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Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Developing Countries
The report analyzes energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potentials for six major developing countries through 2030. It projects that baseline energy-sector emissions for these nations could double to approximately 17 metric gigatons of CO2 equivalent by 2030, representing over 40% of global energy-related GHG emissions. The study identifies high-potential mitigation options across four sectors: electricity production, transportation, buildings and appliances, and industry. Common high-potential strategies across all six countries include renewable energy development, vehicle efficiency standards, and the enforcement of building and appliance energy codes. The report emphasizes that while many low-cost options exist, significant barriers remain, including high up-front capital costs, limited technical capacity, and the need for international technology transfer.
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Document type: Research paper
Status of the UNFCCC Negotiations
The Bonn climate talks served as the first of six negotiating sessions in 2009 aimed at establishing a post-2012 climate regime. While the meetings produced no tangible results, they narrowed gaps between Parties on mitigation, adaptation, technology, and financing. Key tensions persist regarding the scale of emission reductions for developed countries, the role of the United States and China, and the governance of climate finance.
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Document type: Report
Etat des négociations de la CCNUCC
The document provides an overview of the Bonn climate talks, detailing progress and disputes across mitigation, adaptation, technology, and finance. It highlights the tension between 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches to emission reductions and the critical role of the United States' renewed engagement ahead of the 2009 Copenhagen summit.
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Document type: Report
Competing for Business: Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives in Southeast Asia
The report analyzes the impact of investment incentives on economic growth, employment, and technology transfer in Southeast Asia. It finds that while incentives helped attract FDI in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, they are not sufficient on their own, as factors like political stability and infrastructure are equally critical. The document notes that technology spillovers vary by national capacity and that the 'China effect' on FDI diversion is often overestimated. It concludes that region-wide regulations and transparency are needed to prevent costly bidding wars and ensure sustainable development.
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Document type: Report
Financing Mitigation and Adaptation in Developing Countries: New options and mechanisms
The document assesses the financial requirements for climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, noting that current public funding is insufficient. It details specific investment needs for 2030, analyzes existing funds like the GEF and Adaptation Fund, and examines various proposals for new revenue streams, including GDP-based levies, carbon market expansions, and international transport levies. The paper emphasizes the need for a structured approach to technology innovation and a predictable, grant-based system for adaptation.
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Document type: Research paper
Outcomes of COP 14 in Poznan
The report details the progress of the UNFCCC negotiations at COP 14 in Poznan, highlighting the operationalization of the Adaptation Fund and the agreement to enter 'full negotiating mode' for 2009. It examines the work of the AWG-LCA and AWG-KP, noting a lack of breakthroughs on global emission goals and a divide between developed and developing nations regarding mitigation commitments. The document concludes by outlining the critical issues and deadlines remaining for the COP 15 meeting in Copenhagen.
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Document type: Report
Encouraging Developing Country Participation in a Future Climate Change Regime
The report argues that preventing dangerous climate change requires the active participation of major developing economies (MDEs), as developed countries' actions alone are insufficient. It analyzes the current GHG emission trends in MDEs, the impact of the 2008 global economic crisis on climate finance, and the positions of key actors like the U.S., EU, and China. The authors propose a 'Phased Approach to a Safe Climate' that differentiates countries into Developed, Advanced Developing, and Other Developing categories, transitioning MDEs from voluntary nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) to binding targets by 2020, provided developed countries demonstrate leadership and provide adequate financing and technology transfer.
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Document type: Report
Bilan des Résultats de la Cdp-14 à Poznań
The document provides a detailed review of the COP-14 proceedings in Poznań, Poland, focusing on the progress of two key working groups: the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties (AWG-KP). While the conference succeeded in establishing a timeline for full negotiations in 2009 and operationalizing the Adaptation Fund, it failed to reach significant breakthroughs on global emission targets or the second review of the Kyoto Protocol. The report highlights the critical role of the United States and China in the upcoming Copenhagen negotiations and details specific technical discussions on REDD, the Clean Development Mechanism, and technology transfer.
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Document type: Report
The Economics of Intellectual Property Rights in Developing Countries
The document examines the tension between protecting innovators through temporary monopolies and ensuring societal welfare, particularly in developing nations. It analyzes the application of patents, copyrights, trademarks, and geographical indications across sectors like pharmaceuticals and ICT, and critiques the TRIPS Agreement and 'TRIPS-plus' bilateral agreements for potentially biasing commercial interests over development needs. The author argues that the impact of IPRs depends on a country's existing 'absorptive capabilities' and suggests that many successful developing economies grew during periods of weak IP protection.
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Document type: Briefing
A Balancing Act: China’s Role in Climate Change
The report examines China's transition toward a low-carbon economy, highlighting how energy security and the 'Scientific Development Concept' drive its climate policies. It analyzes China's emissions trends, its dependence on coal, and its strategic positioning in international negotiations, arguing that China's domestic economic stability and the global 2°C target are inextricably linked.
