WRI Insights

As China pursues shale gas exploration and development, it could draw some lessons—both positive and negative—from the experience in the United States. Indeed, it is in both countries’ interest that their businesses and governments collaborate to ensure that when and where shale gas is developed, it is done responsibly. In order to pursue shale gas development responsibly, three issues are emerging as potential hotspots for U.S.-China collaboration—environmentally smart development, energy security, and economy.

Di awal Maret 2014, kebakaran hutan dan lahan gambut di provinsi Riau, Sumatera, Indonesia, melonjak hingga titik yang tidak pernah ditemukan sejak krisis kabut [asap Asia Tenggara pada Juni 2013](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze). Hampir [50.000 orang](http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/world-digest-march-12-2014/2014/03/11/dcdbf8b0-a93c-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html) mengalami masalah pernapasan akibat kabut asap tersebut, menurut Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Indonesia. Citra-citra [satelit dengan cukup dramatis](https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.761557143874832.1073742026.194712817225937&type=1) menggambarkan banyaknya asap polutan yang dilepaskan ke atmosfer, yang juga [berkontribusi ](http://www.asb.cgiar.org/PDFwebdocs/ASB%20PolicyBrief%2033-Hot%20spots%20in%20Riau,%20Haze%20in%20Singapore%20Events%20analyzed.pdf)kepada perubahan iklim.

In Indonesia, dramatic [satellite images](https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.761557143874832.1073742026.194712817225937&type=1) of heavy smoke plumes show the large amount of pollutants being discharged to the atmosphere. The fires are extensive in areas with deep peat soils, suggesting high volumes of carbon are being released, [contributing](http://www.asb.cgiar.org/PDFwebdocs/ASB%20PolicyBrief%2033-Hot%20spots%20in%20Riau,%20Haze%20in%20Singapore%20Events%20analyzed.pdf) to climate change. [Global Forest Watch](http://www.globalforestwatch.org/) shows that some of the largest fires are on fully developed plantations, despite the fact that many of these companies are committed to eliminating fire in their management practices. The persistence of the fires—and the intensity with which they have returned—raises important questions.

Negotiators are meeting in Bonn, Germany this week to make progress on establishing a global climate agreement by 2015. But they’re not the only ones working to secure a worldwide climate action plan. WRI along with several other organizations recently launched a new global consortium, the Agreement for Climate Transformation 2015 ([ACT 2015](http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/act-2015)), to help inform and support countries’ engagement in the international climate negotiations—and ultimately, help the world rise to the climate change challenge before it.

As countries negotiate a new international climate agreement for the post-2020 period—including at this week’s intersessional meeting in Bonn, Germany—the key choices for putting the world on a secure pathway to a low-carbon future should be front-of-mind. The new agreement will be essential for putting in place the policies beyond 2020 that ensure a shift from high-carbon to low-carbon and climate-resilient investments. To do this, the agreement will have to send the right signals to governments and businesses about the trajectory we need to be on.

The UNFCCC meetings in Bonn this week mark a critical time, as one of the issues negotiators are focusing on is the development of countries’ [post-2020 plans](http://www.wri.org/blog/qa-jennifer-morgan-how-do-we-secure-strong-international-climate-agreement-2015) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Parties in a position to do so must communicate their post-2020 “contributions” by the first quarter of 2015. To help inform this discussion, we published a working paper outlining what this information should look like and why this level of transparency is important.

In the [Strategic Plan](http://www.wri.org/about/strategic-plan) we present WRI’s strategy for the coming four years. We will focus our activities on six global problems that must be addressed urgently this decade. We will do fewer projects at greater depth and scale, seeking tipping points and, together with partners, moving beyond them. And we will invest in creating open-source data, research, and visual information that are suited to today’s fast-paced and networked world. We look forward to working with our partners to tackle today’s urgent challenges and contribute to a more sustainable and prosperous world for all people.

Kebakaran terakhir di Indonesia kemungkinan besar berakar dari pembukaan lahan untuk pertanian, perkebunan, dan produksi kayu. Menurut data dari [Global Forest Watch] (http://www.globalforestwatch.org/)-sistem online baru yang melacak perubahan tutupan pohon, dan informasi lainnya secara nyaris seketika ** setengah dari peringatan titik api terjadi di lahan yang dikelola oleh perusahaan kelapa sawit, kayu, dan pulpwood**-meskipun secara hukum masyarakat dan perusahaan dilarang menggunakan api untuk membuka lahan.

Population growth and rapid urbanization are combining to create huge challenges for Indian cities. Overcoming these hurdles and creating sustainable cities in India is the main topic of discussion at [CONNECTKaro](http://connectkaro.org/), a conference co-organized by [EMBARQ India](http://www.embarqindia.org/) and the Directorate of Urban Land Transport ([DULT](http://www.urbantransport.kar.gov.in/)), Government of Karnataka, India that took place from March 10-11, 2014. The second annual conference—named for the idea of “Karo,” which means “make it happen”—explores sustainable transport opportunities as ways of addressing the challenges associated with India’s urban growth.

It’s one thing to make data available, but it’s quite another to make it accessible. That’s why today, WRI is launching a fully mobile-accessible version of its Climate Analysis Indicators Tool, or [CAIT 2.0](http://cait.wri.org/). The tool allows users everywhere to access, visualize, and compare greenhouse gas emissions data from 186 countries and 50 U.S. states, as well as other comprehensive, global climate data.