2009 Research Highlights

The 2009 Research Highlights from Climate Strategies provides a comprehensive overview of projects addressing the operational challenges of the EU ETS, the feasibility of linking emissions trading schemes, and the design of financial mechanisms for the UNFCCC. It specifically investigates carbon leakage in energy-intensive sectors like cement and steel, the potential for 'Green Investment Schemes' in Central and Eastern Europe, and the implementation of Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) in countries including Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, and India. The document also assesses the impact of carbon pricing on the chemical sector and the evolving climate policy landscape in Russia.

• Carbon leakage is likely in the cement, steel, and aluminium sectors due to their cost and market structures and integration into international markets, though the degree of exposure varies by sector.
• Unilateral border adjustments to address carbon leakage risk causing trade conflicts and endangering global climate deals; therefore, they should only be pursued through a multilateral process.
• Formal, direct linking of emissions trading schemes is unlikely in the short term due to numerous barriers; instead, markets are likely to be indirectly linked via unilateral links to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
• The EU ETS has demonstrated that emissions trading is effective, cutting emissions by 120–300 million metric tonnes of CO2 during its first phase, and that macroeconomic impacts on GDP have been small.
• Free allocation of emission allowances can lead to windfall profits and degrade program efficiency by reducing the incentive for low-carbon innovation and investment.
• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has seen significant geographic concentration in China, India, and Brazil, while Sub-Saharan Africa has mobilized far fewer projects than its technical potential suggests.
• For the CDM to be effective in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), preferential access to the EU ETS or discounting of credits is insufficient because it does not address the underlying causes of their lack of competitiveness.
• A proposed 'Reformed Financial Mechanism' (RFM) for the UNFCCC suggests consolidating funding at international and national levels while devolving funding decisions to recipient countries.
• In the chemical sector, carbon cost increases relative to net production value are particularly high for calcium carbide, chlorine, and soda ash, which may warrant leakage concerns.
• Russia's 'climate doctrine' discussed in April 2009 recognizes climate change as a phenomenon and suggests that efficiency improvements could benefit the Russian economy, potentially reducing GDP loss from unchecked climate change by 25%.
• Green Investment Schemes (GIS) in Central and Eastern Europe provide a hybrid mechanism to use revenues from the sale of Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) for greening activities, with a high priority for low-energy retrofits of old building stock.
• International support for domestic action in developing countries should be demand-driven and linked to Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to enhance the scale and speed of low-carbon transitions.

APA

Climate Strategies (2009). 2009 Research Highlights. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2009-cs-research-compendium-master-4.pdf

Chicago

Climate Strategies. 2009 Research Highlights. 2009. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2009-cs-research-compendium-master-4.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Strategies |title=2009 Research Highlights |date=November 2009 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2009-cs-research-compendium-master-4.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatestrategies20092009, author = {{Climate Strategies}}, title = {{2009 Research Highlights}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2009}, month = nov, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/2009-cs-research-compendium-master-4.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }