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This report, prepared by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), analyzes various voluntary and legally binding international options to reduce risks to human health and the environment from mercury pollution. It evaluates these options against seven global priorities, including reducing atmospheric emissions, managing mercury waste, and curbing global supply.

This briefing by Theresa Whelan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Africa, explains the rationale and intended structure of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). It argues that the command is a necessary shift from Cold War-era organizational structures to a 21st-century approach that prioritizes security capacity building, prevention, and inter-agency cooperation to support African stability and U.S. national security.

Aaron Cosbey analyzes the May 10th U.S. Bipartisan Compact on Free Trade Agreements, questioning its potential to serve as a template for future trade deals, its impact on trade promotion authority (TPA), and its effectiveness in securing the passage of the two agreements it addresses.

A speech delivered by Amory B. Lovins on August 8, 2007, outlining a vision for a sustainable future achieved through integrative engineering, resource efficiency, and the phasing out of fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

This 2007 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Recursos e Investigación para el Desarrollo Sustenable (RIDES) provides a preliminary assessment of the sustainability of tourism in Chile within the context of trade liberalization. It examines the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the sector, the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the challenges of balancing private investment with local development and environmental conservation.

This briefing details the FY 2008 appropriations for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE/RE) programs, highlighting that both the House and Senate proposed funding levels significantly higher than the Administration's request.

This 2007 IISD report analyzes the compatibility of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and other market mechanisms for sustainable development (MMSD) with various proposed post-2012 climate regimes. It identifies that while the current project-based CDM works in regimes with differentiated targets, it would be incompatible with a system where all countries have binding targets. In such cases, the report suggests a shift toward Joint Implementation (JI)-style mechanisms or 'expanded CDM' models that include sectoral and policy-based crediting. The report emphasizes the need to balance the developed world's demand for low-cost, additional credits with the developing world's need for sustainable development dividends and equitable access to investment.

This report explores market-based price risk management options for coffee farmers, particularly smallholders in developing countries. It analyzes the volatility of Arabica and Robusta coffee prices and the barriers preventing farmers from accessing futures and options markets. The authors argue that while traditional risk mitigation (like diversification) is costly and inefficient, market-based instruments can make earnings more predictable, provided that intermediaries like local banks and cooperatives are leveraged to bridge the gap between small growers and international exchanges.

This briefing examines the state of regional integration in Central Africa, focusing on the roles and interactions of the Central Africa Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). It analyzes the institutional frameworks, the impact of colonial legacies, the influence of external actors like France and the EU, and the challenges posed by overlapping memberships and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the trade policy challenges facing Malawi due to its dual membership in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It analyzes the technical and political implications of these overlapping memberships, particularly as these regional economic communities move toward forming customs unions, and evaluates the impact on Malawi's trade profiles and its negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union.

The Tees Valley Footprint Report finds that the region's Ecological Footprint (5.12 gha/cap) is over twice the world average, while its Carbon Footprint (10.85 t/cap) is lower than the UK average, partly due to lower disposable income. The report warns that 'Business as Usual' trends will likely increase per capita emissions from housing (5.5%) and transport (8.7%) over 20 years. While food consumption is a significant driver of the Ecological Footprint, the report suggests that targeted housing retrofits and ambitious, systemic transport shifts—rather than small-scale initiatives—are necessary to meet 2050 carbon reduction targets.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) outlines its activities plan for the period of July 2007 to June 2008, focusing on program implementation, strategic planning, and international collaborations.

The document is a report of the 24th Meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), held from December 6-8, 2006, in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The meeting focused on transitioning IAI science from individual projects to research programs, improving the societal relevance of Global Environmental Change (GEC) research, and strategic planning for the institution's future.

A joint statement by several environmental organizations praising the environmental provisions of the Peru Free Trade Agreement, specifically its measures to combat illegal logging and its requirements for adhering to Multilateral Environmental Agreements.

This report presents the findings of an external review conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The review evaluates the IAI's performance across its first 13 years, focusing on its scientific research, capacity building, funding, governance, and communication strategies.

The document is a list of participants for the 14th IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP) Meeting and a Science Symposium held in Manaus, Brazil, on June 14-15, 2007. It lists representatives from various countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, the United States, and Venezuela, as well as IAI directorate staff, external review committee members, and local staff from the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA).

This research paper, prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for Environment Canada, outlines a conceptual framework for developing an Environment Outlook for Canada (EOC). It defines an environment outlook as a forward-looking integrated assessment that analyzes environmental change, causes, impacts, and policy responses to support proactive decision-making. The document details the potential scope, products, and governance structures for an EOC, emphasizing the need for a participatory process to ensure the resulting data is salient, credible, and legitimate.

This research paper, written by Dale S. Rothman of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for Environment Canada, serves as a conceptual document for the development of the Canadian Environmental Outlook (CEO). It defines the CEO as an integrated environmental assessment designed to provide a forward-looking analysis of the interactions between society and the environment to support strategic decision-making and policy formulation in Canada.

This briefing paper examines the legal, economic, and social dimensions of parallel importation, focusing on the 'exhaustion of rights' doctrine in intellectual property (IP) law. It analyzes how different exhaustion policies—national, regional, and international—affect market segmentation, consumer welfare, and the accessibility of pharmaceutical products.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) assesses the environmental impacts of trade liberalization on Thailand's fisheries sector. It highlights the depletion of marine fish stocks, the ecological damage caused by intensive aquaculture, and the challenges of implementing environmental certification standards in the face of strong market demand for shrimp exports.