Path Dependence, Innovation and the Economics of Climate Change

Ani Dasgupta, Global Director of the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, writes on how new mobility services can be effectively combined and leveraged with existing public transport options.

Climate action presents major opportunities in three key sectors of the global economy: cities, land use, and energy. If we seize these opportunities, argues Felipe Calderón, a more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous future will be within our grasp.

We must improve lives by shifting away from dirty, carbon-intensive industries. Low-income regions cannot do this alone. The world’s developed economies must invest in a better way, a more just way, writes Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.

The New

The findings of "Better Growth, Better Climate: The New Climate Economy Report" have received extensive coverage in print, online and in broadcast media. Highlights include The Economist, BBC, Bloomberg, and the New York Times.

The study finds that Americans living in sprawled communities directly bear an astounding $625 billion in extra costs. In addition, all residents and businesses, regardless of where they are located, bear an extra $400 billion in external costs. Correcting this problem provides an opportunity to increase economic productivity, improve public health and protect the environment. The report identifies specific smarter growth policies that can lead to healthier, safer and wealthier communities in both developed and developing countries.

Washington/London, September 8, 2015: New r

National and multilateral development banks are key to scaling up clean energy investment to at least US$1 trillion per year, according to a new paper released ahead of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings.

Enhanced nationally determined contributions can forge the way towards a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable world after COVID-19 – and the world’s major emitters should lead the way, writes Helen Mountford.

A study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) identifies many real-world examples where government policies and sustained technological progress in the United States are creating opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while delivering net economic benefits. "Business leaders are waking up to this reality and it’s time for more U.S. elected officials to do the same,” said Andrew Steer, President and CEO, WRI.

Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate Felipe Calderón joined Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri and Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera in announcing both the C40 City Bus Declaration of Intent and a Latin American Cities Declaration on the Compact of Mayors.

A new paper from the New Climate Economy shows there is large untapped potential for fuel efficiency gains in both aviation and shipping sectors that would cut costs and reduce emissions. International aviation and shipping have grown dramatically in the last few decades along with their emissions: aviation and shipping now produce 5% of global CO2 emissions, and by 2050, that share could rise to as much as 32%. Much of the potential to reduce emissions in aviation and shipping can be unlocked through existing technologies and practices that leading companies in each sector have already embraced. However, as this new paper shows, market failures and political barriers are hindering progress.