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The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) launched its second international research call in September 2011, offering approximately £4 million to fund around 8 projects. The call focuses on two main themes: 'Climate Compatible Development - policies and processes' and 'Climate-related Disaster Risk Management and Resilience'. Projects are expected to last 18-24 months, with typical budgets between £400,000 and £500,000, though exceptional projects may receive up to £1 million. Eligibility requires joint proposals from at least two organisations, including at least one from a developing country. Evaluation is based on scientific excellence, policy impact, and the degree to which the research is demand-led by developing country policy makers.

The document examines the EU Renewable Energy Directive's biofuels components, finding that the design of sustainability criteria prioritizes internal EU market and technology goals over global energy markets and international development objectives.

The research uses hedonic pricing to determine that A+ refrigerators in the Basque Autonomous Community carry a price premium of 8.9% (approximately 60 euro), which is only one-third of the potential lifetime energy savings. By combining this with a Linear Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS), the study finds that demand for high-efficiency refrigerators is significantly more price-elastic (ranging from -0.9 to -2.1) than demand for regular refrigerators (-0.25 to -0.75).

The report finds broad American support for prioritizing global warming and clean energy, with a majority favoring action from corporations, government, and citizens. A significant portion of the population believes environmental protection supports economic growth, and there is strong support for renewable energy research and local sustainability policies, though support for nuclear power remains low, especially at the local level.

The document introduces a project by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) to analyze the impact of government policy on the development and cost reduction of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. It identifies cost as the primary obstacle to PV's technical potential and proposes a four-step evaluation framework—linking objectives, activities, drivers, and policies—to assess policy effectiveness across the PV value chain. The briefing highlights key policy questions regarding the use of targeted versus broad-based tools, the interaction between local and national policies, and the role of capital markets in financing deployment.

The paper argues that sectoral approaches (SAs) are often misunderstood and suggests renaming them 'Sectoral Approaches, Agreements and Measures' (SAAMs) to avoid pejorative connotations. Based on case studies of the steel sector in China, India, and Japan, the author finds that practical climate measures must be built upon existing domestic policies and national priorities rather than imposed via top-down international agreements, as sovereignty concerns remain high.

The 30th IAI Executive Council meeting focused on governance, strategic planning, and member engagement. Key outcomes included the election of a new Board, the establishment of a working group for a new Strategic Plan, and efforts to revitalize relationships with non-participatory member countries. The Council also discussed the synthesis of the CRN Program, balancing the continuity of established research networks with the need to recruit new scientific groups, and coordinated potential activities at the UNFCCC in Cancún.

The document concludes that a federal US carbon market is unrealistic for the foreseeable future, but identifies potential for linking the EU ETS with regional systems like the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) and California. It highlights that while the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is operational, its low prices make it an unattractive linking partner. The authors argue that a bottom-up climate architecture, rather than a single global carbon market, is the most likely trajectory for international climate cooperation.

The Government of Kenya, supported by international partners including CDKN, DFID, and AFD, is developing a comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan consisting of eight primary subcomponents and a proposed ninth coordination subcomponent. The eight core subcomponents cover low-carbon development pathways, policy and regulatory frameworks, national adaptation planning, Nationally Appropriate Mitigations Actions (NAMAs) including REDD+ readiness, research and technology transfer, performance measurement, knowledge management, and climate finance. The Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources (MEMR) serves as the lead agency, supported by an Inter-ministerial Task Force. The proposed coordination subcomponent is intended to act as a Programme Management Office to integrate the eight separate consultancies, manage dependencies, and maintain relationships between the Government of Kenya and donor programmes.

The document details WWF's progress in operationalizing its indigenous peoples' policy through the creation of focal point networks, the adoption of new social policies on poverty and human rights, and the establishment of the Social Development for Conservation (SD4C) team. It highlights specific country-level initiatives in regions such as the Amazon, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, while noting that the implementation of an internal complaints resolution process remains a priority for 2011.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) reported total revenue of $39,871,632 and total expenses of $37,145,082 for the 2009 tax year. Its primary mission is to "MOVE HUMAN SOCIETY TO LIVE IN WAYS THAT PROTECT EARTH'S ENVIRONMENT". The organization operates several key programs focusing on climate, energy, pollution, ecosystem degradation, and urban mobility, with significant grantmaking and program activities conducted both within the United States and internationally, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and South America.

