WRI DIGEST

What Exactly Are “Nature-based Solutions?”

In East Africa’s Seychelles archipelago, rising sea levels bring flooding and erosion. But the network of 115 lush islands has a secret weapon: Mangrove forests serve as a buffer against rising seas, provide a breeding ground for fisheries and store 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases — equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off the road annually! The Seychelles government is working with local communities to restore mangrove forests as a means of combating climate change and producing other benefits.

The Seychelles’ mangrove forest restoration project is just one example of “nature-based solutions,” actions to protect, restore and sustainably manage ecosystems in ways that also benefit people, nature and climate. Global interest in nature-based solutions is growing. Read more.

In the Seychelles, residents work with the government to restore degraded mangrove forests. This “nature-based solution” not only improves flood resilience, but also boosts ecosystem health, stores carbon, and improves local livelihoods through fisheries and eco-tourism. Photo by UNEP/Flickr

Tim Gainey/Alamy Stock Photo

India’s Shift to Low-carbon Construction Can’t Leave its Workers Behind

Nearly 60 million people in India rely on the construction sector for jobs, but this industry will also need radical transformation for the country to reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2070. While transitioning to low-carbon construction will require an estimated 45 million additional skilled workers, most existing laborers will need training and reskilling to benefit from the shift. WRI experts explain how India’s sustainable construction can and must reach all workers. Read more.

Chloe A. Malouf / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

5 Significant Moments Driving Environmental Justice in the US

Vulnerable and historically marginalized communities in the United States are already feeling the impacts of a changing climate, but 2023 was an important year for progress. U.S. President Biden signed several executive orders, including Executive Order 14008 to integrate environmental justice in agency operations, as well as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure fossil fuel workers won’t be left behind by a cleaner energy industry. But there’s still much more work to be done. WRI experts lay out five actions that can further environmental justice this year and beyond. Read more.

CIFOR/Flickr

Some Last-minute Wins for Forests in 2023

Ending deforestation this decade is critical for curbing climate change. Luckily, forests saw some late-breaking progress at the end of 2023. At the 2023 UN climate summit (COP28), several forested countries — the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, the Republic of Congo, Brazil and more — announced initiatives to protect some of the world’s most important tropical ecosystems. Now comes the hard work of turning commitments into action. Read more.

VITAL VISUALIZATIONS

To meet global climate goals, the world needs to turn down total coal use from 36% of power generation in 2022 to 4% by 2030. Some countries are already showing how it’s possible.