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The Tyranny of Metrics, the Power of Stories and Epistemic Diplomacy
This working paper examines the tension between quantitative 'precisionism' and qualitative 'groundtruthing' in climate-risk mapping within the global South, proposing a framework called 'epistemic diplomacy' to integrate both evidence types for more equitable and effective policy interventions.
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Document type: Research paper
Response ID ANON-NXHE-RQXK-S Submitted to Public Consultation on Flexibility Needs Assessment Methodology
Ember's response to the public consultation on the Flexibility Needs Assessment (FNA) methodology, arguing that the current draft focuses too narrowly on renewable energy surplus and fails to sufficiently address the broader goal of decarbonising the electricity system.
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Document type: Statement
Net zero progress overblown by inconsistencies in land carbon accounting
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues that progress toward net zero is overestimated due to inconsistencies in how land-based carbon accounting is handled in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) compared to IPCC methods. It highlights that current NDCs rely on unrealistic land-based removal targets that ignore ecological limits, social risks, and the declining ability of natural sinks to store carbon under rising temperatures.
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Document type: Briefing
Questions and Answers: Carbon Costs of Global Wood Harvests
This fact sheet summarizes a Nature paper by World Resources Institute (WRI) researchers regarding the carbon costs of global wood harvests. The analysis finds that wood harvests significantly increase atmospheric carbon, contributing annual emissions that exceed 10% of recent human annual carbon dioxide emissions. The document critiques 'netting' approaches in prior research that treat wood harvests as carbon neutral by offsetting them against general forest growth, arguing that such growth would occur regardless of harvesting.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Review of a Report Providing Health Impact Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of Eskom activities
This document is an independent review by Dr Michael Holland and Dr Joseph Spadaro of a health impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) conducted for the South African power utility, Eskom. The reviewers conclude that the Eskom report contains significant methodological errors and biases that lead to a substantial underestimation of the health benefits of pollution controls. They calculate that the benefits of action would actually exceed costs by a factor of 5 or more, which reverses the conclusions of the original Eskom CBA.
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Document type: Report
Cascading biases against poorer countries
This letter to the editor in Nature Climate Change critiques the methodology used in an article by Robiou du Pont et al. regarding equitable mitigation, arguing that the approach is biased in favor of wealthier, higher-emitting nations.
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Document type: Statement
REFLECTIONS ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESEARCH IN SOUTH AFRICA
This research paper examines the state of human trafficking research in South Africa as of 2006, arguing that existing data is rudimentary, methodologically weak, and overly focused on sexual exploitation. It calls for more sophisticated, dispassionate research and the adoption of innovative methodologies to inform the development of specialized anti-trafficking legislation.
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Document type: Research paper
ALPHA MOTORS, LTD
This teaching note, prepared by researchers from MIT for the World Resources Institute, provides a framework for using the 'Alpha Motors, Ltd.' case study to teach students about life-cycle analysis (LCA) and its integration into product design. It specifically examines the Environmental Product Strategies (EPS) system, discussing the complexities of goal definition, inventory, and the controversial nature of environmental valuation.
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Document type: Guide