WRI Insights

The [last in a series of expert workshops](http://www.iisd.ca/climate/ltf/wpwe/12sep.html) and consultations under the UNFCCC’s work-programme on [long-term finance](http://unfccc.int/cooperation_support/financial_mechanism/long-term_finance/items/6814.php) concluded late yesterday. This 2013 extended work programme on long-term [climate finance](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/04/why-climate-finance-so-hard-define) is designed to “[identify pathways](http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2012/cop18/eng/08a01.pdf) for mobilizing the scaling up of climate finance to USD 100 billion per year by 2020 from public, private, and alternative sources” and inform “enabling environments and policy frameworks to facilitate the mobilization and effective deployment of climate finance in developing countries.”I had the opportunity to participate quite actively in this year’s series, as WRI is working with co-chairs from the Philippines and Sweden to facilitate discussions on how to mobilize scaled-up finance for climate action.

A number of programs that require businesses to [report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions](http://www.ghgprotocol.org/) have emerged in the past decade at the regional, national, and sub-national levels. Most of these programs operate in developed countries, but some developing countries are also showing an interest in adopting mandatory emissions disclosure programs. Establishing these programs is a resource- and time-intensive exercise. It can be a daunting task for developing countries with competing priorities and limited resources. So where can these countries begin as they consider setting up their [greenhouse gas reporting schemes](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/04/tracking-greenhouse-gases-3-factors-successful-national-inventories)? WRI’s new working paper, *[Designing Greenhouse Gas Reporting Systems: Learning from Existing Programs](http://www.wri.org/publication/designing-greenhouse-gas-reporting-systems-learning-from-existing-programs)*, reviews corporate and facility-level greenhouse gas reporting programs in Australia, California, Canada, the European Union, France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The paper identifies steps to implement a mandatory reporting program and discusses factors to be considered at each step in designing the program. It also discusses some strategies for developing countries keen to set up [reporting programs](http://insights.wri.org/news/2011/10/ghg-protocol-gold-standard-accounting-greenhouse-gas-emissions). Developing countries may find it easier to adopt a gradual, phased approach to develop a reporting program. Engaging in the following three key steps allows developing nations to make the most of their more limited resources:

*As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moves forward with standards to reduce power plant emissions—which are due to be finalized in June 2015—many states are wondering how they will comply. WRI’s fact sheet series, [Power Sector Opportunities for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions](http://www.wri.org/power-sector-opportunities-for-reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions), examines the policies and pathways various states can use to cost-effectively meet or even exceed future power plant emissions standards. This post explores these opportunities in North Carolina. Read about [additional analyses](http://www.wri.org/power-sector-opportunities-for-reducing-carbon-dioxide-emissions) in this series.*

International climate action took an encouraging step forward today. President Obama [reached agreements](http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/09/06/united-states-china-and-leaders-g-20-countries-announce-historic-progres) with the G-20 and with China to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), potent greenhouse gases used in appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners.

As extreme weather events like wildfires, heat waves, downpours, and droughts [continue to make headlines](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/07/timeline-look-extreme-weather-and-climate-events-2013) in the United States and around the world, many have wondered what their connection is to climate change. A new report sheds some light, firmly drawing correlations between several extreme weather events in 2012 and human-induced warming.

The world's cities are about to get a lot busier. Today, more than 50 percent of the global population lives in cities; by 2050, that figure will [have risen to 75 percent](http://lsecities.net/publications/books/the-endless-city/). This mass migration to cities could result in crowded streets rife with air pollution, traffic accidents and congestion. Or it could see a boom in clean, compact urban centres with safe, healthy [communities](http://www.theguardian.com/society/communities). The way the world's cities operate in the future will be shaped by how they are designed and developed now.

Fires were ablaze once more on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, reaching levels almost as high as those of June 2013, when neighboring Singapore and Malaysia were smothered by record-breaking smog and haze. NASA satellites registered a total of 734 high-confidence fire alerts in Sumatra’s provinces for the period August 22-27. Fire alert numbers declined significantly August 28-29.

WRI experts Betsy Otto, Charles Iceland, Tien Shiao, and Paul Reig will attend World Water Week in Stockholm next week.

Api kembali berkobar di pulau Sumatera, Indonesia, dengan jumlah peringatan titik api nyaris mencapai tingkat pada bulan Juni 2013 yang menyebabkan negara tetangga Singapura dan Malaysia diselimuti oleh kabut asap yang sangat mengkhawatirkan. Satelit NASA mencatat total 734 peringatan titik api dengan tingkat keyakinan deteksi tinggi di provinsi-provinsi pulau Sumatera pada periode 22-27 Agustus. Jumlah peringatan titik api menurun secara signifikan pada tanggal 28 dan 29 Agustus.

China launched its first pilot emission trading program this past June. This development is potentially a major marker in the country’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The [Shenzhen Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)](http://www.sz.gov.cn/cn/xxgk/xwfyr/wqhg/20130521/) program will cover some 635 industrial companies from 26 industries. This is the first of seven proposed pilot GHG [cap-and-trade schemes](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/08/california%E2%80%99s-cap-and-trade-program-makes-encouraging-headway) in China, which the country has been developing since 2011. Besides Shenzhen, four of the other pilots are expected to start trading this year.[^1] In 2010, these 635 industrial companies emitted 31.7 million tons of carbon dioxide and contributed 59 percent of the Industrial Added Value (gross domestic product (GDP) due to industry) and 26 percent of Shenzhen’s GDP.