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74-500: The World Resources Institute ( WRI ) is a global research non-profit organization established in 1982 with funding from the MacArthur Foundation under the leadership of James Gustave Speth . Subsequent presidents include Jonathan Lash (1993–2011), Andrew D. Steer (2012–2021) and current president Ani Dasgupta (2021–present). WRI studies sustainable practices for business, economics, finance and governance, with

148-449: A Cook County circuit court to liquidate the entire MacArthur Foundation. He dropped the suit later that year when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. John E. Corbally , the first president of the foundation and later board chairman from 1995 to 2002, was followed in 1989–99 by Adele Simmons , who was the first female dean at Princeton University . Jonathan Fanton , president of American Academy of Arts and Sciences , served as

222-846: A 500 metres (1,600 ft) resolution and analyzes the protection that reefs provide to people, infrastructure and the GDP . Beginning in 2002, the World Resources Institute worked with the Cameroon Forest Initiative, to combine disparate sources of data on land use to form digital and paper maps to track changes to Cameroon's forests and improve their management. They integrated satellite imagery with information on agricultural terrain, boundaries, protected land, community-owned forests, and authorized land use by commercial logging operations and mining concessions. In 2014, WRI built upon Matthew C. Hansen 's work at

296-557: A Chinese National Government program, the Sponge Cities Program, planners are using green grey infrastructure in 30 Chinese cities as a way to manage pluvial flooding and climate change risk after rapid urbanization. With respect to water issues, NBS can achieve the following: The UN has also tried to promote a shift in perspective towards NBS: the theme for World Water Day 2018 was "Nature for Water", while UN-Water's accompanying UN World Water Development Report

370-540: A Type 3 NBS. The 2019 UN Climate Action Summit highlighted nature-based solutions as an effective method to combat climate change. For example, NBS in the context of climate action can include natural flood management , restoring natural coastal defences , providing local cooling, restoring natural fire regimes . The Paris Agreement calls on all Parties to recognise the role of natural ecosystems in providing services such as that of carbon sinks. Article 5.2 encourages Parties to adopt conservation and management as

444-584: A broad consensus for the role of nature in helping to meet climate change goals. However, high-level commitments rarely translate into robust, measurable actions on-the-ground. A global systemic map of evidence was produced to determine and illustrate the effectiveness of NBS for climate change adaptation . After sorting through 386 case studies with computer programs, the study found that NBS were just as, if not more, effective than traditional or alternative flood management strategies. 66% of cases evaluated reported positive ecological outcomes, 24% did not identify

518-450: A candidate. Nominators, serving confidentially, anonymously and for a limited time, are invited to recommend potential Fellows. Candidates are reviewed by a selection committee whose members also serve confidentially, anonymously and for a limited time. Ultimately, the selection committee makes recommendations to the foundation's board of directors for final approval. The foundation awarded a total of around $ 850,000 in six separate grants to

592-699: A carbon sink. WRI has partnered with Google Earth Engine to develop Dynamic World, a near real-time (NRT) application that uses high-resolution satellite images to do land use land cover (LULC) classification. Dynamic World identifies areas of land and water such as wetlands, forests, trees, crops and urban areas. Released in June 2022, its uses include monitoring ecosystem restoration, assessing protected areas, and detecting land changes due to deforestation and fires. WRI's LandMark project provides maps and information indicating lands that are collectively held and used by Indigenous peoples and local communities. Data for

666-573: A change in ecological conditions and less than 1% reported negative impacts. Furthermore, NBS always had better social and climate change mitigation impacts. In the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit , nature-based solutions were one of the main topics covered, and were discussed as an effective method to combat climate change. A "Nature-Based Solution Coalition" was created, including dozens of countries, led by China and New Zealand . Since around 2017, many studies have proposed ways of planning and implementing nature-based solutions in urban areas. It

