WRI Insights

Much like recent extreme weather events [in Europe](http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/12/world/europe/europe-flood) and the [United States](http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/13/18932265-two-killed-as-colorado-wildfires-destroy-360-homes-force-evacuations-in-colorado-springs?lite), this month’s [intersessional](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/06/building-momentum-2-ways-make-progress-bonn-climate-talks) in Bonn, Germany could be described as volatile. But despite some “stormy” discussions, rays of light could still be seen in some areas.

Canada’s Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, took a significant step toward promoting transparency and reducing global poverty. He [announced](http://business.financialpost.com/2013/06/12/mining-oil-and-gas-companies-to-face-tougher-rules-on-disclosing-payments-overseas/?__lsa=74d7-daa6) yesterday that Canada will implement mandatory reporting requirements for Canadian extractive companies operating both in-country and abroad.

How are we going to deliver climate finance at a sufficient scale to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change? Parties to the UNFCCC--including those at [this month’s intersessional in Bonn](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/06/building-momentum-2-ways-make-progress-bonn-climate-talks)--are struggling to agree on the answer to this question. The UNFCCC established a [Standing Committee on Climate Finance](http://unfccc.int/cooperation_and_support/financial_mechanism/items/6054.php) to take stock of global progress towards this goal, while a work program on [Long-Term Finance](http://unfccc.int/cooperation_support/financial_mechanism/long-term_finance/items/6814.php) will continue this year.

When President Obama and China’s President Xi Jinping meet in California this week, they will be seeking to build trust and chart a course for improved relations. While tensions abound over various issues, clean energy and climate is one area where cooperation can work.

Last week in São Paulo, [WRI](http://www.wri.org/), [ICLEI](http://www.iclei.org/), [C40](http://www.c40cities.org/), [USP-IEE](http://www.iee.usp.br/), and [EMBARQ Brazil ](http://embarqbrasil.org/)jointly [brought together](http://www.ghgprotocol.org/blog/invent%C3%A1rios-de-emiss%C3%B5es-de-gases-de-efeito-estufa-para-cidades-gpc) more than 200 Brazilian city officials and experts to discuss how to use the [Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GPC)](http://www.ghgprotocol.org/greenhouse-gas-protocol-accounting-reporting-standard-cities) to measure and manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cities. Representatives from Brazil’s federal and state governments, as well as city-level governments including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Piracicaba, shared their experiences in conducting GHG inventories and implementing local climate actions.

It’s well-known that China ranks first in the world in attracting clean energy investment, [receiving US$ 65.1 billion in 2012](http://www.pewenvironment.org/uploadedFiles/PEG/Publications/Report/-clenG20-Report-2012-Digital.pdf). But [new analysis from WRI](http://www.wri.org/publication/china-overseas-investments-in-wind-and-solar-trends-and-drivers) shows another side to this story: China is increasingly becoming a global force in international clean energy investment, too. **In fact, the country has provided nearly $40 billion dollars to other countries’ solar and wind industries over the past decade.**

As evidence of climate change mounts, President Obama has made it clear that tackling this issue will be a priority in his second term. Yet, as weeks go by, the administration has been slow to clarify its strategy. With each passing day, it becomes harder and more expensive to rein in greenhouse gas emissions.

The High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda provided a welcome injection of energy and ambition into the future of development with its [final report](http://www.post2015hlp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/UN-Report.pdf) released last week. While the details will be parsed over the coming months, the report’s recommendations were at once bold and practical. The Panel sees that the promise of a world free of extreme poverty is within reach, and achieving this vision requires that sustainability and [equity](http://insights.wri.org/news/2012/12/what-equity-context-climate-negotiations) should be at the core of the global development agenda.

Ensuring that development projects benefit both people and the planet is becoming more and more of a priority. Environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) have been in use for decades to consider the effects of projects such as dams, highways, and oil and gas development. Over the years, ESIAs have evolved to cover both [environmental and social impacts](http://www.wri.org/publication/ecosystem-services-review-for-impact-assessment), including health and human rights.

Ending months of uncertainty, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia made a courageous decision last week [to extend the country’s forest moratorium](http://www.wri.org/blog/2013/05/indonesia-extends-its-forest-moratorium-what-comes-next). The [new Presidential Instruction](http://www.setkab.go.id/mobile/berita-8652-melalui-inpres-no-62013-presiden-sby-perpanjang-penundaan-izin-baru-pengelolaan-hutan.html) adds another two years of protection for over 43 million hectares of primary forests and peat land — an area the size of Japan.