2024 in Review: Our Biggest Stories on People, Nature and the Climate

2024 ushered in a new chapter of the climate crisis.

The world experienced its hottest year on record - with dire consequences for communities around the globe. Devastating floods destroyed lives and property in Brazil and Kenya. Wildfires scorched South America's forests. Blistering heat waves hit cities in India and the U.S.

But behind these stark headlines, we also saw signs of a better future starting to emerge - one where halting climate change is synonymous with growing economies and protecting nature.

In Brazil, farmers are reviving swathes of the Amazon through sustainable agriculture. In sub-Saharan Africa, distributed solar is expanding access to electricity while boosting incomes. In Vietnam, major companies like Apple and Nike are advocating for easier access to clean energy - and getting it.

At the global level, wealthy countries agreed at the recent UN climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan triple their support for climate action in developing nations. It's still a far cry from what's needed, but a critical step toward getting finance flowing to the communities who need it most.

We brought you many of these stories on Insights. Whether reporting on water shortages in Ethiopia or writing from Baku to unpack the complexities of UN climate negotiations, WRI's experts analyzed today's most pressing challenges, explored solutions and pushed for higher ambition on the global stage.

Our biggest stories of the year span the breadth of this expertise, offering insight into the state of the world today and what's needed to secure the better future we know is possible.

Analyzing Today's Challenges

Fires and Floods on the Rise

2024 witnessed an onslaught of climate disasters, from record wildfires across South America to deadly floods in Kenya and Brazil. Our experts helped explain why these events are getting worse and how people are building resilience in unexpected ways.

What Could 3 Degrees C of Warming Look Like?

What will happen if the world stays on course for nearly 3 degrees C of temperature rise this century? We modeled future heat waves and other climate risks in nearly 1,000 of the world's largest cities to find out. →

A rickshaw driver takes a drink during a heat wave in Dhaka, Bangladesh in April 2024. Photo by Mamunur Rashid/Shutterstock

One-Quarter of World's Crops Threatened by Water Risks

New data on WRI's Aqueduct platform revealed that one-quarter of the world's crops are grown in areas where water is highly stressed, highly unreliable or both - threats that could exacerbate hunger. →

Tracking Deforestation Around the Globe

The world lost an alarming number of trees in 2023: almost 10 football (soccer) fields of tropical primary forest per minute. But there were glimmers of progress, too, like Brazil and Colombia reducing primary forest loss by 36% and 49%, respectively. →

Community members unload tree seedlings to reforest a degraded area of the Amazon. Photo by Edward Parker/Alamy Stock Photo

The History of Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Our visual history of carbon emissions shows which countries have contributed most to climate change - and how that list has changed over the last two centuries. →

Exploring Solutions

Small Farmers Are Bringing Brazil's Amazon Back to Life

Small-scale farmers are reviving abandoned palm oil plantations in the Amazon, showing that food production and healthy forests can go hand-in-hand. →

A New Solution to Power Africa

Expanding electricity access in Africa does little good if people can't afford it. But what if renewable power could also be used to boost people's incomes, tackling both issues at once? →

A nurse switches on the lights at a solar-powered health care facility in Tanzania. Photo by Jake Lyell/Alamy Stock Photo

Our Health Depends on a Healthy Ocean

From staple foods to cancer-treating drugs, people everywhere rely on the ocean in more ways than they might realize - which means keeping it healthy should be a top priority. →

Is There Such a Thing As Better Meat?

WRI research found that options like grass-fed and free-range meat, which are better for animals, often take a bigger toll on the planet than conventional farming. So, what's really the "better" option? →

Cows at pasture on a grass-fed cattle farm in Brazil. Photo by MS Cattle/Shutterstock

Conserving Biodiversity Hinges on Indigenous Rights

Lands managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities are some of the last biodiversity strongholds. But without secure legal rights, they can't always protect these pristine ecosystems from harm. →

Raising Global Ambition

Tracking Progress on Global Climate Pledges

WRI's climate commitment tracker takes stock of how countries are progressing on their promises to scale up renewables, halt deforestation, stem methane emissions and more. →

The Climate Action We Need This Decade

The world is on track to cut emissions 1% by 2030. To prevent increasingly dangerous climate change impacts, that number needs to be 42% - a yawning gap, but one that's still possible to close. We outlined how. →

President-elect Donald Trump at a rally in Maryland. Photo by Jonah Elkowitz/Shutterstock

Climate Action, Despite Trump

President Donald Trump's re-election was undoubtedly a blow to U.S. climate and environmental action - but not a death knell, say WRI experts. →

Stepping Up National Climate Commitments

2025 will reveal a lot about where climate action is headed, with nearly all countries expected to submit new national commitments for the coming decade. Here's what to know. →

Denmark Sets a New Bar for Agriculture

Denmark's groundbreaking agriculture policy is the most ambitious national effort yet to tackle the environmental impacts of farming while restoring nature, setting a new bar other countries should strive to meet. →

Explore more stories about the intersection of people, nature and climate on Insights.