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The report criticizes the Copenhagen Accord for promoting private finance and market mechanisms over binding public commitments. It highlights how investment banks like Barclays and Santander, and companies like Shell and Lafarge, use carbon trading and REDD projects to generate profit or 'greenwash' their images. The authors advocate for a transition to climate justice, proposing a 'Robin Hood Tax' on financial transactions and the replacement of REDD with UN-wide negotiations to stop deforestation.

The document criticizes the 'Copenhagen Accord' for shifting the burden of climate action to developing nations and promoting private finance over public obligations. It highlights how global banks like Barclays and Santander, and corporations like Shell and Lafarge, use carbon markets and REDD projects for 'greenwashing' and profit. The report concludes that climate finance should be mandatory, public, and managed by the UN to ensure it serves the most vulnerable populations rather than corporate interests.

India faces a growing gap between energy demand and indigenous supply, projecting it will become the world's third largest energy consumer by 2030. To address this, India is implementing an integrated energy policy focusing on diversifying sources—including increased imports of high-quality coal from South Africa and oil from Africa—while expanding nuclear, hydropower, and renewable energy capacities. Significant challenges remain, including unreliable infrastructure, high transmission losses, and geopolitical tensions affecting pipeline viability.

The report examines the jatropha biofuel industry in Mozambique, challenging the 'myths' that the crop grows well on marginal lands, requires minimal water, and is pest-resistant. It finds that both small-scale and industrial plantations typically occupy fertile arable land and often fail to meet promised yields. The document highlights risks to food security, as subsistence farmers replace food crops with jatropha, and reports widespread land grabbing facilitated by government corruption and the manipulation of the 1997 Land Law. It concludes that jatropha is not a viable development tool for Mozambique and recommends halting its support until food sovereignty is guaranteed.

The report argues that GM crops are primarily grown for animal feed and fuels rather than human food, and that industry claims regarding yield increases and climate change mitigation are unsupported by evidence. It highlights the rise of herbicide-resistant 'super weeds' in the US and the Southern Cone, the displacement of indigenous communities, and the risks of corporate seed monopolies. The document advocates for agro-ecology as a sustainable alternative to the industrial GM model.

The report challenges the narrative that genetically modified (GM) crops are a solution to global hunger and climate change, asserting that they primarily benefit biotechnology corporations. It argues that GM crops have not increased yields, have led to an increase in pesticide use due to the emergence of 'super-weeds,' and are often used for animal feed and biofuels rather than human consumption. The document highlights the concentration of market power in companies like Monsanto and describes the negative socio-environmental impacts in the Southern Cone of South America, including deforestation and the displacement of indigenous communities. It concludes that agroecology offers a more sustainable and effective alternative for climate adaptation and food sovereignty.

The report challenges the claims of the biotechnology industry, specifically the ISAAA, regarding the success and benefits of GM crops. It argues that GM plants are primarily used for animal feed and biofuels rather than human nutrition and that they lead to increased pesticide use, soil degradation, and the displacement of indigenous peoples. The document specifically critiques the 'climate scam'—the claim that GM crops can mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration or drought resistance—and proposes agroecology as a sustainable alternative.

The document describes a report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development that quantifies financial support for ethanol and biodiesel across European Union Member States since 2007. It argues that documenting the full extent of these subsidies is essential for an informed public debate regarding the cost-effectiveness and impacts of biofuel policies.

The report concludes that Brazil's transition to a net food exporter has not adversely affected its national food security. While food availability is more than sufficient, chronic food insecurity persists for millions due to income inequality and poverty rather than trade-driven shortages. The government utilizes the Guaranteed Price Policy to support small and medium farmers and has implemented various social welfare programs, such as the Zero Hunger Program, to improve food access. The analysis also highlights the critical role of fertilizer imports and the impact of oil prices on production costs.

The author advocates for a shift away from oil in the United States by implementing carbon or petroleum taxes to reduce demand and replacing petroleum-based fuels and materials with sustainable alternatives. The text highlights the potential for biofuels in transportation and heating, as well as the use of biomass for industrial chemicals and building products, emphasizing that such a transition must be grounded in sustainability to protect ecosystems.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) planned a series of training institutes and science programs between July 2010 and June 2011, focusing on seasonal climate predictions, urban responses to climate change, and biodiversity in the Andes. Key initiatives included a MacArthur Foundation project to assess research and institutional needs for Andean biodiversity and a research internship program with IAI-INPE/CPTEC.

