Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the World Resources Institute evaluates how companies are addressing "cutting-edge issues" related to climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy. It provides a framework of six key actions for corporate leadership and assesses progress and barriers across areas such as GHG reporting, target setting, and market adaptation.

This report by the World Resources Institute synthesizes findings from a review of major bus improvements in 13 cities across Latin America and Asia. It evaluates the benefits, challenges, and lessons learned regarding the planning, implementation, and operation of bus systems, specifically focusing on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to provide recommendations for urban transport planners in developing nations.

This working paper argues for a shift from an industrial, energy-transition-focused 'bioeconomy' to a 'bio-ecology bioeconomy' for the Amazon. This proposed model emphasizes the conservation of a deforestation-free biome, the integration of socio-ecological landscapes, and the central role of local communities and Amazonian cities in maintaining biological and cultural diversity.

This guidebook provides instructions for technical staff on how to customize existing GHG Protocol calculation tools to better suit specific greenhouse gas programs or national and regional contexts.

This research paper identifies the essential elements for enhancing technology transfer and development and evaluates the institutional approaches proposed in major country positions.

The research identifies 105 cities with populations over one million across 34 Global South countries suitable for electrification, based on electricity access (>90%) and carbon intensity (<600 tCO2e/GWh). While all South American cities meet these criteria, suitability is low in sub-Saharan Africa (3 of 40 cities) and South and East Asia (26 of 202 cities).

This case study describes how farmers in the Caatinga region of Brazil, specifically in Pintadas, Bahia, are adopting agroforestry by cultivating native trees like the umbu to diversify income and build resilience against climate change and desertification.

This report by the World Resources Institute provides a primer for governments on raising and aligning funds to implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to meet Paris Agreement goals. It outlines a three-stage process consisting of planning (creating a financing strategy), implementation (using financial, fiscal, and policy instruments), and monitoring (tracking financial flows).

This technical summary describes a system dynamics model for India, developed by World Resources Institute India and KnowlEdge Srl (Switzerland) based on Andrea M. Bassi's 2015 Green Economy Model (GEM). The model is customized to India's national context and primary sectors to provide policy tools for achieving a low-carbon development pathway.

This research paper examines the 2008 food crisis to analyze how complex crises impact vulnerable households in developing countries and how these households build adaptive capacity.

This research paper introduces the 'data loop' concept, describing a collaborative relationship between governments and the private sector to enhance greenhouse gas emissions data sharing to support national climate policies and Paris Agreement reporting requirements, with a focus on the Asia region.

This working paper examines the data and information requirements for effectively implementing national strategies to reduce forest emissions, with a specific focus on addressing illegal logging in Peru and Indonesia. It discusses the role of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) within the context of REDD+ and other international climate financing frameworks.

This working paper analyzes the tension between country ownership and accountability in climate finance. It argues that while financial management in many developing countries is strong, results-based management and social safeguards need improvement. The paper proposes three models of finance delivery—contributor-centered, shared, and full recipient ownership—and advocates for strengthening national systems over creating parallel international structures to increase development impact.

This WRI working paper addresses a 'crisis of confidence' within the Green Climate Fund (GCF), proposing simultaneous reforms in resources and governance. It advocates for a formula-based framework to determine financial contributions based on metrics like GHG emissions and GNI, and suggests improving Board effectiveness through independent reviews, transparent member selection, and new decision-making procedures to prevent deadlocks.

This report by the World Resources Institute examines electricity sector reforms across six countries, arguing that these reforms are fundamentally issues of sustainable development. It finds that current reforms are primarily driven by financial concerns and donor conditions rather than social or environmental benefits.

This research paper proposes five components for a new financial agreement under the UNFCCC to address technology barriers in developing countries, drawing on UNFCCC submissions and technical papers regarding mitigation investment needs.

This report by the World Resources Institute examines how public climate finance can be used to create the policy, institutional, industry, and financial conditions necessary to scale up private and public investment in low-carbon energy. Based on case studies from six developing countries, the report proposes a framework for 'readiness' activities and provides recommendations for international climate funds, specifically the Green Climate Fund.

The World Resources Institute report 'Jobs and Skills for the New Economy' advocates for a people-centered transition to a low-carbon economy. It argues that by prioritizing investments in jobs, skills, and social equity, leaders can achieve a 'triple dividend' of economic resilience, social cohesion, and environmental progress, while potentially generating a net increase of 375 million jobs over the next ten years.

This case study describes the transition of the Soares family, based in Juruti, Brazil, from traditional slash-and-burn agriculture to a sustainable agroforestry system. Supported by a pilot project led by WRI Brasil and Preta Terra, the family is diversifying its production beyond cassava to include native trees and fruit species to increase income, food security, and climate resilience while restoring the Amazon landscape.

This report examines the potential and challenges of implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a means to continue using coal for power generation while mitigating climate change impacts, specifically focusing on the technological, policy, legal, and investment hurdles of large-scale deployment.