Search Climate Insights Directory
783 results
Tackling climate change: role of the engineer
The paper discusses engineering strategies to mitigate climate change, focusing on energy production shifts, technical efficiency, and social changes, while analyzing the ethical risks of nuclear power and carbon capture.
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Document type: Research paper
Some Public Benefit Policy Aspects in Reforming the Power Sectors in East and Southern Africa
The document analyzes power sector reforms in East and Southern Africa, arguing that current commercialization and privatization efforts often exclude the poor. Through case studies of Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, it highlights how high connection costs, restrictive lending terms for local entrepreneurs, and a lack of integrated public-benefit policies hinder rural electrification and urban energy access.
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Document type: Research paper
Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region
The report assesses how rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns will affect the Great Lakes region, predicting warmer, drier summers and increased extreme weather. It details vulnerabilities in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, and human health, while recommending emission reductions and adaptive management.
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Document type: Report
Integrating Perspectives on Environmental Security
The report examines the evolution of 'environmental security,' contrasting narrow research focused on violent conflict with a broader 'vulnerability perspective' that emphasizes livelihoods and health. It argues that environmental degradation is rarely a sole cause of conflict but interacts with socio-economic drivers to threaten vulnerable groups, particularly in developing countries. The authors advocate for integrating vulnerability analysis into sustainable development to better protect the poor from risks associated with climate change, urbanization, and large-scale infrastructure projects.
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Document type: Report
Cleaner technologies: a positive choice
The document argues that reducing environmental impact requires a shift from selling products to providing services, alongside a massive transition to renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies. It outlines 'eco-design' principles and specific energy options—such as combined heat and power, hybrid engines, and various renewables—while encouraging science and engineering graduates to seek employers committed to reducing life-cycle impacts.
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Document type: Briefing
Career choice and climate change
The document outlines the causes and consequences of global climate change, highlighting the role of greenhouse gas emissions and the influence of the fossil fuel lobby. It categorizes career paths for scientists and engineers into four areas of positive contribution: understanding the problem, technological solutions, economic solutions, and social/political solutions, while warning against the influence of vested interests.
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Document type: Briefing
Hydropower Site Selection Processes in the Se San and Sre Pok Basins
The report examines hydropower planning in the Se San and Sre Pok Basins, highlighting a persistent gap between progressive regional policies—such as those of the Mekong River Commission (MRC)—and the actual practice of site selection, which remains driven by national economic interests and technical-economic feasibility. It argues that while the 1995 MRC Agreement provides a legal framework, genuine environmental governance requires a transition from project-based to programme-based approaches that incorporate local perspectives and transboundary impact assessments. The study uses the Yali Falls Dam incident as a critical example of governance failure and a potential catalyst for improved conflict resolution and information sharing.
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Document type: Report
SGR Response to a UK government consultation
SGR argues that the UK government's approach to climate change is too cautious and fails to challenge the unsustainable nature of economic growth. The organization advocates for a 'Contraction and Convergence' model for global emissions, a shift in taxation from labour to resource use, and the complete replacement of fossil fuels and nuclear power with renewables. SGR specifically criticizes the government's reliance on 'accounting tricks' for non-CO2 gases, the lack of restrictions on air travel, and the potential dangers of climate engineering technologies.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Change Mitigation in Southern Africa Zambia Country Study
The study establishes a baseline for Zambia's GHG emissions, dominated by energy and land-use activities, and proposes mitigation strategies. In the energy sector, the most cost-effective options include improved vehicle maintenance, ethanol blending, and the adoption of electric and improved charcoal stoves. In the forestry sector, natural regeneration is identified as the most sustainable and least costly method to increase forest cover. The report projects that implementing these measures could reduce total CO2 emissions by 12.47% by 2010 and 18.27% by 2030 compared to the baseline scenario. However, implementation is hindered by a lack of financial resources for both the government and low-income citizens.
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Document type: Report
Economics of Greenhouse Gas Limitations COUNTRY STUDY SERIES Ecuador
The report analyzes Ecuador's energy sector, focusing on its heavy reliance on oil and the potential for reducing CO2 emissions. It proposes a mitigation scenario involving increased energy efficiency in households, industry, and transport, alongside a shift toward renewable energy in power generation.
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Document type: Report
Water, Resource Security and State Co-operation
The document examines how dwindling fresh water resources and population growth in Southern Africa increase the risk of resource-based conflict. It advocates for redefining security to include 'soft' non-military threats, such as ecological degradation and poverty, and suggests that regional co-operation through SADC and free trade can mitigate water insecurity. The text provides a detailed synoptic view of major river basins in the region, noting a paradox where the most economically developed areas (the south) have the scarcest water, while the north possesses abundant but under-utilised resources.
