Social Impact
How climate change affects communities, migration, health, and social justice
What's the Climate Cost of Growing Crops?
Emissions from land used to grow crops for food, animal feed, fiber, fuel and more, known as croplands, are often overlooked. But they are far from insignificant. New maps of...
EPA Repeals Legal Basis for Regulating Greenhouse Gases. What it Means for the US â and the World
The United States is one of the worldâs largest greenhouse gas emitters. Regulating those emissions is critical to slow climate change and protect Americans from deadly air pollution.Yet on Feb....
STATEMENT: US EPA Reverses its Authority to Limit Climate Pollution
February 12, 2026 (Washington, DC) â Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that will make it harder for EPA and future administrations to regulate greenhouse gas...
Climate Action Can Be One of the Worldâs Biggest Job Creators
We are in the midst of a great economic shift â one that will shape livelihoods and growth for decades to come. The rise of AI and digitalization, geopolitical changes, uneven...
As EPA Revokes Endangerment Finding, EJ Orgs Continue to Fight to Protect Communities from Climate Chaos & Hold EPA Accountable
Contact: Kayla Ritchie, [email protected] (CJA) / Ashley Sullivan, [email protected], (917) 837-1183 (WE ACT/EJLF) / Isella Ramirez, [email protected], (323) 854-1857 / (MFN) / Prerna Sampat, [email protected] (CEED/Platform for a Just Climate)...
Utah Pioneers a New Model for Wildfire Resilience
Twenty years ago, the forested slopes above Alpine Acres â a small community at the source of the Weber River in Summit County, Utah â were overgrown with dry brush...
STATEMENT: WRI Vice President Stientje van Veldhoven Nominated as Minister of Climate and Green Growth, The Netherlands
THE HAGUE (February 10, 2026) â World Resources Institute congratulates Stientje van Veldhoven, Vice President of WRI and CEO of WRI Europe, on her nomination as Minister of Climate and Green Growth in the...
Sustainable Finance in 2026: 6 Opportunities to Move Beyond the Headwinds
2026 is set to be another year of clashing trends in sustainable finance, particularly for emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs), where the greatest capital shift needs to take place.Last...
A Milestone for Data-Driven Climate Action: Ethiopia Launches Its First National Climate Data Portal
Ethiopia has taken an important step toward stronger climate governance with the Climate Data Portal integrated into the National Digital Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation System. Led by the Ministry of...
Integrated Resource Planning Offers a Strategy to Accelerate Clean Energy
Around the world, energy systems are undergoing rapid transformation. Rising demand, climate imperatives and technological innovation are converging to create a complex planning landscape. In response, the strategic approach known...
6 Ways to Remove Carbon Pollution from the Atmosphere
Since the Industrial Revolution, humans have emitted more than 2,000 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. (A gigatonne is one billion metric tons.)This concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse...
A New Generation of Auto Workers Is Taking Shape in US Schools
Summer in Cherokee, North Carolina means many things. Hot, humid afternoons. Days spent splashing in the Oconaluftee River. Munching on churros from Casa KaWi, a local favorite.For some of the...
This Hillside City in South America Rebuilt Itself Around Nature â and Got Healthier
On most mornings, Cati Ochoa walks the green corridor along the Zamora River near her home in Loja, Ecuador, before starting work. The moment she steps beneath the trees, she...
RELEASE: World Resources Institute Names Mirela Sandrini Executive Director of WRI Brasil
SĂŁo Paulo (January 29, 2026) â World Resources Institute (WRI) today announced the appointment of Mirela Sandrini as Executive Director of WRI Brasil, following her successful tenure as Interim Executive Director. Based in...
E-Ledgers vs. GHG Protocol Approaches to Emissions Reporting: What You Need to Know
In an ever-changing climate landscape, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions measurement and management must continue to adapt and evolve to stay relevant as new opportunities and challenges emerge. There is no...
Inside Colombiaâs New 2035 Climate Plan: What You Need to Know
The center of gravity for climate progress is shifting. Increasingly, many of the countries driving the global climate transition are those that have contributed the least to historical emissions yet...
More Coal Won't Solve US Energy Woes
Recent moves by the Trump administration are prolonging Americaâs farewell to coal plants.The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a slate of orders in recent months compelling coal plants...
3 Climate Stories That Will Shape the World in 2026
As we enter a new year, people around the world are grappling with rising costs for housing, energy and food. Most worry about the state of the economy. Job prospects...
Migrant Justice is Climate Justice â And Our Communities are Rising
Federal immigration raids and militarized enforcement are terrorizing our neighborhoods. Families are being torn apart. Communities are being destabilized. Human rights are being violated under systemic policies rooted in colonialism,...
Updated Tool Can Help US Communities Include Forests and Trees in GHG Inventories
Forests and trees play a critical role in carbon sequestration while providing other benefits to communities, including improving air quality, regulating hydrological processes, reducing energy costs and promoting well-being. Accurate...
RELEASE: WRI Ross Center Prize for Cities Names Five Finalists Transforming Health and Daily Life in Cities
Initiatives from Atlanta, Loja, Makassar, Manila and Nairobi selected from 334 global submissionsWASHINGTON (January 28, 2026) â World Resources Institute (WRI) today announced five finalists for the 2025-2026 WRI Ross...
Expert Q&A: Can the US Avoid Blackouts During Winter Storms?
The United States faces a pressing energy challenge: how to ensure people have reliable and affordable electricity when deadly storms hit.This need came into sharp focus last weekend when a...
ADVISORY: World Resources Instituteâs Stories to Watch 2026
Washington (January 22, 2026) â Join WRI President & CEO Ani Dasgupta on Thursday, January 29 from 9:00â10:30AM ET (3:00pmâ4:30PM CET) for Stories to Watch 2026, WRIâs flagship annual global...