740-462: A dominant driver of forest loss in South America and Southeast Asia. As of January 2021, WRI used Global Forest Watch to generate a forest carbon flux map that combined data about emissions and removals of forest-related greenhouse gases. Using a new method for integrating ground, airborne, and satellite data to measure carbon fluctuations in forests, they were able to map forests worldwide at

814-805: A global solution to climate change". To clarify this point further, the IPCC also stated that "nature-based systems cannot be regarded as an alternative to, or a reason to delay, deep cuts in GHG emissions ". The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines NBS as "actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems, that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits". Societal challenges of relevance here include climate change , food security , disaster risk reduction , water security . In other words: "Nature-based solutions are interventions that use

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888-470: A landscape scale, mixing protected and managed areas could be required to fulfill multi-functionality and sustainability goals): Type 1 consists of no or minimal intervention in ecosystems, with the objectives of maintaining or improving the delivery of a range of ecosystem services both inside and outside of these conserved ecosystems. Examples include the protection of mangroves in coastal areas to limit risks associated with extreme weather conditions; and

962-542: A nature-based solution that can achieve multiple goals. Mangroves moderate the impact of waves and wind on coastal settlements or cities, and they sequester carbon . They also provide nursery zones for marine life which is important for sustaining fisheries. Additionally, mangrove forests can help to control coastal erosion resulting from sea level rise . Green roofs , blue roofs and green walls (as part of green infrastructure ) are also nature-based solutions that can be implemented in urban areas. They can reduce

1036-553: A program in 2015 for forest landscape restoration as a national priority. NBS approaches used were ecological restoration and ecosystem-based mitigation and the program was meant to address the following societal issues: food security, water security, disaster risk reduction. The Great Green Wall , a joint campaign among African countries to combat desertification launched in 2007. A number of studies and reports have proposed principles and frameworks to guide effective and appropriate implementation. One primary principle, for example,

1110-445: A rapid transition to a cleaner, prosperous, zero-carbon renewable energy future. It has over 200 members including Google, GM, Facebook, Walmart, Disney and other large companies, and reached 6 GW capacity in 2018. WIR's Champions 12.3 coalition promotes a “Target, Measure, Act” strategy with the goal of halving food loss and waste by 2030. A 1990 study by the World Resources Institute was criticized by Anil Agarwal , who had been on

1184-521: A resolution of 30 metres (98 ft) yearly from 2001–2019. They were able to identify the contributions of different forest types, confirming that tropical forests both absorb more carbon than other types of forests, and release more as a result of deforestation and degradation. By integrating emissions and removals, the map increases the transparency and accuracy of global carbon estimates and can support more effective forest management decisions. In addition to mapping carbon emissions from forest loss, WRI

1258-564: A result, NBS has been suggested as a means of implementing the nature-positive goal to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030, and achieve full nature recovery by 2050. The IUCN proposes to consider NBS as an umbrella concept . Categories and examples of NBS approaches according to the IUCN include: Scientists have proposed a typology to characterise NBS along two gradients: The typology highlights that NBS can involve very different actions on ecosystems (from protection, to management, or even

1332-529: A tool for increasing carbon stocks and Article 7.1 encourages Parties to build the resilience of socioeconomic and ecological systems through economic diversification and sustainable management of natural resources. The Agreement refers to nature (ecosystems, natural resources, forests) in 13 distinct places. An in-depth analysis of all Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to UNFCCC, revealed that around 130 NDCs or 65% of signatories commit to nature-based solutions in their climate pledges. This suggests

1406-621: Is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 117 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $ 7.6 billion and provides approximately $ 260 million annually in grants and impact investments. It is based in Chicago , and in 2014 it was the 12th-largest private foundation in the United States. It has awarded more than US$ 8.27 billion since its first grants in 1978. The foundation's stated purpose

1480-405: Is a greenwashing tool that does not address the root causes of climate change." and "The legacy of colonial power continues through nature-based solutions." For example, NBS activities can involve converting non-forest land into forest plantations (for climate change mitigation) but this carries risks of climate injustice through taking land away from smallholders and pastoralists . However,

