2016 Top Outcomes

Mexico and Mexico City Introduce Energy Efficiency Standards for Buildings

WRI convened government, business associations, and civil society organizations in Mexico to develop a model energy conservation code for buildings, endorsed by the government, which cities nationwide can adapt and adopt. WRI and partners also worked with Mexico City to elevate efficiency in construction regulations. Both changes will help save energy and money and improve health.

The Challenge

Mexico is experiencing a boom in residential and commercial construction. Nonetheless, the country set a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 22 percent below business as usual in 2030, while Mexico City aims for an even steeper cut of 30 percent below the 2000 level by 2020. Buildings account for nearly one-fifth of the nation’s energy consumption, so improving energy efficiency in buildings is central to achieving Mexico’s climate goals.

WRI’s Role

WRI helped launch and coordinates the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA), a global network of businesses, governments, and NGOs focused on rapidly increasing energy efficiency in buildings as part of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative. WRI convenes the Mexico City BEA, which identified the need for a national model code for building efficiency. WRI secured funding for the work and selected CASEDI – a professional association promoting green buildings – to adapt the International Energy Conservation Code, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy, the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE), ALENER (an industry association promoting energy efficiency), the British Embassy, the Danish Energy Agency, and WRI. Through the BEA, WRI also facilitated dialogue with Mexico City’s Secretary for the Environment and mayor to advance the publication of construction regulations on energy efficiency.

The Outcome

In 2016, the Ministry of Energy endorsed the new Energy Conservation Code for Buildings in Mexico and issued a guidance document on how cities can adapt and adopt the model code into local regulations for new commercial and residential buildings. These comprehensive standards include guidance on energy efficiency in building materials and equipment and building elements such as windows, insulation, ventilation, and lighting.

Mexico City announced updated construction regulations with enhanced provisions for efficient lighting and water heating. In line with the new Energy Conservation Code, WRI and the BEA have helped to develop broader energy efficiency provisions for the city’s construction regulations. Once published, these will position Mexico City as a model in adapting and adopting the Code and contribute to the city’s climate goals, air quality, and economic competitiveness. WRI and the BEA are now also helping Guadalajara and Mérida to adapt and adopt the Code.

WRI Informs China’s Groundbreaking Green Finance Roadmap

WRI worked with key representatives of Chinese institutions and other stakeholders to craft recommendations on how China’s financial system could support robust, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable growth. The work contributed to broader efforts to support comprehensive financial reforms, resulting in China’s Guidelines for Establishing the Green Financial System.

The Challenge

China’s sustained economic growth over the past three decades has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, but it has come at significant cost to the environment. The nation’s current environmental challenges can only be addressed by shifting investment toward economic activities that contribute to greener growth. The Chinese government was one of the first to recognize that, in addition to regulatory and public spending measures, this requires reform of the financial system, so that funds are allocated toward environmentally-sound investment.

WRI’s Role

WRI’s President, Andrew Steer, was invited by the Chinese government to co-chair the Green Finance Task Force of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), set up to provide policy recommendations to the government on green financial reform and transformation. Members included senior representatives from the People’s Bank of China, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Renmin University. WRI also invited global experts on financial reform to join the Task Force, including from the OECD, the World Bank, the Climate Policy Initiative, and the UNEP Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System. This work built upon and complemented work by the People’s Bank of China, the UNEP Inquiry, and others.

WRI worked with Green Finance Task Force members and its co-chair, the former president of Renmin University, to write the CCICED report, which recommended a system-wide approach to green financial reform, including specific recommendations on green bonds, environmental disclosure and liability, lending targets, stock market rules, and policies to ensure high standards for overseas investment. CCICED delivered the recommendations to the Vice Premier of China.

The Outcome

In August 2016, seven Chinese ministries jointly released Guidelines for Establishing the Green Financial System – the world’s first systematic roadmap pushing reform across all segments of a country’s financial and environmental governance systems. These shifts will benefit public agencies and companies that aim to introduce low-carbon development plans and projects, ultimately offering substantial benefits to the general public and providing a practical example to other nations.

Brazilian Cities Begin to Reshape Urban Areas Through Sustainable Mobility Plans

Working with Brazil’s Ministry of Cities, WRI developed an easy-to-use method for cities to create plans for greater sustainable mobility. The method emphasizes public and non-motorized transport and community engagement, representing a major shift in Brazil’s urban planning. Successfully implemented plans will benefit millions of people in more than 3,000 cities.

