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The document examines six CCS case studies, finding that successful projects typically employ two-way consultation and transparency, while failures often stem from one-way information delivery, perceived lack of community influence, or the unilateral removal of promised local benefits.

The author proposes a new green revolution focused on sustainable land management and water harvesting to meet development goals and climate risks. He argues that investing in small-scale rainfed agriculture and conservation agriculture can double or triple crop yields while sequestering carbon. The document identifies systemic barriers, such as the policy fixation on large-scale irrigation and the administrative split between 'wet' water ministries and 'dry' agriculture ministries, and calls for integrated national strategies in Africa to scale these solutions.

The report identifies five critical elements for effective climate adaptation decision-making: public engagement, decision-relevant information, institutional design, planning tools, and resources. It argues that governments must move from reactive disaster relief to proactive risk management, accounting for extremes, heightened variability, and long-term change. The document emphasizes that vulnerability—shaped by social, economic, and geographic factors—determines the impact of climate change, necessitating targeted interventions for the most disadvantaged. Through various case studies and research, it recommends integrating climate risks into existing sectoral policies and utilizing flexible, robust, and durable decision-making frameworks to manage uncertainty.

The briefing outlines three strategic pillars for leaders to address the dual challenges of climate change and poverty: utilizing sound scientific evidence to drive political action, establishing a comprehensive global climate agreement, and correcting market failures through emissions pricing and redistribution from developed to developing nations.

The author, a Shell executive, asserts that achieving a sustainable energy future requires integrating sustainable development into business decisions and establishing a collaborative relationship between governments and industry. Shell utilizes 'scenarios' to navigate energy uncertainty and advocates for the 'Blueprints' model, which emphasizes anticipation of environmental issues. The paper highlights carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a critical technology for large emitters, noting that public policy and financial support, such as carbon pricing, are essential for its commercial viability. Using examples from Wyoming and Brazil, the author demonstrates how industry can manage environmental risks and community concerns. Finally, the document emphasizes that governments must appreciate the immense costs, long lead times, and technical challenges of energy production—exemplified by the Perdido project—to set workable regulations.

The report argues that reducing methane (CH4) emissions is critical for slowing global warming in the next two decades, particularly in the Arctic, due to methane's high warming potential and short atmospheric lifespan. It identifies agriculture, waste management, and energy production as the primary anthropogenic sources and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of various mitigation strategies. While sectors like natural gas and coal mining offer high low-cost reduction potentials, the report highlights significant barriers including inadequate regulation, financial risks, and limitations within the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism. To address these, the document proposes the creation of a Global Methane Fund.

The document examines China's heavy reliance on coal-fired power, which makes it a global leader in sulphur dioxide and carbon dioxide emissions. It analyzes the 'big up/small down' strategy to replace inefficient small thermal units with larger, cleaner ones and reviews international best practices—including carbon taxes, feed-in tariffs, and emission trading—to suggest policy options for China to reduce its carbon intensity and protect its exports from future climate-related trade barriers.

The report examines the barriers and opportunities for implementing life cycle costing (LCC) in sustainable public procurement (SPP). It finds that while LCC is used in some industrialized nations, its application is often non-systematic and hindered by conflicting capital and revenue budgets, a lack of procurer expertise, and data gaps. The authors argue that LCC should be integrated into high-level public expenditure policy to shift the procurement mindset from 'best value for money' at purchase to 'best value across the asset life cycle.'

The paper examines the challenges of defining 'comparable effort' for Annex I Parties, arguing that a simple set of transparent indicators is more conducive to political agreement than complex fairness models. It analyzes proposed 2020 targets against emissions, population, and GDP data, introducing 'trajectory indicators' to assess the consistency of short-term targets with 2050 goals. The authors highlight that Annex I countries fall into three distinct economic groups—'New World' economies, 'Old OECD' economies, and 'Transition economies'—which must be recognized for any target-setting to be feasible. Finally, the document reviews cost-based indicators, concluding that current model results are too inconsistent and outdated, particularly following the global financial crisis, to provide a reliable basis for cost-comparability without further harmonization.

The document outlines ten key insights from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), arguing that while the system is effective at reducing emissions and has a minimal impact on GDP, its design—particularly regarding allowance allocation and carbon leakage—requires careful calibration to avoid economic inefficiencies and 'windfall profits'. It recommends a phased approach to system improvement and a gradual shift toward auctioning allowances to maximize economic rationality and fund low-carbon innovation.

The document examines 'carbon leakage'—where EU production moves to non-EU territories lacking carbon pricing—and critiques the European Commission's broad identification of 'at risk' sectors. While the EU ETS aims to stimulate low-carbon investment, the author argues that excessive free allocation of allowances may undermine the carbon price signal and encourage lobbying. The briefing suggests a more targeted screening process for high-emitters and proposes a portfolio of measures, including border adjustments based on CO2 emissions and sectoral agreements, to maintain competitiveness without sacrificing climate goals.

The Montreal Protocol successfully phased out the production of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), but failed to address the global warming potential of existing ODS banks and the rapid growth of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) substitutes. ODS banks, if not controlled, risk releasing significant greenhouse gases, while HFC emissions are projected to increase substantially by 2050, particularly in developing countries. The document examines policy options such as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, producer responsibility programs in other developed nations, and proposals to expand the Montreal Protocol's mandate to include HFCs.

