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The Restoration Monitoring Tools Guide, developed by Climate Focus, WRI, and partners, provides a framework for monitoring terrestrial landscape restoration to ensure projects achieve their climate, biodiversity, and social goals. It outlines five essential steps: defining the area of interest, establishing indicators, creating a baseline, collecting sustainable data, and reporting results. The guide includes a 'ToolFinder' web app to help users select ready-to-use, adaptable tools based on their specific project needs and scales.

The study identifies a significant gap between the theoretical potential of individual behavior shifts to reduce emissions and the actual results achieved through behavioral interventions. While comprehensive behavioral changes could theoretically offset the average global citizen's per capita emissions, real-world interventions typically achieve only 10% of that potential. The authors identify four 'Priority Shifts'—reducing gas-powered vehicle use, decreasing air travel, lowering residential fossil fuel consumption through structural changes, and reducing animal product consumption—as the most impactful actions. Conversely, 'Supplementary Shifts' like composting have minimal impact. The research highlights a geographic imbalance, with a surplus of studies in the US and EU and a deficit in high-emitting nations like China, India, Brazil, and Indonesia. The most effective behavioral tools for driving change are choice architecture and commitment devices, while information-based approaches are the least effective.

The briefing outlines five key heat metrics—land surface temperature, air temperature, heat index, wet bulb globe temperature, and thermal comfort indices—detailing their specific uses and limitations. It argues that while traditional metrics are useful for regional analysis and safety limits, thermal comfort modeling is essential for understanding human-scale heat exposure and designing local interventions like shade and wind corridors. The document provides a framework for matching these metrics to goals such as protecting pedestrians, reducing energy use, or lowering citywide temperatures.

WRI and the Shenzhen government implemented 113 near-zero carbon demonstration projects, including rooftop solar and building retrofits, to address rising household energy demand. These initiatives are projected to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 1 million tons and save residents US$ 280 million in energy costs. To ensure scalability and affordability for low-income groups, the city introduced a subsidy policy providing up to 1 million yuan per community.

WRI Colombia conducted workshops and developed educational toolkits to help local government officials and teachers integrate the E2050 net-zero strategy into subnational development plans and school curricula, reaching over 100 public servants and 4,800 students.

The North Plains Connector (NPC) is a $3.2 billion, 420-mile high-voltage direct current transmission project designed to connect the western and eastern electric grids. The developer, North Plains Connector LLC, has adopted a "landowner-first approach," prioritizing voluntary agreements over eminent domain and modifying the route by adding 50 miles to accommodate local siting requests. Community benefits include $3.9 million in grants distributed via local foundations, over $62 million in federal TSED grants secured for local infrastructure, and the creation of approximately 800 construction jobs. The project also facilitates expanded wind energy exports for the Standing Rock Sioux. While this high-upfront-investment model has reduced local opposition, the document notes it requires "patient capital" and its long-term financial efficiency compared to traditional development remains unproven.

In Chamwino, Tanzania, the transition from diesel-powered to solar-powered water pumps for the AMCOS farming cooperative led to significant increases in mango yields and farmer incomes. Between 2021 and 2022, average production rose from 40 to 97 fruits per tree, with those using drip irrigation exceeding 120 fruits. Monthly incomes nearly doubled from TZS 150,00 to TZS 297,000. Despite these gains, the project faces limitations including clogged pipes, insufficient storage, and a lack of processing facilities. The document argues that scaling such renewable energy initiatives requires integrated policies for water management, improved agricultural training, and better market infrastructure.

The research identifies that while health and environmental benefits motivate the transition to electric school buses, districts are hindered by concerns over cost, infrastructure, and technology. Notably, geography and locale influence district needs more than priority status, and most districts do not currently integrate equity considerations into their electrification processes.

The report identifies a wide array of solutions to reduce agricultural methane, which accounts for approximately half of global anthropogenic methane emissions. Key strategies include improving livestock feed efficiency, using methane inhibitors like 3-NOP and Asparagopsis seaweed, implementing advanced manure treatments such as acidification and solid-liquid separation, and adopting water-management practices in rice cultivation like alternate wetting and drying. The authors emphasize that while many technologies are market-ready, widespread adoption is hindered by financial and regulatory barriers, necessitating stronger government support and private sector engagement.

The World Resources Institute evaluates the EU's Clean Industrial Deal, praising its focus on clean-tech and the mobilization of 100 billion Euros for manufacturing, but warns that potential delays to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and a lack of specific resource efficiency targets could undermine its effectiveness.