1554-477: Is a subset of nature-based solutions and "aims to maintain and increase the resilience and reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems and people in the face of the adverse effects of climate change". The term nature-based solutions was put forward by practitioners in the late 2000s. At that time it was used by international organisations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and

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1628-659: Is active in initiatives for monitoring, data analysis, and risk assessment. WRI emphasizes the extent to which systems are linked, and the need to connect issues such as addressing food insecurity with strategies to address climate change, protect ecosystems, and provide economic security. WRI worked with companies to develop a common standard, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for quantifying and managing GHG emissions. WRI tracks estimates of fossil fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions , published as biennial reports. WRI's Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)

1702-502: Is clear, namely the sustainable management and use of Nature for tackling societal challenges. However, different stakeholders view NBS from a variety of perspectives. For instance, the IUCN puts the need for well-managed and restored ecosystems at the heart of NBS, with the overarching goal of "Supporting the achievement of society's development goals and safeguard human well-being in ways that reflect cultural and societal values and enhance

1776-425: Is crucial that grey infrastructures continue to be used with green infrastructure . Multiple studies recognise that while NBS is very effective and improves flood resilience, it is unable to act alone and must be in coordination with grey infrastructure. Using green infrastructure alone or grey infrastructure alone are less effective than when the two are used together. When NBS is used alongside grey infrastructure

1850-530: Is gaining acceptance outside the conservation community (e.g. urban planning) and is now on its way to be mainstreamed into policies and programmes (climate change policy, law, infrastructure investment, and financing mechanisms), although NBS still face many implementation barriers and challenges. Multiple case studies have demonstrated that NBS can be more economically viable than traditional technological infrastructures. Implementation of NBS requires measures like adaptation of economic subsidy schemes, and

1924-446: Is not a reward for past accomplishment, but an investment in a person's originality and potential. As of 2015 , MacArthur Fellows receive $ 625,000 each, which is paid out in quarterly installments over five years. The Chicago Foundation for Women was one of the nonprofit organizations to receive a US$ 1 million four-year grant in 2017. No one can apply for the program, and, generally, no one knows whether they are being considered as

1998-498: Is reflected in the majority of global NBS case studies reviewed by Debele et al (2023) being located in Europe. While there is much scope for scaling-up nature-based systems and solutions globally, they frequently encounter numerous challenges during planning and implementation. The IPCC pointed out that the term is "the subject of ongoing debate, with concerns that it may lead to the misunderstanding that NbS on its own can provide

2072-490: Is strongly connected to concepts like agroforestry . Type 3 consists of managing ecosystems in very extensive ways or even creating new ecosystems (e.g., artificial ecosystems with new assemblages of organisms for green roofs and walls to mitigate city warming and clean polluted air). Type 3 is linked to concepts like green and blue infrastructures and objectives like restoration of heavily degraded or polluted areas and greening cities. Constructed wetlands are one example for

2146-462: Is that NBS seek to embrace, rather than replace, nature conservation norms. NBS can be implemented alone or in an integrated manner along with other solutions to societal challenges (e.g. technological and engineering solutions) and are applied at the landscape scale. Researchers have pointed out that "instead of framing NBS as an alternative to engineered approaches, we should focus on finding synergies among different solutions". The concept of NBS

2220-570: Is to support "creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world". MacArthur's grant-making priorities include mitigating climate change , reducing jail populations, decreasing nuclear threats, supporting nonprofit journalism, and funding local needs in its hometown of Chicago. According to the OECD , the foundation's financing for 2019 development increased by 27% to US$ 109 million. The MacArthur Fellows Program , commonly referred to as

2294-524: Is working with scientists at Purdue University , Science-i, and the Global Forest Biodiversity Initiative to develop methods for assessing carbon accumulation rates in forested ecosystems. Such rates are affected by three forest growth components, which are difficult to measure: ingrowth, upgrowth and mortality. Being able to assess this more accurately would reduce uncertainty in estimating the impact of global forests as