The report examines the economic and environmental impacts of carbon pricing on industrial competitiveness and the risk of carbon leakage, where emissions shift to jurisdictions with less stringent policies. It analyzes six policy options—border taxes, mandatory allowance purchases, embedded carbon product standards, aid to industry, free allowances, and sectoral approaches—concluding that while border carbon adjustments (BCAs) are theoretically more effective at reducing leakage in specific sectors, they face significant technical, administrative, and WTO legal challenges. The document emphasizes that only a small fraction of GDP (typically less than 1%) is truly at risk, primarily in energy-intensive, trade-exposed sectors like cement, steel, and aluminum.

The document examines border carbon adjustments (BCAs) as a tool for OECD countries to protect domestic industries from 'unregulated' foreign competition and prevent carbon leakage. It identifies trade-exposed energy-intensive sectors—such as iron, steel, and chemicals—as the most vulnerable. The analysis highlights significant WTO legal hurdles, including national treatment and most-favoured-nation obligations, and suggests that any legal BCA would likely require a firm-by-firm carbon footprint calculation and prior attempts at multilateral agreement. Administratively, the author notes the difficulty of establishing a common metric to compare diverse climate policies and the risk of 'punishing domestic manufacturers' if only basic raw materials are covered. Geopolitically, the document argues that BCAs may conflict with the UNFCCC principle of 'common but differentiated responsibility' and could provoke 'vitriolic' reactions from developing countries, potentially hindering international climate negotiations.

The paper argues that climate change is a global public bad requiring coordinated public-sector intervention. It posits that 'knowledge communities'—groups of experts who produce and share scientific information—are essential for driving the paradigm shifts and technological adoption needed for mitigation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is highlighted as a primary catalyst for this global learning process. The authors also analyze economic instruments for emission reduction, such as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), taxes, and standards, while noting the difficulties of international cooperation under frameworks like the Kyoto Protocol.

The report argues that carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is essential for mitigating global climate change given the continued reliance on coal. It identifies four critical technology areas requiring accelerated federal investment: underground coal gasification (UCG), next-generation surface coal gasification, advanced post-combustion capture (PCC), and geologic carbon sequestration (GCS). For each area, the authors provide specific RD&D roadmaps, including funding estimates and technical priorities. Key recommendations include the creation of a 'first commercial project fund' to help technologies bridge the 'Valley of Death' between pilot and commercial scale, and the establishment of international collaborations to facilitate technology transfer to countries like China and India.

The report argues that WTO rules provide sufficient flexibility for countries to implement bold climate measures and that the WTO should not be used as an excuse for policy inaction. It analyzes several policy tools, concluding that most are WTO-consistent if designed non-discriminatorily. Specifically, it finds that energy labels and minimum standards are generally permissible under the TBT Agreement and GATT, and that fuel efficiency standards are likely to meet 'necessity' requirements given the urgency of climate change. Border carbon adjustments are viewed as permissible in principle, though they risk contradicting the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' by shifting burdens to developing nations. Green subsidies are also deemed largely compatible, provided they do not mandate the use of domestic products. The authors emphasize that the logic of trade expansion inherent in the WTO is fundamentally at odds with GHG reduction goals, suggesting that 'Kyoto-compliance' should take precedence over 'WTO-compliance'.

The report examines the integration of agricultural practices into Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) frameworks across Canada and internationally. It identifies the watershed as the appropriate planning unit and highlights the critical role of private agricultural landowners in achieving environmental sustainability. Through an inventory of provincial initiatives and global case studies, the document analyzes the social, economic, and technical drivers of success, emphasizing the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration, long-term monitoring, and financial incentives for beneficial management practices (BMPs). It concludes with recommendations for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to coordinate federal efforts and increase support for watershed-scale agricultural sustainability.

Concentrated solar power (CSP) uses mirrors to focus sunlight to generate electricity, primarily for utility-scale use. While the U.S. led in installed capacity as of 2009 with 429 MW, Spain followed with 182 MW. The technology varies from parabolic troughs and linear Fresnel reflectors to dish/engines and power towers. CSP is noted for its ability to provide power during peak late-afternoon demand and its potential for baseload generation via thermal storage or natural gas hybridization. Economic challenges include high initial construction costs, though operational costs are lower than fossil fuel plants. Policy mechanisms like feed-in tariffs in Spain and Israel, and investment tax credits in the U.S., are identified as key drivers for deployment.

The research finds that while sustainable development indicators are widely reported in corporate documents, their actual integration into decision-making processes remains limited. At the Board level, indicators are primarily used for risk management, such as health and safety. In corporate strategic management, senior executives have access to indicators—sometimes via Balanced Scorecards—but concrete examples of their use in guiding decisions are scarce. Supply chain management is in an "embryonic stage," relying more on codes of conduct and certifications than quantitative indicators. The author recommends further research into Board accountability, the development of context-specific supply chain metrics, and the integration of sustainability targets into individual performance appraisals.