Blog Posts: commentary

The economic impacts of both the climate and coronavirus crises will likely be felt most acutely by one group in particular: the more than 2 billion people who rely on the informal sector for their livelihoods.

More companies are working toward a circular economy, potentially indicating a critical shift from rapidly buying more new stuff to supporting reuse, repair and resale. Such a shift could create a turning point that puts consumerism on a more sustainable path.

Global momentum to tackle the climate crisis has been building since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015. The world has proven that it is ready for more ambitious climate action.

To enhance green stimulus and help deliver the jobs and income economies need for coronavirus recovery, governments should learn from the Great Recession.

Research from WRI reveals the most impactful steps that President-elect Biden and the new Congress can take to harness the carbon-removing power of trees and forests in the United States. Taking these steps can turn bipartisan rhetoric supporting tree restoration into tangible action.

This year's New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) assessment shows that the world failed to halve deforestation by this year, and is severely off track to end deforestation by 2030. Efforts must be made to speed up progress in order to reach the 2030 goal.

With concerted focus, the Biden administration can re-establish the United States as a climate leader and help propel the global fight against climate change.

The developing world is facing a major debt crisis, limiting their ability to spend on economic recovery for COVID-19 or climate action. Creditor countries — specifically China, the largest bilateral creditor to developing countries — can exchange this for clear, verifiable climate action and investments in healthcare.

The cities and communities responsible for consuming and setting clean energy targets have historically had little influence on their wholesale electricity markets’ policies and operations. That may change with the emerging PJM Cities and Communities Coalition, a growing coalition dedicated to removing and preventing barriers to decarbonization in the PJM territory.

Even in the face of COVID-19, we cannot lose sight of another urgent and looming challenge: climate change. That’s why leading businesses are in support of enacting policies in the short term in order to lay a foundation for bolder action in the long term.