WRI Insights

The land and forest fires burning across Indonesia spiked to historic highs this month, with officials across the country pledging to investigate the perpetrators. A new campaign from Tomnod and WRI’s Global Forest Watch platform allows people everywhere to aid in the investigation.

Como o sétimo maior emissor de gases do efeito estufa, o Brasil tem as ferramentas e políticas necessárias para assumir a liderança no combate contra as mudanças climáticas. Esta oportunidade chega em um momento crucial para o país: seu plano nacional do clima - Contribuições Pretendidas Nacionalmente Determinadas (INDC, da sigla em inglês) – deve ser apresentado daqui há alguns dias como parte das negociações climáticas globais, quando uma crise econômica, seca e incerteza energética afetam suas decisões domésticas.

Brazil, the world’s seventh-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, has the relevant tools and policies it needs to become a leader in the fight to deal with climate change. This opportunity comes at a pivotal time for Brazil: its national climate plan—its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)—should be submitted within days as part of global climate negotiations, while a national economic crisis, drought and energy uncertainty inform Brazil’s decisions at home.

It is impossible to succeed in today's economy without access to energy. But for an estimated 1.3 billion people, mostly in the developing world, electric power is still out of reach. Even among those with energy access, many still face unreliable service and regular blackouts. This is why it is so important that we push for Goal 7 of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals: "ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all."

The unveiling of the Sustainable Development Goals next week will be a milestone moment for our collective future. Peter Hazlewood and Mathilde Bouyè explain how the SDGs can be truly transformative.

Joshua Ryor and Dana Davidsen break down recent developments, common misconceptions and emerging trends in renewable energy in the United States.

The proposal calls for an unconditional 29 percent emissions reduction by 2030; 41 percent if Indonesia receives international assistance and cooperation.

In 2009, Indonesia made a bold move by voluntarily pledging to achieve a 26 percent reduction in emissions against the business-as-usual scenario in 2020, or 41 percent with international support. Being a developing country with so much promise for economic growth and development, the international community applauded Indonesia for this daring target, which became a game-changer in the stagnant climate negotiations at the time. The National Action Plan on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emission (RAN-GRK) was soon issued to guide its implementation.

Fire alerts in Indonesia have spiked dramatically in recent days, surging even higher than the crisis-level outbreaks of June 2013, March 2014 and November 2014. Satellite data from Global Forest Watch reveals where they're burning.

Vice President of Communications Lawrence MacDonald explores Indonesia's sustainability challenges, and how WRI Indonesia can play a role in overcoming them.