Search Climate Insights Directory
138 results
Biofuels: The Climate-Related Threats and Opportunities, and the Need to Develop Policies Based on a Comprehensive Assessment of Their Direct and Indirect Impacts
The Clean Air Task Force warns that the climate benefits of replacing fossil fuels with biofuels are often negated by indirect effects, specifically the release of carbon dioxide when forests and wetlands are cleared to meet increased agricultural demand. The report highlights how the EU's 2003 Biofuel Directive inadvertently drove the destruction of Indonesian peatlands for palm oil, releasing approximately two billion metric tons of CO2 annually. It notes that direct benefits are further undermined by the use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in crops like rapeseed. The author recommends slowing the rush toward production mandates, developing analytic tools over the next 2-3 years to quantify market-driven impacts, and focusing on niche policies for waste feedstocks, algae, and biomass from marginal lands.
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Document type: Statement
Challenging the Glades Power Plant
Earthjustice blocked Florida Power & Light's proposal for a massive coal-fired power plant at the edge of the Florida Everglades in 2007. The Florida Public Service Commission rejected the project based on evidence regarding climate change, lack of energy conservation, and cost effectiveness. Consequently, Florida Power & Light invested $300 million in a 75 megawatt solar thermal facility, completed in 2010, which became the largest of its kind in the eastern United States.
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Document type: Case study
Valuing Decentralized Wastewater Technologies
The report analyzes the economic trade-offs between decentralized and centralized wastewater systems, arguing that while treatment plants exhibit economies of scale, collection networks often exhibit diseconomies of scale. It highlights the financial advantages of modular, 'just-in-time' capacity expansion and the potential for water reuse and nutrient harvesting. The document also details various economic valuation methods for non-market environmental goods and the importance of professional management to ensure system reliability.
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Document type: Report
Climate Control
The report argues that California can significantly reduce its global warming impact by mandating the adoption of existing and near-term vehicle technologies. Modeling shows that currently available improvements in engines, transmissions, and air conditioning could reduce fleet average heat-trapping emissions by 20%, while advanced technologies available within five years could achieve a 40% reduction. These improvements are presented as cost-effective, with fuel savings offsetting initial costs within a few years, and would provide a model for other U.S. states and Canada.
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Document type: Report
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
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
Global Climate Change
The document assesses the role of the United States in the global effort to combat climate change following the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. It argues that the U.S. has failed to lead, contributing to 27% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions while resisting binding domestic action. The authors highlight critical loopholes in the Kyoto Protocol, such as the use of surplus emissions allowances from former socialist economies and ambiguous forest activity definitions. To ensure the treaty's success, the brief recommends that the U.S. implement mandatory domestic programs, defer demands for immediate binding commitments from developing countries, and support the Global Environment Facility.
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Document type: Policy brief
Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel consumption: two approaches compared
The paper compares two approaches to estimating national energy sector greenhouse gas emissions, finding that while global CO2 totals for 1988 are within 2% of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's estimates, national-level results vary by over 10% for 52 out of 139 countries. These discrepancies are attributed to differences in energy statistics, the treatment of bunker fuels, and the handling of non-energy products. Additionally, the study includes CO, CH4, and N2O emissions from fossil fuel combustion, which contribute an additional global heating effect of approximately 8% compared to CO2 emissions.
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Document type: Research paper
Least-Cost Climatic Stabilization
The paper asserts that most global warming can be abated at negative net cost by replacing inefficient resource use with advanced technologies in energy, farming, and forestry. It details specific potentials for saving electricity and oil, argues for a 'best buys first' investment strategy to avoid opportunity costs, and proposes market-based implementation techniques such as 'feebates' and 'negawatts'. The authors emphasize that these measures support global equity and development, particularly in the USSR and developing nations, while providing significant co-benefits in environmental protection and security.
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Document type: Research paper
Report Targets and Indicators of Climatic Change
The report proposes a framework for setting long-term climate targets based on the adaptive capacities of natural ecosystems. It recommends a maximum global temperature increase of 1.0°C to 2.0°C above pre-industrial levels and a sea-level rise limit of 0.2 to 0.5 meters above 1990 levels. The document analyzes the role of various greenhouse gases, introduces the Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Sea-level Rise Potential (SRP) indices, and discusses the socio-economic challenges of implementing these targets in developing countries and centrally planned economies.
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Document type: Report
GREENHOUSE WARMING: EFFICIENT SOLUTION OR NUCLEAR NEMESIS?
The briefing assesses the viability of nuclear power as a solution to global warming, concluding that it is an ineffective strategy compared to energy efficiency. Analysis shows that even under highly optimistic assumptions—such as reduced construction times and costs—massive nuclear investment cannot prevent CO2 growth in high or medium energy demand scenarios. In the United States, the author asserts that investment in electrical efficiency displaces nearly seven times more carbon per dollar than investment in nuclear power. The document emphasizes that the primary driver of future emissions is the level of energy demand, and that efficiency improvements in the commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors offer vast, low-cost opportunities to reduce carbon output.