The document examines the barriers to clean energy investment in South Africa, highlighting the dominant role of the state-owned utility Eskom and a heavy reliance on coal. It analyzes the national policy framework, including the 2003 White Paper on Renewable Energy and the 2008 National Energy Act, while evaluating incentives such as the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) and Tradable Renewable Energy Certificates (TRECs). The report concludes that while macroeconomic stability is favorable, institutional barriers and a lack of political will are the primary hurdles to scaling renewable energy.

The report argues that the 2006–2008 global food crisis was a spike in a long-term trend of food insecurity in Southern Africa. It highlights the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) as the primary framework for coordinated regional responses, emphasizing long-term structural improvements over short-term reactionary measures. The analysis covers specific SADC and COMESA initiatives, the role of strategic grain reserves, and the impact of international trade subsidies on African agricultural productivity.

The document outlines how transitioning away from fossil fuels reduces health costs via three primary channels: mitigating air and water pollution, reducing obesity through active transportation, and lowering climate change risks. It provides specific 2005 cost estimates for health damages from coal-fired plants ($62 billion), natural gas plants ($740 million), and vehicles ($56 billion). The text emphasizes that obesity currently represents a larger health cost burden in the United States than air quality impacts and suggests that energy policies should be evaluated based on total costs and benefits per unit of energy or distance.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and over 90 other organizations urged US Congressional Representatives to fund the revival of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) for Fiscal Year 2011. This call follows the testing of genetically modified eucalyptus trees in the Southern US, designed to withstand cold weather for use in pulp, paper, and biofuels. The author contends that independent assessment is critical for technologies billed as environmental protections or climate change mitigations, noting that GM trees carry a higher risk of "gene flow" from transgenic to wild-type trees than GM crops.

The document defines key terms in the biofuels sector, highlighting the dominance of corn ethanol in the US and sugar cane in Brazil. It details specific US financial mechanisms, such as the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC), which provides a $0.45 cents/gallon credit to oil companies and costs over $5 billion annually, and the 'blend wall' currently set at 10 percent ethanol in gasoline.

The IAI's annual plan for 2010-2011 focuses on four training institutes, scientific synthesis meetings, and the implementation of the MacArthur Project concerning Andean biodiversity. Key activities include training on seasonal climate predictions in Argentina, city responses to climate change in Chile, and land-use changes in Paraguay. The scientific program includes hydrology and climate modeling, as well as a new proposal to the MacArthur Foundation regarding climate impacts on tropical Andean biodiversity. The plan also details a project to assess institutional and research needs in Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia to address climate effects on biodiversity.

The IAI Directorate Report details a period of significant scientific productivity contrasted with a severe core funding crisis caused by member country non-payments. While the institute successfully advanced research on ecosystem boundaries, urban emissions, and Andean biodiversity, it faced operational disruptions, including temporary salary halts and the cancellation of travel for international climate negotiations. The report emphasizes the transition of the IAI from a funding agency to an active participant in science-policy dialogue and highlights the need for sustainable financial commitments from member states.

The IAI report for 2009-2010 highlights a transition toward active science communication and synthesis, despite severe financial crises caused by member state payment arrears. Scientific achievements include regional climate modeling for South American megacities, analysis of carbon loss in the La Plata Basin, and studies on Andean biodiversity and tropical cyclones. The institute also focused on capacity building through training institutes in Costa Rica, Argentina, and Chile, while managing critical infrastructure needs and diplomatic relations with host country Brazil.

The document asserts that biofuel production and transport lead to dangerous spills, leaks, and fires that pollute ecosystems and kill aquatic life. It highlights specific incidents in Missouri and Iowa and notes that cleanup procedures for water-soluble fuels like ethanol are underdeveloped. The text advocates for shifting taxpayer funding from corn ethanol toward energy conservation, public transportation, electric cars, and sustainable solar and wind technologies.