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The report examines how Romania can use a Green Investment Scheme (GIS) to invest proceeds from the sale of approximately 100 million surplus Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) into climate-related projects. It specifically evaluates land-use activities, such as the reforestation of 'cut-not-regenerated' forests and fast-growing woody crops, and bioenergy projects, including the rehabilitation of district heating systems. The analysis compares GIS with Joint Implementation (JI), arguing that GIS is better suited for land-use projects due to lower transaction costs, more flexible monitoring, and the ability to address high upfront investments and delayed returns.

The report analyzes Green Investment Schemes (GIS) as a hybrid carbon finance mechanism in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) that 'greens' surplus Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) by earmarking sales revenues for domestic climate mitigation. It argues that GIS can overcome the failures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI)—particularly in energy efficiency and small-scale projects—by utilizing more flexible, programmatic architectures and simplified monitoring and verification (M&V). The report identifies the thermal retrofitting of old building stock as a high-priority target area due to its long-term climate impact and significant social co-benefits. It provides specific architectural recommendations, such as the use of sectoral baselines, post-2012 crediting periods, and the dominance of 'hard greening' to ensure environmental integrity.

The report assesses Green Investment Schemes (GIS) as a carbon finance mechanism to unlock surplus Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). It argues that GIS can overcome the failures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) by targeting high-priority, long-term mitigation areas such as building energy efficiency and bioenergy. The authors recommend using programmatic approaches, simplified monitoring and verification (M&V), and extending crediting periods beyond 2012 to ensure the bankability of infrastructure projects. The report estimates the potential value of transacted AAUs at approximately €9 billion and highlights the importance of additionality to maintain environmental integrity.

The report assesses Green Investment Schemes (GIS) as a hybrid carbon finance mechanism in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) that combines the sale of Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) with domestic greening activities. It argues that GIS can address mitigation priorities that other mechanisms, such as Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), have failed to deliver, particularly in building energy efficiency and small-scale bioenergy. The authors emphasize that because the window for these transactions closes in 2012, GIS should prioritize long-term, low-carbon infrastructure and high-additionality projects rather than lowest-cost measures. Key recommendations include adopting simplified monitoring and verification (M&V) processes, allowing post-2012 fund disbursement, and utilizing a programmatic approach to reduce transaction costs for small-scale investments.

The report examines China's pivotal role as a major cotton producer, importer, and textile exporter, highlighting the environmental degradation caused by intensive chemical and water use in domestic production. It compares these impacts with those in other regions, noting that rain-fed production in West Africa offers a more sustainable alternative. The document evaluates four future scenarios up to 2020, arguing that internalizing environmental costs and shifting sourcing toward sustainable African production can improve global sustainability. Key recommendations include developing a national information strategy on sustainability, adopting international standards like the Better Cotton Initiative, and eliminating duties on African cotton imports.

The Production Tax Credit (PTC) provides financial incentives for renewable energy facilities in the U.S., offering 2.3 cents per kWh for wind, geothermal, and closed-loop bioenergy, and 1.1 cents per kWh for other technologies. While the PTC has driven significant wind capacity growth and cost reductions, the document argues that Congress's pattern of allowing the credit to expire and then granting short-term extensions has created a 'boom-bust cycle' that jeopardizes financing, jobs, and long-term development.

The document advocates for a national Renewable Electricity Standard (RES) in the United States, describing it as a market-based mechanism that requires utilities to increase the share of electricity produced from renewable sources. It highlights economic benefits, such as saving consumers money and creating rural jobs, and environmental benefits, including the reduction of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants.

The document describes how wind, solar, and biomass energy can provide long-term income and operational savings for U.S. farmers. It highlights specific economic projections from the U.S. Department of Energy, such as the potential for wind energy to create 80,000 jobs and $1.2 billion in income by 2020, and the potential for tripled biomass use to generate $20 billion in new income. The text details the practical applications of these technologies—including turbine leasing, perennial energy crops, and solar-powered farm operations—and notes the availability of federal incentives via the 2002 Farm Bill and various state-level policies like net metering.

The report finds that CDM projects frequently underperform, with only 76% of forecasted CERs actually issued by June 2007. This underperformance is attributed to overestimations by consultants and validators, as well as implementation and monitoring difficulties. Waste projects are the worst performers, while N2O projects often exceed expectations. The study identifies additionality demonstration as the primary cause of project rejection, particularly for large-scale projects and cement blending activities in India and Brazil. Bilateral projects, especially those with European participants, show higher CER issuance rates than unilateral projects. The report also highlights deficiencies in stakeholder consultation and the lack of quantifiable indicators for sustainable development in host countries like China, India, and Brazil.

