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The report details the outcomes of a WRI conference in Bogota, where teams from Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico developed a joint vision to synchronize electric mobility deployment with air quality monitoring. It proposes three primary regional projects: a 'Healthy and Sustainable Path to School' initiative to reduce child exposure to pollutants, a regional health-impact calculator platform (QueTanLimpioEsTuAire.com), and a 'Fleets in Transition' project targeting the decarbonization of urban freight. The document emphasizes a focus on vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly, and aims to position WRI as a regional leader in integrated sustainable transport solutions by 2030.

The study examines vertical integration—the coordination between national and sub-national governments—in Indonesia, Brazil, and India. It identifies common barriers such as fragmented governance, capacity gaps, and financing shortages at the local level. The paper recommends improving cross-sectoral governance, enhancing official capacity for planning and evaluation, harmonizing risk assessment data, and ensuring traceable financial mechanisms to bridge the gap between national commitments and local resilience outcomes.

The document outlines various carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies, categorising them into natural/biotic and technological/abiotic approaches. It highlights the United States' leadership in the sector, supported by billions of dollars in public investment and tax incentives, while noting a significant gap between current trajectories and midcentury needs.

The industrial sector represents 17% of U.S. GDP, and its global competitiveness now depends on reducing production emissions. The document identifies specific decarbonization pathways for cement, steel, chemicals, and hydrogen production, while highlighting the role of federal laws like the Inflation Reduction Act in catalyzing these projects. It argues that reducing emissions is essential for U.S. products to remain competitive, particularly as the European Union implements the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

The New Flyer Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), signed in 2022 between New Flyer of America Inc., Jobs to Move America (JMA), and Greater Birmingham Ministries (GBM), establishes workforce development and equity standards for bus manufacturing plants in Anniston, Alabama, and Ontario, California. The agreement mandates that 45% of new hires and 20% of promotions come from historically disadvantaged groups, including BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ persons, and formerly incarcerated individuals. It also establishes pre-apprenticeship and technical training programs, a discrimination complaint system managed by the NAACP in Alabama, and semi-annual safety training. The CBA was the result of a multi-year campaign by JMA and a broad coalition that used legal challenges and research on pay gaps to pressure the company. While the Ontario facility has since closed, the agreement has led to increased hiring of disadvantaged groups and contributed to the successful unionization of the Anniston plant in May 2024.

The document details the history and global expansion of Bogota's Ciclovía, a weekly event closing 127 kilometers of roads to cars. It examines how this model inspired similar programs like CicLAvia in Los Angeles, Ciclodia in Lima, and Open Streets Cape Town, highlighting their roles in promoting sustainable transport, social cohesion, and local economic growth.

The document details a legally binding community benefits agreement (CBA) for the $1.5 billion Trailblazer CO2 pipeline project. Tallgrass is converting a 392-mile pipeline to transport CO2 from Nebraska ethanol plants to sequestration sites in Wyoming. The CBA, negotiated with Bold Alliance and endorsed by 11 Nebraska organizations, provides specific landowner protections, public safety funding, and community investments to mitigate local opposition and ensure project viability.

The industrial sector is projected to be the highest emitting sector in the U.S. by 2030, accounting for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions (or 30% including electricity). While the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and CHIPS and Science Act provided significant initial investment, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that $700 billion to $1.1 trillion is needed to decarbonize the sector by 2050. This investment requirement is 5 to 10 times greater than the funding provided by the BIL and IRA, with 60% of necessary technologies still under development or not yet created. To address this gap, the document proposes a combination of tax credits, subsidies, and grants to reduce emissions intensity, demand-side levers to create markets for low-carbon products, and market-based mechanisms to disincentivize emissions-intensive processes.

The document examines the 2019 agreement between Stellantis and Detroit, which provided $13.8 million in community investments and nearly 5,000 jobs in exchange for a $2.5-billion expansion of the Jefferson North Assembly Plant. While the Community Benefits Ordinance (CBO) provided a formal framework for resident engagement via a Neighborhood Advisory Council, the document highlights significant failures in the process, including an expedited six-week negotiation timeline that hindered environmental research. It further details a disconnect between official compliance reports and actual air quality violations, noting that Stellantis released volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants, leading to state fines that did not benefit the impacted majority-Black, low-income community.

