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WRI Calls For Greater Developing Country Participation in Global Carbon Market Coalition

shannon.paton@wri.org — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:01:58 +0000

WRI Calls For Greater Developing Country Participation in Global Carbon Market Coalition shannon.paton@… Thu, 09/24/2026 - 14:01

Sept. 24, 2026 — WRI participated as an observer in the second high-level meeting of the Open Coalition on Compliance Carbon Markets (OCCCM), held Sept. 14 in Wuhan, China. The meeting focused on adopting the coalition’s 2026–2030 work plan and identifying priority issues for further work ahead of the UN climate summit (COP31) in November.

WRI was one of 14 international organizations participating as an observer in the meeting. As an observer, WRI put forward three main recommendations at the meeting: further expand the participation of developing countries in the coalition; strengthen cooperation on measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) to support effective domestic carbon markets and high-integrity carbon credits; and establish voluntary pilot projects to test solutions before scaling them up.

Building on the coalition’s launch in May, the meeting reviewed and adopted the OCCCM Work Plan and Rules of Procedure for the Secretariat, establishing the coalition’s institutional framework and marking its transition into the implementation phase. Discussions also highlighted the importance of multilateral cooperation to global climate governance, including collaboration on MRV systems, high-integrity carbon crediting and offsetting mechanisms, and greater coordination among carbon markets. The coalition also welcomed additional countries and organizations to join its efforts.

Established at Brazil’s initiative COP30 and formally constituted in May 2026, the OCCCM is chaired by Brazil and co-chaired by China and the European Union. The coalition brings together governments with different experiences in implementing compliance carbon markets and seeks to strengthen cooperation among these systems.

Quote from Mirela Sandrini, Executive Director, WRI Brasil:

"The adoption of a work program at this second high-level meeting shows the OCCCM has passed its first test. What started as one of the clearest legacies of Brazil's COP30 presidency is now becoming a functioning body with a concrete roadmap. The real measure of its success, though, will be whether that roadmap translates into practical support for implementing the Paris Agreement — helping countries turn carbon market cooperation into credible, high-integrity systems that accelerate the pace and scale of NDC delivery. Strengthening MRV, promoting mutual recognition among systems and opening space for developing countries to help shape the rules, rather than simply follow them, will be essential to keep that momentum going."

Quote from Li Fang, Country Director, WRI China:

“Greater alignment and interoperability across carbon market rules and methodologies are increasingly important. The next step is to strengthen coordination among existing standards, methodologies and data systems. This will require greater exchange of practical experience, a shared understanding of barriers to mutual recognition and cooperation to develop and implement workable solutions. Where fundamental principles, methodologies and data-quality requirements are sufficiently aligned, different systems can gradually move toward greater mutual recognition and effective linkages.”

Quote from David Waskow, Director of WRI’s International Climate Initiative:

“We are witnessing a rapid spread of domestic carbon markets and carbon pricing to a much wider range of countries, including a number of emerging economies and developing countries. Effective and high-integrity carbon markets aligned with other national policies can play a critical role in driving climate action in these countries. The OCCCM is an important addition to that landscape — by facilitating cooperation and standard-setting, it can help these carbon markets mobilize real delivery of climate action on the ground while also supporting core social and environmental objectives.”

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STATEMENT: UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit Calls for Faster, Fairer Climate Action

nate.shelter@wri.org — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 02:59:03 +0000

STATEMENT: UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit Calls for Faster, Fairer Climate Action nate.shelter@wri.org Wed, 09/23/2026 - 22:59

NEW YORK (September 23, 2026) — The UN Secretary-General's Climate Summit took place today, bringing together government leaders, development banks, businesses and civil society. The summit focused on three priorities: keeping 1.5°C within reach, mobilizing finance for developing countries, and advancing adaptation in an era of climate overshoot — when global temperatures temporarily rise above 1.5°C. Just ahead of the summit, Germany announced that it has adopted a national roadmap to phase out fossil fuels by 2045.

Following is a statement from Ani Dasgupta, President and CEO, World Resources Institute:

"Secretary-General Guterres’s speech was a blunt reality check that world leaders must take to heart. The devastating floods, blistering heatwaves and wildfires of recent months are not isolated tragedies — they are a warning of the far greater disasters that lie ahead.

“Entering an era of climate overshoot means our global response needs to shift into overdrive. Countries must be much more aggressive in moving every part of their economy to be cleaner and more resilient, bringing workers, communities, and businesses along with them. These same actions can tackle countries' core concerns by strengthening economic competitiveness and energy security, lowering costs and creating good jobs.

"It is deeply encouraging to see climate adaptation placed in the global spotlight where it belongs. As climate shocks put lives at risk and batter bottom lines, research shows that every dollar spent on adaptation — from protecting communities to strengthening water and food systems — can deliver more than ten dollars in benefits over a decade. It is time to stop treating adaptation like a cost we cannot afford and start treating it as an essential investment in economic and community resilience.

"The summit sharpened the case for accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels. Global momentum for this shift was underscored today as Germany approved a national roadmap to phase out coal, oil, and gas by 2045. More countries should follow.

“Volatile fossil fuel prices have exposed families and businesses to a relentless rollercoaster—and a fast, equitable shift to clean energy-powered electrification is how we put our feet on solid ground again. Achieving the Turkish COP Presidency’s goal of 35% electrification by 2035 can be a game changer. Clean electrification can stabilize costs, strengthen energy security, reduce air pollution and create good jobs. Delivering it will require investing in modern, flexible grids, storage, efficient buildings and technologies, and stronger efforts to lower the cost of capital and unlock private investment at scale.

