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1,869 documents from World Resources Institute
Five Components of a New Financial Agreement under the Convention
The document outlines the need for a new financial agreement under the UNFCCC to overcome technology barriers in developing countries, noting that annual mitigation investments of USD $200 to $210 billion will be required by 2030 to stabilize global GHG emissions.
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Document type: Research paper
Mobilizing Climate Investment
The report argues that limiting global temperature rise to 2°C requires an estimated $531 billion per year of additional investment in energy supply and demand technologies in developing countries by 2050. To achieve this, the authors propose 'readiness' activities—small-scale, long-term public investments in enabling environments—to leverage private sector capital. Key findings emphasize that international support is most effective when it is demand-driven, integrated into national institutions, and targeted at specific investment barriers. The report provides a framework for these activities and offers recommendations for the Green Climate Fund to support a paradigm shift toward low-emission development.
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Document type: Report
Jobs and Skills for the New Economy: An Action Agenda for a People-Centered Climate Transition
The report highlights the potential for the climate transition to create a net increase of 375 million jobs over the next decade, particularly in energy, construction, and the nature-based economy. It identifies three primary barriers: the lack of workforce integration in transition strategies, outdated skills systems, and insufficient short-term financing for human capital. To address these, the report introduces a 10-point Action Agenda centered on intentionality, innovation, and investment, calling for a global initiative to provide technical assistance and shared knowledge to help countries and industries implement these strategies.
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Document type: Report
Faces of Restoration Soares Family: Making Agroforestry in the Amazon a Family Affair
The Soares family in Juruti, Brazil, is transitioning from traditional slash-and-burn agriculture to an agroforestry system to diversify income and restore the landscape. Originally focused on cassava production, the family is now integrating native tree species and fruit trees to increase food security and climate resilience. This transition is part of a pilot project involving 22 farmers, designed to provide a sustainable economic alternative to deforestation in the Amazon region.
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Document type: Case study
Capturing King Coal
The document discusses the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a potential bridging technology to allow the continued use of coal while reducing CO2 emissions. It argues that while CCS is viewed as a way to maintain the energy status quo, deploying it at a national scale would require a transformation of energy infrastructure as fundamental as a large-scale shift to wind energy.
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Document type: Report
Bottom Line on Renewable Electricity Standards
The document defines Renewable Electricity Standards (RES) as policies requiring a minimum percentage of electric power to come from eligible renewable sources. It details how these standards create market demand for clean energy, the types of eligible resources, and the potential for business opportunities through the sale of electricity or renewable energy credits (RECs). The text also outlines the state-level adoption of RES in the U.S. as of 2008 and discusses the legislative history and arguments surrounding a proposed national RES.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool for Deploying Solar Irrigation Pumps: The Case for Rajasthan
The document introduces a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) tool designed to evaluate the financial feasibility of solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) in Rajasthan. By utilizing metrics such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), benefit-to-cost ratio, and payback period, the tool aims to demonstrate the monetary benefits for farmers, DISCOMs, and the state government. The transition to SIPs is intended to reduce the state's heavy electricity subsidies for agriculture, lower carbon footprints by avoiding power procurement, and provide farmers with additional income through feeding excess electricity back into the grid.
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Document type: Briefing
Shining a Light on Electricity Governance
The Electricity Governance Initiative (EGI), established in 2003, works to counter the influence of private interests in the liberalization of electricity sectors in developing countries. By building the capacity of civil society organizations and research institutions, EGI aims to improve transparency and ensure that decision-making regarding investment, resource mix, and pricing accounts for public interests, affordability, and climate objectives.
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Document type: Report
How Pennsylvania Can Meet Its Clean Power Plan Targets
Pennsylvania can meet or exceed its Clean Power Plan targets by 2030 by expanding its energy efficiency and renewable energy standards, optimizing the operation of existing natural gas and coal plants, and adopting a carbon pricing program. Specifically, increasing the energy efficiency target to 13.2 percent cumulative annual savings and the Tier I alternative energy standard to 18 percent by 2030 could reduce CO2 emissions by 46 percent below 2012 levels. The document highlights that utilizing existing natural gas combined cycle plants at 75 percent capacity, compared to 65 percent in 2013, would further cut emissions.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders
The document argues that improving building efficiency is a cost-effective way to reduce global energy consumption and CO2 emissions while creating jobs and improving urban livability. It outlines eight specific actions for city leaders—ranging from implementing building codes and setting targets to engaging utilities and the private sector—and provides a strategic framework for developing integrated action plans to overcome market and institutional barriers.
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Document type: Guide
Powering Development in Climate Vulnerable Areas: The Role of Decentralized Solar Solutions in India
The report argues that decentralized solar solutions in India's climate-vulnerable regions must move beyond traditional, siloed implementation models to incorporate climate-risk data, context-specific design, and innovative financing to ensure resilience against extreme weather events.
