In the push to electrify the U.S. school bus fleet, electric repowers can be a more affordable and sustainable route than purchasing brand new electric buses. By removing a school bus’s internal combustion engine — which runs on diesel, a fossil fuel that poses severe health risks to children who ride buses — and retrofitting it with an electric drive system, school buses can become totally electric with zero hazardous tailpipe emissions. With the availability of this technology growing and more repowered school buses on the market, WRI experts explain how school districts and others can capitalize on this growing trend. Read more.

As floods intensify and temperatures rise, the Philippines’ coastal Iloilo City is increasingly under threat. The thousands of people living in informal settlements along the water’s edge are particularly vulnerable due to their location and lack of resources. So the city’s local government and several community groups banded together to create an innovative solution: The Participatory Housing and Urban Development project relocates households out of the flood zone and into resilient homes, while also providing greater access to employment opportunities, schools and healthcare facilities. Since the project’s launch, some residents have swapped their flood-prone homes for safer brick houses in the city’s center, providing other cities a blueprint for inclusive coastal resiliency. Read more.