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This book chapter from the Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO-5) analyzes the environmental challenges and policy needs of the Asia and Pacific region, emphasizing its role as a global engine of economic growth and its critical impact on global climate goals.

This briefing describes the proposed Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), a legislative initiative designed to provide low-interest loans to rural homeowners for energy efficiency improvements via on-bill financing through the USDA's Rural Utilities Service.

This report evaluates the feasibility, costs, and environmental impacts of transitioning the Tallinn Bus Company fleet to alternative fuels—specifically biodiesel, bioethanol, and hybrid technologies—to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

The City of Boulder Climate Action Plan Analysis Report, prepared by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in May 2012, evaluates the cost-effectiveness and emissions impact of 19 demand-side management programs funded by the Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax. The analysis finds that while Boulder has achieved significant energy savings, it will not meet its 2012 Kyoto Protocol-based emissions reduction targets through current programs alone. RMI recommends transitioning toward more comprehensive, integrated, and long-term energy efficiency strategies and suggests that municipalization of the energy supply could significantly enhance the city's ability to reach its goals.

A briefing by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network detailing Indonesia's 2011 two-year moratorium on new permits for primary natural forests and peatlands as a strategy to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

This report examines how the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) integrates climate change mitigation and adaptation into its mission of facilitating U.S. private investment in developing countries. It details OPIC's transition from general environmental guidelines to a specific 2010 Environmental and Social Policy Statement, which establishes greenhouse gas (GHG) emission caps, energy efficiency requirements for intensive sectors, and reporting mandates for high-emitting projects.

The Bottom-Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS) is a stock accounting model developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to project energy demand and evaluate the impact of energy efficiency policies, specifically Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling (EES&L) programs, across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

This report summarizes a side event held on March 26, 2012, organized by the 'Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform' to build consensus on reforming fossil-fuel subsidies ahead of the Rio+20 summit. The event featured perspectives from the IMF, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and representatives from Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Sweden, focusing on the fiscal, environmental, and social implications of subsidy removal.

This text serves as an introduction to a report within the Mistra-SWECIA Annual Report 2011, arguing that climate change adaptation is a necessary complement to mitigation efforts to address unavoidable climate impacts.

This fact sheet details the Obama administration's fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget proposal, focusing on sustainable energy and transportation. It outlines funding requests for key agencies including the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, emphasizing an "all of the above" energy strategy to promote green technology and infrastructure.

This report summarizes a high-level discussion titled "The Missing Piece? Climate Change Mitigation and the Benefits of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform," held as an official side event of the UNFCCC COP 17 on December 7, 2011, in Durban, South Africa. The event focused on the scale of fossil fuel subsidies compared to climate finance and the necessity of reforming these subsidies to enable green growth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This executive summary of the 'Annual Review of Low-Carbon Development in China (2011-2012)' evaluates China's performance during its 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP). It details the drivers behind the reduction in energy intensity, the effectiveness of various policy instruments, and the challenges facing the subsequent 12th FYP.

The paper proposes an extended Kaya identity that incorporates investment and capital stocks to better analyze the transition to a low-carbon economy, addressing the limitations of traditional scaling relations in capturing existing capital legacies and new investment needs.

This executive summary analyzes whether the substantial decline in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon between 2004 and 2009 was driven by agricultural price fluctuations or government conservation policies. Using regression techniques and counterfactual simulations, the authors conclude that conservation policies implemented at two key turning points (2004 and 2008) were responsible for approximately half of the avoided deforestation during this period.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) maps the investment landscape of South Africa as of January 2012. It examines the impact of the global economic crisis on foreign direct investment (FDI), analyzes the government's industrial policies such as the New Growth Path (NGP), and provides a detailed catalogue of financial and fiscal incentives designed to attract investment and create jobs. The document also includes survey results from provincial investment promotion agencies (IPAs) regarding the effectiveness and awareness of these incentive schemes.

This report, produced as part of the "From Waste to Traffic Fuel" (W-Fuel) project, analyzes the potential for biogas production and its use as motor fuel in Harju County, Estonia. It evaluates biomass resources, proposes a pilot biogas plant at the Hinnu pig farm, and compares the environmental and economic impacts of using biogas for combined heat and power (CHP) versus upgrading it to biomethane for transport fuel.

This report, produced as part of the 'From Waste to Traffic Fuel' (W-Fuel) project, evaluates the potential for biogas production and its use as motor fuel in Lääne-Viru County, Estonia. It analyzes biomass resources, proposes a pilot biogas plant in Rakvere, and compares the environmental and economic impacts of using biogas for combined heat and power (CHP) versus upgrading it to biomethane for transport.

This policy brief describes the integration of the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) and Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) systems to analyze the water-energy-climate nexus. Using a case study in California, the document demonstrates how integrated modeling can quantify the tradeoffs between reducing water imports through desalination and the resulting increases in electricity demand and greenhouse gas emissions.

This briefing describes the Climate and Regional Economics of Development (CRED) model developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute. The model argues that achieving human welfare requires keeping cumulative twenty-first century CO2 emissions below 2,000 Gt to maintain a high probability of limiting global temperature increases to below 2°C, contrasting with conventional models like DICE that suggest slower reductions.

This 2012 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute describes the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme (REAP), a tool designed to calculate and illustrate the global environmental impact of consumption at national, regional, and local levels in Sweden. The report emphasizes the difference between traditional territory-based emission accounting and consumption-based accounting, which includes emissions from imported goods. It provides a detailed explanation of REAP's methodology, its database and scenario functions, and presents case studies from various Swedish municipalities to demonstrate how the tool can support policy decisions for sustainable development.