"Cooperation across borders is more vital than ever, even though countries’ paths won’t all be the same. Today’s summit set a shared direction that only a UN gathering can deliver, but the real test is what happens next. Countries must now use every economic and policy tool at their disposal, at home and through international forums like COP31, to turn today's vision into reality."

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STATEMENT: More Than 30 Countries Join New OceanEye Alliance to Strengthen Global Ocean Observation

nate.shelter@wri.org — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:17:02 +0000

STATEMENT: More Than 30 Countries Join New OceanEye Alliance to Strengthen Global Ocean Observation nate.shelter@wri.org Wed, 09/23/2026 - 13:17

NEW YORK (September 23, 2026) — Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney launched the OceanEye International Alliance, a new effort to strengthen global ocean observation and build more sustainable support for the Global Ocean Observing System.

The alliance aims to close critical monitoring gaps, broaden financial and in-kind support and improve access to the ocean data countries need to prepare for extreme weather, manage marine resources and strengthen coastal resilience.

More than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Americas joined the new alliance, with pledges totaling at least €211 million for ocean observation activities.

Following is a statement from Tom Pickerell, Global Director of WRI’s Ocean Program and a member of the European Commission’s European Ocean Board:

“The consequences of an ocean altered by climate change are playing out in real time: record surface temperatures, more intense storms, shifting fisheries and growing threats to people’s food and livelihoods, all exacerbated by an unprecedented El Niño.

“Countries can be far better prepared to withstand these impacts. That starts with better data and monitoring to understand how the ocean is changing — and how fast. The OceanEye Alliance will strengthen the vital, yet unsung, ocean observation systems that economies depend on. These systems underpin everything from countries’ weather forecasts and disaster warnings to maritime safety, food security and sustainable ocean management.

“More than 30 countries signing on is a powerful show of support for a stronger, more connected global ocean observing system. Much of the existing global ocean observation system still depends on short-term funding concentrated in too few places. The OceanEye Alliance can help protect the observing networks and decades of ocean records already in place, while expanding access to data and strengthening cooperation between countries.

“Better ocean data means better decisions. It helps governments spot risks earlier, protect communities and livelihoods, and build more resilient economies in the face of extreme weather. For Ocean Panel member countries and others committed to 100% sustainable management of their national waters, better data keeps Sustainable Ocean Plans grounded in reality — showing where risks are growing, whether action is working and when governments need to change course.”

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STATEMENT: IEA Special Report on Global Electrification Released Ahead of COP31

darla.vanhoorn@wri.org — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:40:16 +0000

STATEMENT: IEA Special Report on Global Electrification Released Ahead of COP31 darla.vanhoorn… Tue, 09/22/2026 - 11:40

NEW YORK (September 22, 2026) — Today at the UN General Assembly, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its Special Report on Global Electrification, requested by Türkiye and Australia to inform COP31 discussions.

The report provides new analysis to support the Presidency's goal of increasing electricity's share of final global energy use from around 23% today to 35% by 2035. Crucially, it finds that fully exploiting today’s cost-competitive potential for electrification could raise the global electrification rate to 33%.

Following is a statement from Dr Nick Wayth CEng FEI, Global Director of the WRI Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition:

“Disruptions around Hormuz and higher energy prices crunching households’ budgets have once again exposed the risks of relying on fossil fuels. Meanwhile, rising electricity demand is straining grids, making today's report especially timely. People need energy that is affordable, reliable and secure. Electrification can help deliver all three.”

“Countries cannot control every geopolitical shock, but they can control how exposed they are to one. The more cars, factories and buildings run on clean electricity, the less they depend on volatile fuel markets and supply routes. As the report shows, electric technologies can also deliver services such as transport and heating far more efficiently than fossil-fuel alternatives. Paired with cleaner power, efficient technologies and well-designed electricity markets, electrification can cut emissions, strengthen economic competitiveness and protect households and businesses from fossil fuel price shocks.

“The 35x35 goal gives countries a clear target, and the report shows that getting close to it cost-effectively is already within reach. Reaching the goal will require concrete plans to ensure power systems can keep pace as more of the economy electrifies. That means expanding capacity faster and more strategically, while getting more from today's infrastructure through storage, efficiency and flexible demand. Governments also need planning, tariffs and market rules that reward consumers and businesses for shifting electricity use away from peak times — backed by the finance needed to put those changes into practice.

“Success will be measured not just by how fast electrification grows, but by whether it lowers energy bills, expands access to essential services and creates greater economic opportunities for workers and communities.”

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How WRI Product Studio is Using AI to Build Faster

shannon.paton@wri.org — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:36:31 +0000

How WRI Product Studio is Using AI to Build Faster shannon.paton@… Mon, 09/21/2026 - 13:36

This is the second of two posts on how WRI's Product Studio uses AI across the design and development process. Part 1 covers how AI can help teams rapidly create and test rough prototypes, using them to sharpen thinking, surface assumptions and gather better feedback before committing to what gets built.

In the first part of this series, we argued that when a new piece of software can be built in an afternoon, the discipline of figuring out what to build matters more, not less. As AI-assisted software development makes it possible to generate interfaces on demand, the challenge is no longer simply producing something quickly but ensuring that everything produced is consistent, accessible and trustworthy.

