Publications
WRI is committed to producing high-quality research, including reports, issue briefs, guidebooks, working papers, technical notes, and practice notes. Our research publications are subject to peer review, and are held to traditional "academic" standards of excellence, such as objectivity and rigor. We also ensure that all of our research publications are timely, fit for audience, and rooted in a strategic plan for achieving positive change in the world. If you notice an error in our research or have concerns about quality, please contact the authors and copy Vice President for Research, Data and Innovation Janet Ranganathan.
All of our research is freely available to download.
The World Resources Report is the flagship publication of World Resources Institute. The inaugural edition, An Assessment of the Resource Base that Supports the Global Economy, was published in 1986. Subsequent editions have been published at regular intervals and have provided in-depth analyses of issues ranging from human health and the environment to climate change, ecosystem services and environmental governance. Every World Resources Report builds on a strong evidence base to develop fresh insights that can help decision-makers evaluate and implement the most effective solutions.
Creating a Sustainable Food Future
Sustainably feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050 is possible – but it will require significant innovation and investment by the public and private sector.
Towards a More Equal City
The World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City focuses on helping cities in rapidly urbanizing regions alter their development trajectories as demand for infrastructure and services grow.
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Food Systems At Risk
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Mainstreaming Climate Adaptation Planning and Action into Health Systems in Fiji, Ghana, and Benin
by and -This paper shares case studies from Fiji, Ghana, and Benin, three countries making progress with mainstreaming climate change adaptation into planning and implementation in health systems. The authors outline the enabling factors, challenges and lessons learned across these three countries, followed by recommendations to mainstream climate adaptation and build climate resilience in the health sector.
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Tackling Plastic Pollution: Legislative Guide for the Regulation of Single-Use Plastic Products
by , , and -This report discusses different legislative approaches that governments can implement to curb the impact of plastic pollution. The approaches adopted should be a matrix of bans, economic and tax, solid waste management, extended producer responsibility, and other educational approaches that create incentives and disincentives that result in less single-use plastic being created and thrown away.
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Decoding Climate Mitigation Modeling Studies
by and -This issue brief provides guidance to nonexperts on what to look for in reading and evaluating studies that model climate mitigation and determine if the studies are transparent about the assumptions and key inputs they use. Readers will use this brief to define what insights they wish to glean from modeling, identify studies whose goals and scope align with their interests, and as a guide for reviewing or commissioning a modeling study.
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Toward a Tradable, Low-Carbon Product Standard for Steel: Policy Design Considerations for the United States
by and -This paper discusses the design considerations for a tradable, low-carbon product standard for steel in the United States.
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Toward a Tradable Low-Carbon Cement Standard: Policy Design Considerations for the United States
by , , and -This paper discusses the design considerations for a tradable, low-carbon product standard for cement in the United States.
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A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance
by and -This paper discusses how understanding the domestic political economy of climate governance is critical for developing informed strategies to build and sustain political ambition. It provides guidance and a methodology for domestic stakeholders to determine the types of institutional reforms, incentives, coalitions, and policy design that can entrench long-term political support for climate ambition. The assessment can also help users identify political barriers to more equitable climate action and identify reforms that may strengthen inclusion and accountability.
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Local Government Voices in Wholesale Market Issues: Engagement Approaches for Decarbonization
by , and -This working paper provides local governments (such as cities and counties) with information on why and how they may want to engage in issues at the wholesale energy market level to help achieve their decarbonization goals, and examples of how other similar stakeholders are already working in this area.
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Consideration of Nature-Based Solutions as Offsets in Corporate Climate Change Mitigation Strategies
by and -This paper reviews the prospective roles of NBS as offsets in corporate mitigation strategies and as a source of finance for NBS to combat climate change. It briefly describes the benefits of NBS, summarizes the risks associated with the use of offsets, and offers strategies for managing those risks. The paper identifies policy arenas in which the standards for using NBS as offsets are under discussion and suggests “no regrets” actions that companies can take now.
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Public International Funding of Nature-based Solutions for Adaptation: A Landscape Assessment
by , , , , and -This paper assesses the landscape of public international funding for nature-based solutions for climate adaptation, covering both climate finance and Official Development Assistance. It seeks to help donor countries, multilateral institutions, and developing countries better understand the current state of funding, and provides recommendations to address barriers hindering public donor funding support for nature-based solutions for adaptation.
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Improving Access to the Green Climate Fund: How the Fund Can Better Support Developing Country Institutions
by and -This paper is based on interviews with representatives from national, regional and international entities accredited to the GCF, nationally designated authorities, and members of the GCF Secretariat. The authors also reviewed GCF publications including board documents, manuals, and policies along with other academic literature reviewing direct access and the GCF’s operations. All data reported in this paper is as of the GCF 27th board meeting on November 10th-November 13th, 2020. In the direct access category, there is a diversity in size, scope, and type of entities, which means that some of the issues and challenges they face differ. Nonetheless, interviews with entities revealed that there are common problems these entities encountered both internally and with the GCF when trying to get projects approved.
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Increasing Climate Data and Ambition in Indonesia through Enhanced Transparency and Incentive Schemes
by , , , , , , and -This paper presents the opportunities in Indonesia to consider the concept of data and ambition loops. It discusses how a better climate data management could help increasing transparency by defining private sector’s contribution in the climate actions in Indonesia.
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Implementing Open Data Strategies for Climate Action: Suggestions And Lessons Learned for Government and Civil Society Stakeholders
by and -This paper discusses how open data strategies can bolster collaborative, ambitious climate action. Providing examples from around the world, it shows how opening up climate-related data can benefit climate action and decision-making and suggests ways to overcome potential challenges governments may encounter as they seek to implement open data initiatives. The paper also proposes a starting point for assessing priority climate-related data needs and accessibility and prioritizing data publication efforts.
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Assessing Physical Risks from Climate Change: Do Companies and Financial Organizations Have Sufficient Guidance?
by , , , and -This paper analyzes climate-related physical risk assessment guidance from leading corporate disclosure initiatives to examine whether existing publicly available guidance aligns with climate science and provides consistent terminology and robust methodologies for risk assessment.
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On Equal Ground: Promising Practices for Realizing Women’s Rights in Collectively Held Lands
by and -This report discusses women’s tenure security in collectively held lands and provides promising practices for ensuring women not only have legally and socially recognized rights in collectively held land but also are empowered to exercise their rights. The report combines legal analysis and literature review with in-depth case studies of five indigenous and customary communities – in Mexico, Jordan, Nepal, Indonesia, and Cameroon – who have achieved more gender-equitable collective land tenure systems.
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Mapping Urban Land Use in India and Mexico using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning
by , , , and -This technical note describes the data sources and methodology underpinning a computer system for the automated generation of land use/land cover maps of urban areas at continental scale.
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Mapping Together: A Guide to Monitoring Forest and Landscape Restoration Using Collect Earth Mapathons
by , , , , , , , , , , , , and -Mapping Together is a guide that shows people how to use Collect Earth, a data-collection tool, to monitor progress on their forest and landscape restoration goals. By hosting collaborative data-collection mapathons, the guide helps users combine the best-available open-source monitoring tool with the expertise of people familiar with the landscape.
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Global Forest Review
The Global Forest Review (GFR) provides accessible, comprehensive, and data-driven insights to better inform protection, restoration, and sustainable management of forests worldwide. Delivered through a dynamic online platform, the GFR tracks vital trends on the extent, condition, use, and social and ecological values of forests globally.