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Document type: Report
Frameworks and Options for Addressing Technology Cooperation in the UNFCCC: National and Multilateral Elements
The document assesses the institutional and financial failures of technology transfer from industrialized to developing countries under the UNFCCC. It contrasts the G77 + China proposal for a centralized Executive Body and Multilateral Climate Technology Fund with the European Union's preference for bilateral Technology Oriented Agreements and carbon market financing. To resolve these divergences, the author suggests a three-themed evaluation framework based on legal principles, actions across the technology chain (R&D, demonstration, deployment, and diffusion), and institutional mandates. Additionally, the document details the Climate Action Network's (CAN) call for a dedicated Technology Cooperation Mechanism and a Technology Fund to ensure measurable, reportable, and verifiable (MRV) delivery of climate-friendly technologies, specifically addressing intellectual property barriers through a proposed International Declaration on Climate Technologies and IPRs.
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Document type: Briefing
Competing for Business
The report examines how Southeast Asian countries use investment incentives to attract FDI and the resulting impacts on sustainable development. While incentives have contributed to economic growth and job creation in some nations, the report finds significant evidence of redundancy, where investments would have occurred regardless of incentives. It highlights the importance of a supportive overall investment environment over isolated incentives and notes that environmental impacts remain under-researched. The document also discusses regional investment competition, the 'China effect', and the role of bilateral and regional treaties in shaping investment regimes.
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Document type: Report
Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives
The report examines how Vietnam's investment incentives, particularly tax breaks, influence foreign direct investment (FDI) and sustainable development in the mining and quarrying sector. It finds that while FIEs outperform domestic firms economically, incentives are not the primary driver for investment decisions nor for sustainable behavior. Social and environmental commitments are often passive, driven by parent company policies or basic legal compliance rather than government incentives.
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Document type: Case study
Africa Trade and Climate Change Dialogue Johannesburg, 7-8 May, 2009
The report details a dialogue on the vulnerabilities of African economies to climate change and the potential for trade policy to enhance resilience. It emphasizes the need for predictable financial mechanisms, the diffusion of low-carbon technologies, and the reform of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to better serve African interests. The document highlights the potential of organic agriculture and renewable energy to create jobs and reduce poverty, while warning against arbitrary trade restrictions and poorly evidenced environmental labels that could undermine the competitiveness of African exports.
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Document type: Report
China – U.S. relations and domestic politics on the road to Copenhagen 1: Making virtue of necessity
The document analyzes the constraints and opportunities facing the U.S. and China ahead of COP15. It argues that while the U.S. is limited by domestic legislative gridlock in the Senate, China is cautious about assuming an international leadership role despite increasing domestic climate ambition. The authors suggest that a bilateral U.S.-China understanding and the EU's role as a mediator could unlock progress, emphasizing that a pragmatic, incremental agreement is preferable to failure.
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Document type: Research paper
China – U.S. relations and domestic politics on the road to Copenhagen 2: Convergence and Contingencies
The document analyzes the interdependence of U.S. Senate climate legislation and U.S.-China diplomatic relations ahead of the 2009 Copenhagen summit. It argues that the Obama administration's ability to secure a global deal depends on passing domestic legislation to provide negotiating clarity and using bilateral cooperation on technology to unlock Chinese emissions targets. The brief highlights a 'Catch 22' where the U.S. needs Chinese commitments to sway domestic swing voters, while China requires U.S. targets and finance/technology commitments before revealing its own midterm goals.
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Document type: Policy brief
The No-Nonsense guide to Communication, Climate Justice and Climate Change
The document argues that climate change is a profoundly ethical issue where the global North bears primary responsibility for emissions while the global South and marginalized groups suffer the most severe impacts. It advocates for 'climate justice'—a vision to alleviate unequal burdens through fair treatment and policies that address the structures creating inequality. The guide critiques market-based solutions like carbon trading and agrofuels, calling them 'false solutions' that allow rich nations to avoid responsibility. It highlights specific vulnerabilities, noting that women are disproportionately affected due to their roles in managing natural resources and limited access to decision-making. The text also introduces the Greenhouse Development Rights (GDRs) framework, which proposes a 'development threshold' to ensure the poor are not burdened by the costs of the climate transition. Finally, it provides practical advice for journalists to localize climate stories by amplifying the voices of the most vulnerable and comparing local environmental changes with global causes.
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Document type: Guide
Bottom Line on International Climate Negotiations
The document outlines the roles of the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Bali Action Plan in shaping international climate negotiations. It details the specific issues to be addressed in Copenhagen—including mitigation, adaptation, forests, technology, and finance—and discusses whether the resulting agreement will replace or retain the Kyoto Protocol framework.
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Document type: Fact sheet
A Synthesis of Country Submissions to the UNFCCC on Technology
The document maps the positions of various UNFCCC Parties across the innovation lifecycle—from research and development to commercial deployment—to facilitate negotiations on the Bali Action Plan. It highlights a range of proposed mechanisms, including Multilateral Technology Funds, venture capital for demonstrations, and collaborative R&D targets, such as doubling energy-related RD&D globally by 2012.
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Document type: Briefing
Technology Partnerships for Renewables: A Key to Energy Security
The document outlines the outcomes of a 2004 expert roundtable focused on renewable energy cooperation between Europe and Asia. It highlights the synergy between the EU's leadership in technology deployment and Asia's role as the primary growth region for energy consumption. The text emphasizes the need for institutional frameworks to move renewable technologies from research and development to large-scale commercialization, while stressing the importance of capacity building, education, and the link between renewables and sustainable development.
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Document type: Report