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2368-797: The Global North , resulting in a lack of data for many medium- and low-income nations. Consequently, many ecosystems and climates are excluded from existing studies as well as cost analyses in these locations. Further research needs to be conducted in the Global South to determine the efficacy of NBS on climate, social and ecological standards. NBS is closely related to concepts like ecosystem approaches and ecological engineering . This includes concepts such as ecosystem-based adaptation and green infrastructure . For instance, ecosystem-based approaches are increasingly promoted for climate change adaptation and mitigation by organisations like

2442-631: The Russian Guild of Film Directors between 2005 and 2014 to support the Stalker Human Rights Film Festival in Moscow . In June 2016, the foundation requested "proposals promising real progress toward solving a critical problem of our time in any field or any location". The winning proposal would receive a $ 100 million grant. Almost 2,000 proposals were submitted. In December 2017, the foundation announced that

2516-542: The University of Maryland on forest change analysis. WRI partnered with Google Earth Engine to develop Global Forest Watch (GFW), an open-source web application that uses Landsat satellite imagery to map forest changes. Weekly GLAD deforestation alerts and daily Fires alerts can be specific to a 30 square metres (320 sq ft) area. Global Forest Watch is most frequently used by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), academic researchers, government employees, and

2590-490: The World Bank in the context of finding new solutions to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects by working with natural ecosystems rather than relying purely on engineering interventions. Many indigenous peoples have recognised the natural environment as playing an important role in human well-being as part of their traditional knowledge systems, but this idea did not enter into modern scientific literature until

2664-704: The "genius" award, annually gives $ 800,000 no-strings-attached grants to around two dozen creative individuals in diverse fields "who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits". The foundation's 100&Change competition awards a $ 100 million grant every three years to a single proposal. John D. MacArthur owned Bankers Life and Casualty and other businesses, as well as considerable property holdings in Florida and New York. His wife, Catherine , held positions in many of these companies. Their attorney, William T. Kirby , and Paul Doolen, their chief financial officer, suggested that

2738-579: The 1970's with the concept of ecosystem services . The IUCN referred to NBS in a position paper for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change . The term was also adopted by European policymakers, in particular by the European Commission, in a report stressing that NBS can offer innovative means to create jobs and growth as part of a green economy . The term started to make appearances in

2812-431: The 1990s while Low Impact Development (LID) came out of the U.S.   Eventually New Zealand reframed LID to create "Low Impact Urban Design and Development" (LIUDD) with a focus on using diverse stakeholders as a foundation. Then in the 2000s the western hemisphere largely adopted " Green Infrastructure " for stormwater management as well as enhancing social, economic and environmental conditions for sustainability. In

2886-590: The Amazon region has shown that rainforest managed by local and Indigenous communities stores carbon dioxide, while rainforest managed by government and private interests is a net source of greenhouse gases. Other WRI initiatives include The Access Initiative , which ranks countries based on environmental democracy , the ability of citizens to engage in decision-making about natural resources, as measured by transparency, public participation laws, and access to justice. In 2014, philanthropist Stephen M. Ross established

2960-705: The Brazil, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States and is active in over 50 countries. A report by the Center for International Policy 's Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative of the top 50 think tanks on the University of Pennsylvania 's Global Go-To Think Tanks rating index found that during the period 2014–2018 World Resources Institute received more funding from outside

3034-491: The Circular Economy (PACE) is a public-private collaboration platform and project accelerating focusing on building the circular economy . PACE was launched during the 2018 World Economic Forum Annual meeting. The Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) is an alliance of large clean energy buyers, energy providers, and service providers that is unlocking the marketplace for all non-residential energy buyers to lead

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3108-496: The EC definition was updated to further emphasise that "Nature-based solutions must benefit biodiversity and support the delivery of a range of ecosystem services." The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report pointed out that the term nature-based solutions is "widely but not universally used in the scientific literature". As of 2017, the term NBS was still regarded as "poorly defined and vague". The term ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA)

