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This report summarizes a workshop hosted by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and the Florence School of Regulation on October 20, 2011. The discussions focused on the planning, regulation, and financing of European electricity transmission infrastructure, specifically in the context of integrating renewable energy and the implementation of the European Commission's proposed Infrastructure Package.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and DIW Berlin presents findings from a survey of 78 thermal retrofitting practitioners to inform the German government's debate on tax incentives for residential building retrofits. The study evaluates the effectiveness of comprehensive versus single-measure retrofits, the appropriateness of the KfW 85 energy standard, the necessary timeframes for project completion, and the risks associated with stepwise implementation.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, representing groundWork, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), and the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA), submitted a statement to the Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs regarding the South African Weather Service Amendment Bill, 2011. The submission expresses grave concerns that the Bill's proposed criminalization of issuing air pollution-related warnings without permission would undermine public health, freedom of speech, and existing environmental governance frameworks under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA).

This report provides a global and national knowledge review to assist the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) in Punjab, Pakistan, in incorporating climate compatibility and disaster risk reduction (DRR) into reconstruction and village planning. It synthesizes experiences from Europe and Asia, focusing on adaptation and low-carbon construction to improve resilience against flooding and extreme temperatures.

This fact sheet by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) compares the methodologies and estimates used by four international organizations—the OECD, IEA, IMF, and GSI—to measure government support and subsidies for fossil fuels. It highlights how differences in coverage, definitions, and measurement techniques (such as the 'Inventory Approach' versus the 'Price-Gap Approach') lead to varying headline estimates.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues for greater transparency in agricultural investment contracts to prevent corruption and protect human rights, highlighting a global trend toward contract disclosure led by countries like Liberia.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of public procurement as a strategic tool for driving green growth and innovation. It argues that governments can leverage their significant purchasing power to create demand for sustainable products, thereby incentivizing private sector innovation and scaling green markets. The document provides a theoretical framework for sustainable value creation and presents several international case studies to illustrate different approaches to Green Public Procurement (GPP).

This report presents the proceedings of a May 2012 conference in Winnipeg, Canada, focused on the 'Water-Energy-Food (W-E-F) security nexus'. The document explores the interdependencies between water, energy, and food systems, emphasizing the need for integrated governance, the use of Earth Observations for monitoring, and the potential of the bioeconomy to provide sustainable solutions for these linked risks.

This discussion brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute argues for a 'nexus' approach to climate change in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, emphasizing the critical interdependence of water and energy planning for effective mitigation and adaptation.

This briefing describes the Climate and Regional Economics of Development (CRED) model developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute. The model argues that achieving human welfare requires keeping cumulative twenty-first century CO2 emissions below 2,000 Gt to maintain a high probability of limiting global temperature increases to below 2°C, contrasting with conventional models like DICE that suggest slower reductions.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the need for a robust Monitoring, Reporting and Verifying (MRV) framework for climate finance provided to developing countries. It argues that while current systems are fragmented and inconsistent, establishing transparency is essential for building trust between donors and recipients and ensuring funds are used effectively.

The GSA Net Zero Renovation Challenge is an initiative by the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings (OFHPGB), and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) to achieve deep energy savings in 30-35 federal buildings using Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs). A workshop held in October 2011 by RMI and GSA identified structural, contractual, and technical barriers to achieving net zero energy, proposing a shift toward integrative design, streamlined procurement, and shared risk to move beyond conventional shallow retrofits.

This policy brief examines 'evergreen agriculture' in Zambia, focusing on the integration of specific tree species into annual food crop systems to combat soil degradation and climate change vulnerability. It highlights the success of maize agroforestry and conservation agriculture with trees in increasing yields and sequestering carbon, while discussing the institutional and financial challenges of scaling these practices across Africa.

This report surveys the diverse methodologies used to calculate and report 'leverage ratios' in climate finance, highlighting the lack of a universal definition. It examines how various institutions—including the World Bank, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF)—measure the ability of public funds to catalyze private and other public investments, and proposes a more rigorous framework for assessing financial effectiveness.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the relationship between the South African government and the private sector regarding economic activity and development in Southern Africa. It argues that while both parties share an interest in regional stability and growth, their efforts are hindered by a domestic legacy of mistrust and ideological differences. The author explores the role of 'economic diplomacy' and the proposal for a business code of conduct to align corporate behavior with national developmental goals.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes how tax exemptions and levy reductions in Germany's energy policy framework impact industrial energy prices. It focuses on four key policies: the Environmental Tax Reform, the Combined Heat and Power Act, the EU Emission Trading Scheme, and the Renewable Energy Act. The analysis finds that these exemptions significantly lower energy costs for large, energy-intensive companies, potentially reducing the policy-induced component of energy prices by up to 75% on average, which may diminish incentives for energy efficiency improvements.

This report analyzes the effectiveness of climate finance, identifying a significant gap in the tools and methodologies used to measure the impact of funding flows to developing countries. It evaluates practices across public finance, international financial institutions (IFIs), and market-based instruments, concluding that current project-based evaluations are insufficient for the scale of financing required to meet the Cancún Agreements' target of $100 billion per year by 2020.

This policy analysis by Dave Sawyer examines the discrepancy between Canada's current federal and provincial climate policies and its 2020 emissions mitigation target.

This policy brief examines the rapid expansion of China's wind power market, which became the world's largest by the end of 2010. It attributes this growth to strong political will and a supportive legal framework, specifically the Renewable Energy Law of 2006, and discusses the transition from a concession-bidding pricing model to a feed-in tariff system to ensure investor profitability.

This policy brief examines the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in 2009 to establish India as a global leader in solar energy and make solar power affordable by 2022. It analyzes the Mission's three-phase implementation strategy, focusing on grid-connected projects, off-grid applications for rural populations, and the development of domestic manufacturing and R&D. The document highlights the tension between using competitive bidding to lower tariffs and the risk of attracting inexperienced developers, while also critiquing the Mission's limited focus on the most energy-poor citizens and the lack of mandatory environmental impact assessments.