The World Resources Institute describes the COP29 agreement to deliver at least $300 billion per year by 2035 as an important but insufficient 'downpayment' for developing countries. While the deal triples current finance flows and establishes a roadmap to reach $1.3 trillion from all sources, the WRI emphasizes that this amount does not meet the actual needs of vulnerable nations to pursue low-carbon economies and manage climate disasters.

The World Resources Institute warns that proposed amendments to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) risk 'defanging' the law through the creation of a 'no-risk' country category, the use of an outdated 1990 reference year for forest assessments, and ambiguous language that creates uncertainty for stakeholders and potential trade disputes.

As of October 2024, there are 12,241 committed electric school buses in the U.S., with nearly 5,000 already delivered or operating. Adoption is heavily driven by the EPA's Clean School Bus Program, which funds 67% of all commitments and prioritizes high-poverty, rural, and tribal districts. While California leads in absolute numbers, the Northeast and Midwest have seen significant percentage increases. Seven states have enacted statutory zero-emission transition requirements, and WRI projects that 62% of all school bus sales will be electric by 2032 following revised EPA greenhouse gas emission standards.

The report evaluates several major global climate pledges, finding that most are currently off-track. While there are isolated successes—such as the UK closing its last coal plant and growth in electric car sales—critical goals like tripling renewable energy by 2030 and halting deforestation are not being met. The document highlights a significant gap between high-level commitments and implementation, particularly in the financial sector where net-zero plans are deemed insufficient and fossil fuel subsidies have reached record highs. It calls for a shift from loose networks to platforms of accountability as countries develop their next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2025.

The paper evaluates Detroit's first-of-its-kind Community Benefits Ordinance (CBO), which requires developers of projects valued at $75 million or more receiving significant city subsidies to negotiate benefits with local communities. While the CBO has provided communities a 'seat at the table,' the authors identify significant flaws in the selection of Neighborhood Advisory Councils (NACs), insufficient resources for community negotiators, and weak enforcement of agreements. The report recommends lowering the investment threshold to trigger the CBO, increasing community-elected NAC membership, and adopting environmental justice frameworks to ensure a just energy transition.

Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) in Lee County, North Carolina, is collaborating with regional businesses and initiatives like Advance NC to train a workforce for advanced manufacturing, including sectors like electric vehicles and semiconductors. Through the E. Eugene Moore Center, the college works with approximately 80 businesses to align training with employer needs while focusing on providing equal access to high-paying jobs for underrepresented groups, including Black and Indigenous communities and women. Additionally, the Chatham Economic Development Corporation is facilitating connections between large incoming companies, such as VinFast and Wolfspeed, and local small business providers to create a comprehensive regional economic response.

New analysis from the World Resources Institute reveals that 25% of global crops are grown in areas with highly stressed or unreliable water supplies. This vulnerability is particularly acute for staple crops like rice, wheat, and corn, with 33% produced in such areas. The report highlights a critical dependency on a small number of countries for irrigated crops and the increasing instability of rainfed agriculture due to climate change. To mitigate these risks, the document recommends strategies including reducing food waste, shifting diets away from water-intensive meats, increasing irrigation efficiency, and investing in nature-based solutions.

The briefing identifies a $700 billion annual biodiversity finance gap and argues that current corporate reporting frameworks are too complex and resource-intensive to scale private investment. It proposes complementing comprehensive standards with simplified, verifiable metrics—specifically hectare-based measurements—to lower barriers to entry, enable peer comparison, and unlock new financial incentives for companies to contribute positively to nature.

A review of 20 national climate commitments reveals that while some high-emitting countries are integrating behavior change policies, there are significant gaps in the adoption of high-impact practices and the variety of behavioral tools used.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and its subsidiaries underwent an independent audit for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024. The auditors issued an unmodified opinion on the consolidated financial statements and compliance for major federal programs. WRI reported total assets of $538,365,898 and total net assets of $489,378,797. The organization operates across seven critical issues, including climate, energy, and forests, with a significant portion of its funding coming from foreign governments (46% of receivables) and foundations (32% of receivables). The audit found no material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting or compliance for the 2024 period.

Singapore is implementing a phased approach to mandatory climate-related disclosures (CRD) for listed and large non-listed companies to align financial decisions with its 2050 net-zero target. This includes transitioning from TCFD-based requirements to ISSB standards, with specific timelines for Scope 3 GHG emissions reporting and environmental risk management guidelines for financial institutions issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.