3182-1030: The EU’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, and ran for 3 years. In 2017, as part of the Presidency of the Estonian Republic of the Council of the European Union , a conference called "Nature-based Solutions: From Innovation to Common-use" was organised by the Ministry of the Environment of Estonia and the University of Tallinn . This conference aimed to strengthen synergies among various recent initiatives and programs related to NBS, focusing on policy and governance of NBS, research, and innovation. The Indigenous Environmental Network has stated that "Nature-based solutions (NBS)

3256-431: The IPCC pointed out that the term is "the subject of ongoing debate, with concerns that it may lead to the misunderstanding that NbS on its own can provide a global solution to climate change". To clarify this point further, the IPCC also stated that "nature-based systems cannot be regarded as an alternative to, or a reason to delay, deep cuts in GHG emissions ". The majority of case studies and examples of NBS are from

3330-527: The United States than any other think tank, with a total of more than US$ 63 million, though this was described as "unsurprising" given the institute's presence in so many countries. In 2014, Stephen M. Ross , an American real estate developer , gave the organization US$ 30 million to establish the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. WRI's activities are focused on the areas of water (including oceans), forests, climate, energy, food and cities. WRI

3404-426: The WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities through a major gift. The Center focuses on the development of sustainable cities and improvements in quality of life in developing countries around the world. WRI's flagship report for 2021 was Seven Transformations for More Equitable and Sustainable Cities . It followed Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders (2019). The Platform for Accelerating

3478-483: The WRI study an example of environmental colonialism and suggested that a fairer analysis would balance sources of emissions against terrestrial sinks for each nation. His critique sparked considerable debate about the appropriate methodologies for such analysis, and resulted in increased awareness of the issues involved. Official website MacArthur Foundation The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

3552-624: The World Resources Institute (WRI) is to “move society to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations”. It seeks to promote a sustainable human society with a basis of human health and well-being, environmental sustainability , and economic opportunity. WRI partners with local and national governments, private companies, publicly held corporations, and other non-profits, and offers services including global climate change issues, sustainable markets, ecosystem protection, and environmental responsible governance services. The World Resources Institute maintains international offices in

3626-550: The World Resources Institute reported on water quality world-wide, identifying over 400 dead zones due to eutrophication including areas in the Baltic Sea , the Chesapeake Bay in the United States, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef (33, 34). Eutrophication results from the discharge of highly concentrated phosphorus in urban wastewater into lakes and rivers, and from agricultural nutrient pollution. WRI advocates for

3700-531: The benefits transcend flood management and improve social conditions, increase carbon sequestration and prepare cities for planning for resilience. In the 1970s a popular approach in the U.S. was that of Best Management Practices (BMP) for using nature as a model for infrastructure and development while the UK had a model for flood management called " sustainable drainage systems ". Another framework called " Water Sensitive Urban Design " (WSUD) came out of Australia in

3774-410: The communities of Charleston County, South Carolina, Minnehaha County, South Dakota; The city and county of San Francisco; and Tulsa County, Oklahoma with $ 5 million in grant funding to create a unique plan to bring together government officials, non-profit partners, and impacted communities members to develop innovative approaches to this issue. MacArthur has awarded $ 3.2 million in support of the work in

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3848-447: The council of the World Resources Institute from 1988 to 1990. Agarwal, who "was among the first to argue that concepts of social equity need to be integrated into international policies aimed at mitigating the harmful effects of human-induced climate change", accused WRI of allocating too much responsibility for global warming to developing countries, and under-acknowledging the impact of U.S. overconsumption on global warming. He called

3922-404: The creation of new ecosystems) and is based on the assumption that the higher the number of services and stakeholder groups targeted, the lower the capacity to maximise the delivery of each service and simultaneously fulfil the specific needs of all stakeholder groups. As such, three types of NBS are distinguished (hybrid solutions exist along this gradient both in space and time. For instance, at

