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During the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), China achieved a 19.06 percent reduction in energy intensity against a 2005 baseline, driven primarily by technological development and structural adjustments. Despite these efficiency gains, total emissions increased by 33.6 percent, making China the world's largest emitter in 2007. The government deployed significant investment, totaling 1.73 trillion yuan in new and renewable energy and 859.2 billion yuan in energy efficiency, though these efforts primarily benefited large state-owned enterprises over small and medium enterprises. Looking toward the 12th Five-Year Plan, the document identifies challenges in meeting ambitious energy and carbon intensity targets due to rapid urbanization, rising marginal costs of conservation, and the continued prioritization of GDP growth by local governments.

The document uses the POLES energy system model to assess how varying levels of economic growth and convergence between developed and developing nations affect the cost of climate stabilisation. It finds that limiting warming to 2°C is technically feasible and economically viable across all tested scenarios, with global abatement costs remaining below 2% of GDP by 2050. While modest growth makes stabilisation more likely, high convergence increases the absolute and relative economic burden on developing countries and increases reliance on future technologies like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

The document is a compilation of research abstracts covering a wide array of climate-related topics. Key themes include the equity of burden-sharing in climate finance, the operationalization of REDD+ and MRV systems, the integration of adaptation into development planning (mainstreaming), and the transition to low-carbon energy systems. It examines specific case studies in regions such as Bangladesh, Mozambique, Nepal, and the Congo Basin, while analyzing global policy mechanisms like the UNFCCC, the Copenhagen Accord, and the Cancun Agreements.

The report synthesizes 93 selected research papers to explore how climate change affects development and how development can support adaptation and mitigation. It highlights the necessity of moving from incremental to transformational adaptation to avoid maladaptation, particularly in the face of high uncertainty. The document examines the challenges of managing natural resources across scales, the need for innovative private and public financial mechanisms to meet the $100 billion annual target for developing countries, and the requirement for a systemic transformation of energy systems through integrated regulatory and market policies. It emphasizes that climate objectives must be mainstreamed across all sectors, including energy, transport, and land use, while ensuring equity in effort-sharing and improving monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems.

The report finds that majorities of Americans prioritize global warming and clean energy, supporting policies such as renewable energy research, carbon dioxide regulation, and a revenue-neutral tax shift from income to fossil fuels. While there is broad support for environmental protection over economic growth, significant political divisions exist regarding offshore drilling and the Keystone XL pipeline.

The document argues that providing basic energy access is insufficient; instead, global energy systems must be transformed to support long-term economic development while limiting global temperature increase to below 2°C. Using three scenarios—Baseline, Basic Energy Access (BEA), and Shared Development Agenda (SDA)—the authors demonstrate that reaching a per capita income of USD 10,000 by 2050 requires a massive scale-up of renewables, nuclear power, and energy efficiency, alongside the virtual phase-out of fossil fuels. The brief concludes that market-based instruments alone are inadequate, necessitating a more active state role in investment and innovation, as well as a structural transformation of international governance through the UN and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The report analyzes the 'water-energy nexus,' highlighting how the transition to low-carbon electricity can create new pressures on water resources. It compares the water withdrawals and consumption of conventional fossil-fuel plants, nuclear power, and various renewables. A case study of California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) demonstrates that while shifting to renewables can reduce emissions, certain choices—like solar thermal—can increase water consumption. The authors argue for integrated planning that prioritizes low-water technologies, efficiency improvements, and water recycling to ensure energy security without compromising water availability.

The document is a learning kit designed to promote ethical journalism by integrating a gender perspective into news content. It argues that media often reinforce sexist stereotypes and marginalize women, as evidenced by the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), which found that women constituted only 24% of people seen, heard, or spoken about in the news in 2010. The guide proposes the adoption of comprehensive gender codes and practical guidelines to ensure a more equitable representation of all genders. It includes case studies from Canada, Tanzania, and the Inter Press Service (IPS) to demonstrate how institutional policies and targeted reporting projects can increase the visibility and voice of women, particularly in high-priority news areas like politics and economics.

The report details public opinion in the United States during November 2011, showing broad support for clean energy development and environmental protection. While a majority of Americans view global warming as a priority for federal leadership and support renewable energy research, there is divided support for nuclear power and a majority preference for expanding offshore drilling.

