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1,869 documents from World Resources Institute
Profiles of Adaptation: Fiji
Fiji employs a multi-sectoral approach to climate adaptation, utilizing a National Adaptation Plan with 160 measures and a hybrid seawall strategy combining mangroves, boulders, and vetiver grass. The government coordinates these efforts through the Climate Change Division, utilizing GIS and the Adaptation Impact Analysis Tool to monitor village-level projects. For communities facing immediate risk of inundation, Fiji has established a Standard Operating Procedure for Planned Relocations and the Climate Relocation of Communities (CROC) Trust Fund to ensure voluntary, culturally-sensitive movement to higher ground, as seen in the relocation of the village of Cogea.
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Document type: Case study
Ethiopia Saves Hundreds of Lives by Improving Road Safety
WRI has supported Ethiopia in implementing a "Safe System" approach to road safety, contributing to the development of the National Road Safety Strategy (2021-2030) and the Non-Motorized Transport Strategy (2020-2029). These initiatives aim to reduce traffic fatalities by 50% by 2030. Early results show a decrease in fatal crashes nationwide from 3,628 (2019-2020) to 3,149 (2021-2022), and a stabilization of road deaths in Addis Ababa.
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Document type: Case study
Indonesia’s Indigenous People Secure Forest and Land Rights
WRI Indonesia collaborated with local partners and government bodies to map 300,000 hectares of customary forests in Papua, resulting in the issuance of six customary forest certificates in Jayapura Regency to protect Indigenous land rights and biodiversity.
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Document type: Case study
IKEA Becomes First Global Company to Halve Food Waste
IKEA reduced food waste by 54% across its in-store restaurants in 32 markets, saving 20 million meals and $37 million annually while avoiding 36,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
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Document type: Case study
Kochi, India Adopts Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience
WRI India and the Kochi Municipal Corporation established the Kawaki initiative in 2021 to create urban forests in areas prone to flooding and extreme heat. The program uses a science-based approach, including participatory mapathons and household surveys, to identify planting sites and adaptation needs. These green spaces mitigate the urban heat island effect and reduce flood risks while providing employment for unskilled laborers. The city has integrated the program into its municipal budget and the Kochi City Master Plan 2040, shifting its strategy from rescue and recovery to long-term resilience planning.
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Document type: Case study
New Economy for the Brazilian Amazon
The report argues that a 'New Economy for the Brazilian Amazon' (NEA), characterized by zero deforestation and a robust bioeconomy, would provide the most equitable economic growth for Brazil. By 2050, this transition could increase the regional GDP by BRL 40 billion and create 312,000 additional jobs compared to a reference scenario. The study emphasizes that eliminating deforestation alone is insufficient to meet Paris Agreement targets; it must be coupled with the decarbonization of agriculture, livestock, and the energy matrix. The transition requires an estimated BRL 2.56 trillion in additional investment by 2050, representing 1.8% of Brazil's national GDP per year. Key recommendations include removing fossil fuel subsidies, redirecting rural credit toward low-carbon practices, and scaling a bioeconomy based on traditional indigenous knowledge and standing forests.
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Document type: Executive summary
The Electric School Bus Series: How Austin's School Board Resolution Created a Path for Cleaner Rides for Kids
Austin ISD passed a resolution in September 2022 committing to purchase exclusively electric school buses by 2030 and achieve full fleet electrification by 2035. This transition is aligned with the city of Austin's goal of net-zero community-wide emissions by 2040 and is supported by a $2.4 billion 2022 Bond, which allocated $25.7 million for bus replacement. The district is initiating the transition with a pilot of three electric buses arriving in fall 2023 to test performance across various routes. Key challenges include the higher initial cost of electric buses, which are three to four times more expensive than diesel models, leading to potential funding gaps in initial bond estimates.
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Document type: Case study
4 Actions Vulnerable Countries Need from COP28
The Allied for Climate Transformation by 2025 (ACT2025) consortium calls for COP28 to accelerate climate action through four primary pillars: advancing ambition to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C, scaling up people-centered adaptation, operationalizing loss and damage institutions, and mobilizing trillions in climate finance. The document emphasizes that G-20 nations, responsible for approximately 75% of global emissions, must lead in phasing out fossil fuels and meeting financial commitments to support the most vulnerable nations.
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Document type: Statement
The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US
As of December 2022, there are 5,612 committed electric school buses in the US, a significant increase driven largely by the EPA's Clean School Bus Rebate Program. While California leads in total numbers, adoption has expanded to all 50 states and is increasingly concentrated in low-income and minority communities, though the report emphasizes the need for continued focus on equity and infrastructure support.
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Document type: Report
Profiles of Adaptation: Somalia
Somalia is identified as the second most climate-vulnerable country globally, currently facing its worst drought in 40 years which has displaced 7.8 million people. To address this, the government established the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in August 2022 and is developing a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) focusing on agriculture, water management, public health, and disaster preparedness. Implementation is hindered by financial constraints, institutional coordination gaps, and security risks posed by the conflict with Al-Shabaab, which prevents officials from accessing certain regions to implement adaptation measures.
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Document type: Fact sheet
3 Questions on Loss and Damage Funding to Tackle Before COP28
The briefing outlines critical design considerations for the Transitional Committee tasked with operationalizing the loss and damage fund agreed upon at COP27. It identifies three primary challenges: determining whether the fund should be a gap fund, a catalytic fund, or a mixed model; defining the boundaries between loss and damage, adaptation, and humanitarian finance; and identifying reliable funding sources. The author suggests that the committee avoid the pitfalls of existing UNFCCC mechanisms—such as voluntary contribution cycles that lead to rushed proposals and slow disbursements—by studying diverse financial models, including pooled funds and the EU's Structural Funds, to ensure predictability and fast disbursement for vulnerable countries.