In the Brazilian Amazon, an Indigenous Bioeconomy Takes Root
In the southern Brazilian Amazon, seed collectors carefully search the forest floor. They move among the trees, mindful not to harm surrounding plants as they bend and crouch to gather...
After 20 Years, an Agreement to Safeguard the 'High Seas' Takes Force
Roughly two-thirds of the ocean lies outside any single countryâs jurisdiction. These vast waters, known as the \âhigh seas,\â hold huge importance to the health of the planet, housing rich...
Despite âCarbon Neutralâ Certifications, Beef Emissions Can Be Lower, but Never Low
Few foods take a higher toll on the planet than beef. Of all protein-rich foods, beef and lamb are generally highest in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use and water...
Companies Are Finding New Ways to Use Waste and Fight Climate Change
Not long ago, the idea of harvesting almond shells and sewage sludge to lock away climate-harming emissions might have sounded like something out of a science fiction movie. Today, itâs...
Land Use Changed the Climate. Now Climateâs Changing the Land
Land-use change has long been recognized as a major contributor to global warming. Deforestation and agriculture alone account for nearly 25% of human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.One might think this...
CJA Submits Public Letter with 17 EJ Organizations to Oppose More Handouts to Polluting Industries
Trumpâs EPA is making moves to make it legal and easier for corporations and industry to pollute waterbodies and wetlands throughout the United States. We firmly oppose these continued attempts...
CJA Condemns Trumpâs Move to Pull the US out of International Bodies
Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the United Nationsâ Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) along with 65 other international bodies, treaties, and organizations that lead global cooperation around climate,...
In the Quest for Protein, Donât Forget Plants
One of the biggest food trends right now seems to be protein. Everyone from social media influencers to food companies to governments are telling us to eat more of it.The...
Rethinking How to Measure Circular Food Systems: Lessons from the Circular Food Systems for Rwanda Annual Learning Event
The Circular Food Systems for Rwanda (CIRF) project held its annual learning event from Oct. 21-Oct. 23, 2025, in Kigali, Rwanda. The main objective was to reflect on lessons and...
How California Can Seize Momentum to Advance Carbon Dioxide Removal
As the U.S. federal government continues to roll back crucial environment and climate legislation, Californiaâs climate leadership is more important than ever â including its policies to scale up carbon...
STATEMENT: U.S. Releases New Dietary Guidelines
WASHINGTON (January 7, 2026) â Today the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture released new dietary guidelines for Americans for the next five years.Following is...
STATEMENT: The United States Withdraws from the UNFCCC
WASHINGTON, DC (January 7, 2026) - Today, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations and treaties, including the United Nations Framework Convention...
Nickelâs Climate Cost and Indonesiaâs Push for Cleaner Production
Nickel is widely used across many areas, including electronics, aerospace manufacturing, stainless steel and batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage. Despite its growing importance to the clean energy transition,...
AI Data Centers
Climate Justice Alliance created seven educational resources for alliance members outlining AI and data center environmental justice impacts, including increased energy consumption, ratepayer hikes, land and water acquisition and compromise,...
A New Era of US Mineral Mining Must Put Communities First
The area around Californiaâs Salton Sea is incredibly rich in lithium â enough to support over 375 million electric vehicle batteries. A new mine, dubbed Hellâs Kitchen, plans to tap...
Why Broken Resolutions Are Not (Entirely) Your Fault
Now is the time of year when everyone thinks about what theyâd like to change about themselves. Despite the museum of abandoned aspirations behind us â the language-learning app that...
Indonesia Poised to Harness Oceanâs Climate Potential
The ocean could be one of our most powerful allies in fighting climate change, if we do a better job of protecting and leveraging it.In few places is this truer...
Multilevel Collaboration Advances Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings in Colombia, Kenya and the Philippines
Launched at COP29 under the Subnational Climate Action Leadership Exchange Partnership, the Zero Emission and Resilient Buildings (ZERB) Accelerator brings national and subnational governments together to rapidly decarbonize and climate-proof...
COP30 Laid a Path to $1.3 Trillion in Climate Finance. What's Next?
Reaching $1.3 trillion annually in external finance for developing country climate action might seem like a steep mountain to climb, requiring a seven-fold increase from todayâs levels.That target â committed...
What Is the EU Deforestation Regulation? 7 Key Questions, Answered
The world is losing 18 soccer fields of tropical primary every minute; much of it is the result of clearing for farms, pastures and tree plantations.As a major buyer of...
NGOs Support New Geothermal Sustainable Development Pact
We, the undersigned groups, welcome the release of the Geothermal Sustainable Development Pact and the underlying Principles for Responsible Geothermal Development.Next-generation geothermal technologies can provide needed sources of clean, resilient...
Nigeria Puts Youth at the Heart of Its Climate Future
Nigeriaâs future rests in the hands of its youth. As Africaâs most populous nation, Nigeria is home to over 230 million people â more than half under the age of...
Our Biggest Stories of 2025: From Climate Politics to AI and Beyond
2025 was in many ways a year of upheaval, from political turnovers and trade wars to energy tensions and the meteoric rise of AI.Amid this turmoil, some countries deprioritized climate...
Defining Sustainable, Affordable and Healthy Diets with European Food System Stakeholders
While our current food system has been effective at delivering food to global markets, it is simultaneously causing significant climate, health and ecological damage. As we all witnessed during COVID-19,...
What's Really Driving Up US Electricity Prices? We Unpack the Numbers.
Since 2010, the average price of electricity across the United States has risen by almost 30% with no signs of slowing down. This year alone, electric utilities across the nation...