This case study examines the Nigerian energy landscape from 1990 to 2005, highlighting a heavy reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainable biomass. It identifies significant potentials for clean energy in solar, wind, biomass, and natural gas (specifically flare-to-power), while noting that investment is hindered by infrastructure deficits, political risks, and market distortions such as energy subsidies. The report proposes several Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects and a specific trigeneration case study for a rice mill cluster in Abakaliki to demonstrate the viability of biomass-to-energy systems.

The document identifies that 76% of the sub-Saharan African population relies on traditional biomass for cooking, leading to deforestation, indoor air pollution, and gender inequality. It argues that while clean fuels like LPG, ethanol, and biogas offer significant health and environmental benefits, their adoption is stifled by high costs, lack of infrastructure, and socio-cultural preferences. The authors recommend national government intervention through targeted subsidies, the creation of clean cooking fuel bureaus, and the development of local sustainable energy resources for rural areas.

The study finds that CDM projects generally overestimate their emission reduction potential, with actual CER issuance reaching only 76% of the amount predicted at registration. Performance varies significantly by project type, with N2O projects over-performing (129%) and animal waste projects under-performing (28%). The analysis also indicates that in-house project development generally outperforms the use of large external consultancies, and that India showed the best host-country performance (122%) compared to China (55%) and Brazil (90%).

The report reviews multiple global and regional studies to determine the necessity of carbon capture and storage (CCS) for climate mitigation. It concludes that most experts view CCS as a key technology for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to stabilization levels by 2030-2050, often serving as a cost-effective alternative to massive nuclear expansion or extremely ambitious energy efficiency and renewable targets.

The paper analyzes nine Brazilian CDM projects, finding that forecasted CER generation typically decreases as projects move from validation to issuance due to methodology changes, lower-than-expected output, and delays. While additionality arguments are generally credible, they are sometimes weakened by the rapid spread of technology. The study also concludes that the Brazilian national stakeholder consultation process is insufficient for gathering local concerns, as fewer than 5% of projects receive comments through the standard procedure.

The analysis of 23 Indian CDM projects reveals a consistent gap between optimistic initial forecasts and actual CER issuance, with an average reduction of 23.1% in forecasted CERs till 2012. The study finds that additionality argumentation is often poor, frequently lacking independent evidence and relying on unconvincing investment barriers. Furthermore, stakeholder consultation processes are often superficial, frequently conflating general regulatory permits with CDM-specific engagement, and the delivery of sustainability benefits remains largely unquantified and insufficiently monitored.

The IAI is managing the closure of its CRN I program and the implementation of CRN II and Small Grants Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), while seeking new funding from the MacArthur Foundation and IDRC. The institute is expanding its regional network through collaborations with entities like IGBP, IUCN, and CEPAL, and is focusing on capacity building through research internships and specialized training institutes on climate risk, water management, and urban responses. Efforts to secure operational budget contributions from member countries like Guatemala and Uruguay are ongoing.

The document outlines three legislative efforts in the US: the Green Jobs Act of 2007 and the Green Jobs Energy Amendment, both of which seek to create energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training programs via the Department of Labor and Department of Energy, and the NEW ERA Act of 2007, which proposes competitive grants for technicians in bioenergy and agriculture-based renewable energy.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analysis indicates that a 15 percent by 2020 national renewable electricity standard would reduce consumer energy costs, increase renewable energy capacity, and lower power plant CO2 emissions in the United States.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) argues that the 2007 Farm Bill should transition agriculture policy to treat renewable energy as a core component. The report identifies a gap between the authorization of programs in the 2002 Farm Bill and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the actual appropriations provided. It recommends expanded funding for biomass research, the creation of a national biomass assessment, and incentives for small-scale, farmer-owned biorefineries to ensure rural economic benefits. Additionally, it proposes enhancing federal procurement of biobased products and implementing a Renewable Portfolio Standard of 25 percent by 2025.

The document identifies wind power as the most cost-effective near-term option for increasing renewable electricity in New England, noting that the region's onshore wind resources have the technical potential to supply approximately 60 percent of its current electricity use. It frames this within the broader need to transform the energy system to limit global warming, noting that the Northeast United States emits more CO2 than all but six countries globally. While other solutions like energy efficiency and carbon capture are discussed, wind is presented as more viable than solar, bioenergy, or geothermal power in the region due to cost and resource availability. The document states that if all currently proposed wind projects in New England were completed, they would generate over 5,700 gigawatt-hours of CO2-free electricity annually, representing about seven percent of the electricity used in the proposing states.