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This case study by the World Resources Institute examines the restoration of forest landscapes in New England from 1850 to the present. It details how a combination of market shifts, ecological suitability, and policy interventions led to the passive restoration of approximately 4 million hectares between 1880 and 2000, while also identifying current threats to these regenerated forests.

This case study by the World Resources Institute examines the large-scale forest landscape restoration in South Korea from the mid-1950s to the present, detailing the drivers, enabling conditions, and outcomes of the process.

This case study by the World Resources Institute examines the restoration of forests in the southern United States from 1920 to the mid-1960s, detailing the drivers, enabling conditions, and eventual decline of net forest gain.

The American Power Act (APA) is a comprehensive legislative proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States through a mandatory cap-and-trade system, phased-in regulation of major emitters, and targeted investments in clean energy. Key features include economy-wide emission reduction targets (reaching 83% below 2005 levels by 2050), a consumption cap on HFCs, and significant financial and regulatory support for nuclear power and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). The act also includes provisions for offshore drilling moratoriums, transportation efficiency planning, and international climate assistance, while utilizing a complex allowance distribution system to support consumers, industry, and deficit reduction.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) has established a climate change investment strategy to align its endowment portfolio with the Paris Agreement. The strategy focuses on transitioning to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and prioritizing investments that support a resilient and just economy, utilizing a science-based approach with five-year targets.

This research paper examines climate change vulnerability and adaptation in Sudan, highlighting the critical dependence of food security on erratic rainfall. It predicts significant declines in millet and sorghum yields in the Kordofan Region by 2060 and warns of increased malaria risks and water crises. The authors argue that while the Environmental Protection Act of 2001 and the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) provide frameworks, effective adaptation requires moving away from top-down, sectorial planning toward integrated national planning, land tenure reform, and the establishment of a national early warning system.

This research paper by Dr. Paul B. Siegel proposes a "no-regrets" approach to climate change adaptation by integrating disaster risk management (DRM), climate change adaptation (CCA), and social protection (SP) through spatially enabled governance. The author argues that development agencies should support the creation of adaptive social protection systems that are globally guaranteed, nationally managed, and locally administered, utilizing GIS and spatial data infrastructure to build resilience among the poor and vulnerable.

This research paper by Roger Street of the UK Climate Impacts Programme examines the requirements for climate information to be useful in adaptation decision-making. The author argues that information must be 'decision-relevant,' meaning it is tailored to the specific spatial and temporal scales of the decision process and the needs of the user community. The paper emphasizes that providing more data is not always beneficial and that a joint responsibility between information providers and users, fostered through sustained engagement, is necessary to bridge the gap between scientific data and practical policy implementation.

This briefing by Johan Rockström argues for a 'new green revolution' in agriculture to simultaneously address immediate poverty and long-term climate risks. The author proposes shifting focus from large-scale irrigation to small-scale rainfed agriculture and water harvesting, particularly in tropical regions, to increase food production and turn agriculture into a carbon sink.

This briefing updates the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities network on the progress of the World Resources Report (WRR). The report focuses on the global south and the lower 50% of urban income distributions, utilizing seven working papers on urban issues (including energy, water, and transport) and city-level case studies to identify transformative changes for sustainable and equitable urban growth.

This case study by the World Resources Institute examines the efforts toward transformative urban change in Pune, India, between 1992 and 2018. It focuses on the roles of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in implementing sustainable transport and solid waste management systems, while analyzing the structural governance and financial barriers that hinder durable transformation.

This case study examines the response of the state of Acre, Brazil, to severe droughts and wildfires in 2005 and 2010. It details the implementation of a centralized 'situation room' to coordinate fire-fighting efforts using satellite data and technical expertise, while analyzing the environmental impacts, policy interventions, and systemic barriers to fire control in the western Amazon.

This case study examines the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) in Bangladesh, focusing on Phase I (2004–2009). The programme represents a strategic shift from a reactive relief-based approach to a proactive risk-reduction culture. It details the institutional frameworks, specific tools developed for climate and disaster risk management, and the transition into Phase II (2010–2014) to mainstream these practices across thirteen government ministries.

This case study examines the integration of climate change adaptation into China's Comprehensive Agricultural Development (CAD) program, specifically through the World Bank-financed Irrigated Agriculture Intensification Loan III Project (IAIL3) and a subsequent Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant. Focused on the 3H Plain, the initiative aimed to address water scarcity and agricultural vulnerability by implementing drought-resistant crop varieties, water-harvesting infrastructure, and capacity-building for farmers, including rural women.

This case study examines how Rwanda addressed a severe electricity crisis in 2004 by restoring the Rugezi-Bulera-Ruhondo watershed to maintain the operational capacity of its primary hydropower stations.

This case study describes an agrometeorological project launched in 1982 by Mali’s Direction Nationale de la Météorologie (DNM) to help rural farmers manage climate risks and improve food security. The program provides weather forecasts, rainfall measurement tools, and technical advice through a multidisciplinary framework, resulting in higher crop yields and incomes for participating farmers.

This case study examines the implementation of the Index-Based Livestock Insurance Project in Mongolia, designed to mitigate the financial devastation caused by dzuds (severe winter weather). The project transitions the country from reactive, ex post disaster funding to a proactive, ex ante risk management strategy using mortality-based indices rather than individual loss assessments.

This fact sheet introduces the World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City, which examines how providing equitable access to core urban services—such as housing, water, sanitation, energy, and transportation—can lead to more economically productive and environmentally sustainable cities in rapidly urbanizing regions.

This fact sheet introduces the 'Towards a More Equal City' series by the World Resources Institute, which provides a roadmap for cities—particularly in the global south—to close the 'urban services divide' through seven cross-sectoral transformations to improve equity, prosperity, and sustainability.

The Zero Carbon Building Accelerator, led by the World Resources Institute (WRI), is a program designed to help national and subnational governments eliminate building sector CO2 emissions to achieve a zero-carbon global building stock by 2050.