WRI DIGEST
2023 was the year of visibility.
We saw tangible, visceral evidence of the threats facing people, nature and climate. Choking haze from Canadian wildfires
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blanketed the U.S. eastern seaboard. Millions of hectares of tropical rainforests
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were lost. And the world experienced what was likely its warmest year on record.
At the same time, solutions to these interconnected problems became more apparent than ever before. Groundbreaking research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
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, UN Global Stocktake
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report and WRI
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revealed the precise steps necessary to curb climate change and create a better future.
WRI’s experts were there for all of it — providing insights at key moments, producing cutting-edge research and highlighting scalable solutions. And we made all our expert-written articles freely available to you, our readers.
Below we’ve compiled some of our top stories from 2023 — from the first international agreement to tackle fossil fuels
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, to uncovering the world’s most water-stressed places
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. We hope you’ll take a look back on this important year for people, nature and climate, and support our work
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in producing more insightful content in the year ahead.
Thanks for reading!
Sarah Parsons
Editorial Director
EXPERTISE ON CURRENT EVENTS
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Donny Sophandi/Shutterstock
Data Confirms: Yes, Wildfires Are Getting Worse
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Wildfires in Canada, the U.S., Greece, Chile and elsewhere dominated headlines this year. WRI analyzed decades of data
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and confirmed what many have long feared: Wildfires are burning nearly twice as much tree cover today than they did 20 years ago. Read more
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.
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Donny Sophandi/Shutterstock
A Reckoning for Fossil Fuels at Dubai Climate Talks
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This year’s UN climate summit (COP28) yielded a momentous outcome: the world’s first international agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change. Read more
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.
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Adnan Abidi/Reuters
The Future of Extreme Heat in Cities
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2023 is set to be the warmest year on record, but it’s just a taste of what may come. WRI analyzed what 1.5 degrees, 2 degrees and 3 degrees C of warming will mean for the number of days where temperatures exceed 95 degrees F (35 degrees C) in cities around the world. Read more
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.
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Wibisono.ari/Shutterstock
El Niño Worsens Air Pollution
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Thirty-seven of the 40 most polluted cities in the world are in Southeast Asia. This year’s El Niño weather pattern is making their air pollution even worse. Read more
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.
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Anirut Thailand/Shutterstock
IPCC Report on Climate Change Paints a Grim Picture
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2023 synthesis report
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offered the most comprehensive look to date at the impacts associated with a warmer world. It also offered hope: It’s not too late to limit global temperature rise to relatively safe levels, but the door is closing rapidly. Read more
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GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH
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Valdemir Cunha/Greenpeace
Brazil Can Grow GDP by Protecting the Amazon
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Many believe cutting down rainforests to make way for valuable commodities is essential for economic growth. Not so, says research
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from WRI Brasil and New Climate Economy. Read more
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.
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Sally Anderson / Alamy Stock Photo
A Report Card for Climate Action
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WRI’s State of Climate Action 2023 report
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analyzes progress toward limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F), the threshold necessary for averting some of the worst climate impacts. Of 42 indicators, only one — the sale of electric cars — is on track. Read more
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.
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Kirsten Walla/iStock
The World’s Most Water-stressed Countries
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New data from WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas
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measures the ratio of water demand to available supply. We found that one-quarter of the world’s population is now living in extremely water-stressed countries. Read more
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.
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PARALAXIS/Shutterstock
Tracking Deforestation in Near-real Time
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Data from WRI’s Global Forest Watch platform shows the world is losing 11 football fields (or soccer, depending on where you live) of tropical primary forest every single minute. Read more
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.
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Citizen of the Planet/Alamy Stock Photo
US Fossil Fuel Communities Face Disproportionate Burdens
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Sixty-four million Americans live in neighborhoods that have historically relied on jobs and revenue from fossil fuel industries. Without the right policies, a shift to clean energy threatens these communities, but WRI analysis finds this is just one of many burdens they face. Nearly half of U.S. “energy communities” are also classified as disadvantaged, due to high unemployment and poverty rates, poor health and more. Read more
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SCALABLE SOLUTIONS
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Alexander Farnsworth/iStock
The 8 Countries Scaling Renewable Energy the Fastest
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Research shows renewable energy must make up at least 57% of the global electricity mix by 2030 to keep the worst climate change impacts at bay. Some countries are already scaling up wind and solar faster than the rates needed, illuminating a path forward. Read more
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Islandstock/Alamy Stock Photo
7 Ways the Ocean Can Curb Climate Change
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The ocean is often overlooked as a climate solution. But research
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shows ocean-based strategies like offshore renewables and mangrove restoration can deliver up to 35% of the emissions cuts needed by 2050. Read more
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.
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FatCamera/iStock
Electric School Buses Can Fight — or Further — Inequity in the US
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Over 90% of the U.S. school bus fleet is powered by diesel, a fossil fuel linked to asthma, cancer and other health problems. Some communities are disproportionately affected, but clean, electric buses offer a solution. Read more
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Kevin/Adobe Stock
Managing the “Global Land Squeeze”
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As the global population grows, so, too, does the need for food, wood and other resources. WRI research projects that an area of land nearly twice the size of India will be converted to agriculture by 2050. A “produce-protect-reduce-restore” approach can meet the world’s needs while safeguarding nature and the climate. Read more
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.
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Serrah Galos
Small Farmers Hold the Key to Restoring Africa’s Degraded Landscapes
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It’s not foreign NGOs or government regulations that hold the power to revitalize Africa’s degraded and eroded landscapes. It’s the smallholder farmers who till its lands — and they need our support. Read more
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READ MORE EXPERT INSIGHTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Stories to Watch 2024
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January 23, 2024
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM EST, Online
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