WRI software products help turn complex environmental data into information that can guide decisions on policy, resource management and stakeholder engagement. Quicker development can mean more timely action to help people, nature and climate.

WRI’s Product Studio makes that delivery phase faster while maintaining rigor. The foundation for this is WRI’s Design System: an open-source component library that is purpose-built for the kinds of applications WRI develops most frequently.

To address WRI’s most common user interface challenges — layered maps with complex legends, responsive data panels and large datasets that need to be navigable by non-technical users — we built a custom system. The WRI Design System is documented on Zeroheight and open on GitHub and was co-developed with our UX design partner Usertopia. It represents the accumulation of our answers to thousands of small questions about how information should be presented, how interactions should feel and how trust should be built with people who rely on our tools. The Design System also ensures that we capture learnings across product teams, so the interface patterns that consistently work in one WRI tool don't have to be rediscovered in the next.

AI-Native, by Design

Recently, we invested in making the Design System AI-native. Working with WRI’s Engineering team, Product Studio built context files and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations that give AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot and Cursor accurate knowledge of WRI’s component library.

When we ask an AI assistant to build a map with a filterable legend, it will, without this context, invent one from scratch — a generic control that behaves inconsistently, and looks and feels different from every other map in our portfolio. Combining the Design System with AI-assisted development allows the assistant to use WRI's own legend component instead, with the right design tokens already applied and the interaction patterns we've already validated. You can see an example of these building blocks in our live map interface template.

The impact on delivery is significant. Even before AI, the Design System let designers produce handoff-ready prototypes roughly three times faster and engineers implement them around 20% faster. These figures are based on team estimates across our recent builds. With AI-assisted development layered on top, teams can now take a geospatial web application from validated concept to a fully functional working interface in hours rather than weeks.

Faster Development Changes How Teams Spend Their Time

Speed is helpful, but it's worth being clear about what it does and doesn't change. You’ll often hear WRI Product teams say “the last 10% of any product still takes something like 90% of the effort” — they’re referring to the quality assurance, accessibility and data integrity checks that separate a nice-looking tool from a trustworthy one. The AI-native Design System doesn’t change that.

What changes is how the team spends its time. AI reduces the repetitive work of assembling a consistent interface from known parts so that far more of the team’s attention can be spent on ensuring a tool is trustworthy and delivers value. Team members go from being busy builders repeatedly assembling the same structures to being drivers, conductors and quality assurers directing the work, maintaining standards and judging whether what's been produced is truly ready for users.

Adoption Among Our Partners

One sign that WRI’s Design System is becoming a shared standard is that it now guides how partners as well as our own team build WRI applications. Vizonomy, WRI’s technical partner on TerraMatch — WRI’s platform supporting land restoration initiatives — is now applying the WRI Design System in the platform’s redesign. Another example is Blue Coding on Cool Cities Lab. For us, the clearest signal of success is that the same standards for quality and consistency hold as more products are built, whether in-house or by a partner.

Standards as a Condition for Responsible AI

The nature of WRI’s work requires that every component, interaction and edge case be thoroughly considered before it reaches decision-makers.

The Design System makes it possible to move fast in the development phase, without compromising those standards. It speeds implementation and developer handoff while supporting visual consistency. It simultaneously keeps teams anchored to decisions that have already been validated — what the components should do, how they should behave and why.

Taken together, the two parts of this series describe the same principle applied at both ends of the process. In discovery, AI raises the stakes by making it easier to build something before you know whether it is the right thing to build. In development, it increased the amount of output that must meet our standards. Discovery helps us determine what to build, while the Design System helps us build it quickly without sacrificing quality or consistency. Together, they show how WRI is adapting its existing practices to take advantage of AI across a product’s design and development process.

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How WRI Product Studio is Using AI to Sharpen Product Discovery

shannon.paton@wri.org — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:27:11 +0000

How WRI Product Studio is Using AI to Sharpen Product Discovery shannon.paton@… Mon, 09/21/2026 - 13:27

This is the first of two posts on how WRI's Product Studio uses AI deliberately across its design and development process. Part 2 will cover how WRI's Design System has been made AI-native to accelerate development while keeping quality consistent.

When a digital product team can generate a working prototype in a single afternoon, the temptation to skip straight to building can be hard to resist.

But we’ve seen how a quickly produced polished prototype can narrow thinking. It can create a false sense of momentum before the right questions have been asked, sending teams in a direction no one has consciously chosen and raising the cost of pivoting.

The stakes are particularly high at WRI, which builds tools to help decision-makers understand and act on complex environmental and socioeconomic data. Building the wrong thing can mean far more than wasted time and money: it can shape how decision-makers interpret the evidence, which problems they prioritize and, ultimately, what they choose to do.

Using AI to Make Discovery More Iterative

Product Studio is the team that leads WRI’s digital product development, ensuring that the products in our portfolio are consistent and reliable in meeting users’ needs. Our approach has always been grounded in discovery first: understand the problem and form a hypothesis. Get a rough prototype in front of real users and stakeholders as early as possible. Learn, adjust. Then build. This isn't a methodology we adopted in response to AI, but the foundation of WRI’s approach to product design and development. AI hasn’t changed that logic so much as raised the stakes of skipping it.

