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This 2004 guide by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides homeowners with strategies to reduce space cooling costs and energy use. It advocates for a hierarchical approach: first minimizing heat gain through passive measures, then utilizing low-energy ventilation, and finally selecting the most efficient mechanical cooling systems based on climate and budget.

This 2004 RMI guide outlines strategies for reducing home heating costs, emphasizing that a well-insulated building shell is the primary investment. It compares the efficiency (AFUE), installation costs, and operational expenses of furnaces, boilers, in-space heaters, air-source and geothermal heat pumps, and active solar systems, while providing guidelines for system sizing and replacement timing.

This 2004 guide by RMI provides homeowners with strategies to reduce water heating costs and energy consumption through the use of efficient fixtures, maintenance of existing heaters, and the adoption of advanced heating technologies such as solar thermal, heat pumps, and drain-water heat recovery.

This 2004 guide by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides strategies for reducing energy consumption and environmental impact associated with home electronics. It emphasizes that changing user habits—such as unplugging devices and enabling power management—is often more effective for saving energy than simply purchasing more efficient hardware.

This 2004 briefing from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides guidance on reducing the energy and environmental impacts of kitchen appliances and food consumption. It details the efficiency gains in refrigerators and freezers, compares various cooking technologies and habits, and addresses the reduction of food-related waste in landfills.

This guide introduces 'whole system design' for residential buildings, emphasizing the integration of passive solar strategies, thermal mass, and reflective roofing to reduce energy consumption. It argues that careful planning can make green homes cost the same or less than conventional ones and highlights financing options like Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs).

This 2004 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the experiences of South African firms expanding into other African markets. It identifies systemic structural challenges—such as political risk, corruption, and poor infrastructure—while highlighting the growth of South African investment in sectors like banking, telecommunications, retail, and mining. The document provides specific case studies on Uganda, Morocco, Mozambique, and Ghana to illustrate the diverse operating environments across the continent.

This 2004 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the experiences of South African firms operating in Mozambique. It highlights South Africa's role as a leading investor, the success of large-scale 'mega-projects', and the significant bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles faced by smaller enterprises. The document analyzes the socio-economic impact of this investment on the Mozambican labour market, trade balance, and industrialization, while providing policy recommendations to improve the business environment for both foreign and domestic investors.

This executive summary from the South African Institute of International Affairs describes Mali as a stable, democratic West African country with strong economic growth driven largely by a gold mining boom and South African investment.

This executive summary from the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) argues that while Universal Primary Education (UPE) is a noble goal, it is insufficient on its own to drive Africa's economic development. The document highlights critical shortages in teacher quantity and quality, the neglect of secondary education, and the severe impact of HIV/Aids on the schooling system. It calls for a comprehensive strategy that includes increased funding, curriculum reform, and a focus on secondary education to bridge the skills gap and improve the continent's global economic competitiveness.

The report 'Back to the Blackboard' examines the education crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, arguing that the narrow focus on Universal Primary Education (UPE) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has neglected secondary education and compromised instructional quality. It highlights systemic failures including teacher shortages, poor salaries, corruption, and the devastating impact of HIV/Aids. The document advocates for a comprehensive strategy that integrates secondary schooling, vocational training, and curriculum reform to drive economic growth, drawing lessons from East Asia's successful integration of human capital development and industrial planning.

This 2004 report evaluates Estonia's compliance with the Aarhus Convention's principles of environmental information access, public participation, and judicial redress. It finds that while legal frameworks are largely in place and information on air quality and national environmental states is high-quality, actual implementation is inconsistent. Public participation is often reduced to a formal commentary process, and access to company-level pollution data is hindered by business secrecy. The report highlights a lack of targeted outreach to Russian-speaking minorities and recommends clearer procedures for emergency notifications and more substantive public involvement in early-stage decision-making.

A December 2003 letter from Friends of the Earth – U.S., on behalf of several environmental organizations, requesting investment-related documents from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), representing itself and three other environmental organizations, submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on December 19, 2003. The request seeks the disclosure of environmental chapters and related provisions from bilateral or regional free trade agreement negotiations conducted since the beginning of 2003.

The Report of the IAI Directorate to the Executive Council 18th Meeting, dated December 4-5, 2003, outlines the activities, strategic progress, and administrative status of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) since June 2003. It details efforts to increase institutional visibility through international partnerships, the implementation of regional training institutes, and the management of Core Research Network (CRN) projects.

This fact sheet by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines strategies for securing water resources and adapting to climate change in dryland communities. It highlights the vulnerability of these regions to desertification and climate change, and provides two case studies from India and Sudan that demonstrate how community-led ecosystem management and restoration can build resilience against drought and environmental degradation.

This fact sheet describes the vulnerability of tropical hillside communities to environmental degradation and climate change, focusing on the PASOLAC program in Central America. PASOLAC implements Sustainable Soil and Water Management (SSWM) techniques to increase agricultural productivity and resilience against droughts and floods in Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.

This briefing paper outlines a conceptual framework for climate change adaptation that focuses on reducing the vulnerability of poor communities by strengthening sustainable livelihoods through ecosystem management and restoration.

This report details the outcomes of a three-day workshop on 'Supporting Protected Areas in Times of Violent Conflict' held during the 5th IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, in September 2003. Co-organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) under a UNDP-supported initiative, the workshop focused on the bidirectional relationship between protected areas and violent conflict, identifying best practices for management during crises and the role of conservation in peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction.

This December 2003 report by Friends of the Earth International argues that International Financial Institutions (IFIs), including multilateral development banks and bilateral export credit agencies, should phase out funding for the extractive industries. The document contends that IFI-supported oil, gas, and mining projects frequently lead to environmental disasters, human rights abuses, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples, while failing to alleviate poverty in resource-rich developing nations.