WRI has developed a cost-effective MRV framework and the TerraMatch platform to track land restoration progress. The process combines geospatial polygons, semi-annual field reports, and independent verification using AI-driven satellite imagery and employment records to measure tree counts, carbon stocks, and job creation.

The U.S. clean energy sector saw record solar and battery storage installations in 2024, with renewables accounting for approximately 90% of new capacity. However, progress is hindered by grid interconnection backlogs, rising local opposition, high interest rates, and supply chain shortages. The report also notes a slowdown in EV sales growth and warns that the Trump administration's policies may create further roadblocks to decarbonization.

The World Resources Institute warns that the Trump administration's retreat from climate action and multilateralism—including withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and freezing foreign assistance—will undermine U.S. security, prosperity, and global stability. The organization highlights that the U.S. provides over 10% of global climate finance and cautions that halting this support will make it harder to reach the $1.3 trillion target needed by developing countries by 2035.

The Block Island Wind Farm, the first operational offshore wind farm in the U.S., utilized a community benefits agreement (CBA) to secure local support by addressing the island's critical need for mainland electricity and internet connectivity. Key successes included the hiring of a local community liaison and funding for third-party technical consultants for the town. The project resulted in a 40% reduction in electricity rates, the elimination of diesel generators, and the installation of broadband fiber optic cables. While early engagement was perceived as limited, the project's alignment with the island's infrastructure needs and the state's Special Area Management Plan facilitated its approval.

Campinas, Brazil, launched its Local Climate Action Plan (PLAC) in June 2024, aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The plan utilizes an integrated approach that connects climate priorities with social inclusion and nature, supported by a roadmap of approximately 130 short-term activities to ensure feasibility through 2032. To avoid governance gaps, the city established the Municipal Committee for Coping with Climate Change Impacts, which includes deliberative, consultative, and participative groups. Key immediate priorities include expanding 150 km of cycling infrastructure by 2030 and aligning climate targets with the 2026–2029 Multi-Year Plan (PPA) budget cycle.

The World Resources Institute asserts that the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will not stop global climate action but will diminish American political influence and cede a competitive advantage in the green energy economy to China and the European Union. The statement emphasizes that subnational entities and the Inflation Reduction Act will maintain U.S. climate progress.

The report identifies five key trends in the development of the U.S. electric vehicle workforce pipeline, focusing on Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Tennessee. It finds that public community and technical colleges are the primary providers of training, with a heavy emphasis on vehicle maintenance and repair over manufacturing and charging. The analysis highlights a wide variance in enrollment requirements and program durations, ranging from 20-hour online courses to two-year degrees. It also identifies three critical industry certifications—ASE, AWS, and NIMS—and describes how state-level policies and private investments are driving the creation of these educational pathways to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles.

The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 350-mile, 2,100-MW underground transmission line connecting wind energy from MISO jurisdiction states to the PJM market. By co-locating the line within existing railroad rights of way and utilizing undergrounding, the project has significantly reduced community opposition and simplified siting. The developer has implemented a variety of benefits, including 'good neighbor payments' to adjacent landowners, municipal franchise agreements that fund local infrastructure like broadband expansion, and apprenticeship programs for underserved youth. While the project faces skepticism regarding the higher upfront costs of undergrounding compared to overhead lines, the developer argues that lifecycle costs are competitive, particularly when accounting for extreme weather resilience and reduced siting delays.

Copper is essential for renewable energy and electric vehicles, with demand projected to grow by at least 50% by 2050. While mining faces challenges like long lead times and decreasing ore quality, recycling copper—which is 100% recyclable—can save up to 85% of the energy used in extraction. Currently, recycled copper provides about one-third of the global supply, but doubling end-of-life recycling rates from 32% to 66% could recover over 6 million tons of copper from landfills annually by 2040. Scaling this requires improving collection systems, expanding high-standard processing capacity, and increasing market demand for recycled materials across the U.S., EU, and China.

The report evaluates 2,618 commitments from the Our Ocean Conference (2014-2024), totaling US$160 billion in pledged funds. As of January 2025, 43% of commitments are completed, with $133.4 billion mobilized. The majority of pledged finance (54%) is directed toward ocean-climate action. The paper recommends increasing engagement with the private sector, academia, and marginalized groups, including small island developing states and Indigenous communities.