WRI Insights

As news of [California’s epic drought](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-governor-drought-requires-compromise-22488291) continues to reverberate around the nation, a meeting today may offer some hope. The President’s [Task Force on Climate Resilience and Preparedness](http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/11/01/fact-sheet-executive-order-climate-preparedness) will convene in Los Angeles, California today for the next round of meetings to determine ways the federal government can assist local efforts to address and prepare for the impacts of climate change. The group represents a significant opportunity to bridge the gap between local and federal climate action.

Experts recently said that 20 million people in Africa's Sahel will face hunger this year, [requiring $2 billion](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-26021145) in food aid. The question is: Can the Sahel cost-effectively and sustainably increase food production? The [answer is yes](http://www.wri.org/blog/farmer-innovation-improving-africa%E2%80%99s-food-security-through-land-and-water-management)—and we’re already learning from some [farmer innovators](http://www.wri.org/blog/burkina-faso-farmers-lead-way-food-security-and-climate-change-resilience) on how to do so.

The world [spent $50 billion dollars](http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/11/18/damages-extreme-weather-mount-climate-warms) per year on weather-related disasters in the 1980s, according to the World Bank. Today, we spend [roughly $200 billion](http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/11/18/damages-extreme-weather-mount-climate-warms) annually. Twenty-five extreme weather and climate events in 2011 and 2012 caused [more than $188 billion of damages](http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/02/13/1581351/the-188-billion-price-tag-from-us-extreme-weather-from-2011-to-2012/) in the United States alone. And yet—despite these escalating costs and risks—the world continues to emit dangerous amounts of greenhouse gases. It’s time for a climate change reality check.

The [C40 Cities Mayors Summit](http://c40summitjohannesburg.org/) in Johannesburg, South Africa kicks off today. It’s the fifth biennial meeting of the [C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group](http://www.c40.org/), a collection of mayors from cities around the world committed to advancing urban solutions to climate change. The theme for the event is “Towards resilient and liveable megacities—demonstrating action, impact, and opportunity.” Before the talks begin, check out Andrew Steer’s thoughts on how we can learn from forward-thinking cities to advance sustainable urbanization.

Two weeks ago, [EMBARQ](http://www.embarq.org/), the sustainable transport and urban development program of the [World Resources Institute](http://www.wri.org/) (WRI), and the [World Bank](http://www.worldbank.org/) co-hosted [Transforming Transportation](http://transformingtransportation.org/). The two-day event concluded with the announcement of [Transport Delivers](http://www.slocat.net/transport-delivers-campaign), a global campaign calling city and national leaders to better integrate sustainable transport into policy discussions on development and climate change. If the campaign’s objectives are fully implemented, they could be a game-changer for today’s cities – as well as tomorrow’s.

Alex Doukas discusses outcomes of a financing clean energy access workshop in Africa, and how social entrepreneurs could be part of the clean power solution.

Indonesia’s [forest moratorium](http://www.wri.org/blog/indonesia-extends-its-forest-moratorium-what-comes-next), a policy aiming to protect an area the size of Japan from development, represents one of the most ambitious conservation schemes ever established in the country. But is it actually making progress in improving the forest sector? WRI’s new working paper, *[Indonesia’s Forest Moratorium: Impacts and Next Steps](http://www.wri.org/publication/indonesias-forest-moratorium)*, aims to answer that question and more.

In the State of the Union address last night, [President Obama called](http://www.wri.org//news/statement-wri-response-2014-state-union-address) to make this “a year of action.” Addressing climate change will require his administration to make that call a reality. The most important task the administration can take is to [set greenhouse gas emissions standards](http://www.wri.org/blog/states-can-take-action-now-meet-future-power-plant-emissions-standards) for existing power plants—a move that the President highlighted in his speech last night. Ambitious power plant standards are a critical starting point if the United States is to rise to the climate change challenge.

Manish Bapna discusses the top 5 U.S. climate and energy stories for 2014. *Editor's Note: This blog post was originally published at [Forbes](http://www.forbes.com/sites/manishbapna/2014/01/27/top-5-climate-and-energy-stories-for-2014/2/).*

When President Obama addresses the nation later today, climate change is expected to be featured. The president recently said that one of his personal passions is “leaving a planet that is as spectacular as the one we inherited from our parents and our grandparents.” The next two years will determine if his administration can meet this standard.