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113 results
Stormwater Markets: Concepts and applications
The document argues that public funding is insufficient to meet the rising costs of urban stormwater management driven by urban expansion and climate variability. It advocates for a shift from centralized 'gray infrastructure' to decentralized 'green infrastructure' on private property. To overcome the lack of private investment, the paper suggests the implementation of stormwater markets using quantity-based approaches such as credit trading, mitigation banks, in-lieu fees, and offsets, noting that a customized design is necessary to align with legal frameworks and ensure actor buy-in.
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Document type: Research paper
BOOK OF ABSTRACTS
The Book of Abstracts compiles nearly seventy research proposals focused on the sustainable harnessing of the Blue Economy. The submissions are organized into four primary thematic areas: sustainable use of resources, climate action resilience, global connectivity and transportation, and blue economy and sustainable cities, with an additional focus on human resource capacity. The abstracts cover a diverse range of topics, including marine spatial planning, aquaculture development in Africa and Asia, the economic impacts of ocean acidification, and the role of scientific research in informing policy and investment. Geographically, the research spans global contexts with specific case studies from Kenya, Canada, Ireland, Bangladesh, Israel, China, and various Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
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Document type: Report
Biodiversity and Infrastructure: A better nexus?
The briefing by WWF and IISD offers policy guidance for COP 14 regarding the mainstreaming of biodiversity into the infrastructure sector, following a decision from COP 13 to address biodiversity in energy, mining, infrastructure, manufacturing, and health. It mentions upcoming discussions by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and references two specific case studies: bus fleet electrification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and hybrid infrastructure in the Bogotá River basin, Colombia.
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Document type: Briefing
International Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Forum Science Symposium and Exposition Presentation Abstracts
The document provides a collection of research abstracts focusing on the intersection of climate change and snow leopard conservation. Key themes include the loss of potential habitat due to rising temperatures, the importance of ecosystem-based adaptation for mountain communities, and the role of community-led initiatives in reducing poaching and human-wildlife conflict. It also details genetic research identifying three snow leopard subspecies and explores the economic valuation of ecosystem services in high-mountain landscapes to incentivize conservation.
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Document type: Report
Beyond the Stripes
The report 'Beyond the Stripes' by WWF International demonstrates that tiger conservation serves as a catalyst for broader environmental and human benefits. It highlights how protecting tiger landscapes safeguards biodiversity hotspots, secures water for millions, mitigates climate change through carbon storage, and supports local economies and traditional cultures across Asia.
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Document type: Report
Trouble in paradise: New initiative transforms tourism in Belize and its threat to the environment
The document highlights that 70% of Belize's tourism sector is vulnerable to climate change, specifically through coastal erosion, floods, and coral die-off. It details a multi-stakeholder initiative by WWF and partners that led to the adoption of an integrated coastal zone management plan in February 2016, which uses economic valuation of marine resources to justify coastal protection. Key recommendations include mainstreaming adaptation into national policy, tailoring climate information to different stakeholders, and ensuring inclusive consultation to secure private sector and community buy-in.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Europe’s dark cloud
The report finds that EU coal-fired power plants were responsible for approximately 22,900 premature deaths in 2013, with health costs estimated between 32.4 and 62.3 billion Euros. A significant portion of these impacts is cross-border; for example, coal plants in Poland and Germany caused over 7,000 premature deaths in other countries. The analysis identifies the 'Toxic 30' plants responsible for 51% of these deaths and the 'Dirty 30' plants contributing nearly half of the EU coal fleet's CO2 emissions. The authors advocate for a full coal phase-out, structural reform of the EU Emissions Trading System, and the implementation of an Emissions Performance Standard to meet Paris Agreement goals.
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Document type: Report
Reviving the Ocean Economy: the case for action - 2015
The document details the methodology used to value the global ocean economy, estimating a total asset value of 24 trillion USD and an annual economic contribution of approximately 2.5 trillion USD. It employs market-based and value-based (Net Present Value) approaches across seven asset categories and five annual activity categories, while explicitly excluding oil and gas production to avoid inflating the 'blue economy' value.
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Document type: Report
Reviving the Ocean Economy
The report estimates the global ocean's total asset base at at least US$24 trillion, with an annual 'gross marine product' of US$2.5 trillion, making it the world's seventh largest economy. It warns that over two-thirds of this value depends on healthy ocean conditions, which are currently being eroded by overfishing, pollution, and climate change. The document proposes eight strategic actions, including expanding marine protected areas to 30% by 2030 and decarbonizing energy systems to prevent the projected disappearance of coral reefs by 2050.
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Document type: Report
Governing Africa’s Mangroves: A Sustainable Future
The policy brief highlights that mangroves are among the world's most threatened vegetation types, with over 20% lost in the last 30 years. It emphasizes that in Africa, mangroves often overlap with fossil fuel deposits and infrastructure projects, leading to degradation. The author advocates for the use of ecosystem valuations, integrated coastal zone management, and the inclusion of local communities in decision-making to reconcile economic growth with biodiversity conservation. Proposed interventions include the adoption of 'no net loss' policies, the use of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs), and the implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and Blue Carbon trading to provide financial incentives for conservation.
