The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — signed into law by President Biden this week — will strengthen the nation’s infrastructure, helping to cope with mounting climate impacts. WRI’s Christina DeConcini and Jillian Neuberger unpack the many climate-related elements of the new law and explain why it’s not enough to address the climate emergency. To protect lives, decarbonize the economy and prepare for the future, Congress must also pass the Build Back Better Act. Read more.

Every issue discussed at COP26 in Glasgow was linked in one way or another to cities, but the world is not currently building cities that can meet the climate challenge. Drawing on the World Resources Report: “Seven Transformations for More Equitable and Sustainable Cities,” WRI President Ani Dasgupta offers a hopeful new vision. “If there is any place where we can overcome the enormous social and environmental global challenges we face today, it is in cities,” he writes. Read more.

Forests took center stage at the just-concluded UN climate summit, billed by some as the “Nature COP.” Among the highlights: more than 140 countries committing to collectively end forest loss and land degradation by 2030 and a $19.2 billion pledge to help protect and restore global forests. What do these commitments mean for climate change? And how can those who care about forests advance this agenda? A new WRI article by Rod Taylor and co-authors reminds countries and companies that moving from declarations to action requires accountability, transparency and clear communication. Read more.