To protect against the pitfalls of rushing into building, Product Studio has established lightweight prototyping practices that support the discovery phase. One of them is using AI to create many low-fidelity prototypes rather than a single realistic one, with the goal of sparking the right kind of conversation.

Prototypes are worth creating when they help us determine whether:

The idea reveals a real user need with a credible path to impact, rather than being just a technically interesting capability.
Our assumptions about the user, data, or workflow hold up, and whether the product would break if one of them turned out to be wrong.
The concept is still rough enough that users' feedback will target the idea itself, rather than the execution.
There are differences worth surfacing early, whether between team members’ views or between what users say and what they actually do.

While Product Studio exercises restraint when it comes to using AI for functional prototyping, we rely on it to enhance early discovery. We use AI to create many low-fidelity prototypes rather than a single realistic one. We turn stakeholder conversations into sketch-like wireframes in hours, deliberately unpolished, so people critique the idea rather than the execution.

We keep running summaries of the thinking behind a project (for example, concept description, problem solved, approach to concept testing and concept test results) so our reasoning stays visible and easy to revisit when an assumption changes.

Using AI in this way widens the options under consideration before the team commits to any of them. This approach improves the quality of our conversations. Domain experts who would struggle to react to a written technical specification engage faster with something they can see. Identifying differences early means they are often quicker and cheaper to address.

AI-generated sketch used with Cool Cities Lab users to test the idea of a concise summary for a selected area. Testing showed that participants clearly understood the concept as intended

Our recent project on AI for Urban Cooling, a feature we're testing for Cool Cities Lab, is a good example of our approach. We used AI to generate dozens of rough concepts for how it could support heat-adaptation planning, then homed in on five worth putting in front of real users. We took those ideas, which were deliberately early-stage because the goal wasn't to validate a design but to learn which problems users most wanted AI to solve, to 46 practitioners. The concepts all tested well, so we asked participants to rank them from most to least valuable. A clear winner emerged — one concept drew 11 of the "most valuable" votes and none of the "least valuable” votes. That gave us the confidence to move it into prototyping, knowing it addressed needs that users prioritized rather than ones that sounded or looked good.

High-fidelity prototype of the Selected Area Summary AI concept shown earlier as a sketch

AI Doesn't Change the Logic. It Raises the Stakes.

WRI’s approach to responsible AI rests on three principles: be curious, be user-centered and be accountable. In the discovery phase, that means exploring where AI can be useful while staying grounded in evidence and user needs.

That discipline matters even more now that teams can build convincing products before they have established whether they are solving the right problem, making it easier to commit to the wrong direction.

AI can play different roles at different phases of product development. Once the direction is set and a product enters development, we use AI to build faster without drifting from what consistently works. Read the second part of this series, focusing on how WRI’s Design System is improving development, now with AI support.

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Electric School Buses Mean Cleaner Air for Kids

sarah.brown@wri.org — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:44:59 +0000

Electric School Buses Mean Cleaner Air for Kids sarah.brown@wri.org Mon, 09/21/2026 - 11:44

West Oakland, a neighborhood of less than 30,000 people on the northwestern tip of Oakland, Calif., is encircled by three major highways. In the latter half of the 20th century, construction of a postal service distribution center, a Bay Area Rapid Transit public transit line and a highway overpass sliced across once-bustling thoroughfares, dismantling a hub of Black culture and a burgeoning Black middle class. By the early 2000s, increased vehicle traffic from freeways, maritime activity from the port and local industry resulted in average diesel emissions more than 90 times greater than the rest of California.

Decades later, the legacy lives in the lungs of West Oakland’s youngest generation. Lisa Patel, a Bay Area pediatrician and executive director at the Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health, has seen the impacts of chronic air pollution in real time.

“When a 2-year-old or 3-year-old comes into our emergency room, their lungs are so inflamed from that pollution that I can't even hear air pass,” Patel explained. “What that looks like on their face is just terror. Because they can't breathe, and they don't know why they can't breathe.”

Asthma is the most common chronic disease for children, and the symptoms are frequently exacerbated by air pollution entering children’s lungs. But in the shadows of highways and overpasses that bring air pollution into the East Bay, a solution is taking shape. Electric school buses are increasingly being deployed as a method to reduce children’s exposure to air pollution, with California leading the way.

The typical school bus runs on fossil fuels, releasing dangerous tailpipe exhaust while on the roads or idling outside schools and homes. Electric school buses, which run on electric battery technology that powers the vehicles through charging, have zero tailpipe emissions and are the only school buses on the market that don’t release harmful tailpipe pollution, removing a harmful irritant from a student’s commute.

Oakland is one of thousands of communities working to remove dangerous pollutants by switching to electric school buses. In 2024, Oakland Unified School District made history as the first major school district in the United States with an all-electric school bus fleet, transporting up to 1,300 special education students daily on 74 electric school buses.

Electric school buses can reduce children's exposure to diesel exhaus during their daily commute, Photo by WRI Electric School Bus Initiative

Students with Asthma Suffer the Most

Eliminating daily exposure to diesel exhaust from school transportation is particularly important to the roughly 5 million children in the U.S. with asthma. Rates of disease vary by race and income level; 11% of all children living in poverty and 14% of all Black children have asthma. Pediatric asthma rates are 7.5 times higher in communities of color than most white communities in the U.S. The same population groups most likely to suffer from asthma and air pollution impacts — Black and low-income students — are also those most likely to rely on school buses.

