World Resources Institute

WRI is a global research organization working to improve people’s lives, protect nature and halt climate change 🌏📊

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

The energy transition is happening🌍

Find out how it will happen and who reaps the benefits at #StoriesToWatch👉 https://t.co/nsEoxJxwcc

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

Scientists predict an increasingly likely “Super El Niño”.

While Super El Niños occur roughly every 10-15 years, the effects of this year’s event could be amplified by current conditions. For one, warmer, drier and more erratic conditions fueled by ongoing climate change could exacerbate El Niño’s impacts. The last 11 years have been the warmest on record. And two, food systems around the world already face strains from the U.S.-Iran war and its resulting fuel and fertilizer shortages.

WRI experts answer questions on what a Super El Niño could mean for water, food and forests — as well as how communities can prepare for the impacts➡️ https://t.co/kk6XhYb0ks

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🥗Vegetarian and vegan diets are still a hard sell. Fortunately, the science on how to change this is getting clearer.

Here, we examine how a few leading food providers are boosting uptake of plant-based options➡️ https://t.co/oWMARkROVJ #SolutionsInFocus

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

✈️🌽New WRI research shows that underutilized corn stover could be put to better use by helping reduce emissions in one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize — aviation.

Making jet fuel from corn stover is a win-win: It turns underutilized waste into an energy resource without expanding our agricultural footprint. Moreover, using stover can reduce airplane emissions by 75% or more compared to planes powered by fossil fuel. This is in sharp contrast to converting vegetable oil or corn ethanol into jet fuel, the primary approaches currently being pursued in the United States.

Learn more➡️ https://t.co/nzZR0hurjC

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

The world is aging. And public transportation cannot keep up.

Our researchers analyzed where Beijing's public transportation systems fell short when it comes to age-friendliness, and what can help🔗 https://t.co/xfp65SSdIY

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

What does crossing 1.5°C really mean for our planet, our economies, and our lives? And why is it still possible to change course?

Watch this quick explainer — then dive deeper into the data and pathways forward. Read the full breakdown: https://t.co/5oCZmpTEju #WRIExplains

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

Today, most greenhouse gas emissions can be traced to five key sectors:

⚡ Energy
🌽 Agriculture
🏭 Industrial processes
🗑️ Waste
🌲 Land use, land-use change and forestry

#ClimateWatch breaks it down: https://t.co/3zwucn7ZVY

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🌡️🌲Urban heat is rising. Our tree cover isn’t keeping up.

Urban trees can reduce temperatures, lower energy demand, improve public health and deliver more than $3 in benefits for every $1 invested.

👉Read more about how cities can turn this opportunity into action: https://t.co/SFHjivDpIq

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🌍#WRIExplains: The Land-Use Climate Change Feedback Loop👉 https://t.co/1HrhKhkJrI

Land-use change is a big driver of global warming—deforestation and agriculture alone cause nearly 25% of human-made greenhouse gas emissions.

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🌳😌🌇The cooling power of trees starts with shade.

When surfaces like pavement, rooftops and buildings are exposed to direct sunlight, they absorb and store heat, releasing it back into the air long after the sun goes down. Trees interrupt that process. They shade sidewalks, streets and people, preventing surfaces from heating up in the first place. They also cool the surrounding air through evapotranspiration, the release of water vapor from leaves.

Learn more about the cooling potential of urban trees➡️ https://t.co/bUGls96O6L

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

Consider the stats🔽

➡️Nearly 3 billion people lack access to housing that is both safe and connected to basic services like energy, water and sanitation
➡️Around 40% of the world’s population lives in houses located far away from jobs and opportunities
➡️300 million people are currently experiencing homelessness.

This translates into a need to build 96,000 affordable homes worldwide every day from now until 2030.  

#WRIExplains the growing housing crisis in more detail➡️ https://t.co/250XErs4nS

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

Local action to global impact🌍

Read WRI's annual report to see how we are driving progress for people, nature and climate➡️ https://t.co/xCI48exE3Y

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🌿#Grasslands are an overlooked player in climate change mitigation.

90% of their #carbon is stored underground, where their diversity helps increase the amount of organic carbon stored in roots and soils.

Because of this, and because many grasslands plants have deep and resilient root systems, their carbon stores may be more stable than those in forests, better able to withstand environmental stressors like #drought and fires.

👉Learn more about the many benefits of grasslands: https://t.co/1vHPSavgD1

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🌲When forests are healthy, they provide priceless benefits to people, nature and climate. But neglected forests can quickly turn into liabilities.

