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The report analyzes the energy landscape of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, noting a growing dependence on imported fossil fuels despite significant renewable potential. It highlights that while the region leads in hydropower and geothermal energy, resources like wind and solar remain underutilized. The document identifies critical gaps in resource data, socioeconomic assessments, and administrative efficiency, while recommending a 'long, loud, and legal' policy approach to attract investment and achieve a 100 percent renewable electricity grid.

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems integrate heat and electric power production, achieving efficiencies of 70 percent or more compared to less than 45 percent for separate production. In the United States, there are over 4,100 systems with more than 82 GW of installed capacity, primarily in the chemical (29%), petroleum refining (18%), and pulp and paper (14%) industries. The DOE and EPA estimate an untapped potential of 130 GW, which could save U.S. businesses $10 billion annually and further reduce CO2 emissions by 150 million tons per year. Beyond efficiency, CHP provides critical resilience during extreme weather events, as demonstrated during Hurricane Sandy and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While biomass-fueled CHP offers a path to net carbon negative operations by avoiding methane emissions from waste, widespread deployment is hindered by regulatory and legal barriers, including interconnection standards and backup power rates.

The report argues that state renewable electricity standards (RES) are effective market-based tools that have driven significant growth in wind and solar capacity across the U.S. with minimal cost impacts on consumers. It highlights that these policies stimulate local economies through job creation in installation and manufacturing, provide new revenue streams for rural landowners, and stabilize electricity rates by removing reliance on volatile fossil fuel markets. While noting strong compliance rates, the document identifies transmission infrastructure, market oversupplies, and political opposition as primary challenges to further expansion.

Landfills are the third largest source of anthropogenic methane in the U.S., contributing 17.7 percent of all U.S. methane emissions. The EPA regulates large municipal solid waste landfills through the Clean Air Act and RCRA, while the voluntary Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) facilitates the development of energy projects. As of October 2012, 605 operational energy projects exist across 48 states, producing 15 billion kWh of electricity and 100 billion cubic feet of gas for direct use annually. The economic viability of these projects depends heavily on whether capture systems are already in place; for example, a 3 MW turbine project with an existing system can yield a net return of $590,000 over 15 years, whereas one without a system may lose $3.5 million without additional tax credits or carbon offsets.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), and the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA), submitted comments on 16 April 2013 regarding the draft 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in South Africa. The CER argues that the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) failed to follow prescribed review processes, ignored legislative obligations from the 2007 Framework, and provided insufficient support to municipalities for air quality management.

The report analyzes building energy efficiency across China, Germany, and the United States, identifying four primary policy intervention points: new construction, building retrofits, equipment, and operations. It highlights how different national contexts—such as China's rapid urbanization, Germany's aging building stock, and the U.S.'s high per capita energy use—necessitate distinct policy priorities. The document details specific barriers to efficiency, such as split incentives and high upfront costs, and reviews the current policy landscapes and research efforts of the Climate Policy Initiative in these regions.

The report argues that EU biofuel policies, particularly those supporting conventional food-based biofuels, are not cost-effective and often fail to meet their stated public good objectives. It finds that significant public subsidies—estimated between EUR 5.5 and 6.9 billion in 2011—support an industry where benefits are increasingly captured by non-EU suppliers rather than EU farmers. The analysis highlights that conventional biofuels can lead to net increases in greenhouse gas emissions when indirect land use change (ILUC) is considered and contribute to higher global food prices. The report suggests that tightening vehicle emission standards to 95 gCO2/km by 2020 would be a significantly cheaper and more effective way to abate carbon emissions than subsidizing biofuels. It recommends phasing out support for food-based biofuels and implementing a 5 per cent cap on their contribution to renewable energy targets.

The document provides a detailed critique and set of recommendations for the World Bank's Environmental and Social Safeguard Policies. It argues that the Bank has failed to incorporate current international standards and suffers from inadequate monitoring, noting that between 1999 and 2008, more than one-third of projects were inadequately monitored. The authors advocate for the adoption of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as a cross-cutting requirement for all safeguards, the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) as legitimate conservation measures, and the integration of human rights due diligence into the Bank's operational framework.

The document analyzes Senegalese foreign policy under President Abdoulaye Wade (2000–2012) and the transition to President Macky Sall. It highlights a shift from 'classical' diplomacy led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs toward a more technical, economy-centered approach involving non-state actors and specialized ministries. The paper emphasizes the 'hyper-power' of the presidency over the legislature and judiciary in external affairs. Key trends include a realignment toward emerging economic powers like China and Dubai, a revival of Pan-Africanist goals through the African Union and Nepad, and a high degree of personalization in diplomacy under Wade. Following the 2012 election, the author notes a return to traditional diplomacy, characterized by restored ties with France and improved relations with neighbors like Gambia and Mauritania.