“Often these are children of color, children who are experiencing poverty, and these kids will come in again and again with another asthma exacerbation,” Patel said of her patients. “What possibility is there for them to be healthy when they're constantly exposed to this pollution that we know is damaging their lungs?”

When air pollution is inhaled, it can trigger inflammation in the lungs, causing an asthma attack. Air struggles to move through inflamed passageways, and without enough oxygen, the cascading impacts are quick and sometimes life-threatening.

Asthma is one of the top causes of absenteeism, which in turn can influence a student’s success. Students who attend school regularly see higher academic achievement rates than those who do not.

Patel said she has heard from other doctors and nurses about children suffering from asthma attacks after riding the school bus. As an asthmatic, she always brings her inhaler along when she joins her own kids on field trips. That’s because the typical diesel-burning school bus releases diesel exhaust that contains particulate matter, gases like carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds — all pollutants that can trigger asthma symptoms. Studies show that even a nine-minute bus ride can cause severe wheezing for children with asthma. Research increasingly highlights the dangers of air pollution on the lungs, brain and development.

What Makes Diesel So Dangerous?

When you stand beside a diesel-burning yellow school bus, the black smog that enters the air includes particulate matter. Particulate matter can be soot wafting off a campfire, dust and debris from far-off wildfire, tree pollen or the trails of smoke coming from a cigarette. Particulate matter is often classified into two categories: PM10 (smaller than 10 micrometers) and PM2.5 (smaller than 2.5 micrometers, or tinier than the widest part of a piece of human hair).

Fine particulate matter rates inside older diesel-burning school buses can reach 10 times the level of ambient air, which means that even short rides to school can account for high levels of PM2.5 exposure for students.

“Research on PM2.5 is harrowing,” said Amanda Millstein, a pediatrician in Northern California. “The more we learn about PM2.5, the scarier I think it becomes, and the more urgent it becomes to minimize exposure.”

Replacing diesel school buses with electric buses can reduce children’s exposure to harmful air pollution. Photo by WRI Electric School Bus Intitative

Because PM2.5 is so small, it’s easier to inhale and more dangerous to health. And because kids have higher respiratory rates than adults as they develop, they’re breathing in more of these dangerous pollutants. In addition to PM2.5, the diesel exhaust released from fossil fuel-burning school buses contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) at levels that are unsafe for inhalation. Diesel exhaust is a carcinogen and the chemicals in diesel exhaust are associated with respiratory conditions, heart conditions, central nervous system issues and impaired brain function, among other issues.

The Clean Air Task Force estimates that in 2023, diesel exhaust from all sources led to nearly 9,000 deaths, 4,000 heart attacks, 6,000 cases of acute bronchitis and over 105,000 cases of exacerbated asthma in the U.S.

Globally, air pollution is responsible for millions of premature deaths and millions of metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and worsening heat, storms, droughts and wildfires that threaten lives. And air pollution is not equally experienced: People of color have disproportionately higher exposure to PM2.5. In California, for example, an analysis of air pollution found that communities of color are exposed to 21% to 43% more vehicle particulate matter air pollution than white Californians.

Neelu Tummala is an ear, nose and throat doctor in New York City. Her practice handles the impacts of inhaled pollutants on upper airways. Pollutants can cause inflammation in the nasal mucosa and lead to headaches, congestion and facial pressure. When kids breathe in exhaust waiting for the bus or while boarding it, it can cause irritation and congestion that make it hard to focus; when caregivers are exposed to the same pollutants, it can impact their workday, and the impacts for individuals at any age can hamper sleep quality.

“The story behind air pollutants is not a one-and-done story,” she said.

It’s not limited to the upper airway or the lower airway. Pollutants enter the blood stream and can increase cardiovascular disease risk, and when they cross the blood-brain barrier, they can impact mental health and increase risk of stroke. The dangers of diesel exhaust and air pollution extend to pregnant woman and fetuses, increasing risk of pre-term birth and low birth weight.

“[These pollutants are] going everywhere in the body,” Tummala said, “The part of the body that I take care of is the first entry point of these air pollutants. Even starting right there, when they first entered the nose, they're already causing inflammation, they're already causing symptoms.”

Family Impacts and Greater Consequences

Asthma also impacts the whole family, Millstein explained. Watching a child struggle to breathe is upsetting. Logistical uncertainty of crowded emergency rooms, long waits and inconsistent appointments can keep caregivers up late and out of work. Depending on their workplace, caregivers can find their job security and wages threatened if they miss time to address a child’s illness.

And these issues aren’t one-off occurrences for most families, Millstein added. It’s much bigger than an isolated breathing treatment.

“This is just part of their life where every few weeks, every few months, their kid’s asthma flares and they need medication that they can't give that home, like oral steroids, magnesium, continuous albuterol,” she said. “And then they're dealing with the real impacts of what that does to a whole family.”

To make matters worse, the U.S. healthcare system is strained across the system, and treatment of children has taken a measurable hit. An analysis of 3,000 hospitals between 2003 and 2022 found that the number of hospitals providing the lowest level (offering only minimal services) of pediatric care doubled in that time, with corresponding decreases in hospitals with high pediatric capability. There was a 41% drop in hospital capability for asthma hospitalization.

