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The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and partner organizations critique HR 3005, the Thomas fast track bill, arguing it fails to protect environmental laws and lacks mandatory objectives to ensure sustainable trade and investment.

This 2001 research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and WWF examines the legal and practical tensions between Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It analyzes how WTO rules on trade in goods, services, and intellectual property can conflict with environmental objectives, such as the precautionary principle and biodiversity conservation. The paper argues for a legal clarification of the MEA-WTO relationship to ensure that trade rules do not undermine environmental governance and proposes practical steps for policy coherence, including sustainability assessments and enhanced inter-ministerial cooperation.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) describes the political agreement reached on July 22-23, 2001, regarding the compliance mechanism for the Kyoto Protocol. It details the structure of a two-branch compliance committee, the specific penalties for Annex I Parties that fail to meet emissions targets, and the ongoing debate over whether these consequences are 'legally binding' under Article 18 of the Protocol.

The Center for International Environmental Law asserts that the 2001 Bush energy plan violates international law and the UN Climate Convention by significantly increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

This joint discussion paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and WWF International examines the tensions between the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). It analyzes how intellectual property rights (IPRs) can hinder the CBD's goals regarding benefit sharing, traditional knowledge, and technology transfer, and provides a set of international and national recommendations to harmonize these legal frameworks.

This preface to the 2001 re-release of 'Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for National Security' argues that U.S. energy security is compromised by a reliance on centralized, vulnerable infrastructure. The authors contend that domestic energy sources are not inherently secure and that true resilience requires a shift toward diverse, dispersed, and renewable energy systems.

The report 'Battling Fuel Waste in the Military' by Amory Lovins (RMI) argues that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) suffers from systemic fuel inefficiency due to a failure to account for the high cost of fuel delivery (logistics). By ignoring these costs during the design of weapons platforms and ships, the DOD maintains inefficient equipment that increases operational costs and inhibits warfighting capability. The author suggests that adopting fuel-saving technologies and 'green design' could save billions of dollars annually and improve military agility and security.

This report analyzes the potential for China to participate in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol. It evaluates the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs, emphasizing that while the CDM offers short-term gains in foreign investment and technology, it poses a long-term risk of technology dependence if core R&D and manufacturing capabilities are not transferred. The authors provide strategic recommendations for China to ensure the CDM supports its long-term sustainable development goals.

This IISD briefing note analyzes the results of the negotiations for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which concluded in Montreal in January 2000. The document examines the Protocol's scope, its operationalization of the precautionary principle, its complex relationship with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, and the positions of the five major negotiating blocs.

The Community Drought Mitigation Project (CDMP), implemented by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Environment and Development Activities (ENDA-Zimbabwe) between 1996 and 1999, aimed to enhance sustainable livelihoods in the drought-prone areas of Mudzi and Gwanda, Zimbabwe. Using a sustainable livelihoods framework, the project integrated local adaptive strategies with appropriate technologies and policy analysis to reduce community vulnerability to drought.

This report documents the proceedings of the Regional Forum on Trade and Environment held in San Salvador from July 7 to 10, 1999. Organized by SG-SICA, CCAD, IISD, IDRC, and IUCN, the forum aimed to establish a regional agenda for Central America to integrate environmental sustainability into global and regional trade negotiations, particularly within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

This research paper by Konrad von Moltke examines the complex relationship between international trade and environmental protection, specifically focusing on the World Trade Organization (WTO). The author argues that the trade regime must integrate environmental concerns and sustainable development to maintain its political legitimacy and operational effectiveness, particularly as it approached the 'Millennium Round' of negotiations in 1999.

This briefing paper by the Center for International Environmental Law argues against the inclusion of a "supremacy clause" in the draft Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Convention. The author contends that such a clause, which suggests the convention will not affect rights and obligations under existing international agreements, would effectively subordinate environmental goals to World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and undermine the ability of nations to implement trade-related environmental measures.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) reviews various international decision-making models to assist negotiators establishing a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) in the Western and Central Pacific. It analyzes a spectrum of mechanisms—from strict consensus to majority voting—evaluating how different models balance state sovereignty with the need for timely, science-based environmental action.

This amicus brief, submitted by the Center for International Environmental Law and other organizations, argues that United States import prohibitions on shrimp harvested without turtle excluder devices (TEDs) are consistent with WTO rules. The brief contends that these measures are justified under GATT Article XX as necessary for the conservation of endangered sea turtles, a goal supported by international environmental law and the principles of sustainable development.

This research paper examines the emergence of markets for global environmental services in Central America, focusing on greenhouse gas emission reduction trading in Costa Rica and the role of shade-grown coffee in biodiversity and carbon sequestration in El Salvador.

This executive summary examines the emergence of environmental services markets in Central America, focusing on Costa Rica's leadership in carbon emission reductions and El Salvador's potential for biodiversity and carbon sequestration through shade-grown coffee. It analyzes how international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Convention on Biological Diversity create financial opportunities for developing nations to link environmental conservation with sustainable economic development.

This document contains the proceedings of a Trade and Sustainable Development Workshop held on 1-2 July 1999 in Midrand, South Africa. Hosted by the IUCN, the Group for Environmental Monitoring (GEM), and the Trade and Industrial Policy Secretariat (TIPS), and funded by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the workshop aimed to identify international and domestic trends, research focus areas, and strategic interventions for South Africa regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other trade policy negotiations to promote sustainable development.

This 1998 report by the Rocky Mountain Institute examines water-saving technologies and practices for residential use, moving beyond the 1992 National Plumbing Standards to explore high-efficiency fixtures, graywater and rainwater systems, and sustainable landscaping.

This position paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) outlines twelve principles to guide the implementation of Joint Implementation (JI) under the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). The document argues against moving from the JI pilot phase to full crediting without an independent evaluation and a comprehensive legal framework, highlighting significant technical, environmental, and socio-economic risks associated with the project-by-project approach.