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Document type: Report
A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance
The document argues that technical capacity and economic wealth are insufficient to ensure ambitious climate action, as 'political will' is often obstructed by vested interests. It proposes a systematic assessment of political and institutional contexts, ideologies, and narratives to help stakeholders build political power and develop strategies for enacting durable, ambitious policies. The guide specifically addresses the needs of multi-sector national coalitions facing challenges in cross-sector coordination, accountability systems, and policy monitoring.
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Document type: Guide
Power Sector Opportunities for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Illinois
WRI analysis indicates that Illinois can reduce CO2 emissions by 35 percent below 2011 levels by 2020 using existing policies and infrastructure, which would align with moderately ambitious EPA standards.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Faces of Restoration Bruno Mariani: From Banker to "Tree Whisperer"
The document profiles Bruno Mariani and his company, Symbiosis Investimentos, which transforms degraded cattle pasture in Bahia, Brazil, into productive native forests. By applying silviculture techniques—including genetic improvement and cloning—the company aims to produce high-quality hardwoods while conserving biodiversity. The model seeks to prove that native forest restoration is more profitable than low-yield cattle ranching, potentially offering a scalable solution for Brazil's 65 million hectares of degraded land.
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Document type: Case study
Techno-Economic Feasibility Analysis of Zero-Emission Trucks in Urban and Regional Delivery Use Cases: A Case Study of Guangdong Province, China
The study examines the feasibility of transitioning to zero-emission trucks (ZETs) in Guangdong Province, China, between 2022 and 2030. By analyzing 14 use cases, the research focuses on operational feasibility, purchase cost gaps, and the timeline for total cost of ownership (TCO) parity compared to diesel trucks. It specifically highlights the importance of addressing the needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and evaluates how technology, policy, and business models can accelerate ZET adoption, while also considering the applicability of these findings to other regions in China.
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Document type: Case study
Study on International Practices for Low Emission Zone and Congestion Charging
The document examines the implementation of Low Emission Zones (LEZ) and Congestion Charging (CC) in London, Singapore, and Stockholm to inform policy development in China. It identifies key areas for analysis, including scheme design, technology, and public communication, and provides specific recommendations for Chinese national and municipal governments to ensure successful adoption, such as aligning local schemes with national strategies and dedicating revenues to transportation improvements.
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Document type: Research paper
Geospatial Methods for Corporate GHG Accounting of Deforestation and Land Occupation
The document presents a methodology developed by the World Resources Institute and partners to standardize corporate GHG accounting for deforestation and land occupation. It addresses the inconsistency in current corporate reporting caused by the flexibility of existing frameworks like the GHG Protocol's Land Sector and Removals Guidance (LSRG). By using open, globally consistent spatial datasets, the methodology provides a common reference for emission factors across various crops and jurisdictions to improve transparency and comparability in scope 1 and scope 3 inventories.
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Document type: Guide
Compact of Mayors Emissions Scenario Model
The document outlines a model designed to aggregate greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets from Compact of Mayors cities and estimate reductions for those that have not yet reported targets. The model generates results across various formats and timeframes, including business-as-usual (BAU) scenarios and avoided emissions for different city categories. A noted limitation is the model's reliance on top-down emission-reduction targets, excluding the potential of specific financial, technological, or renewable energy resources, which is identified as a priority for future bottom-up research.
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Document type: Report
Assessing Physical Climate Risks for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's Power Generation Project Investment Portfolio
The paper presents a new methodology using machine learning and climate science to assess physical climate risks for power generation portfolios. Pilot testing on the EBRD's thermal and hydro assets indicates that annual generation losses could increase from 0.76 TWh (0.4%) in the baseline period to 7.0 TWh (3.3%) under RCP4.5 and 7.4 TWh (3.5%) under RCP8.5 by 2030. The analysis identifies water stress and rising water temperatures as the primary drivers of loss for thermal assets, while hydro assets are primarily affected by reduced precipitation and upstream water consumption. The study further finds that combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants are more resilient than coal-fired plants, and that once-through cooling systems are the most vulnerable cooling technology.
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Document type: Research paper
Reducing Food Loss and Waste
The document analyzes the impact of food loss and waste, noting that approximately 24 percent of calories produced for human consumption are lost or wasted. It argues that halving this rate by 2050 could significantly reduce the global food gap, saving an estimated 1,314 trillion kilocalories per year. The paper highlights that these inefficiencies lead to reduced farmer incomes, increased consumer costs, and environmental damage, including greenhouse gas emissions and inefficient land and water use.
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Document type: Research paper