On the other hand, research has shown that swapping out diesel-burning buses for electric school buses can provide substantial positive health and climate benefits, to the tune of $1.6 billion annually in societal benefits. The numbers consider the reduction in excess mortality caused by PM2.5 exposure that is minimized when diesel-burning buses are replaced by electric school buses.

“Increasingly, we don't have resources to care for children in our hospitals as more hospitals close and pediatrics wards are shut down. We should do everything we can to keep children from getting sick and requiring hospitalization in the first place,” Patel said.

“At the least, we shouldn't be making the burden of pollution worse for kids that are having to live around this pollution all the time. Because as it is, that pollution is already setting them up for lungs that can be asthmatic.”

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Asthma is the most common chronic disease for children. Swapping out polluting rides to school can lead to cleaner, healthier air for communities.

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RELEASE: Global Forest Watch Becomes Global Nature Watch, Expanding to Cover More Land Ecosystems

sophie.brady@wri.org — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 11:30:23 +0000

RELEASE: Global Forest Watch Becomes Global Nature Watch, Expanding to Cover More Land Ecosystems sophie.brady@wri.org Mon, 09/21/2026 - 07:30

Global Nature Watch’s AI-driven Horizon platform is now available in preview, with data on forests and other key ecosystems.
Existing Global Forest Watch users will continue to have access to the forest data, tools and workflows they rely on through Global Nature Watch.
Over time, a new look and improved user experience will be introduced alongside new capabilities and coverage.

Washington, D.C. (September 21, 2026) — World Resources Institute (WRI) today announced that Global Forest Watch (GFW), one of the world's most widely used environmental monitoring platforms, is now Global Nature Watch (GNW).

Building on more than a decade of trusted forest monitoring through GFW, Global Nature Watch is expanding beyond forests to help people better understand and manage the world’s lands — supporting better decisions for livelihoods, climate stability and biodiversity.

As part of this evolution, a new AI-driven platform, Horizon, is now available on Global Nature Watch in preview. It combines data across land ecosystems with advances in AI, Earth observation and geospatial technologies — making complex nature data easier to find, understand and use for people with different technical backgrounds, languages and levels of experience with mapping tools.

Global Forest Watch users will continue to have access to the forest data, resources and workflows they rely on through Global Nature Watch’s map, dashboards and tools, including Forest Watcher, MapBuilder and LandMark.

“Forests don't exist in isolation — what happens in grasslands, on farms and in wetlands shapes what happens in forests, and every one of those ecosystems is under growing pressure,” said Crystal Davis, Global Director for the Food, Land & Water Programs at World Resources Institute. “For a decade, we've helped millions understand what's happening in forests. Now we're applying that same science-based approach across the broader landscapes they're connected to — giving people the information they need to understand change, manage risks and make better decisions for nature.”

Horizon currently features data on forests and other key landscapes such as grasslands, as well as near-real-time alerts across all vegetated ecosystems. Additional data, including on greenhouse gas dynamics and other land ecosystems, will be added over time.

During the preview period, Horizon will be available alongside Global Nature Watch’s existing forest monitoring product. Over time, Horizon is expected to become GNW’s primary monitoring platform, with a phased transition to ensure it can meet users’ core monitoring needs.

“With advances in Earth observation and AI, we can now uncover things about our planet and its ecosystems that simply weren't possible 20 years ago,” said Craig Mills, Director of Land & Carbon Lab and Global Nature Watch at World Resources Institute. “We're able to reach ecosystems that were once difficult to monitor at scale, and do it with greater speed and accuracy. And now AI is helping put that complex information into the hands of the people who can act on it, creating powerful new opportunities for nature protection and restoration.”

Today, millions of people use GNW’s free satellite data and monitoring tools to monitor more than 600 million hectares of forest worldwide — from Indigenous communities and forest defenders tracking deforestation in near real time, to companies conducting supply chain due diligence, to governments enforcing land-use policy.

This work is possible thanks to foundational support from Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), a key funder of forest monitoring data since GFW's early days, and from the Bezos Earth Fund, which is supporting GNW's expansion as part of its commitment to harnessing science, data and AI to accelerate action for climate and nature.

“Twelve years ago, Norway backed an ambitious idea: making reliable information about the world's forests freely available to anyone who needs it,” said Sigrun Aasland, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway. “Today, the data and tools supported through this partnership are used by governments, Indigenous Peoples, civil society organizations and businesses around the world to help protect forests and strengthen accountability. I am proud that Norway has contributed to building this global public good, and I am excited to see how Global Nature Watch can make trusted information even more accessible and useful for both protecting forests and other ecosystems.”

“The nature crisis is moving too fast for yesterday’s tools. Global Nature Watch combines frontier science, satellite data and AI to make planetary change visible and actionable, giving people everywhere the intelligence to protect nature before it is too late,” said Dr. Kelly Levin, Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change at the Bezos Earth Fund.

Over the coming months, a new look and improved user experience will be introduced that reflects the continued evolution of Global Nature Watch’s capabilities and coverage. Whether users are monitoring forests or other critical landscapes, the initiative’s commitment remains the same: free, global, science-based data that helps people protect the natural world we all depend on.

Users can find answers to frequently asked questions about the evolution here. To explore Global Nature Watch, visit globalnaturewatch.org. To explore Horizon, visit horizon.globalnaturewatch.org.

