World Resources Institute Podcasts Plus
by WRI's Big Ideas Into Action podcast
"Big Ideas Into Action" is the relaunched podcast from the World Resources Institute, bringing you the big ideas that combat the world's most pressing environmental and developmental challenges. You'll hear the voices of those meeting the challenges on the ground across the globe and find out about the way we're finding the answers and translating them into action. We'll be podcasting in series of six to eight at a time, once a week, with occasional special episodes to add our insights and analysis in response to big events. The World Resources Institute works around the globe to turn big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We focus on seven urgent global challenges that must be addressed to reduce poverty, grow economies and protect natural systems: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, cities, and the ocean.
Episodes
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Restoring India's Landscapes
Forests and farmland are part of the lives of more than 700 million people in India, but they need to be kept healthy if those people are to flourish. At a time of climate and biodiversity crises, nature-based solutions are a vital part of the answer. This WRI podcast explores the role of...
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Nature-Based Solutions for Enhancing Climate Resilience: Data Drives Impact
Measuring the impact of nature-based solutions (NBS) interventions takes consistent ground-level data alongside independent, verifiable, satellite-based data. When collected together, the door opens for more private sector investment, helping to close the nature finance gap that’s at least $700...
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ACT2025: what do climate-vulnerable countries want from COP29?
What do the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries need global leaders to achieve at this year’s COP29 UN climate summit? Experts from the Allied for Climate Transformation by 2025 (ACT2025) consortium — a unique coalition amplifying the voices of climate-vulnerable countries in climate...
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Preparing the World for Proactive Energy Planning: WRI Recaps the Clean Energy Ministerial
Paving the way to COP29 next month and COP30 in 2025, Brazil hosted an impactful Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) at the beginning of October. WRI experts met with global leaders all week, laying a foundation for Latin American countries to demand enabling regulatory frameworks for renewable energy...
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Latin America Leads the Clean Energy Transition: WRI Previews the Clean Energy Ministerial
The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is the annual COP of energy where the major drivers of responses to climate change and clean energy solutions can hammer out what the future global energy system could and should look like. It’s a perfect chance ahead of COP29 to gather, deliberate and plan for…
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Turning Up Clean Energy in Asia: Slashing Scope 3 Emissions in China
China’s impact on global supply chains is unparalleled, so decarbonizing the businesses that set up shop in that country — from fashion sector leaders like Decathlon to food & beverage behemoths like Budweiser – is paramount to meeting international energy targets. In the third episode of this...
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Turning Up Clean Energy in Asia: Decarbonizing Healthcare in India
Delivering healthcare is a 24/7 job. But what happens when the electricity supply – necessary for so many critical procedures and equipment, medications, and operating facilities – is unreliable? Hear how HSBC India partnered with WRI India to finance solar power and battery energy storage...
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Turning Up Clean Energy in Asia: A Brief History of Clean Energy in Asia
All eyes are on Asia as it attempts to complete a clean energy transition away from fossil fuels. National governments will have to work with the private sector to achieve their ambitious climate goals. That’s where the Climate Solutions Partnership (CSP) comes into play. With financial support...
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Impact of the 2024 Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF)
Looking back on the Asian Development Bank’s Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF), WRI experts, Marlon Apanada and Jennie Chen explain the important role that WRI plays as a thought-leader, as well as convening stakeholders and implementing innovating solutions to help Asia achieve its clean energy...
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WRI at ACEF - Behind The Scenes #2
As ACEF 2024 wraps up, WRI brings you a closer look at the innovative aspects of agrivoltaics that China is tapping into to reach its goal of tripling renewable energy by 2030. Looking beyond the clean energy conference, Shengnian Xu, a research associate in WRI China’s Energy program, sees WRI...
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WRI at ACEF 2024 - Behind The Scenes
After the first couple of days at ACEF 2024, WRI experts talk about how their work ties into the forum’s overall goals – specifically about how India’s goal of installing 500 GW of clean energy capacity and Indonesia’s plan to decarbonizing difficult to abate industries can be achieved in a…
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Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) 2024 Preview
Ahead of the Asia Clean Energy Forum, or ACEF for short, WRI examines the purpose of the premier conference of clean energy stakeholders on the continent. Marlon Apanada, WRI’s Southeast Asia Engagement Lead, for Energy & Climate explains why the tripling of renewable energy and how Asia develops...
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Voices on Supply Chains Episode 3 - The Power Of Partnerships
Ultimately, the story of supply chains is a story about people. We spoke with a dozen different supply chain experts from around the world who guided us through the relationships between large corporations and the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that make up their supply chain. As we...
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Voices on Supply Chains Episode 2 - The Power Imbalance
The approach that many corporations take with their supply chains passes the environmental and monetary costs down to the small businesses and workers that rely on them. These workers are far more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions – which are becoming more frequent and more destructive as...
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Voices on Supply Chains Episode 1 - The Lack Of Worker Power
Modern supply chains are global, complex, and touch nearly everyone in some way — you’re either part of the production process for a given commodity, a consumer of that product or service, or both. However, current supply chain practices fail to properly value our natural resources and the people...
