WRI Unveils New Greenhouse
Gas Data and Analysis Tools
December 16, 2004 — By World Resources Institute
WASHINGTON, DC, December 16, 2004 — The World Resources Institute unveiled an
expanded and more robust set of tools which provides decision-makers with a
comprehensive, easy-to-use platform for obtaining information and conducting
analyses on climate change.
The Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT version 2.0) gives climate
negotiators, researchers, journalists and policy-makers easy access to national,
regional and global data on greenhouse gas emissions and other climate-relevant
datasets. CAIT (http://cait.wri.org)
draws its information from a wide range of national and international sources.
"CAIT Version 2.0 not only provides sound data and information for making
key policy decisions, but also promotes more equitable access to information on
climate change," said Kevin Baumert, WRI senior associate, who led a team
that developed the database. "It is now more functional and has new
easy-to-use graphing and charting tools."
There are three major CAIT modules:
- CAIT (2.0, online version) provides data on the six major greenhouse gases
that cause climate change for 186 countries. It allows users to choose
particular years, sectors, gases and countries to display, thus enabling a
wide range of analysis and comparisons. It also provides socio- economic and
other indicators related to economic development, energy use, and fossil
fuel reserves.
- CAIT-UNFCCC is an online interface for viewing and analyzing official
greenhouse gas emissions data submitted by parties to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). CAIT-UNFCCC includes many of the same
analysis tools as CAIT.
- CAIT-V&A enables users to view data and indicators related to a
country's vulnerability and adaptive capacity (V&A). It provides data on
agriculture, health, economics and settlements. It also includes data on
natural disasters such as wind storms, droughts and floods which might help
measure sensitivity to climate change.
CAIT-Excel, which allows users access to data even if they are not plugged
into the Internet, is also available from WRI. CAIT- Excel includes most of
the same features of CAIT, with some exceptions (e.g. absence of
sector-level GHG emissions data).
CAIT is a product of the Climate, Energy and Pollution Program of the World
Resources Institute (WRI).
The World Resources Institute (www.wri.org)
is an environmental research and policy organization that creates solutions
to protect the Earth and improve people's lives.
For more information, contact:
Adlai J. Amor, director of media relations,
World Resources Institute
Tel: +1 202 729 7736
Fax: +1 202 729 7616
Email: aamor@wri.org
Website: http://newsroom.wri.org