The paper examines the EU power sector's transition toward a low-carbon future, highlighting the critical role of the electricity sector in decarbonizing transport and buildings. It identifies significant risks in current investment trends, such as carbon lock-in from new gas and coal plants, and argues that the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) fails to provide a credible long-term signal for post-2020 investments. The authors recommend establishing post-2020 emissions caps and calibrating the ETS to ensure carbon scarcity after accounting for energy efficiency and renewable energy objectives.

The document analyzes Nigeria's multifaceted relationships with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, highlighting a pattern where Nigeria leverages its oil and gas resources to secure infrastructural development and technical cooperation. While diplomatic and trade ties are strong—particularly with India and China—the paper notes significant friction regarding the quality of Chinese goods, the treatment of workers by Indian and Chinese employers, and the failure of some BRIC entities to honor infrastructure commitments in exchange for oil blocks. It also details the strategic rivalry among the BRICs to capture Nigeria's market, noting that India's linguistic and historical advantages contrast with China's superior financial muscle.

The report finds that U.S. thermoelectric power plants withdrew between 60 billion and 170 billion gallons of freshwater daily in 2008, with coal plants accounting for the majority of this use. It identifies significant regional disparities in water intensity, noting that plants in the East generally withdraw more water due to a higher prevalence of once-through cooling. The analysis reveals that power plants contributed to water-supply stress in 20% of the 400 stressed watersheds identified. Furthermore, the report highlights critical gaps and inaccuracies in U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, including the total absence of reporting from the nuclear fleet. It argues that climate change and population growth will exacerbate these stresses, urging a shift toward low-water cooling technologies and low-carbon energy sources to ensure grid reliability and ecosystem health.

The report finds that U.S. power plants withdraw massive volumes of freshwater, with coal and nuclear plants being the most water-intensive. This demand contributes to water-supply stress in hundreds of watersheds and is exacerbated by droughts and heat waves. The authors highlight significant gaps and inaccuracies in EIA reporting and advocate for 'water-smart' energy choices, such as dry cooling and low-water renewables, to ensure energy reliability and water security.

The document presents a framework for a global energy assessment to support the Rio+20 Earth Summit, focusing on a 'triple global energy challenge': providing affordable energy for all, phasing out fossil fuels to stabilize the climate, and operating within Earth system boundaries. It proposes a 'new model' of development where all countries reach a GDP per capita equivalent to current middle-income levels by 2050, requiring a massive transition to renewable energy and efficiency. The authors recommend the adoption of strategic principles, including a transparent global investment fund for renewables in poor economies and the use of the planetary boundaries framework to manage environmental risks.

The report argues that the Levy and Vogtle nuclear projects carry significant financial risks for ratepayers and taxpayers due to potential cost escalations and delays. It finds that both Florida and Georgia could meet their projected energy demand growth more cost-effectively through aggressive energy efficiency targets and the development of renewable energy resources, which are presented as lower-risk and lower-cost alternatives to the Westinghouse AP1000 reactor design.

Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, Nigeria has shifted its foreign policy to prioritize domestic economic development and political stability over the pursuit of regional prestige. The country has pursued a 'charm offensive' to remove its pariah status and has balanced strategic partnerships with traditional powers (US, UK, France, Russia) and emerging powers (China, India, Brazil). Key priorities include debt relief, infrastructure development, and security cooperation, with a particular emphasis on 'exchanging oil for development' in its relations with China and Brazil.

The document examines the current state of literature and data on subsidies for electric power generation, noting a significant lack of consistent information and a limited number of studies that attempt to quantify these subsidies across nuclear, fossil fuel, and renewable energy sources.

The document outlines the current state of U.S. energy use across transportation, buildings, and industry, while projecting the economic and efficiency gains possible by 2050 through a transition to renewable energy and increased efficiency.

The author contends that Germany's energy transition is the result of decades of consistent policy, including the 1991 Power Feed-In Law and the 2000 Renewable Energy Law, rather than a sudden 'shock' to the system. The text asserts that the July 2011 decision to phase out nuclear power by 2021 aligns with a long-established policy vector and rejects claims that recent redundancies at E.on were caused by a sudden change in government policy.

The study uses the POLES model to assess how different levels of economic growth and convergence between developed and developing nations affect the energy mix and abatement costs required to reduce global CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050. It finds that low stabilisation is technically feasible and economically viable across all scenarios, with total abatement costs representing less than 2% of global GDP by 2050. However, the results highlight that high convergence increases the reliance on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and places a higher absolute burden on developing countries, while developed nations continue to bear the majority of the costs.