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WRI Big Ideas Into Action #66: ACT2025 and vulnerable nations ahead of COP28
What do climate-vulnerable countries want from the forthcoming COP28 conference? In this podcast Nicholas Walton talks to Mark Bynoe and Maria Laura Rojas, two members of the ACT2025 grouping, a coalition amplifying the voices of vulnerable countries in the climate negotiations. What are they...
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WRI Big Ideas Into Action #65: where does Carbon Dioxide Removal fit in?
Carbon Dioxide Removal promises to be an important tool in fighting climate change, but how can countries best use it as they reduce their emissions? WRI recently published a working paper on the challenges and questions surrounding carbon dioxide removal, such as equity, its role in mitigation,...
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Big Ideas Into Action #64: four Stories To Watch for 2023
What are the big stories to watch for 2023? In this World Resources Institute podcast Ani Dasgupta and Nicholas Walton discuss four: the longer term impact of Russian's invasion of Ukraine on energy; what the re-election of President Lula in Brazil means for tropical forests; why 2023 is a big…
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Big Ideas Into Action #63: COP15 and Mexico's biodiversity
What is being done to stop marine biodiversity loss? Marine ecosystems are essential for all life on earth, providing benefits ranging from food to economic and recreational opportunities and more – with 3 billion people depending directly on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods....
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Big Ideas Into Action #62: Climate-vulnerable countries and COP27
The evidence continues to mount that the climate crisis is urgent, and action needs to be taken now to avert it and to minimise its impacts. Nowhere is this more true than for those vulnerable countries who are most at risk from its impacts. Many of these countries are part of a grouping called...
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Big Ideas Into Action #61: the circular economy and climate action
Tackling climate change and its impacts is complex and multifaceted, and involves everything from simply reducing the fossil fuel emissions in energy generation through to looking at agricultural land use. And then there’s the role of the circular economy in making a decisive impact on tackling...
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Big Ideas Into Action #60: Fiji and the Climate Finance challenge
Why is climate finance such an important issue, and how does it affect the world's most climate-vulnerable countries? In this podcast we look at the Pacific island nation of Fiji, which is on the frontline of climate change-related impacts such as coral bleaching, sea level rises, and extreme...
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Big Ideas Into Action #59: 40 years of climate action at WRI
The World Resources Institute is now 40 years old, but how have the world's climate challenges changed in that time? And how has WRI evolved to meet them? In this podcast, Ani Dasgupta talks about 4 decades of climate action, about technology, growing global awareness of climate change, and the...
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Big Ideas Into Action #58: Iraq and the Water Peace and Security Quarterly Update
Is it possible to predict conflict? That's what the Water, Peace and Security Partnership's machine learning early warning tool sets out to do. Four times a year the predictions are analyzed and turned into a quarterly report. In this third WPS quarterly report podcast we look at the water…
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WRI Big Ideas Into Action #57: international implications of the Inflation Reduction Act
The Inflation Reduction Act that has been signed into law by President Biden is seen as good news for US efforts to combat climate change. But what are the international implications of the Act? In this short podcast the President of WRI, Ani Dasgupta, talks about how the Act will add momentum to...
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WRI Big Ideas Into Action #56: Just Transition in India
Some cases of just transition are obvious - such as finding replacement jobs and taxation money when a local coal-fired power station closes down. But as we transition towards a low-carbon economy some other impacts on livelihoods and communities may not be so easy to predict. This case study…
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WRI Big Ideas Into Action #55: Just Transition in the United States
When a coal-fired power station near the US-Canada border closed, what happened to the local community, shorn of its jobs and the healthy tax revenues that it brought in? As the world shifts toward renewable energy we need to grasp the challenges that this throws up, finding new funding and…
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WRI Big Ideas Into Action #54: Just Transition in Australia
What happens to the workers and communities connected to an Australian coal-fired power station when it is closed down? As the world shifts towards renewable energy more fossil fuel-fired power stations will close down. Learning from what's happened in previous case studies will help us to…
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WRI Big Ideas Into Action #53: What is a Just Transition?
It’s one of the thorniest issues in the shift to low carbon economies – what happens to those whose lives, livelihoods and communities are left behind as we move away from fossil fuels. To help examine these transitions we've put together a podcast miniseries that looks at the challenges,...
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Big Ideas Into Action #52: solutions to the African food crisis caused by the Ukraine War
How has Africa been affected by the growing food crisis sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine? In this podcast we hear from three experts, their analysis of the situation, and their solutions - both to the immediate challenge and to making Africa's food system more resilient in the face of...
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Big Ideas Into Action #51: Cycling and the Sustainable City
Many governments and authorities started to build cycling infrastructure during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but were these developments temporary or the foundation of a permanent shift towards truly cyclable cities? In this WRI Big Ideas Into Action podcast we hear that many of those cities are...
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Big Ideas Into Action #50: Water Peace and Security Quarterly Update 2
Is it possible to predict conflict? That's what the Water, Peace and Security Partnership's machine learning early warning tool sets out to do. Four times a year the predictions are analyzed and turned into a quarterly report. In this second WPS quarterly report podcast we'll look at the…
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Big Ideas Into Action #49: the IPCC reports on climate change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has delivered its latest three reports, covering climate science, the impacts of climate change, and the actions necessary to minimise the damage. In this podcast we hear from two WRI experts, Sophia Boehm and Preety Bhandari, on the content of the...
