WRI Stories Feed: All

Step-by-Step Guidance on Corporate Water Disclosure

Paul Reig — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:12:43 -0400

Investors need to understand a wide variety of business and market risks facing the companies in which they invest. In the 21st century, that includes…

Felipe Calderón, Former President of Mexico, Joins WRI Board of Directors

Michael Oko — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:42:44 -0400

The World Resources Institute announced that Felipe Calderón, the former President of Mexico, has joined its Board of Directors.

“President Calderón is a globally recognized world leader, who has shown enormous dedication in responding to environmental, energy and climate challenges,” said Dr. Andrew Steer, President and CEO, World Resources Institute. “He brings a deep understanding of the issues and has the ability to mobilize greater global action for a more sustainable planet. We look forward to working with President Calderón to push for the urgent solutions around sustainability that we so desperately need.”

Calderón served as President of Mexico from 2006 to 2012, during which time he made sustainability a core value across all of government. One example was the priority given to the generation of electricity from renewable sources, which rose to 27 percent of the total generated. In addition he put in place a set of energy-saving programs such as appliance substitutions and the biggest energy-saving bulb exchange program in the world.

Furthermore, he more than doubled the volume of wastewater treated in Mexico.

“We are living in a critical time, with immense environmental and development challenges before us,” Calderón said. “WRI, with its global reputation for excellence in research and impact, is playing an essential role in finding solutions. I am delighted to be working with WRI to create a more sustainable world for all.”

Thanks to an innovative program of paying for environmental services to mainly indigenous communities, the rate of deforestation in Mexico fell by more than half while at the same time helping some of the poorest communities in the country.

Calderón also played a vital leadership role in the success of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cancún, which led to the Cancún Accord that changed the conversation and laid the groundwork for real agreements. For the first time ever developing countries committed to real emissions targets.

“I am delighted to welcome President Calderón to our board,” said Jim Harmon, Chairman of WRI’s Board of Directors. “President Calderón is a highly respected and influential figure on the international stage. His leadership can help guide WRI’s global strategy as we deepen our engagement in emerging markets and the new frontiers of sustainability. We are excited to leverage President Calderón’s political experience and global access to advance our mission.”

Calderón previously served as Secretary of Energy from 2003 to 2004, during the administration of President Vicente Fox.

Calderón is currently the inaugural Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

A complete list of WRI’s current board members is available here.

What Exporting U.S. Natural Gas Means for the Climate

James Bradbury — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:01:41 -0400

This post originally appeared on The National Journal’s Energy Experts blog.

The U.S. Department of Energy…

Walking the Talk: WRI Uses Fiber Analysis to Test Office Paper Products

Ruth Nogueron — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:20:59 -0400

Here at WRI, we are constantly working to understand and minimize the environmental impacts of our work. Using research and expertise from around the Institute to guide us,…

Strengthening Ownership and Effectiveness of Climate Finance

Milap Patel — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:43:20 -0400

The Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), one of the world’s largest dedicated funding facilities for climate change mitigation/adaptation projects,…

Indonesia Extends its Forest Moratorium: What Comes Next?

Kemen Austin — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:51:28 -0400

Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a bold and courageous decision this week to extend…

U.S. Energy Policy Should Take a Lesson from Germany’s Energiewende

Jennifer Morgan — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:59:51 -0400

This post originally appeared on Bloomberg’s “The Grid” blog.

This…

Emerging REDD+ Programs Need Additional Emphasis on Land Tenure

Lauren Goers Williams — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:23:32 -0400

Since 2009, more than 30 countries have submitted proposals for REDD+ readiness grants to start addressing the…

5 Achievements from Germany’s “Energiewende”

Lutz Weischer — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:29:16 -0400

Germany is in the midst of an unprecedented clean energy revolution. Thanks to the “Energiewende,” a strategy to revamp the national energy system, Germany aims to reduce its overall energy consumption…

New Jakarta Declaration Aims to Strengthen Rights to Environmental Information in Asia

Carole Excell — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:03:15 -0400

Increased industrialization in Asia has created countless hurdles for communities to protect themselves from pollution. Important government information—such as the amount of pollutants being discharged by nearby factories or results from local…