Insights: WRI's Blog

Despite current targets and commitments to combat climate change, global temperatures look set to increase by 2.4°C by 2100 — way above the Paris Agreement target. Climate action has never been more urgent, and in light of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery is also essential. Natural forests have an important part to play as, when conserved, they contribute significantly to carbon removal, and The G20 has a strategic role in conserving forests.

The newest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) paints a troubling picture: Climate change is already impacting every corner of the world, and much more severe impacts are in store if we fail to halve greenhouse gas emissions this decade.

The 13th Edition presents the Top 5 Places to Watch indicated to be illegal logging areas from 1 April to 30 Juni 2021.

Collecting field data on trees has various challenges, such as being time-consuming and requiring a lot of effort. In addition, the GPS signal on the device used can also experience interference if the weather conditions are bad, so it can reduce the accuracy of tree locations. The deep learning method as a method that relies on artificial intelligence, can help the process of collecting data for tree inventory, tree maintenance management, and preventing land fires in urban areas.

Southeast Asia is home to over 54% of the world’s peatlands — tropical wetlands that have a major role to play in climate action. However, around 25 million hectares of tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia have been deforested and drained over the last three decades alone, and only 6% of peatlands remain untouched. One of the main strategies to monitor and maintain peatlands is mapping. This helps ensure experts know where peatlands are and can accurately monitor changes in peatland conditions to help avoid degradation and effectively plan any necessary restoration. In Southeast Asia, not all countries have developed peat maps to support peatland management. New and advanced satellite-based peat mapping methods can help.

Mangroves as an important coastal ecosystem are able to protect the area from natural disasters. An appropriate mangrove ecosystem management strategy can increase coastal resilience from the impacts of climate change, as well as support sustainable economic resilience. The direct and indirect benefits provided by the mangrove ecosystem provide benefits for the people around them. These are known as ecosystem services. The potential contained in the ecosystem can be translated through a monetary value based on its utilization using an economic assessment approach.

The pandemic has forced us to rethink and find alternatives to make our food system more resilient. In December 2020, a report released by the High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy highlight the potential role of the sea in overcoming food insecurity and malnutrition and transforming our food system to become more resilient towards shocks and climate change. There are three ways how food from the sea can contribute to Indonesia’s food security.

Asia accounts for almost half of global energy demand and today is the world's highest emitting region, overtaking historical heavy emitters in North America and Europe. Despite economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries in the Asia-Pacific region continued to witness record-breaking growth in renewables since 2020. Here's some example from country in Asia in effort to achieve successful clean energy transition.

The 13th Edition presents the Top 5 Places to Watch indicated to be illegal logging areas from 1 January to 31 March 2021.

Forests have become the main topic of the United Nations Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow, UK. The Glasgow Declaration on Forests and Land Use has been signed by 142 countries, including Indonesia. This commitment encourages Indonesia to not only end forest loss and land degradation, but also reverse the trend of deforestation. In order for this commitment to be fulfilled, collaboration from stakeholders is absolutely necessary, including from businessmen, civil society organizations as well as indigenous peoples and local communities. Tackling the climate crisis is a shared responsibility and good forest management is the way to go.