Notes to Editors:

Media Contact

Sophie Brady (Media Relations Specialist) — sophie.brady@wri.org
Kaitlyn Thayer (Communications Manager, Global Nature Watch) — kaitlyn.thayer@wri.org

About Global Nature Watch

Global Nature Watch (GNW), formerly Global Forest Watch (GFW), provides open access to the best available data, tools and insights on Earth’s changing landscapes. By harnessing the latest advancements in AI, Earth observation and geospatial technology, GNW helps people everywhere protect and restore nature, strengthen livelihoods and address climate change. Since the launch of Global Forest Watch in 2014, over 9 million people from 170+ countries have visited the monitoring platform. Now, GNW is transforming what’s possible for nature monitoring through a new innovative AI-driven platform, GNW Horizon.

About World Resources Institute (WRI)
WRI works to improve people’s lives, protect and restore nature and stabilize the climate. As an independent research organization, we leverage our data, expertise and global reach to influence policy and catalyze change across systems like food, land and water; energy; and cities. Our 2,000+ staff work on the ground in more than a dozen focus countries and with partners in over 50 nations.

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Statement: U.S. House Votes to Reverse California’s Clean Air Act Waivers, Putting Public Health at Risk

darla.vanhoorn@wri.org — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:13:40 +0000

Statement: U.S. House Votes to Reverse California’s Clean Air Act Waivers, Putting Public Health at Risk darla.vanhoorn… Thu, 09/17/2026 - 09:13

Washington, D.C. (September 17, 2026) — This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two resolutions, introduced by Reps. Fong (R-CA) and Gallagher (R-CA), to overturn two California Clean Air Act waivers. The waivers allow California to regulate emissions from ocean-going vessels at berth and commercial harbor craft, helping protect people living in the state’s densely populated port regions from harmful air pollution. It remains to be seen if the U.S. Senate will take up these resolutions.

Following is a statement from Sue Gander, Director, U.S. Transportation, World Resources Institute:

“The federal government’s continued attacks on California’s Clean Air Act waivers are playing politics with public health. Keeping these waivers in place would dramatically reduce nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that pollute the air Californians breathe every day, while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

“This vote pulls the rug out from under ports and businesses that have already invested billions of dollars in low- and zero-emission berthing and harbor operations. It also creates uncertainty for future investment.

“The stakes extend beyond California. This alarming federal overreach could further undermine states’ longstanding ability to adopt stronger protections for the health and well-being of their citizens.”

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Building Colombia’s Nature Economy Could Create Hundreds of Thousands of New Jobs

alicia.cypress@wri.org — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Building Colombia’s Nature Economy Could Create Hundreds of Thousands of New Jobs alicia.cypress… Tue, 09/15/2026 - 11:00

As the world shifts toward a more resilient, low-carbon economy, Colombia has a significant opportunity to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in emerging industries such as green infrastructure, clean transport and the circular economy.

Globally, this transition is expected to generate approximately 375 million jobs. Around 280 million jobs will be linked to adaptation, with 195 million of those adaptation jobs linked to nature-based solutions and regenerative agriculture.

As the second-most biodiverse country in the world, Colombia’s ecosystems represent enormous untapped economic potential across even more emerging industries, such as ecotourism, bioeconomy and sustainable exports. Nature tourism and agribusiness alone could create 775,000 jobs by 2035, with many of these jobs concentrated in Córdoba, Atlántico, Nariño, Caldas, Magdalena and Bolívar, expanding economic opportunities in regions whose vast natural landscapes and agricultural potential make them well-positioned for these industries. Colombia's agricultural capacity, strategic natural ecosystems and regional diversity also position it as a potential leader in nature-based economic development across Latin America.

Colombia’s government has already identified more than $32 billion in green investment opportunities spanning renewable energy, ecosystem protection and sustainable agriculture — sectors where the country already holds a competitive advantage.

The Central Challenge: Making Growth Inclusive

But turning this potential into reality requires confronting challenges in Colombia’s labor market. For many Colombians, the opportunity to find secure, well-paid and protected employment still depends on their gender, age and where they live, with women, young people and rural communities often facing the greatest barriers.

In June 2026, for instance, around 55% of workers were employed informally, working without formal contracts or access to benefits such as social security, paid leave or legal protections. Female labor force participation was about 54%, compared to 76% for men, a gap driven largely by the unequal distribution of unpaid care work. Youth unemployment is around 15%, almost double the national average.

An estimated 4.7 million workers, roughly 22.6% of the current workforce, are in occupations that will be directly affected by the climate transition. These include new and emerging roles, such as solar photovoltaic installers and environmental economists; existing occupations requiring new skills, such as electrical engineering technicians, construction inspectors, and bus and truck mechanics; and occupations likely to experience increased demand, including electrical powerline installers and repairers, chemical engineers, forest and conservation technicians, electricians and bus drivers.

Alongside new opportunities, the adoption of low-carbon technologies and growing demand for lower-emission goods may displace some workers. New jobs will not necessarily emerge in the same regions, require the same skills or offer comparable pay. Without deliberate management, workers facing these changes and people already excluded from secure employment may struggle to access new opportunities.

None of this will change on its own. Policies are needed to focus on workforce development, skills upgrading and new economic opportunities that will help drive Colombia’s long-term competitiveness.

The country has already taken several steps: 100% of universities and technical education institutions are expected to offer programs aligned with the needs of a carbon-neutral economy by 2030, and green jobs should represent 45% of total employment by 2050, according to Colombia’s Long-Term Climate Strategy (E2050).