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Document type: Policy brief
Valuing Florida’s Clean Waters
The report estimates the annual value of improving Florida's water quality between $1.3 billion and $10.5 billion, highlighting the severe economic and ecological impacts of nutrient pollution and harmful algae outbreaks.
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Document type: Report
Towards a Participatory Integrated Assessment Approach for Planning and Managing Natura 2000 Network Sites
The paper argues that traditional top-down, uni-dimensional management of protected areas fails to capture the complexity of social-ecological systems. To address this, the authors develop a participatory integrated assessment approach that combines social multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE) with economic valuation via choice experiments and ecological valuation via bio-geographic assessment. Applying this to the Garate-Santa Barbara Natura 2000 site in the Basque Country, the study identifies a conflict between the conservation of cork oak forests and the expansion of txakoli vineyards. The results indicate that a management option increasing cork oak woodland combined with additional compensation schemes (Alternative A32) is the most globally valued and socially acceptable solution. The authors conclude that such an interdisciplinary, inclusive approach fosters social learning and creates the social capital necessary for sustainable land-use transitions.
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Document type: Research paper
Simultaneously Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change and Improving Human Health and Food Security
The authors identified 14 emission control measures targeting methane and black carbon that could reduce projected global mean warming by approximately 0.5°C by 2050. These measures are estimated to prevent 0.7 to 4.7 million premature deaths annually from outdoor air pollution and increase annual crop yields by 30 to 135 million metric tons from 2030 onwards. The economic benefits of methane reductions (USD 700 to USD 5,000 per metric ton) significantly exceed their marginal abatement costs (under USD 250). Combining these short-term pollutant controls with carbon dioxide reduction measures substantially lowers the risk of exceeding the 2°C warming threshold.
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Document type: Research paper
Households’ WTP for the Reliability of Gas Supply
The study examines how the duration of supply disruptions and the season of occurrence affect the economic valuation of gas reliability among households in three European countries. It finds that WTP varies significantly by country and is generally higher for winter disruptions, with Italian households showing the highest valuation.
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Document type: Research paper
Competing Ecosystem services: an Assessment of Carbon and Timber in the Tropical forests of Central America
The study compares the economic returns of carbon sequestration and timber harvesting in Central American tropical forests between 1990 and 2005. It finds that while timber generally offers higher face-value returns, the attractiveness of carbon-based conservation is highly dependent on carbon pricing and discount rates. The author argues that integrating co-benefits and sustainable forestry management can make carbon-focused options more competitive.
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Document type: Policy brief
Coastal Capital: Dominican Republic
The report provides economic valuations of coastal ecosystem services in the Dominican Republic, highlighting the financial risks of beach erosion to the hotel industry and the decline of reef-dependent fisheries. It argues that protecting coral reefs and mangroves is more cost-effective than temporary engineering solutions like beach nourishment. Case studies demonstrate the potential for dive tourism in La Caleta National Marine Park to provide alternative livelihoods for fishermen and the significant domestic spending generated by the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve.
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Document type: Research paper
The costs of drought: the exceptional 2007-2008 case of Barcelona
The 2007-2008 drought in Barcelona was the most severe in the last century, resulting in total estimated losses of 1,661 million Euros for a one-year period, approximately 1% of the Catalonian GDP. The study categorizes costs into direct losses for economic agents (540.26 million Euros), indirect losses to the regional economy (358.47 million Euros), and non-market welfare losses (761.95 million Euros). To mitigate the crisis, the Government of Catalonia implemented demand-side restrictions and supply-side measures, including the shipping of water from France and Tarragona. The authors find that demand-side constraints were significantly more cost-efficient than water transport. Climate projections for the region suggest that the frequency of drought events may double, with increased duration and intensity.
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Document type: Research paper
Health Impacts of Diesel, Based on Data from the NationalScale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA)
The report uses data from the National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) and the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP) to quantify the health burden of diesel PM2.5. It finds that offroad diesel sources generally cause more cases of premature mortality and higher economic costs than onroad sources. The analysis employs a variety of epidemiological studies to estimate endpoints ranging from adult mortality to childhood asthma exacerbations, applying EPA-standard unit values and income adjustments to determine the economic impact.
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Document type: Report
STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HYDROPOWER MASTER PLAN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE POWER DEVELOPMENT PLAN VI
The report evaluates the social and environmental impacts of the hydropower projects planned under Viet Nam's PDP VI, comparing them against thermal power alternatives. It concludes that while hydropower is the least-cost option for meeting energy demand, current mitigation for displacement and environmental loss is inadequate. The study proposes a comprehensive mitigation package based on the Impoverishment, Risk and Reconstruction (IRR) model and recommends the institutionalization of SEA in the national power planning process to internalize external costs and enhance sustainability.
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Document type: Report
The Economic Contribution of Belize's Coral Reefs and Mangroves
The report estimates that Belize's coral reefs and mangroves contribute between US$395 million and US$559 million annually to the national economy, representing a significant portion of the country's US$1.3 billion GDP (2007). The highest value is derived from shoreline protection (US$231–$347 million) and tourism (US$150–$196 million), while commercial fisheries contribute US$14–$16 million. Despite these high values, the report argues that investment in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is insufficient, citing the Glover's Reef Marine Reserve as a case study where annual economic contributions of US$4.9–$7.3 million are supported by only approximately US$100,000 in government management funding.
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Document type: Research paper