Here is the statement of WRI President Jonathan Lash on what an important signal President-elect Barack Obama has sent by naming Steven Chu -

WHAT: For the sixth straight year, World Resources Institute President Jonathan Lash will hold a briefing to preview which key environmental issues to watch in the year ahead.

The World Resources Institute and the Environmental Investigation Agency today launch a partnership to combat illegal logging worldwide and clean up timber supply chains.

Companies in certain consumer goods sectors that do not implement sustainable environmental strategies could face a potential reduction of 13 percent to 31 percent in earnings by 2013 and 19 percent to 47 percent in earnings in 2018.

Three key services provided by coral reefs and mangroves in Belize are worth an estimated US$395 million to US$559 million per year, according to a report released today by the World Resources Institute and the World Wildlife Fund.

Annual Economic Contribution of Coral Reefs and Mangroves in Belize

Mexico City, Mexico; Londrina, Brazil; and Tulancingo, Mexico won top awards in a contest here today for urban renewal projects designed to promote physical activity and cut down on local obesity rates and other diseases related to inactive lifestyles.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a collaboration to deliver improved science and practical tools to help companies and governments protect ecosystems and address climate change.

Sufficient technical knowledge exists to begin large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstrations in the United States, according to guidelines released today by a coalition of business, environmental, academic and government groups.

The World Resources Institute’s (WRI) board of directors welcomed two new members last month by electing Chen Jining, a professor and executive vice president at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and Daniel Weiss, co-founder and manager of the Angeleno Group, an energy-focused private equity firm.

Expanding nature-based enterprises can increase income for the world’s rural poor.