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1,869 documents from World Resources Institute
Stories from the Living Lab, 2017–2018: A Look at Sustainability in Waste Management, Bike Commuting, and Investments
The report details WRI's internal efforts to reduce its operational footprint, highlighting a waste diversion increase from 27% to nearly 80% in its U.S. office through behavioral science, the use of infrastructure and incentives to promote bike commuting in the U.S. and Brazil, and the integration of sustainability into endowment investment strategies.
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Document type: Report
Winds of Change: Learnings for the Indian Offshore Wind Energy Sector
The document examines India's path toward its 30 GW offshore wind target by 2030, noting that while the country has a potential of 70 GW off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, it currently has no installed offshore wind projects. It identifies critical needs in policy updates, low-cost financing, port infrastructure, and environmental clearances to enable the sector's growth.
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Document type: Research paper
Technical Note for a Dataset Modeling the Societal Health and Climate Benefits Associated With Transitioning the US School Bus Fleet From Diesel to Electric
The document outlines a research effort to model the health and climate impacts of replacing aging diesel school buses with new diesel or electric alternatives across the contiguous United States. It details a dataset that provides monetized unit and total impacts for each county, focusing on the reduction of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Research paper
Indonesia's Moratorium on New Forest Concessions
The World Resources Institute analyzed Indonesia's May 2011 moratorium on new forest and peat land licenses, concluding that in its current state, it will not help the country meet its 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 26 percent due to exemptions and enforcement issues.
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Document type: Research paper
Incorporating Natural Infrastructure in Bogotá’s Water System
The report argues that investing in natural infrastructure, specifically in the páramos surrounding Bogotá, can generate significant cost savings for the city's water utility by improving sediment and nitrogen control. It highlights a specific investment portfolio in sustainable silvopastoral systems and ecosystem restoration that could yield high economic returns and reduce the need for reservoir expansion.
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Document type: Report
NDC Enhancement: Opportunities in Agriculture
The document argues that transformative changes in agriculture are essential to meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. It advocates for countries to develop customized strategies for their NDCs to address food security risks, reduce emissions, and build resilience, noting that climate impacts on food production and employment are expected to worsen by 2030.
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Document type: Research paper
Carbon Removal in Forests and Farms in the United States
The document assesses the capacity of U.S. forests and farms to remove carbon dioxide, estimating the potential at hundreds of millions of metric tons per year. It highlights that while marginal costs are generally below US$50/tCO2, scaling requires overcoming challenges in measurement, monitoring, land-use competition, and funding. The paper distinguishes between practices that may reduce food and fiber supply and those that do not, such as reforestation on nonagricultural lands and improved forest carbon management.
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Document type: Research paper
The Norwegian Fast-Start Finance Contribution
The document examines Norway's fast-start finance (FSF) contributions between 2010 and 2011, noting that Norway is one of the largest contributors relative to its economy. While the majority of funds supported mitigation, specifically REDD+ activities, the paper highlights a lack of a comprehensive project list for all FSF, which hinders independent scrutiny. It recommends that Norway disclose project-level spending and harmonize reporting with other donors and multilateral institutions.
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Document type: Research paper
A Review of Intergovernmental Cooperation on the Mitigation of Climate Change
The report examines over 90 intergovernmental climate initiatives, finding a fragmented landscape dominated by developed countries and focused primarily on knowledge sharing rather than policy adoption. While cooperation exists across all sectors, particularly energy supply, most initiatives lack the breadth of country participation needed to cover significant sectoral emissions and often lack transparency arrangements.
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Document type: Research paper
Achieving Replacement Level Fertility
The document highlights that Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where fertility rates remain significantly above replacement level, with a projected population increase to 2.1 billion by 2050. It argues that accelerating the decline to a replacement level of 2.1 children per woman would reduce the 2050 population by approximately 390 million people, thereby easing food demand, reducing the need for cropland expansion, and creating a 'demographic dividend' for economic growth. The paper advocates for non-coercive strategies, specifically improving girls' education, reproductive health access, and child mortality rates.
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Document type: Research paper
Rattling Supply Chains
The report introduces the "Ecoflation" scenario, where environmental costs are internalized into business operations due to policy and resource constraints. For FMCG companies that do not adapt, the report estimates significant reductions in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), ranging from 13-31% by 2013 and 19-47% by 2018. The analysis highlights the volatility of commodity prices and the degradation of natural ecosystems, suggesting that companies must implement structural changes, such as product innovation and restructured value chains, to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Report
Examining the Alignment between the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions and Sustainable Development Goals
The paper examines the interdependence of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), arguing that climate actions within Intended Nationally Determined Contributions can mutually reinforce sustainable development targets.
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Document type: Research paper
Pilot Analysis Of Global Ecosystems: Agroecosystems
The PAGE Agroecosystems study finds that while global food production has kept pace with population growth, it has caused significant environmental degradation, including widespread soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and depletion of freshwater resources.
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Document type: Report
10 Questions to Ask About Scaling On-Grid Renewable Energy
The document introduces a framework designed to assist government agencies, regulators, utilities, and other stakeholders in addressing the complexities of economy-wide renewable energy deployment. It identifies key barriers to scaling, specifically the distribution of costs among consumers and investors, and technical hurdles such as grid upgrades and the management of intermittent supply.
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Document type: Research paper
Faith-Based Participation in Natural-Resource Governance: Communities Defending Life and Territories in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico
The report examines the role of faith communities in socio-environmental disputes across Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, highlighting their use of spiritual-symbolic strategies to defend territories and human rights. It argues that these actors are often neglected despite their influence and recommends that governments and international organizations recognize them as environmental defenders. The study specifically notes the critical but under-recognized leadership of women within these faith-based movements.
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Document type: Report
Water Resilience in a Changing Urban Context: Africa's Challenge and Pathways for Action
African cities face increasing water insecurity driven by climate change and rapid urbanization, which current governance and financial models cannot address. The report argues for a transition to water-resilient systems through four strategic pathways: risk-informed land management, equitable access for vulnerable populations, institutional innovation, and aligned sectoral investments.
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Document type: Report
Thirst for Corn
The document addresses the environmental risks associated with the unprecedented expansion of the U.S. corn ethanol industry following the Energy Policy Act of 2005. It argues that policy focus should shift from industry expansion to an evolution that prioritizes energy security and environmental benefits, offering specific farm policy recommendations to manage soil, water, and greenhouse gas impacts.
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Document type: Research paper
Modeling Hyperlocal Heat Exposure With Open-Source Data
The document introduces an open-source method to model the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) at a 1-meter resolution using the SOLWEIG model and open-access data. This framework allows cities to assess baseline heat risks and simulate the cooling effects of interventions such as tree planting, shade structures, and cool surfaces. The method's accuracy was validated against LiDAR-supported models, showing a mean absolute error of 0.39°C.
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Document type: Research paper
Investing in Sustainable Energy Futures
The report reviews MDB loan documentation from 2006–2008, finding that only a small number of projects comprehensively addressed the policy, regulatory, and institutional elements necessary for sustainable energy. It argues that standard energy policies often prioritize short-term costs over long-term environmental benefits and recommends that MDBs more consistently integrate greenhouse gas emission considerations, energy efficiency, and poverty alleviation into their electricity sector support.
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Document type: Report
Measuring The Invisible: Porto Alegre Case Study
The study evaluates transport interventions in Porto Alegre, Brazil, finding that a BRT system could reduce annual CO2 emissions by 25-31 thousand tonnes compared to a business-as-usual scenario with fare integration, whereas fare integration alone might increase emissions.
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Document type: Case study