WRI Insights

The [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC)](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/) newest installment, [Working Group III (WGIII): Mitigation and Climate Change](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg3/), highlights an important message: It’s still possible to [limit average global temperature rise to 2°C](http://www.wri.org/ipcc-infographics)—but only if the world rapidly reduces emissions and changes its current energy mix. We've outlined six things you need to know about the level of emissions reductions needed to rein in runaway warming.

Transformation is a word we use so often in our daily lives that it seems strange to stop and think about what it really means. But in adaptation circles, the definition and role of transformation has recently become a hot topic of conversation, in part because transformational change was an [important theme](http://www.wri.org/blog/key-points-climate-adaptation-new-ipcc-report) of the recent [IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability](http://ipcc-wg2.gov/AR5/report/final-drafts/).

The World Bank consistently makes the link between poverty elimination and the need to curb climate change. Yet a [WRI analysis](http://www.wri.org/publication/designed-future) shows that of the investments the World Bank financed between 2012 and 2013, only [one-quarter](http://www.wri.org/blog/injecting-urgency-world-banks-climate-change-efforts) addressed climate change risks. Dr. Karin Kemper, director of climate policy and finance in the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Climate Group, shares the Bank's current and future plans to more fully incorporate climate change mitigation and adaptation into its international development agenda.

Well-designed cities can generate jobs, innovation, and economic growth for all. But when designed poorly—with too much sprawl, waste, and inefficiency—they can divide urban centers and exacerbate pollution, inequality, and political instability. Against this backdrop, some 25,000 people have gathered in Medellin, Colombia, for the UN Habitat’s [World Urban Forum](http://wuf7.unhabitat.org/) this week. The key question they face: How can cities drive growth that is [inclusive and sustainable](http://www.wri.org/blog/safe-city-just-city)?

In an article originally published in Project Syndicate, the authors discuss the changing landscape of forest management and how corporations are making stronger sustainable business commitments.

Recently, WRI hosted a roundtable on Adaptation Finance in Washington, D.C., bringing together experts in development and climate finance to discuss this challenge: Countries and donors are mobilizing hundreds of millions of dollars to help people adapt to a changing climate. How do they get it to the local communities that need it most?

India has come out with ambitious renewable energy goals, but the country still faces a daunting financing gap. WRI and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) are leading an innovative effort—[The Green Power Market Development Group](http://www.wri.org/blog/5-reasons-india-needs-green-power-purchasing-group)—that could bridge this finance gap and help overcome India’s energy challenges.

Improving developing cities’ traffic safety is a critical task for ensuring that these growing urban centers become safe, equitable places to live. A key part of achieving this safety? Sustainable urban design. The connection between safety and justice is a major theme of the upcoming [World Urban Forum](http://wuf7.unhabitat.org/) (WUF7), organized by UN-HABITAT, which this year focuses on “urban equity in development—cities for life.” At the event, EMBARQ experts will host a [Cities Safer by Design for All](http://wrirosscities.org/events/un-habitat-world-urban-forum-event-safer-design) networking session. The event will convene key experts and explore ways that urban design can improve safety—and in turn, justice—in developing cities around the world.

Stopping recurring fires and protecting Indonesia’s communities, businesses, and forests requires a proactive plan to prevent future fires, or at least greatly reduce their intensity. As part of our ongoing Indonesia forest fires [series](http://www.wri.org/topic/indonesia-forest-fires), WRI’s researchers have used data from the Global Forest Watch platform along with preliminary on-the-ground research to analyze Indonesia’s forest fires and haze problem.

Although the World Bank has successfully addressed a number of important economic and social risks in its projects, it is falling short in recognizing climate risks. As the World Bank refreshes its long-term strategies, this is a key moment to bring climate change—and more broadly, sustainability—to the forefront of its investment agenda.