The next four years, which coincide exactly with Colombia's nationally determined contribution (NDC) commitments and the incoming 2026-2030 National Development Plan, represent a strategic opportunity to translate its climate commitments into concrete programs, targets, institutional responsibilities and financing. Colombia’s large working-age population also gives the country an advantage — but that window will not remain open indefinitely.

A group of tourists take a canoe ride through a mangrove forest in Colombia. Ecotourism is among the sectors that could grow in Colombia's nature-based economy. Photo by AlysC/iStock.

Policy Levers for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth

A new WRI study sets out three priority areas Colombia will need to focus on to move its economy in this low-carbon, resilient and competitive direction:

Reconversión laboral, mejora de competencias y empleos verdes con enfoque de equidad: recomendaciones para el Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2026-2030 de Colombia.

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1) Governance and Political Intent

Colombia has already made progress in embedding just transition principles into its national climate commitments, including the NDC and its Long-Term Climate Strategy. These principles support workers and communities affected by the shift away from high-emitting industries and enable them to benefit from opportunities created by a low-carbon economy. Likewise, the Ministry of Labor has moved this forward by creating a workforce strategy. The task now is to put them into action.

The National Development Plan must translate these commitments and strategies into concrete programs, such as regional economic diversification initiatives that provide business development and market access for sustainable agriculture, nature tourism, ecosystem restoration and bioeconomy business, transition support for workers and communities affected by declining industries, like reskilling and upskilling training programs, and measures to ensure that new investment creates formal jobs.

These measures could include agreements between project developers and local authorities that set explicit targets for local hiring and formal job creation in the regions where projects are developed. Delivering these programs will require clear institutional owners, timelines and funding sources, ideally, by aligning labor, education, investment and climate policy.

These areas are often planned and implemented separately, leading to disconnected initiatives, preventing policies and investments from working toward the same goal. National targets must be matched by local transition agreements: tailored plans that bring together governments, trade unions, businesses and communities, aligned with broader local and regional development strategies.

2) Training Innovation

A low-carbon, climate-resilient economy is not built by policy alone; it is built by people, by their hands and skills. Reskilling and upskilling workers will be needed faster than traditional education allows. To meet this demand, short, modular, flexible and stackable training programs can help workers to more quickly update their technical skills. This is particularly important in Colombia, where many in its informal workforce lack paid time off or employer-supported training and cannot afford to step away from their jobs while they retrain.

At the same time, recognizing the skills people already have will be essential. The National Learning Service (SENA), which already certifies skills acquired through practice, has already reached more than 260,000 Colombian workers in 2025. Expanding this model and complementing it with clear occupational certifications would help informal workers to convert practical experience into recognized credentials and access better-quality formal employment.

None of this will be inclusive by default. Women face barriers that training programs rarely account for: a disproportionate share of unpaid childcare, eldercare and household tasks, leaving less time for training; limited rural connectivity, which restricts access to online and in-person courses; and exclusion from technical training, which narrows their pathways into emerging green jobs. Programs must therefore be designed around these lived realities, not just formally open to them.

3) Financing and Incentives

Financing the transition requires a different way of thinking about costs. Reskilling and workforce development should be treated not as recurrent expenditure but as an investment in people.

Public spending can also serve as direct leverage: Large infrastructure, energy and transport contracts financed with public resources should require local hiring, skills certification and training to turn projects into workforce development.

Incentives matter most for the smallest firms. Micro, small and medium-sized businesses generate around 80% of national employment, yet they have the least capacity to absorb the cost of retraining staff or adopting low-carbon technologies. A combination of fiscal and financial incentives, access to credit and technical assistance — paired with gradual steps toward formalization — can help businesses retrain workers and adopt low-carbon technologies while improving employment quality.

Finally, international climate finance should go in the same direction. This is particularly relevant in Colombia, where international support for protecting globally important ecosystems such as the Amazon could also help Indigenous Peoples and local communities develop skills and access green jobs in restoration, sustainable forest management, nature tourism and bioeconomy enterprises.

International cooperation and development bank lending should explicitly direct a share of climate funding toward a green and equitable labor transition — including reskilling, social protection and the expansion of training institutions like SENA. By building local skills and employment opportunities, these investments can make conservation and sustainable resource use viable sources of employment and income, reducing reliance on activities that degrade ecosystems. Integrating employment and skills into climate finance is key to maximizing the economic and social returns of climate investment.

Two women help spread coffee beans to dry them out at a Colombian coffee farm. Only 54% of women participate in the nation's workforce. Photo by andresr/iStock.

Colombia’s Moment to Build a New Economy

Colombia’s opportunity for a new economy — rooted in nature, driven by innovation and designed for inclusion — is a practical, achievable agenda. The building blocks are in place: extraordinary biodiversity, a young workforce, proven agricultural capacity and growing investor interest in nature-based economic development.

Now is the time for Colombia to simultaneously address the climate crisis and expand its economy for its people. With the right policies, this transition can improve the lives of millions of workers. Realizing this opportunity will require deliberate action across workforce development, local planning and climate investment.

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Colombia's shift to a low-carbon economy could bring 775,000 jobs by 2035 to agribusiness and nature tourism sectors.

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As Colombia transitions to a low-carbon, nature-based economy, the right policies can help drive sustainable growth and an inclusive workforce.

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