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Document type: Briefing
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Agriculture Sector
The agriculture sector in Pakistan contributed nearly 42 per cent of national greenhouse gas emissions in 2012. To address this, the document identifies twelve mitigation options, prioritizing five cost-effective measures: improving irrigation/water management, reducing methane from rice cultivation, implementing agroforestry, promoting better manure management, and limiting basmati rice crop burning. Together, these five priority measures are projected to reduce emissions by 11.83 MtCO2e by 2030, representing a 4.3 per cent reduction from the business-as-usual scenario.
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Document type: Fact sheet
WHY THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS CLEAN COAL
The report assesses the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity (IRP) proposal to add 1500 MW of new coal generation in South Africa. It finds that high-efficiency, low-emission (HELE) technologies cannot eliminate significant greenhouse gas emissions or air pollution. Specifically, ultra-supercritical efficiency is the highest feasible thermal cycle efficiency given IRP requirements, while carbon capture (CC) and gasification technologies (IGCC and UGCC) are deemed unproven and cost-prohibitive at scale. The report highlights that circulating fluidized bed technology emits two to ten times more nitrous oxide than pulverized coal technologies. Beyond plant emissions, the coal supply chain—including mining, transport, and ash disposal—creates unavoidable air, water, and waste impacts. Finally, the report asserts that bringing new coal generation online by 2023 is unreasonable due to the time required for design and procurement.
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Document type: Executive summary
Comprehensive land-use planning: A rights-based approach
The document advocates for a land-use planning framework that separates terrestrial carbon sequestration from industrial emission reductions due to the temporary nature of the former. It emphasizes that mitigation must prioritize food sovereignty, legally enforce the land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, and avoid using land-sector targets to offset continued fossil fuel emissions. The paper critiques current Kyoto Protocol accounting as overly complex and prone to loopholes, suggesting instead the use of direct indicators like hectares of forest maintained. Specific recommendations include addressing high meat consumption and synthetic fertilizer use in developed countries to achieve permanent emission reductions in agriculture.
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Document type: Research paper
landuse_adp_jun2014-d45a4ec9cd4fb382.pdf
The policy brief outlines key principles for land-use mitigation, warning against using carbon sequestration to offset fossil fuel emissions and emphasizing the protection of food security and indigenous rights. It critiques current Kyoto Protocol LULUCF accounting as overly complex and prone to loopholes, recommending separate targets for industrial and land-use emissions due to the temporary nature of terrestrial carbon pools. The document advocates for policy-based measures, improved forest governance, and a focus on methane and nitrous oxide in agriculture to achieve permanent emission reductions.
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Document type: Policy brief
Frack to Fork: Fossil Fertilizers Harm Health, Climate, and Food Systems
The document details the environmental and health impacts of the fossil fertilizer supply chain, noting that 58% of global production is powered by fossil fuels (primarily gas). It links these inputs to cancer, respiratory illness, and the creation of marine dead zones, while highlighting nitrous oxide as a potent greenhouse gas. The authors propose phasing out synthetic fertilizers in favor of agroecological practices to support a global population of 10 billion.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Agrifood Transition Plan Assessment Framework
The Agrifood Transition Plan Assessment Framework establishes a methodology for evaluating corporate transition strategies in the agrifood sector. It categorizes companies into 'committed' (early) and 'advanced' phases based on the maturity of their transition plans. The framework emphasizes a holistic approach that integrates greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction—specifically targeting methane and nitrous oxide—with nature-based goals such as eliminating deforestation and land conversion. It provides detailed requirements for Paris-aligned targets, action plans for producers and downstream actors, and accountability metrics, while aligning with international disclosure standards like TCFD, TNFD, and ICMA.
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Document type: Guide
73rd CDM Executive Board Meeting Highlights
The 73rd CDM Executive Board meeting resulted in a revised rule for E- policies, a new work programme for standardized baselines, and updated methodologies for N2O destruction in nitric acid plants. The Board also endorsed a work programme to standardize additionality assessments for appliances and waste management.
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Document type: Briefing
STRENGTHENING ZONING REGULATIONS ON LAST-MILE WAREHOUSES
The document highlights how the lack of specific zoning definitions for last-mile warehouses in New York City allows developers to build facilities "as-of-right" in manufacturing and C8 districts without public input or environmental review. This has led to a concentration of warehouses in low-income, predominantly Black and Hispanic/Latinx neighborhoods, exacerbating air pollution from diesel trucks and increasing asthma rates. The Last Mile Coalition proposes a city-wide text amendment to require special permits, ensure setbacks from sensitive sites like schools and public housing, and mandate mitigation measures such as the use of electric vehicles or waterways.
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Document type: Fact sheet
ag_forestry_chapter_nys_cac_comments-82373801e75aa412.pdf
The document argues that New York's Draft Scoping Plan (DSP) relies too heavily on industry-biased accounting and voluntary measures. It recommends prioritizing forest preservation over harvesting, eliminating forest-based carbon offsets, implementing mandatory methane regulations for large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and adopting specific statewide targets for soil health practices.
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Document type: Statement