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This briefing, written by Vivid Economics and funded by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), analyzes the implications of the Advisory Group on Climate Finance (AGF) recommendations for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It evaluates the investment needs for adaptation and mitigation in SIDS, the potential for public and private funding sources, and the specific risks and opportunities these financial mechanisms present for island nations.

This policy brief defines 'climate compatible development' as an integrated approach that minimizes climate-related harm while maximizing human development opportunities through low-emissions and resilient growth. It argues that policy makers must move beyond the traditional separation of adaptation, mitigation, and development to achieve 'triple win' strategies that simultaneously promote development, build resilience, and reduce emissions.

This policy brief describes the development of the Orissa Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP), the first comprehensive state-level climate plan in India. It details the rapid six-month process used to create the blueprint, the tools employed—specifically Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)—and the lessons learned regarding political leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the management of information gaps in climate planning.

This policy brief examines whether REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) can support climate compatible development in developing countries. It discusses the mechanism's potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide economic opportunities, while warning of risks to forest-dependent communities and the need for robust institutional frameworks to manage financial flows and monitor performance.

This policy brief defines 'Climate Compatible Development' as a strategic approach that integrates climate change mitigation, adaptation, and social development to minimize risks and maximize opportunities in a low-emission, resilient future.

This executive summary outlines Ghana's National Climate Change Policy Framework (NCCPF), a strategic initiative designed to ensure a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy. The document emphasizes that while Ghana's global contribution to climate change is negligible, the country faces substantial threats to its development goals, particularly in agriculture, coastal infrastructure, and poverty reduction. The NCCPF proposes a multi-sectoral response based on three primary objectives—low carbon growth, effective adaptation, and social development—supported by seven systemic pillars including governance, finance, and capacity building.

The document analyzes REDD+ as a tool for climate-compatible development in developing countries, highlighting its potential to reduce GHG emissions and enhance climate resilience. It notes that while international funding has reached $4.5 billion by 2012, significantly more is needed to meet global deforestation targets. The brief warns of risks to indigenous and forest-dependent communities and emphasizes that successful implementation requires long-term institutional building, clear legal frameworks for carbon rights, and integrated cross-sectoral planning.

This executive summary by Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland argues that carbon trading is an ineffective and dangerous primary tool for tackling climate change. The document proposes a comprehensive package of alternative mitigation strategies across energy, agriculture, forests, and industry, alongside several specific financial mechanisms to provide at least US$420 billion per year in additional climate finance for developing countries.

The report "DespejanDo el aire" argues that carbon trading is an irresponsible and ineffective solution to climate change. It proposes a comprehensive package of alternatives: investing US$100 billion annually in renewables via feed-in tariffs, adopting sustainable small-scale agriculture, implementing common industrial technology standards, and protecting forests by addressing demand for commodities. To fund these actions, it suggests generating over US$420 billion annually through a global financial transaction tax, combating tax evasion, reorienting fossil fuel subsidies, and issuing new IMF Special Drawing Rights.

This report, prepared by EnviroEconomics Inc. for the International Institute for Sustainable Development's Global Subsidies Initiative, estimates the value and impact of government subsidies for upstream oil activities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and at the Canadian federal level. Using a definition based on the WTO's Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, the study identifies 63 subsidy programs totaling approximately $2.8 billion annually. The report analyzes the distribution of these subsidies, their financial impact on well-level production, and their broader macroeconomic and environmental effects through 2020.

This 2010 research paper analyzes the opportunities and challenges for South Africa to engage in international carbon trading to meet emissions targets. While South Africa is a leading African participant in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), it remains underrepresented globally compared to countries like China and India. The authors argue that while a local carbon market could stimulate green investment and jobs, success depends on regulatory certainty, financial support from developed nations, and a shift away from coal dependence.

This report analyzes the greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions of 15 alternative fates for woody biomass residues in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, comparing them to common practices of on-site combustion and decomposition. Using a "post-harvest to grave" life cycle approach, the study evaluates carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The findings indicate that displacing fossil fuels with biomass residues generally reduces net GHG emissions, while industrial facilities with emission controls significantly reduce CO and PM2.5 compared to uncontrolled on-site burning.

This research paper evaluates the environmental integrity of nitric acid projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), specifically examining risks of carbon leakage and baseline emission manipulation. The authors conclude that while the CDM successfully fostered abatement in a sector that previously lacked such practices, the current methodologies are complex and lead to significant credit issuance delays. The paper recommends transitioning to a common benchmarking approach for baseline emissions to simplify the process and safeguard against leakage.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute examines the need for harmonized accounting rules for developed country (Annex I) emissions reduction pledges in a post-2012 climate agreement. It argues that without consistent rules for greenhouse gas coverage, land use (LULUCF), offsets, and surplus allowances, it will be impossible to accurately assess the ambition of national pledges or track global progress toward temperature targets.

This policy brief examines the progress made by G-20 leaders toward phasing out inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies following the September 2009 Pittsburgh Summit and the June 2010 Toronto Summit, providing a roadmap and six recommended actions for the November 11-12, 2010, Seoul Summit.

This policy brief discusses the need for a common methodology to measure national irrigation subsidies and presents the results of a case study applying the Net Cost to the Supplier approach in Spain.

This briefing consists of testimonies presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on October 25, 2010, by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and environmental defenders from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama. The testimonies denounce a regional pattern of violence, criminalization, and systemic impunity targeting individuals who oppose the impacts of the mining industry in Mesoamerica.

A statement from a civil society drafting group, involving Natural Justice, warns that the COP will fail unless Northern governments adopt a legally binding Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) Protocol with strong enforcement to prevent biopiracy and protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.

This report outlines the key takeaways from a workshop held on 14 October 2010 in Venice, hosted by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), the International Center for Climate Governance (IGCC), and the Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change (CMCC). The event convened policymakers and experts to discuss the adequacy and productivity of international climate finance, identifying critical gaps in data, the under-tracking of domestic and South-South flows, and the challenges of measuring private sector contributions.

Earthjustice is challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service and fishery management councils in court over the failure to protect river herring and shad populations, which have crashed by over 90% since 1985 due to industrial overfishing and a lack of federal regulation under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.