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Document type: Briefing
CEQ’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool Needs to Consider How Burdens Add Up
The World Resources Institute analyzes CEJST 1.0, finding that while it identifies more disadvantaged populations than the beta version, it lacks a mechanism to prioritize communities facing multiple overlapping burdens. The analysis reveals that non-white populations are disproportionately exposed to higher cumulative burdens, yet the tool treats all disadvantaged communities as equal for funding purposes. The authors recommend incorporating cumulative burden metrics, adjusting low-income eligibility for severely burdened areas, and establishing a rigorous monitoring framework for the Justice40 Initiative.
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Document type: Research paper
The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US
As of September 2022, there are 13,053 committed electric school buses in the US, spanning 483 school districts across 39 states. California leads adoption, and the largest funding source is California's Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Program. While adoption is high in areas with significant air pollution and among communities of color, the highest number of buses are concentrated in districts with the lowest percentages of low-income households.
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Document type: Report
What’s After Coal? Accelerating China’s Overseas Investment in Renewables
Following its 2021 pledge to stop financing overseas coal projects, China faces a choice between investing in natural gas or renewable energy. The document argues that China lacks the domestic market maturity and technical export edge to compete with countries like Japan and the US in gas power generation, where it ranked 13th in investment from 2001 to 2022. Conversely, China dominates global renewable manufacturing, controlling 72% of solar and 50% of wind turbine markets. While high demand in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries and low equipment costs favor a green pivot, challenges such as geopolitical tensions, regulatory unevenness, and limited insurance capacity from Sinosure hinder the bankability of renewable projects.
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Document type: Briefing
Paris’ Vision for a ‘15-Minute City’ Sparks a Global Movement
Paris has implemented a '15-Minute City' strategy to reduce car dependency and air pollution by ensuring residents can access essential services within 15 minutes via walking, cycling, or public transport. Key initiatives include converting the Seine's riverbanks into a car-free park, expanding cycling infrastructure to over 1,000 kilometers, and opening school yards as community hubs. The program also emphasizes participatory governance, including a 75 million euro participatory budget. This model of 'chrono-urbanism' has since been adopted by other global cities such as Melbourne, Ottawa, and Shanghai.
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Document type: Case study
Inclusive Design Creates a Safer Transportation System for All Residents of Peshawar, Pakistan
The Zu Peshawar project replaced an unreliable, private transport patchwork with a state-of-the-art Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system designed for inclusivity. By incorporating gender-sensitive features and accessibility tools, the system significantly increased female ridership from 2% to 20% and provided step-free access for wheelchair users. The project also included a Bus Industry Restructuring Program to transition former operators into formal employment with better conditions. Utilizing diesel-hybrid buses to reduce emissions, the system serves an average of 250,000 passengers daily and has inspired other Pakistani cities to upgrade their transit infrastructure.
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Document type: Case study
In Iloilo City, Philippines, an Inclusive Housing Program Protects Vulnerable Communities from Flood Risks
In Iloilo City, Philippines, a long-term partnership between the local government and the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines Inc. (HPFPI) has transitioned vulnerable residents from informal settlements in flood-prone waterways to secure, centrally located housing. This participatory approach replaced previous forced evictions and underdeveloped relocation sites with community-driven planning and innovative financing. The program has supported 1,250 households in resettlement and established over 560 collective savings groups to provide low-interest loans for land and construction, bypassing traditional finance schemes that often exclude the lowest income segments. The initiative has integrated urban poor representatives into city government boards for resettlement, disaster risk, and land use planning.
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Document type: Case study
Recommendations for Collaboration Between the US and China on Methane Emissions
The briefing outlines potential areas for U.S.-China collaboration on methane reduction following the U.S.-China Joint Glasgow Declaration. Key opportunities include the use of enteric methane inhibitors, improving rice cultivation practices, developing economic cases for anaerobic biodigesters in waste management, and sharing remote sensing data and facility-level monitoring strategies.
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Document type: Briefing
An Innovative Jobs Program in Odisha, India Helped Informal Workers Through COVID-19 and Beyond
The Urban Wage Employment Initiative (UWEI) was launched by Odisha's Housing and Urban Development Department in 2020 to combat unemployment and poverty among urban poor and migrant workers during COVID-19 lockdowns. The program employed 700,000 workers and paid $12 million in wages, focusing on climate-resilient public works such as rainwater harvesting and flood mitigation. By utilizing community organizations as 'alternative service providers' instead of professional contractors, the program ensured benefits remained local and reached marginalized groups. The success of UWEI led to its conversion in February 2021 into a permanent program called MUKTA (Mukhyamantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyan), establishing a precedent for pro-poor urban employment schemes in India.
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Document type: Case study
WRI Europe’s Five-Year Strategy (2023-2027)
WRI Europe's 2023-2027 strategy focuses on transforming the food, land, water, energy, and city systems to achieve interconnected goals for people, nature, and climate. The strategy emphasizes Europe's role as a driver, consumer, and partner for change, specifically supporting the implementation of the EU Green Deal and managing the impacts of the energy transition, such as the demand for rare minerals. WRI Europe aims to act as an enabling office for focus countries with large emerging economies while addressing Europe's own environmental footprint through data-driven solutions and partnerships like the Systems Transformation Hub in Brussels.
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Document type: Briefing