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Big Ideas Into Action #48: Ukraine, energy and food
Beyond the immediate human suffering, what are the wider implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on energy and food? This is an edited, public version of a WRI press call examining the issues and the questions that will need to be asked in the coming months and years. The podcast features…
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Big Ideas Into Action #47: Stories To Watch deeper dive into climate justice
What is climate justice, and how do we ensure that climate action helps to address rather than exacerbate inequalities in the world? After all, those that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change are often in poorer countries with fewer means to address their worsening situation - and...
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Big Ideas Into Action #46: achieving clean air for girls and women
How much do air quality and pollution issues affect women and girls, and how much can solutions to those problems be helped by making sure they have a seat at the decision-making table? These are the decisions addressed in this podcast timed to coincide with International Women's Day. The podcast...
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Big Ideas Into Action #45: Stories To Watch deeper dive into the environment/pandemic link
With the world continuing to struggle with the cost of the Covid 19 pandemic, what are the chances that humanity's continued ill-treatment of nature will lead to the emergence of future diseases? What are the issues and questions behind the link between environmental degradation and disease that…
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Big Ideas Into Action #44: Stories To Watch deeper dive on electric mobility
One of the biggest challenges of a transition to a low carbon world is to change the way we get around. Electrifying transport is a key element of this, but it's about far more than selling electric cars and installing charging points in the cities of the rich world. But what are the issues and...
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Big Ideas Into Action #43: Stories To Watch deeper dive on coal
Coal is one of the most potent drivers of climate change. Phasing it out is critical for cutting harmful emissions and transitioning to a low-carbon economy. Yet despite rising commitments to do so, many countries seem to want to hang on to coal. Why? This deeper dive looking at coal is the first...
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Big Ideas Into Action #42: Water Peace and Security Quarterly Update 1
Is it possible to predict conflict? That's what the Water, Peace and Security Partnership's machine learning early warning tool sets out to do. Four times a year the predictions are analyzed and turned into a quarterly report. We'll be doing a short podcast about the headline story from each...
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Big Ideas Into Action #41: WRI's Stories To Watch 2022
What are the Stories To Watch for 2022? Every year WRI works out what the important ones are for the year ahead and presents them to the world. This podcast - with Ani Dasgupta interviewed by Nicholas Walton - looks at the background and inside story of those Stories, and the big changes in the...
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Big Ideas Into Action #40: ACT2025 - The Final Outcome
This series of ACT2025 podcasts from the World Resources Institute looks at climate from the point of view of vulnerable countries. In this podcast we hear an evaluation of the outcomes from the COP26 conference, from Preety Bhandari, Senior Advisor in WRI’s Global Climate Program and the Finance...
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COP26 Shorts: Air Quality
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at Air Quality with Jessica Seddon. Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Circular Economy, Energy, Food and Land Use, Business, and an overall look ahead to COP26. For…
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COP26 Shorts: the Ocean
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at the Ocean with Kristian Teleki. Other episodes look at Cities, Circular Economy, Energy, Food and Land Use, Clean Air, Business, and an overall look ahead to COP26. For...
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COP26 Shorts: Food and Land Use
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at Food and Land Use with Morgan Gillespy. Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Circular Economy, Energy, Clean Air, Business, and an overall look ahead to COP26. For…
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COP26 Shorts: Cities
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at Cities with Rogier Vandenberg. Other episodes look at Oceans, Circular Economy, Energy, Food and Land Use, Clean Air, Business, and an overall look ahead to COP26. For...
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COP26 Shorts: Circular Economy
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at the Circular Economy with Stientje van Veldhoven. Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Energy, Food and Land Use, Clean Air, Business, and an overall look ahead to...
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COP26 Shorts: Business
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at the Business world with Kevin Moss. Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Circular Economy, Energy, Food and Land Use, Clean Air, and an overall look ahead to COP26.…
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COP26 Shorts: The Overview
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton gets an overview of what to expect from COP from Helen Mountford. Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Circular Economy, Energy, Food and Land Use, Clean Air, and Business. For...
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COP26 Shorts: Energy
This new series of short WRI podcasts looks at why COP26 matters for different issues. In this episode Nicholas Walton looks at Energy with Jennifer Layke. Other episodes look at Oceans, Cities, Circular Economy, Food and Land Use, Clean Air, Business, and an overall look ahead to COP26. For more...
About this show
"Big Ideas Into Action" is the relaunched podcast from the World Resources Institute, bringing you the big ideas that combat the world's most pressing environmental and developmental challenges. You'll hear the voices of those meeting the challenges on the ground across the globe and find out about the way we're finding the answers and translating them into action. We'll be podcasting in series of six to eight at a time, once a week, with occasional special episodes to add our insights and analysis in response to big events. The World Resources Institute works around the globe to turn big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We focus on seven urgent global challenges that must be addressed to reduce poverty, grow economies and protect natural systems: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, cities, and the ocean.
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