Browse Research

While it is acknowledged that asset stranding could jeopardize the political feasibility of climate policies, the amount of stranded assets is rarely made explicit in most decarbonization pathways. This paper introduces a novel method that extracts, for every given energy sector transition scenario, the implicit amount of new power generation capacity that is added every year, and the required amount of stranding if this scenario is to be in line with its projected generation mix.

This report Uncharted Waters: The New Economics of Water Scarcity and Variability presents new evidence to advance understanding on how rainfall shocks coupled with water scarcity, impacts farms, firms, and families. On farms, the largest consumers of water in the world, impacts are channeled from declining yields to changing landscapes.

Interventions on green space in urban settings can help address public health issues related to obesity, cardiovascular effects, mental health and well-being. However, knowledge on their effectiveness in relation to health, well-being and equity is incomplete. To explore the effectiveness of urban green space interventions to enhance healthy urban environments, the WHO Regional Office for Europe reviewed research findings, local case studies and Environmental Impact Assessment/Health Impact Assessment experiences, and assessed their impacts on environment, health, well-being and equity.

The report "Urban Green Space Interventions and Health: A review of impacts and effectiveness" provides the three working papers prepared for a meeting, and presents the discussion and conclusions on what intervention components have been found to be effective in maximizing the environmental, health and equity benefits derived from urban green spaces.

To access the related policy brief "Urban green spaces: a brief for action", click here.

Urbanization results in an increasing proportion of the population living in cities. Green spaces and other nature-based solutions offer innovative approaches to increase the quality of urban settings, enhance local resilience and promote sustainable lifestyles, improving both the health and the well-being of urban residents. Parks, playgrounds or vegetation in public and private places are a central component of these approaches.

The brief "Urban green spaces: a brief for action" aims to support urban policy-makers and practitioners by translating the key findings of a review of research evidence and practical case studies on urban green space interventions into implications for practice. It presents lessons learned and highlights aspects to consider when designing urban green spaces to maximize social and health benefits.

To access the related technical report "Urban Green Space Interventions and Health: A review of impacts and effectiveness", click here.

Road construction is thought to result in forest loss, but causal identification has been elusive. Using multiple causal identification strategies, the authors find that India's rural road construction program, which built new feeder roads to over 100,000 villages and 100 million people, had precisely zero effect on local deforestation. In contrast, when 10,000 kilometers of India's national highway network were upgraded, there was substantial forest cover loss, driven by increased timber demand along the highway corridor. In terms of forests, last mile connectivity had a negligible environmental cost, while expansion of major corridors had important environmental impacts.