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This guide details the methodology and data sources used by the World Resources Institute (WRI) to create the Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity. The atlas identifies global areas of forest loss and evaluates the feasibility of restoration by contrasting potential forest coverage with current coverage and human pressure.

This working paper proposes a results framework for monitoring the indirect outcomes of Components A (small solar-powered generators) and C (on-grid solar pumps) of India's Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) scheme. The framework utilizes a water-energy-food (WEF) nexus approach to move beyond quantitative metrics, such as installed solar capacity, to capture qualitative socioeconomic changes in farmers' lives.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute explores the potential for technological carbon removal in the United States, focusing on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), direct air capture with storage (DACS), and frontier technologies. It identifies the infrastructure, policy, and research needs required to scale these technologies to help meet Paris Agreement temperature targets.

This working paper analyzes transformative climate adaptation in Bhutan, Ethiopia, and Costa Rica, focusing on water scarcity, landscape degradation, and agricultural shifts. It identifies that while some communities are initiating autonomous system shifts, they lack the technical and financial support needed for scalability. Key recommendations include investing in automated monitoring, mobilizing community change agents, and providing targeted financial credit for farmers transitioning to climate-resilient livelihoods.

This working paper analyzes the institutional, financial, and human resource capacities of Cameroon, Indonesia, and Peru in developing forest and land-use information systems (FLUIS), identifying key enabling factors and systemic challenges.

The Costs and Benefits Appraisal Tool for Transit Buses is a web-based tool designed to help city officials and bus operators evaluate the costs, emissions, and social benefits of different bus fuel types to inform clean bus upgrades.

This briefing from the World Resources Institute, part of a series titled 'Keys to Achieving Universal Energy Access', examines policy and regulatory frameworks needed to scale up distributed renewable energy services in developing countries. Based on research and workshops conducted between 2012 and 2013, the document highlights the role of distributed energy in meeting global electricity access goals and provides recommendations for engaging enterprises in policy-making and reforming the financial sector to unlock capital.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute addresses the 'MRV' (measurement, reporting, and verification) challenge within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. It outlines key questions regarding the verification of supported actions, the governance of an international registry for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), and the role of national climate action plans to ensure country accountability for greenhouse gas emission mitigation and support obligations.

This research paper examines the governance and institutional arrangements necessary to support long-term, low-emissions development strategies (LTSs) to bridge the gap between current decisions and long-term climate goals.

This research paper estimates that annual global transport infrastructure investment needs are $2 trillion for a 2°C scenario and $2.3 trillion for a 4°C scenario. It concludes that a low-carbon pathway is more affordable and financially feasible within current annual investment flows of $1.4 to $2.1 trillion, provided that national policymakers and development banks shift investment portfolios toward sustainable options.

This research paper estimates that China voluntarily provided and mobilized $45 billion (averaging $4.5 billion per year) for climate action in developing countries between 2013 and 2022, representing about 6% of the total finance from developed countries. The study addresses a data gap caused by aggregate and sporadic government reporting by analyzing four channels: bilateral public finance, multilateral public finance, export credits, and mobilized private finance.

This research paper examines the potential for clean hydrogen to decarbonize the United States freight transport sector, including road, air, water, and rail. It positions hydrogen as a complementary solution to electrification and other clean fuels, noting that while significant cost, infrastructure, and technological barriers exist, hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels could provide mature, low-carbon alternatives by 2050.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute examines how collaborations between U.S. cities and corporations can overcome technical, policy, and market barriers to advance the procurement and deployment of renewable electricity.

This research paper outlines a framework for India's low-carbon growth by calculating the country's fair share of the global carbon budget and modeling decadal milestones for the power, industry, and transport sectors through 2050.

This guidebook by the World Resources Institute provides a framework for conducting coastal ecosystem valuations in the Caribbean to better inform policy, management, and investment decisions. It outlines a three-phase process—scoping, analysis, and outreach—emphasizing that while over 100 such studies have been conducted in the region, only a minority have influenced actual decision-making.

This working paper provides a guide for US state policymakers to regulate methane emissions from natural gas development, focusing on cost-effective technologies and model rules to reduce leaks across the supply chain.

The World Resources Institute presents a random forest model that captures 86% of future conflicts (defined as 10+ fatalities per year), though with a 50% false positive rate. While water-related variables correlate with conflict, they are not empirically significant for model decisions unless the conflict definition is modified. A web-based tool is provided to visualize these forecasts and vulnerabilities.

This expert note examines the factors that make Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) credible and explores how biennial transparency reports (BTRs) under the Paris Agreement's enhanced transparency framework (ETF) provide the necessary information to assess and inform the credibility of these national climate plans.

Dr. Jonathan Pershing of the World Resources Institute provided testimony to the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee supporting the America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191). He argued that the bill's cap-and-trade system would provide a necessary price signal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at modest economic costs while positioning the United States to lead international climate action.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute provides a framework for REDD+ countries to strengthen accountability mechanisms. Based on a review of 20 Emissions Reduction Program Idea Notes (ER-PINs) submitted to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’s (FCPF’s) Carbon Fund, the paper identifies critical gaps in power relationship definitions, the formalization of rules, and the implementation of grievance redress mechanisms.