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A research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute discussing the risks of the current climate negotiation process and proposing a two-stage transitional agreement to maintain momentum and ensure long-term stability.

The APRM Monitoring and Advocacy Template (AMAT) Pilot Guide provides a methodological framework for civil society and other organisations to track the implementation of National Programmes of Action (NPoAs) within the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). The guide outlines a five-stage process—desk research, interviews, analysis, priority identification, and recommendation development—designed to evaluate the status of the APRM in a country and advocate for improved governance and implementation.

This executive summary outlines a joint study by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and Climate Strategies regarding the effectiveness of the EU ETS in driving low-carbon investment. It identifies that while the EU ETS provides a foundation for investment, its impact is hindered by the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), current International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and short corporate payback expectations, suggesting a need for increased stringency and complementary policies.

This research paper examines South Africa's expected formal admission into the BRICs grouping in April 2011. The author questions the strategic motivation and economic utility of this membership, arguing that the BRICs lack a formal political or economic structure and that South Africa's economic goals can be better pursued through bilateral relations and a broader South-South strategy.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the security challenges and potential scenarios surrounding the January 9, 2011, referendum on South Sudan's right to secede from Sudan. It examines the political dynamics between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM), the risks of a return to war, and the roles of regional and international actors in maintaining stability during the transition.

The authors introduce MILLENNIA, a peat age-cohort model designed to address shortcomings in global soil models regarding the representation of long-term soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and dynamic hydrological processes, specifically water table depth (WTD). The model's predictions for SOC accumulation and peat ages were validated against observations from a UK peatland site.

This executive summary describes a multi-institute analytical project conducted between February and December 2010 to evaluate whether the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) facilitates a shift toward low-carbon investments. The project assessed the EU ETS's effectiveness in capturing the attention of decision-makers, providing clarity for strategic planning, and creating an enabling environment for project realization.

This research paper analyzes the relative importance of various climate policy elements—specifically the EU Emission Trading System (EU ETS) and long-term climate policy targets—on the investment decisions of European power sector companies. Based on a 2009 survey of 65 power generators and 136 technology providers, the study examines two dimensions of innovation: the adoption of new plants and research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities. The findings indicate that climate policies are generally less influential than market factors and technology-specific regulations, though long-term targets are particularly critical for the RD&D activities of technology providers.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that Europe's current power market designs are insufficient to support the transition to a low-carbon energy system and the goals of a smart grid. It advocates for a transition from zonal pricing and market coupling toward an integrated power market based on locational marginal pricing (nodal pricing), citing the US experience as a successful model for managing transmission constraints and integrating intermittent renewable energy.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute provides a comparative analysis of renewable electricity technologies—water, wind, biomass, geothermal, and solar—against conventional power sources in the United States. It examines metrics such as installed capacity, capital costs, construction timelines, and carbon displacement to highlight the flexibility and growing cost-competitiveness of renewables.

This research paper examines the establishment of the JinFei Economic and Trade Co-operation Zone (ETCZ) in Mauritius. It analyzes how the Mauritian government successfully attracted Chinese investment despite lacking the natural resources or large market size typically targeted by Chinese ETCZs in Africa, positioning the island as a strategic business platform between Asia and Africa.

This report analyzes the practice and quality of Natura 2000 impact assessments in Estonia as of 2010. It evaluates the compliance of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports with European Union directives and surveys experts on the availability of baseline data and the effectiveness of current procedures.

This briefing document provides formal responses to enquiries regarding a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to implement the Action Plan for the Kenya National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS). It clarifies administrative requirements for bidders, the structure of consortium submissions, and the status of funding and scoping for the project's subcomponents.

The Water Tribunal dismissed an appeal by the Escarpment Environmental Protection Group and the Wonderfontein Environmental Committee against a water use licence granted to Exarro Coal (Pty) Ltd. The ruling was based on the appellants' lack of locus standi under a strict interpretation of s 148(1)(f) of the National Water Act 36 of 1998.

This case study details a legal challenge by the Escarpment Environmental Protection Group (EEPOG) and the Langkloof Environmental Committee against the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs and WERM Mining (Pty) Ltd. The appellants sought to set aside a water use licence issued for the Langkloof Colliery in Mpumalanga, arguing that the licence was granted without inviting comments from interested parties as required by the National Water Act 36 of 1998. The Water Tribunal dismissed the appeal, ruling that the appellants lacked locus standi (legal standing) because they did not fall within the specific class of persons entitled to appeal under section 148(1) of the National Water Act.

The PAIA Civil Society Network Shadow Report: 2011 evaluates the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) in South Africa between August 1, 2010, and July 30, 2011. The report finds that while civil society's use of the Act for strategic advocacy has increased, the performance of information holders has declined, characterized by a high rate of 'deemed refusals' and a lack of affordable dispute resolution mechanisms.

This briefing by Friends of the Earth International argues against the expansion of carbon markets at the COP in Durban, characterizing them as a 'false solution' to the climate crisis. The document contends that carbon trading allows industrialized nations to avoid domestic emission reductions by purchasing offsets, thereby perpetuating dependence on fossil fuels and harming communities in the Global South.

This fact sheet describes the vulnerability of tropical dry forests in the Americas to global change, detailing trends in productivity and the critical need for expanded conservation efforts to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services.

This fact sheet describes research on the spatial distribution of groundwater and surface water use in Mexican agriculture. It argues that managing water resources at the municipality scale, rather than the larger river basin or aquifer scale used by the National Water Commission, is essential for identifying where demand management is required versus where water reallocations can mitigate aquifer over-exploitation.

This fact sheet describes the use of municipal-scale spatial data to manage groundwater and surface water allocation in Mexico, highlighting the risks of aquifer overexploitation and the need for localized demand management.