Stories Archive: June, 2011

Jennifer Morgan delivered the following speech on June 24, 2011 at the closing plenary of the 6th Annual Asian Clean Energy Forum in Manila, Philippines.

Looking for the innovations that can help developing countries achieve a low-carbon energy future, at an affordable cost.

A new report on the state of the world’s oceans is gaining considerable attention this week.

Spatial information – including where different populations live and where natural resources are located – is essential for sound development planning and decision-making. A new website launched today, Virtual Kenya, opens up a wealth of maps and spatial data about the country for citizens and students to use.

As feed-in tariffs gain traction as a policy mechanism of choice, we must keep in mind the bigger picture of the financial health of developing country electricity sectors.

In a survey of global businesses, 86 percent described responding to climate risks or investing in adaptation as a business opportunity. So finds a new report jointly released yesterday by the UN Global Compact, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Oxfam and the World Resources Institute.

Renewable energy has the potential to transform Asian society, but only if its leaders can take it to the next level.

Update [10/17/2011]: WRI has released the latest edition of Climate Science.

This piece is cross-posted from TheCityFix and originally appeared on TheCityFix Brasil. Read this post in Portuguese here.

Why is Asia such an important region for clean energy deployment? WRI experts respond.

Under a new WRI initiative, industrial companies in China can bundle energy efficiency projects to attract investors and reduce costs.

A new economic valuation shows what Jamaica’s economy stands to lose if its coral reefs decline further.

Current use valuation programs can encourage landowners to resist development pressures and leave forest as forest.

Last year, in an effort to make our climate data more accessible, WRI launched a pilot that paired estimates of U.S. state greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) with the Google Public Data Explorer, a tool that visualizes large data sets with interactive charts and maps.

There is still time to learn lessons, foster cooperation, and move this session from paralysis to progress.

Despite their benefits to national economies, reefs around the world are at risk, including in the United States.

When it comes to changing the way we use energy, cities are at the center of the action.

A summary of key elements, and unanswered questions, in Indonesia’s recent moratorium on new forest permits.

Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in the United States yesterday to be presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, coming shortly after her announcement that Germany plans to phase out nuclear energy by 2022 and accelerate the transition to a clean energy system largely built on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Jennifer Morgan analyzes the steps the country is taking to move to a low-carbon, non-nuclear future.

China’s overseas presence has brought a new way of doing business to the world.

The landscape of development finance is changing rapidly. Traditionally, international financial flows moved from developed countries to developing countries. In the last decade, however, major emerging economies such as China and Brazil have fueled a growing trend of South-South development flows by increasingly channeling their overseas investments to other developing countries.

More progress on substantive issues is needed to keep the climate talks headed in the right direction.

This post originally appeared on The Asia Water Project website, and is reposted with permission.