WRI Stories Feed: Open Climate Network

How Much Did the United States Contribute to International Fast-Start Finance?

Taryn Fransen — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:59:23 -0400

This post was co-authored with Jenna Blumenthal, an intern with WRI’s Climate and Energy program.

As U.S. government officials take stock of…

Domestic Ambition: A Key Ingredient to Tackling Climate Change

Jennifer Hatch — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:31:27 -0500

In the UNFCCC international climate negotiations, “ambition” refers to countries’ collective will to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions enough to keep global…

Fast-Start Finance: Where Do We Stand at the End of 2012?

Taryn Fransen — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:39:58 -0500

This piece was co-authored with Smita Nakhooda of the Overseas Development Institute, with inputs from Noriko Shimizu (IGES) and Sven Harmeling (Germanwatch)….

Achieving the Benefits of a Green Economy through Clean Energy

Priya Barua — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 07:28:44 -0400

How can policymakers deliver low-carbon development, particularly clean energy, at affordable costs? What strategies have countries used to attain the economic benefits of building a clean energy industry while keeping the burden to consumers low…

Shedding Light on Fast-Start Finance

Taryn Fransen — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:39:27 -0400

How much fast-start climate finance is actually flowing, and where is it being spent?[^1] This question has come up repeatedly alongside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) climate talks in Bonn this…

MEDIA ADVISORY: Hope or Hype? WRI Experts Host Press Call on Rio+20 Summit

James Anderson — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:28:05 -0400

As leaders in government, business and civil society prepare to head to Rio de Janeiro for the UN Sustainable Development Summit, known as Rio+20, experts from the World Resources Institute will host a press call to discuss issues and expectations for the meeting.

WRI experts will discuss issues, including the green economy, governance, climate change, role of business, and more. WRI will provide an update on the state of play and on possible outcomes for the global summit.

Listen to the audio recording of WRI’s press call below:

WHAT:

Press call to discuss expectations for the Rio+20 Summit.

WHO:

Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI

Craig Hanson, Director, People & Ecosystems Program, WRI

Lalanath de Silva, Director, The Access Initiative

Jennifer Morgan, Director, Climate & Energy Program, WRI

Followed by a Q&A session

WHEN:

Tuesday, May 22, 10:00a.m. EDT // 11:00a.m. BRT

CALL-IN:

United States (Toll free): (866) 803-2143

Brazil (Toll Free): 0800-8911992

Other international locations (Toll): +1 (210)795-1098

Passcode: Callers should ask for “RIO”

You can read more about WRI’s work at Rio +20 at: http://insights.wri.org/topic/rio20.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Michael Oko: Tel. + 1 (202) 729-7684; email: moko@wri.org; or

James Anderson: Tel. +1 (202) 729 7608; email: JAnderson@wri.org

Open Climate Network Partners Track Climate Policy Progress Around the World

Jennifer Hatch — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:54:39 -0400

The Open Climate Network recently concluded a three-day workshop in which participants from 18 organizations in 13 countries gathered to refine methodologies for the network’s first national assessment report, expected next year. The report will…

Open Climate Network Launches Website to Track National Progress on Climate Change

Taryn Fransen — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:26:38 -0400

Welcome to the Open Climate Network website, a platform for updates and analysis on country actions on climate mitigation and the provision of climate finance. Here you will find information on the latest policy developments in our…

Summary: Workshop on How to Measure, Report, and Verify Climate Finance

Kirsten Stasio — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:19:54 -0400

OpenClimateNetwork.org

Visit openclimatenetwork.org for the latest analysis, project info, expert perspectives, and more.

An informal summary of WRI’s June 2011 workshop on the measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of finance provisions in the Cancun Agreements.

On the sidelines of the international climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany in June 2011, the World Resources Institute hosted a workshop to facilitate a technical discussion on the MRV of finance provisions of the Cancun Agreements, with a particular focus on the reporting of climate finance. This workshop, which was co-chaired by Laurence Blandford from Environment Canada and Benito Jiménez from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, consisted of an informal forum of experts from developed and developing country governments, international organizations – including the UNFCCC, the OECD, and the World Bank – and civil society.

The first session of the workshop focused on: the goal(s) of reporting climate finance under the Convention; how information and reporting practices of the OECD Development Assistance Committee can contribute to or complement these goal(s); and, what role civil society and private sector initiatives can play in helping the Convention fulfill these goal(s). The second session looked more specifically at how existing guidelines can be enhanced in order to fulfill the provisions of the Cancun Agreements. The third and final session of the workshop focused on the process for making an enhanced reporting system under the Convention operational, including implications for both new and existing institutions and entities under the Convention.

Discussions during the workshop yielded many ideas and proposals for moving forward on developing an enhanced system for reporting climate finance. It highlighted several areas of agreement among participants. It also highlighted several areas where more work needs to be done and more questions that need to be resolved by the COP and other relevant entities.

WRI has prepared an informal summary of the workshop’s presentations and discussions. It should not be taken to reflect the official positions of any government or institution present at the meeting.

Download the full summary (PDF, 343 Kb)

United Kingdom Adopts Ambitious Climate Change Target

Jennifer Morgan — Tue, 17 May 2011 14:00:29 -0400

Today, the government of the United Kingdom took a significant step to shift to a low-carbon economy, providing clear signals to investors that the UK wants to host large-scale clean energy projects moving forward.

The agreement announced today takes the form of a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2025, as part of the country’s fourth carbon budget. The agreement of the country’s conservative and liberal democrat parties extends current targets and continues the country on an aggressive reduction path from 2023-2027.

This move sends a signal to the international community that action on climate is a priority for the economy as well as the environment. As Chris Huhne, Energy and Climate Change Secretary said in announcing the target:

It will establish our competitive advantage in the most rapidly growing sectors of the world economy, generate jobs and export opportunities in these sectors, maintain energy security and protect our economy from oil price volatility.

Studies have shown that clean energy investments thrive where there is stable policy support, and setting targets is a critical first step.

The agreement was informed by the Committee on Climate Change, which calls for 80 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2050, a recommendation that is in line with what most scientists suggest is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

While the target is aggressive, in 2014 it will be reviewed against the European Union’s emissions trajectory and the government could adjust the target if the country’s reductions are more aggressive than those in the rest of the EU. To achieve the target, policymakers both within the UK and in the EU will have to develop realistic policies that can facilitate the transition to low-carbon energy.