3996-576: The creation of opportunities for conservation finance , to name a few. NBS are also determined by site-specific natural and cultural contexts that include traditional, local and scientific knowledge. Geographic information systems (GIS) can be used as an analysis tool to determine sites that may succeed as NBS.  GIS can function in such a way that site conditions including slope gradients, water bodies, land use and soils are taken into account in analyzing for suitability. The resulting maps are often used in conjunction with historic flood maps to determine

4070-457: The delivery of selected ecosystem services compared to what would be obtained through a more conventional intervention. Examples include innovative planning of agricultural landscapes to increase their multi-functionality; using existing agrobiodiversity to increase biodiversity, connectivity, and resilience in landscapes; and approaches for enhancing tree species and genetic diversity to increase forest resilience to extreme events. This type of NBS

4144-462: The effects of urban heat islands , capture stormwater , abate pollution , and act as carbon sinks . At the same time, they can enhance local biodiversity. NBS systems and solutions are forming an increasing part of national and international policies on climate change. They are included in climate change policy, infrastructure investment, and climate finance mechanisms. The European Commission has paid increasing attention to NBS since 2013. This

4218-438: The elder MacArthur had an acrimonious relationship, waged a legal battle against the foundation for control of the board of directors. The younger MacArthur sued eight members of the board, accusing them of mismanagement of the foundation funds. These court cases were dismissed by each jurisdiction for lack of merit. In 1984, MacArthur again sued the board of directors including William Kirby, his father's trusted attorney, asking

4292-411: The establishment of marine protected areas to conserve biodiversity within these areas while exporting fish and other biomass into fishing grounds. This type of NBS is connected to, for example, the concept of biosphere reserves . Type 2 corresponds to management approaches that develop sustainable and multifunctional ecosystems and landscapes (extensively or intensively managed). These types improve

4366-527: The family create a foundation to be endowed by their vast fortune. When MacArthur died on January 6, 1978, he was worth in excess of a billion dollars. He left 92 percent of his estate to found the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Its first board of directors, per MacArthur's will, also included J. Roderick MacArthur , John's son from his first marriage, two other officers of Bankers Life and Casualty, and radio commentator Paul Harvey . Jonas Salk ,

4440-494: The foundation's next president. Robert Gallucci , formerly dean of Georgetown University 's School of Foreign Service, served as the foundation's fourth president from 2009 to 2014. Gallucci was fired in 2014. Julia Stasch, who formerly served as MacArthur's vice president for U.S. Programs, was named the foundation's president in 2015. Stasch had been chief of staff to Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley . She announced that she would step down in 2019. In March 2019, John Palfrey

4514-421: The inventor of the polio vaccine, later joined the board of directors. The elder MacArthur believed in the free market. However, he did not direct how foundation money was to be spent after he died. MacArthur told the board of directors, "I figured out how to make the money. You fellows will have to figure out how to spend it." Between 1979 and 1981, John's son, an ideological opponent of his father with whom

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4588-598: The main driver of deforestation globally. Forest loss has been estimated at around 4.7 million ha per year in 2010–2020. Over the same period, Asia had the highest net gain of forest area followed by Oceania and Europe. Forest restoration, as part of national development strategies, can help countries achieve sustainable development goals. For example, in Rwanda, the Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, World Resources Institute and IUCN began

4662-732: The mainstream media around the time of the Global Climate Action Summit in California in September 2018. Nature-based solutions stress the sustainable use of nature in solving coupled environmental-social-economic challenges. NBS go beyond traditional biodiversity conservation and management principles by "re-focusing" the debate on humans and specifically integrating societal factors such as human well-being and poverty reduction , socio-economic development , and governance principles. The general objective of NBS

4736-669: The natural functions of healthy ecosystems to protect the environment but also provide numerous economic and social benefits." They are used both in the context of climate change mitigation as well as adaptation . The European Commission's definition of NBS states that these solutions are "inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience . Such solutions bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes, and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions". In 2020,

