for reform: land regulations, sustainable urban infrastructure (such as bus rapid transit), and the strengthening of urban local governments. It highlights the high costs of car-driven growth, citing Delhi as an example where traffic congestion and air pollution create significant economic and livability crises.

The document examines the transition of sustainable investing from a fringe approach to the mainstream among US institutional investors. It identifies key drivers such as the financial materiality of ESG factors, supportive policy frameworks like the Paris Agreement, and a desire for mission alignment. The paper categorizes sustainable investing into five main strategies: negative screens, positive screens, ESG integration, impact investing, and shareholder engagement. Despite growth, the authors identify significant systemic barriers, including short-term performance biases, inadequate ESG data and disclosure standards, and a lack of institutional-quality sustainable investment products. The paper concludes with recommendations for asset owners to build internal capacity and for market actors to provide more actionable frameworks and improved data.

The World Resources Institute argues that the incoming Trump administration must continue investing in clean energy and sustainable infrastructure to drive economic growth and job creation. It emphasizes that the global transition to a low-carbon economy is inevitable, citing increased solar and wind projections and corporate commitments to science-based targets. Furthermore, it asserts that maintaining the U.S. commitment to the Paris Agreement is essential for preserving international trust and diplomacy.

The document explains that the Paris Agreement requires a detailed "rule book" to provide operational guidance on transparency, accountability, and the review of collective efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 - 2 degrees C. It identifies key challenges in designing these rules, including the need for "build-in flexibility" for countries with differing capabilities and the risk of double-counting emissions reductions. The briefing expects COP22 in Marrakech to establish a roadmap for finalizing these rules by 2018, operationalize capacity-building initiatives, and set the stage for more ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by 2020.

The document provides a glossary of terms for COP22, covering basic UNFCCC structures, the mechanisms of the Paris Agreement, and specific financial and operational goals like the $100 billion climate finance target.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) welcomes the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, noting its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement. WRI emphasizes the role of cities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advocates for a prioritized implementation plan with measurable goals to ensure sustainable mobility, road safety, and affordable housing.