World Resources Institute
This article reads like a press release or a news article and may be largely based on routine coverage. (November 2017) |
The World Resources Institute (WRI) is a global research non-profit organization established in 1982 with funding from the MacArthur Foundation[2] under the leadership of James Gustave Speth.[3] WRI's activities are focused on seven areas: food, forests, water, energy, cities, climate and ocean.
| Formation | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Founder | James Gustave Speth |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. United States |
| Ani Dasgupta | |
Chairman of the Board | James Harmon |
Revenue (2019) | US$ 132 million[1]: 50 |
| Expenses (2019) | US$ 114 million[1]: 50 |
| Website | WRI.org |
Organization
The World Resources Institute (WRI) maintains international offices in the United States, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and Brazil.[4][5] The organization's mission is to promote environmental sustainability, economic opportunity, and human health and well-being.[6] 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.[7][8] WRI has maintained a 4 out of 4 stars rating from Charity Navigator since 1 October 2008.[9]
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.[10] 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 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.[11]
Initiatives
WRI's activities are focused on seven areas: food, forests, water, energy,[12] cities, climate and ocean.
WRI initiatives include:
- The Access Initiative, a civil society network dedicated to ensuring that citizens have the right and ability to influence decisions about the natural resources.[13]
- Aqueduct, an initiative to measure, map and understand water risks around the globe.[14]
- CAIT Climate Data Explorer, offering chart tools for historic GHG data, Paris contributions and more. As of May 2020[update] this is being integrated into the similar platform Climate Watch.[15]
- Champions 12.3, a coalition of executives to accelerate progress toward United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 to tackle food loss and waste.[16]
- Global Forest Watch, an online forest monitoring and alert system.[citation needed]
- The Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides standards, guidance, tools, and trainings for business and government to quantify and manage GHG emissions.[17]
- LandMark, a platform providing maps and information on lands that are collectively held and used by Indigenous peoples and local communities.[18]
- Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), 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; from 2019, WRI is supporting the scale-up of PACE and establish an Action Hub in The Hague.[19]
- Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance 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 a rapid transition to a cleaner, prosperous, zero-carbon renewable energy future.[20] It has over 200 members including Google, GM, Facebook, Walmart, Disney and other large companies, and reached 6 GW capacity in 2018.[21]
- The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) helps companies transition to a low-carbon economic profile by setting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in line with climate science.[22] Through Science Based Targets (SBTs), companies express their intention to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 °C.[23]
- WRI Ross Center helps cities grow more sustainably and seeks to improve quality of life in developing countries around the world.[24]
- World Resources Report, WRI's flagship report series. Each report deals with a different topic.[25]
Criticism
Anil Agarwal accused a 1990 study by the World Resources Institute to allocate responsibility for global warming to developing countries.[26] Agarwal considered it flawed, politically motivated, and unjust, and saw it more as exacerbating the North-South divide.[26] In his 1991 paper, he called this an example of environmental colonialism and blamed U.S. overconsumption for global warming.[27]
References
- ^ a b Rising to the Challenge; WRI Annual Report 2019–2012 (PDF). Washington DC: World Resources Institute (WRI). 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ Broder, John M. (March 14, 2012). "Climate Change Envoy to Lead Influential Institute". New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "James Gustave Speth". World Resources Institute. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "WRI Engagement Across the World". World Resources Institute. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ "Charity Navigator: World Resources Institute". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ "World Resources Institute Offices – Washington DC". Office Snapshots. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ Bloomberg (2017). "World Resources Institute". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ "Charitywatch: World Resources Institute". American Institute of Philanthropy. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ "Charity Navigator - Historical Ratings for World Resources Institute". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
- ^ Pogrebin, Robin. "Developer Gives $30 Million to Establish City Planning Center". New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ Freeman, Ben (January 2020). (PDF) (Report). Center for International Policy. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- ^ M.A. Siraj (September 15, 2017). "Powering cities with clean energy". Thehindu.com. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ "Home | The Access Initiative". accessinitiative.org.
- ^ "Aqueduct". World Resources Institute. June 12, 2013.
- ^ WRI, CAIT Climate Data Explorer, accessed 6 May 2020
- ^ "Champions 12.3". Champions 12.3.
- ^ Greenhouse Gas Protocol
- ^ "LandMark Map". LandMark.
- ^ "Resources". Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy.
- ^ "REBA – Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance". rebuyers.org.
- ^ Dzikiy, Phil (28 March 2019). "Google, GM, and more than 300 other companies launch Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance". Electrek. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- ^ "Science Based Targets".
- ^ Science Based Targets initiative [1], accessed 13 May 2021
- ^ "WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities I Helping cities make big ideas happen™". WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.
- ^ "World Resources Report". World Resources Institute. December 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Agarwal, Anil; Narain, Sunita (21 November 2019). "Global Warming in an Unequal World: A Case of Environmental Colonialism". India in a Warming World: Integrating Climate Change and Development. doi:10.1093/oso/9780199498734.003.0005.
- ^ Agarwal, A.; Narain, S. (1 January 1991). "Global warming in an unequal world: a case of environmental colonialism". CLA.