4810-453: The potential of floodwater storage capacity on specific sites using 3D modeling tools. Since 2016, the EU has supported a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform (ThinkNature ) to promote the co-design, testing, and deployment of improved and innovative NBS in an integrated way. The creation of such science-policy-business-society interfaces could promote market uptake of NBS. The project was part of

4884-639: The private sector. It is also used by journalists and indigenous groups, many of whose lands are threatened. Applications of Global Forest Watch include rapid detection and response to fires, detecting illegal logging, assuring supply chain transparency, and assessing endangered tiger habitats. Working with the Sustainability Consortium, WRI works to identify and quantify major drivers of forest losses . For example, they have identified industrial scale internationally traded commodity crops such as beef, soybeans, palm oil , corn, and cotton as

4958-532: The purpose of better supporting human society in six areas: food, forests, water, energy, cities, and climate. The institute's flagship report series is the World Resources Report , each of which deals with a different topic. WRI encourages initiatives for monitoring, data analysis, and risk assessment, including global and open source projects. WRI has maintained a 4 out of 4 stars rating from Charity Navigator since 1 October 2008. The mission of

5032-566: The resilience of ecosystems, their capacity for renewal and the provision of services". The European Commission underlines that NBS can transform environmental and societal challenges into innovation opportunities, by turning natural capital into a source for green growth and sustainable development. Within this viewpoint, nature-based solutions to societal challenges "bring more, and more diverse, nature and natural features and processes into cities, landscapes and seascapes, through locally adapted, resource-efficient and systemic interventions". As

5106-573: The selected communities and an additional $ 1.8 million will support the Urban Institute's technical assistance work. Nature-based solutions The concept of NBS is related to the concept of ecological engineering and ecosystem-based adaptation . NBS are also related, conceptually to the practice of ecological restoration . The sustainable management approach is a key aspect of NBS development and implementation. Mangrove restoration efforts along coastlines provide an example of

5180-589: The use of local nature-based solutions (NBS), which tend to be cost-effective, to improve ecosystems, resist water-related climate impacts, and mitigate the effects of warming. WRI publishes the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas , ranking countries in terms of risk of severe water crises. WRI is active in studying the world's coral reefs , publishing reports in 1998 and 2011 that tracked damages due to coastal development, overfishing, climate change and rising ocean acidity. A 2022 report examines reefs to

5254-568: The winning proposal was submitted by the Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee . The grant was applied to the education of Middle Eastern refugee children. In May 2022, The MacArthur Foundation, partnered with the Urban Institute announced the launch of a housing stability program designed to break the links between housing instability and jail incarceration. The Just Home Project will provide

5328-687: Was established in 2015 to help companies to set emission reduction targets in line with climate science. The WRI manages the Climate Watch website (formerly known as the CAIT Climate Data Explorer), which enables journalists and others to examine greenhouse gas data by country and per capita emissions. In 1997 and 2000, WRI published the first comparative study of material flow accounting (MFA), using time series data to comprehensively assess all material inputs and outputs (excluding water) used by industrial economies. In 2008,

5402-475: Was named president, effective September 1, 2019. The MacArthur Fellowship is an award issued by the MacArthur Foundation each year, to typically 20 to 30 citizens or residents of the United States, of any age and working in any field, who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work". The program was initiated in 1981. According to the foundation, the fellowship

5476-748: Was titled "Nature-based Solutions for Water". For example, the Lancaster Environment Centre has implemented catchments at different scales on flood basins in conjunction with modelling software that allows observers to calculate the factor by which the floodplain expanded during two storm events. The idea is to divert higher floods flows into expandable areas of storage in the landscape. Forest restoration can benefit both biodiversity and human livelihoods (eg. providing food, timber and medicinal products). Diverse, native tree species are also more likely to be resilient to climate change than plantation forests. Agricultural expansion has been

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