Whatever you call them — national climate plans, nationally determined contributions or NDCs —  these commitments are the pillars that support global climate action and the international Paris Agreement on climate change. WRI experts tracked progress across all NDCs and what they mean for global emissions, adaptation and finance. The findings? Progress is incremental when it needs to be radical. Read more.

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps about 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide, is having a moment. At the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, national oil companies set methane-reduction targets for the first time, Canada unveiled draft methane regulations, and the U.S. emerged as a global leader in curbing the “super pollutant.” The country’s new emissions standards aim to slash methane at both new and existing oil and natural gas sites, cutting an estimated 58 million tons of methane emissions from 2024-2038. WRI experts lay out the climate, health and other benefits of the new U.S. rule. Read more.

Across the United States, 64 million people live in neighborhoods that have historically relied on jobs and revenue from the oil, gas and coal industries. These communities are at risk of being left behind by the clean energy transition, but new WRI analysis finds that that is just one of many burdens they’re experiencing. Nearly half of America’s “energy communities” are also classified as disadvantaged, whether from a legacy of pollution, high poverty and unemployment rates, poor health, etc. The countrywide shift to a net-zero economy is an opportunity to finally address the cumulative burdens many U.S. communities face. Read more.

Southeast Asia is home to 37 of the 40 most polluted cities in the world; virtually the entire population (99.9%) lives in areas where air pollution exceeds the World Health Organization’s safe air standards. The El Niño weather pattern is worsening things this year, bringing drier conditions that exacerbate air pollutants like PM 2.5. WRI experts explain why these cities are so polluted, and what governments, citizens and others can do to solve the problem. Read more.

WRI’s experts are closely following the UN climate talks. Visit our Resource Hub for new articles, research, webinars and more.