The document examines Brazil's shift in foreign policy from traditional non-intervention toward a more active role in UN peacekeeping and the development of the 'Responsibility while Protecting' (RwP) concept. It argues that these diplomatic shifts are driven by Brazil's ambition to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. The author analyzes the practical application of 'non-indifference' in Haiti and the theoretical framework of RwP, which emerged as a response to perceived excesses in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The paper concludes that RwP is a refinement of the existing 'Responsibility to Protect' (RtoP) framework, focusing on the accountability and monitoring of those authorized to use force.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted comments on 27 March 2013 regarding the draft Infrastructure Development Bill, 2013. The CER argues that the Bill is vulnerable to Constitutional challenge because it disregards national environmental policies, undermines the functions of provincial and local governments, and conflicts with the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, 2000 (PAJA). While supporting the goal of streamlined approvals, the CER asserts that the Bill's proposed fast-tracking of infrastructure projects risks bypassing essential environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and public participation processes.

The report examines the health and economic impacts of Alberta's heavy reliance on coal-fired electricity, which generated 64 per cent of the province's electricity in 2012. Using the Illness Cost of Air Pollution (ICAP) model and other data, the authors estimate that coal plants contribute to hundreds of premature deaths and thousands of emergency department visits annually. The report identifies a wide range of pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, mercury, and particulate matter, which affect respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological health. Economically, the report argues that the true societal cost of coal—including health damages and the social cost of carbon—ranges from 3.6 to 13.7 ¢/kWh, far exceeding the market pool price of 6.6 ¢/kWh. The authors conclude that the current system effectively subsidizes coal power at the expense of public health and recommend that Alberta accelerate the retirement of coal units beyond the 50-year limit allowed by federal regulations.

The document details CDKN's technical assistance to Nepal, focusing on enhancing the country's role in UNFCCC negotiations, conducting economic impact assessments of climate change on water and agriculture, and integrating climate indicators into food security monitoring. It highlights Nepal's leadership of the LDC Group and its efforts to mainstream mountain climate issues globally, while also noting the importance of documenting local community-led adaptation and disaster response initiatives.

The document details CDKN's support for Pakistan, focusing on three main areas: climate-resilient reconstruction in Punjab, the development of a national disaster risk insurance strategy, and technical capacity building for UNFCCC COP negotiations. It also highlights the launch of Pakistan's National Climate Change Policy in February 2013, which prioritizes adaptation in water, agriculture, and forestry, while addressing mitigation and disaster preparedness.

The report analyzes the design and operational experiences of various emissions trading systems, including the EU ETS, RGGI, WCI, NZ ETS, TMG ETS, and the Australian CPM. It highlights key design trade-offs regarding coverage, allowance distribution, and price management, while emphasizing that the EU ETS experience demonstrates that over-allocation does not necessarily preclude abatement. The document also provides a toolkit for policymakers to assess the environmental and economic effectiveness of such systems.

The report examines the divergence between lawful and wrongful expropriation compensation, the challenges of indirect expropriation, and the various valuation methods used by arbitral tribunals, such as market value and discounted cash flow.

The report examines twenty investor networks to determine if they are influencing financial regulatory reform to promote long-term sustainability. While many networks engage in consultations and develop best practices for ESG disclosure, the author concludes that their overall impact on the direction of regulation has been minimal. The document argues that investor coalitions often fail to translate their collective financial power into policy influence and suggests a multi-scale organizational structure to better align global financial systems with regional regulatory frameworks.

The document analyzes Canada's 2012 carbon policy transition, marked by the official withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of federal sector-based regulations for transport and coal-fired electricity. It highlights a growing trend toward 'equivalency agreements' where the federal government defers to provincial policies, potentially leading to a fragmented national landscape. The report also notes provincial initiatives, such as Quebec's cap-and-trade linkage with California and Ontario's coal phase-out, while recommending greater compliance flexibility and a clearer federal policy vision to reduce costs and meet 2020 targets.

The document examines Kenya's strategic use of economic diplomacy to position itself as a regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa. It analyzes the interplay between Kenya's foreign policy, its membership in regional economic communities like the East African Community (EAC) and Comesa, and the domestic political risks—including the 2013 elections and ICC cases—that threaten its economic stability. The paper highlights Kenya's dominance in intra-EAC exports and its efforts to diversify its economy through infrastructure projects like the Lapsset corridor, while noting challenges such as corruption and non-tariff barriers.

The report analyzes a diverse array of cap-and-trade systems, from the established EU ETS to emerging pilots in China and South Korea. It argues that the success of these markets depends heavily on long-term political commitment, robust data collection, and centralized decision-making to avoid over-allocation. The authors highlight a shift in the center of carbon market activity toward Asia-Pacific economies, which are experimenting with novel scopes including buildings and indirect emissions.