We already see this shift from assets to liabilities playing out around the globe👉 https://t.co/CGgPcEYTL1

#BiodiversityDay

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🌱In Johannesburg, invasive plants have degraded areas around the city’s Jukskei River.

Pines, black wattle, eucalyptus, bugweed and other invasives monopolize nutrients and outcompete local flora.

They also worsen flooding, especially in Johannesburg’s riverside informal settlements like Alexandra and Soweto. Invasive plants’ roots push out deeper-rooted indigenous species, destabilizing the soil around riverbanks. When rain hits these riverbanks, loose soil and sediment flow into the river, reducing its ability to absorb and slow floodwaters.

Aggressive invasive roots also damage drainage pipes and culverts, multiplying flood impacts. Shifts in climate and rainfall patterns are further exacerbating the problem: as temperatures increase, invasives thrive, densify and spread.

Working with local communities, initiatives like WRI’s SUNCASA project are removing invasive plants to prevent flooding and loss of biodiversity while supporting livelihoods. So far, the project has cleared invasive plants from more than 133 hectares along the Jukskei’s riverbanks while creating more than 100 jobs in the process. Workers are also reintroducing indigenous species like African olive and white stinkwood. The trees’ sturdy roots will stabilize the Jukskei’s riverbanks, increase local biodiversity and reduce the impact of flooding.

Johannesburg is also developing a Transformative Riverine Management Program, a framework and business model for investors and corporations to get involved in rehabilitating the city’s rivers, starting with the Jukskei.

From Kinshasa to Dire Dawa, cities across Africa are discovering that wetlands, trees and parks could be their strongest defense against climate change. Learn more: https://t.co/59f7TwLmli

#BiodiversityDay

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

Rafe Pomerance was one of the first to understand that climate change is the defining challenge of our time. He spent his life demanding we treat it that way. Today, we mourn his passing🌎💐

Over the last five decades, Rafe worked tirelessly to put climate action on the political agenda —inspiring countless environmental advocates in the process. He lobbied policymakers, forged coalitions, and pushed for concrete targets when the political will to act on climate was scarce. Among his many achievements, he helped organize the landmark 1986 U.S. Senate hearings on the greenhouse effect, a notable turning point in public awareness of climate risks. He was a key architect of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the world’s first major effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. His critical work orchestrating climate action in the U.S. and beyond was documented in the book Losing Earth.

WRI was privileged to call Rafe a colleague from 1986-1993, but we were just one of many organizations made better by his leadership — @friends_earth, the @WoodwellClimate, the Polar Research Board, Arctic 21, @americanrivers, the U.S. government and more.

"Much has been written and will be written about Rafe, as his contribution to the climate movement cannot be overstated,” said Christina DeConcini, WRI’s Director of Government Affairs. “He was a delightful person, who drew people in with his contagious positive energy, his indefatigable passion to push new ideas forward and his generous spirit. I feel privileged to have had him as a colleague, mentor and most importantly, a friend.”

We are grateful to have been part of Rafe's journey. His vision, persistence and integrity will continue to guide our work and the many changemakers he inspired. For those who knew Rafe or were shaped by his work, we invite you to share a memory or reflection🙏🪞⬇️

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

What can happen when temperatures rise in your city? Here are a few key impacts👇🌡️

While climate treaties trade in the language of degrees, it can be hard to imagine what people are likely to experience in their own neighborhood.

To help fill in the picture, we analyzed dozens of climate models to discover how 1.5 and 3 degrees C of global warming might affect your city: https://t.co/6vuvYyptoe

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

🏘️There’s a growing housing crisis that’s impossible to ignore.

The most important questions to consider are not just how much housing to build, but where it’s built, who it’s for, and how it’s built and financed. These choices will define whether housing becomes part of the solution or continues to undermine the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.

#WRIExplains solving the world's growing housing crisis in more detail➡️ https://t.co/250XErs4nS

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

Global South cities are growing fast. But many are also becoming more vulnerable to flooding and water scarcity.

Why? The answer often starts in the watershed. 🌍💧

Learn more: https://t.co/AskaofnR62

[World Resources Institute @WorldResources]

📣Still time to register for the WRI Polsky Energy Summit's opening session!

Don't miss the opportunity to hear from Dr. @fbirol, Executive Director, @IEA and Chris Stark CBE, Head of UK’s Mission for Clean Power, @energygovuk ➡️ https://t.co/0nQUXBaLWS