After months of negotiations, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal. WRI compared the bipartisan deal to Biden’s original proposal, the American Jobs Plan, finding it scraps a trillion dollars in environmental, climate and clean energy initiatives, missing enormous opportunities for cleaner air, quality jobs and resilient communities. Read more.

China, Japan and South Korea are the three top sources for overseas coal financing, but South Korea and Japan will soon drop out of that group. That leaves China as the last major source of overseas investment for coal-based power projects. Shuang Liu, Ye Wang and Yan Wang write that by exiting the overseas coal financing sector, China could make a major dent in global greenhouse gas emissions. Read more.

WRI President and CEO Aniruddha (Ani) Dasgupta stepped into his new role this week after seven years leading WRI’s Cities program. To kick things off, he’s sharing some of his vision in a new video. Ani brings with him a rich background in urban design and sustainability, as well as deep knowledge of the challenges that face vulnerable communities. Read more.