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Document type: Report
Sustainable Economic Welfare in Sweden
The report develops a pilot Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) for Sweden (1950-1992), finding that while per capita ISEW grew by over 90%, it lagged behind the more than 100% growth of per capita GNP. The index began to diverge from GNP around 1980, eventually declining by 1992. This divergence was less severe than in the US or UK, which the authors attribute to Sweden's progressive income distribution policies and its reliance on hydropower, which reduced the negative impacts of resource depletion and long-term environmental damage in the index calculations.
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Document type: Report
Incorporation of Environmental Considerations in Energy Planning in the People’s Republic of China
The report analyzes China's energy system, which was heavily coal-dependent in 1990, and projects environmental loadings up to 2020. It compares a Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario with two enhanced environmental scenarios, demonstrating that while BAU leads to significant increases in SO2 and CO2 emissions, targeted policy interventions in energy mix, efficiency, and clean coal technology can mitigate these impacts. The study recommends shifting toward hydropower, nuclear power, and natural gas, alongside the implementation of pollution levies and integrated planning to achieve sustainable development.
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Document type: Report
Rural Electrification in Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
The report summarizes a workshop focused on rural electrification in four East African countries. It examines obstacles to electrification and explores potential solutions, with a specific emphasis on bio-electrification and the potential of solar, wind, and hydro power for rural electricity production.
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Document type: Report
The AES Corporation (A)
The AES Corporation, an independent power producer, faced a conflict between its strategy of using low-cost coal for electricity generation and its commitment to social responsibility, specifically regarding greenhouse gas emissions. For its Thames plant in Connecticut, which was projected to emit over 15 million tons of carbon over 40 years, the company evaluated four offset alternatives: promoting energy conservation through lighting retrofits, employing carbon scrubbing technology, implementing reforestation projects in tropical developing countries, or shifting its long-term strategy toward natural gas and renewables. While natural gas and renewables offered lower emissions, they presented higher operating costs or intermittency issues. Reforestation was identified as a cost-effective method to sequester carbon while providing additional social benefits.
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Document type: Case study
ENERGY POLICY STATEMENT: A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS
The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) calls for a decisive U.S. energy policy to address global warming, urban air pollution, and economic competitiveness. The primary recommendation is to prioritize energy efficiency through tax strategies, such as a carbon dioxide tax and phased-in gasoline taxes, and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies. The report also advocates for stimulating renewable energy sources, halting deforestation, and leading international efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, including a total phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
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Document type: Report
Exploring the Nexus Between Oil and Gas Investments and Development in Mozambique
The document examines how Mozambique's vast natural gas reserves, particularly in the Rovuma Basin, have failed to translate into sustainable development, instead contributing to regional inequality, corruption, and civil unrest in Cabo Delgado. It analyzes the 'enclave' nature of extractive projects and the country's severe debt crisis, including the 'Tuna Bonds' scandal. The brief also addresses the gendered impacts of the energy sector and the challenges of transitioning to a just energy future while managing critical minerals like graphite.
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Document type: Policy brief
Exploring the Nexus Between Oil and Gas Investments and Development in Tanzania
The report examines how Tanzania's extractive industries, particularly natural gas and gold, have created economic enclaves and contributed to a 'sub-national resource curse' in regions like Mtwara and Lindi. It analyzes the country's rising debt-to-GDP ratio, which grew from 28% to 40% in four years, and the role of resource-backed loans from China for infrastructure like the Standard Gauge Railway. While Tanzania possesses significant renewable energy potential in solar, wind, and hydropower, the report notes a continued reliance on fossil fuels and a lack of gender-sensitive policies in the energy sector. It concludes with recommendations to diversify the economy, strengthen governance, and develop a domestic downstream sector for critical minerals.
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Document type: Report
CODE GREEN
The document frames climate change as the "biggest global health threat of the 21st century," noting that it has caused over 140,000 deaths per year since the 1970s. It asserts that meeting the 2°C global temperature limit requires consuming no more than one-third of proven fossil fuel reserves by 2050. The text advocates for a substantial carbon price, citing British Columbia's carbon tax as a successful model, and suggests that pricing should eventually reach $100-$200 per tonne of CO2 equivalent. It highlights health co-benefits of low-carbon transitions, such as reduced cardiovascular disease from 'cardio-commuting' and fewer respiratory impacts from wind, solar, and hydro power compared to coal. Finally, it urges physicians to use their professional influence to translate climate science for the public and advocate for systemic changes.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Superhot Rock Geothermal in Costa Rica
The document highlights that superhot rock geothermal energy could be a transformative resource for Costa Rica, with just 1% of its estimated resource potential capable of producing 77 GW of energy capacity. This amount far exceeds the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 12,734 GWh. While not expected to reach commercial scale by Costa Rica's 2030 goal of 100% renewable electricity, the technology could support long-term net-zero goals by 2050, diversify energy supply, and reduce land-use requirements compared to other energy sources.
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Document type: Fact sheet