The paper analyzes the strategic interactions between countries in pollution control, comparing simultaneous (Cournot-Nash) and sequential (Stackelberg) move equilibria. By introducing a pre-play stage where countries choose their timing, the author demonstrates that while simultaneous play is prevalent when strategies are substitutable, a leader can emerge endogenously when strategic complementarities exist. The study finds that sequential play under complementarity leads to lower global emissions and higher welfare than simultaneous play. The analysis utilizes supermodular game theory to avoid restrictive assumptions like concavity or uniqueness of equilibria.

A statement from 2,505 scientists supporting the EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act to protect public health and address climate change.

The document analyzes the transition from traditional energy to fossil fuels in the UK between 1500 and 1920 to derive lessons for the current shift toward a low carbon economy. It finds that past transitions were driven by the ability to provide cheaper or better energy services, often starting in niche markets where consumers paid a premium for superior characteristics. The author argues that because consumers are unlikely to pay a premium for the social benefits of climate stability, governments must actively protect and manage the innovation chain for low-carbon technologies. Given that past sector-specific diffusion phases took nearly fifty years on average, the author concludes that a complete transition to a low carbon economy will be slow, likely spanning decades, and may not reduce fossil fuel consumption for a long time.

The research examines the long-run dynamics of external costs associated with coal in the United Kingdom from 1700 to 2000. It finds that during the nineteenth century, the externalization of social costs rose significantly, peaking in 1891 when damages were estimated at £17.5 billion (2000 prices), or 17.3% of GDP. The author argues that this period represents a massive market failure where marginal social costs far outweighed marginal social benefits, and that government failure delayed optimal mitigation by fifty years. The paper uses this historical case to caution that current greenhouse gas emissions may follow a similar pattern of delayed government action and high social costs.

The document details California's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 under the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32). It outlines a cap-and-trade program scheduled for January 2012, alongside 'early action' measures such as the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and landfill methane capture. The briefing also highlights California's leadership in the Western Climate Initiative and the political support for these measures following the defeat of Proposition 23 in November 2010.

The report presents survey data from 1,000 American adults on their priorities and policy preferences regarding global warming and clean energy. It finds that while a majority of Americans support renewable energy research and tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles, there is significant political polarization regarding the priority of global warming and the implementation of carbon taxes. The data also indicates a general public belief that environmental protection can improve economic growth.

The report examines how local climate adaptation lessons are 'upscaled' to inform national or sub-national policy. It introduces a sense-making framework based on two axes—epistemology (realism vs. constructionism) and intent of inquiry (universalism vs. contextualism)—to categorize how research connects with policy. By analyzing three case studies (Stockholm, Niagara, and the Mahakam Delta), the authors demonstrate that methodological choices determine whether research supports 'planned policy' (regulatory/coercive) or 'self-organised adaptation' (non-coercive). The report argues that case studies can serve as platforms to challenge disabling governance structures and leverage stakeholder competencies to reinvent institutions.

The research investigates the role of ICT in environmental sustainability research across four sectors, identifying five common macro-areas of application: observation and monitoring, modelling and simulation, socio-economic analysis, policy analysis and planning, and capacity building and cooperation. The study finds that 'information systems and software' and 'communication technology, networks, distributed systems' are the most used ICT categories across most sectors, though 'electronics and microsystems' predominate in climate change research due to observation and monitoring needs. Respondents consistently ranked the scientific relevance of ICT as the highest priority, followed by political and then economic relevance. The analysis suggests that future ICT requirements are driven by current tool usage and the desire to improve scientific exchange and policy interfaces, particularly for e-governance and public awareness.

The report estimates that the federal and provincial governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador provide over $2.8 billion in annual subsidies to the upstream oil sector. Using a definition based on the WTO's Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, the study identifies 63 subsidy programs, with development subsidies (reducing capital expenditures) comprising 59% of the total value. Alberta receives the largest share of support (73% of total subsidies), which exceeds its share of crude oil production (67%). Macroeconomic modelling suggests that these subsidies increase national oil production by approximately 5% and GHG emissions by 2% by 2020, while negatively impacting government balances in the federal government, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.