The Challenge

In the last 15 years, Brazil’s public transport ridership dropped 15 percent, while the country’s car fleet nearly tripled and its motorcycle fleet grew five-fold. These trends exacerbate congestion and pollution and contribute to climate change. In 2012, after decades of unplanned urban growth and lack of investment in basic infrastructure, Brazil implemented the National Urban Mobility Policy, which requires cities with more than 20,000 residents to develop an Urban Mobility Plan to improve mobility and promote sustainable development. The law affects more than 3,000 cities and demands significant expertise to be successfully implemented.

WRI’s Role

Collaborating with Brazil’s Ministry of Cities, WRI drew on its experience in designing and implementing sustainable mobility projects to create a Seven Steps method for cities to use in developing Urban Mobility Plans. The method emphasizes the importance of public and non-motorized transport and outlines how to engage civil society in the planning process.

Officially endorsed and published by the Ministry of Cities in 2015, Seven Steps has been downloaded more than 10,000 times. WRI and the Ministry also offered over 20 workshops on the method, attended by representatives of more than 300 cities. WRI now provides direct support to 18 cities – home to 24 million people – in the development of their Urban Mobility Plans and projects through strategic planning and capacity-building events, training in civic engagement, and technical support on project implementation, particularly on non-motorized transport and public transport. The team also shares experiences and good practices from other cities.

The Outcome

Cities in Brazil are taking action to implement their Urban Mobility Plans and projects, reshaping congested, car-centric cities to favor active and public transport. As of August 2016, over 170 cities had already developed their plans. As a result, millions of Brazilian city dwellers will experience a safer, healthier, more inclusive and accessible urban environment. Examples of projects implemented to date include low-speed zones, expanded sidewalks, and new bus and cycling lanes. The process has changed the paradigm of urban mobility planning in Brazil by emphasizing community involvement from the outset and shifting from building roads for cars to building cities for people.

Indian Companies and Chinese Megacity Set Ambitious Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets

WRI used its Greenhouse Gas Protocol tools to help a major city in China and businesses in India measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions. Chengdu – one of China’s most populous cities – and nine large companies in India set clear and ambitious targets to reduce emissions intensity, supporting the achievement of China and India’s national emission reduction goals.

The Challenge

Cities and businesses have a critical role to play if China and India are to meet their ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets. Megacity Chengdu, with an administrative area population of 14 million, is China’s fifth largest city and continues to grow rapidly. In India, the industrial and energy sectors account for three-quarters of emissions. Slowing the rise of, and ultimately reducing, these emissions requires tools to measure and manage them.

WRI’s Role

WRI has worked with Chengdu since 2011 through the Sustainable and Livable Cities Initiative. In 2014, Chengdu developed its first GHG inventory using WRI’s GHG Protocol tools. In 2016, WRI conducted an analysis suggesting that Chengdu’s emissions could peak by 2025 and helped the city develop a roadmap to achieve the target.

In India, WRI has worked since 2013 with The Energy and Resources Institute and the Confederation of Indian Industry to convene and support the India GHG Program (IGHGP), a voluntary industry-led partnership of over 50 large companies committed to measuring and managing their GHG emissions. The potential is large: members account for about 15 percent of India’s GHG emissions and include, for example, NTPC and Indian Railways, the nation’s largest electricity producer and consumer, respectively. Through IGHGP, members receive training on GHG Protocol tools and support on developing GHG inventories and cost-effective emission reduction strategies.

The Outcome

In June 2016, Chengdu announced it would peak its emissions by 2025, ahead of China’s national target of peaking carbon dioxide emissions around 2030. Chengdu’s commitment could avoid emissions equivalent to shutting down 20 U.S. coal-fired power plants by 2025 and demonstrates confidence that a low-carbon economy and economic growth can be pursued together. In India, nine IGHGP members, including the nation’s largest automobile, cement, and chemical companies, have committed to reduce GHG emissions intensity by at least 20 percent, most by 2020, and have agreed to work with their supply chains to measure and manage emissions.

WRI will continue to support cities and companies in contributing to national climate targets, offering input to Chengdu’s strategy for emission reductions after 2025 and expanding the India GHG Program.