Blog Posts: transparency

Data is a key area where business and governments can collaborate to accelerate climate action. In fact, data transparency can make countries more ambitious about climate action.

Advances in science and technology mean that we can better measure emissions. A "refinement" to the existing guidelines lays out how countries can better report to the IPCC, giving us a better picture than ever of what we need to do to reduce greenhouse gas pollution.

At the 2015 international climate summit in Paris, Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to design and adopt the rules and procedures that will guide countries in meeting their obligations under the Paris Agreement on climate change. As the past two years have shown, negotiating fair and robust implementation guidelines remains a difficult task, as countries navigate complex technical options and vastly different political interests.

One important...

Despite years of requests, Javanese villagers can't get the government to tell them the facts about their polluted river. Meanwhile, their fishing catches―and income―continue to decline.

What's true for sports is true for tackling climate change: to make things happen, you have to agree on the rules of the game. Climate negotiators seeing in Bonn this month will be working to do just that to translate the vision of the Paris Agreement into action.

Recent actions from the Trump administration could not only undermine the government's ability to protect the environment and public health, they erode the foundations of good governance.

A recent summit in Paris brought together heads of state, government officials and civil society leaders to discuss the future of open government. Three key messages emerged.

The Open Government Partnership's Subnational Government Pilot Program supports 15 pioneer local governments as they implement plans to strengthen transparency, access to open data, public engagement and accountability systems.

WRI Executive Vice President and Managing Director Manish Bapna addressed the Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Paris to set out the challenges facing world leaders and civil society advocates and the role open government must play in solving them.

The climate and open government communities have historically worked in silos. That arrangement can't continue if countries are to successfully implement their national climate plans under the Paris Agreement.