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Towards a Low Carbon, Climate Resilient Ontario: IISD input to MOECC’s Climate Change Discussion Paper
This policy brief provides feedback from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change's (MOECC) 2015 Climate Change Discussion Paper. The IISD supports the vision of a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy and offers specific recommendations on carbon pricing, the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the integration of adaptation into infrastructure, and the inclusion of traditional knowledge from First Nations and Métis communities.
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Document type: Policy brief
ACCELERATING CARBON REDUCTIONS FROM CALIFORNIA’S ELECTRICITY SECTOR
This report by Energy Innovation proposes a shift in California's energy policy to meet 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas targets. It recommends replacing the current Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and the Efficiency Savings and Performance Incentive (ESPI) with performance-based carbon and energy intensity standards to better align utility incentives with decarbonization and efficiency goals.
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Document type: Report
ACCELERATING CARBON REDUCTIONS FROM CALIFORNIA’S ELECTRICITY SECTOR
This report by Energy Innovation proposes a shift in California's energy policy to accelerate carbon reductions in the electricity sector to meet 2030 and 2050 greenhouse gas targets. The authors recommend replacing the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) with a performance-based carbon standard and reforming energy efficiency incentives by transitioning to per capita intensity standards for electricity and natural gas.
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Document type: Report
TARGET 2030: TOP FOUR CLIMATE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CALIFORNIA
This policy brief by Energy Innovation outlines four primary recommendations to ensure California's emissions trajectory aligns with its 2050 carbon goals. The recommendations focus on establishing a 2030 statewide carbon cap, decarbonizing the electricity sector, expanding transportation sector policies, and setting performance standards for methane emissions.
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Document type: Policy brief
#flirtingwithdisaster on Valentine’s Day
A fact sheet by Friends of the Earth detailing how climate change and extreme weather patterns threaten the production of common Valentine's Day gifts, including chocolate, coffee, wine, flowers, and other agricultural products.
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Document type: Fact sheet
PREEMPTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes how the proposed Regulatory Cooperation chapter of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement could undermine the authority of US states to implement public health and environmental protections. The author argues that the agreement's goals of regulatory convergence and compatibility would effectively create a regulatory ceiling, preventing states from adopting standards more protective than federal minimums, particularly regarding toxic chemicals and pesticides.
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Document type: Report
FACT SHEET Technologies to support climate change mitigation and adaptation
This fact sheet provides an overview of the software tools, online platforms, and research activities developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to support climate change mitigation and adaptation. The document details specific tools for energy planning (LEAP), water resources planning (WEAP), consumption-based environmental impact accounting (REAP), and knowledge sharing for adaptation (weADAPT), while outlining SEI's strategic focus on capacity-building and the integration of these tools to address sustainable development challenges.
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Document type: Fact sheet
SEI STRATEGY 2015–2019
The SEI Strategy 2015–2019 outlines the Stockholm Environment Institute's framework for bridging science and policy to support sustainable development. The strategy focuses on enhancing scientific research through new 'SEI Initiatives', expanding policy engagement to include 'hard-to-reach' stakeholders like the private sector, and strengthening capacity development across individual, organizational, and institutional levels. It also details the enabling infrastructure required for delivery, including communications, ICT tools, financial management, and a custom monitoring system (PMEC).
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Document type: Report
A Climate Gift or a Lump of Coal?
This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development compares the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts of electricity sector regulations in Canada and the United States, specifically focusing on coal-fired power plants. It analyzes how these policies contribute to each country's Copenhagen Accord pledge to reduce 2020 emissions to 17 per cent below 2005 levels.
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Document type: Policy brief
RATE DESIGN FOR THE DISTRIBUTION EDGE
This RMI research paper argues that traditional bundled, volumetric electricity rates are inadequate for a grid with increasing distributed energy resources (DERs). It proposes a transition toward more sophisticated pricing across three dimensions: attribute unbundling, temporal granularity (e.g., real-time pricing), and locational granularity (e.g., 'hot spot' credits). The authors recommend a staged implementation using default and opt-in rates, supported by third-party technologies to maintain a simple customer experience, and call for greater data transparency and improved valuation methodologies for regulators.
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Document type: Research paper
Getting the Most from Your Green: A Case Study for Using Public Money Effectively for Large-Scale Renewable Energy in California
This case study describes the Climate Policy Initiative's (CPI) methodology for identifying effective public financial interventions for low-carbon projects, using large-scale renewable energy in California as an example.
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Document type: Case study
Toward a Toxic Partnership
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) critiques the European Commission's proposed approach to chemicals under the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The author argues that the EU's vision, which aligns closely with chemical industry proposals, threatens to obstruct the substitution of harmful substances with safer alternatives and could freeze progress in regulating toxic chemicals.
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Document type: Report
Plug-in Electric Vehicles
As of June 2014, the U.S. plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market was characterized by rapid growth, with sales increasing 85% between 2012 and 2013. The market was dominated by the Nissan LEAF, Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Plug-in, and Tesla Model S. While PEVs offer zero tailpipe emissions and lower total cost of ownership due to cheaper fuel, challenges remain regarding the availability of public charging infrastructure (8,000 stations vs 150,000 gas stations) and high battery costs. Federal tax credits up to $7,500 and various state-level incentives in places like California, Colorado, and Georgia are used to drive adoption.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Friends of the Earth statement on President Obamas endorsement of Walmarts unsustainable practices
Friends of the Earth criticizes President Obama's May 9, 2014, visit to a Walmart in Mountain View, California, arguing that the company's environmental claims are misleading and inconsistent with the president's goals for economic equity and climate action.
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Document type: Statement
Toxic partnership
A critique of the ACC-CEFIC proposal for chemical regulatory cooperation under TTIP, arguing that the industry seeks to lower safety standards, bypass democratic oversight, and delay the regulation of toxic substances by exploiting differences between EU and US laws.
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Document type: Report
Toxic partnership
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) critiques a joint proposal by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) regarding regulatory cooperation on chemicals within the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). CIEL argues that the industry's proposals are designed to exploit regulatory differences between the US and EU to slow the regulation of toxic chemicals, bypass democratic processes, and prioritize commercial interests over public health and environmental safety.
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Document type: Report
Summary of remarks by Margaret Bowman, Walton Family Foundation At the Environmental and Energy Study Institute briefing regarding managing climate risks in the southwest
Margaret Bowman of the Walton Family Foundation outlines a vision for addressing water shortages in the Colorado River basin through agricultural modernization, urban efficiency, and water recycling. She argues that these strategies can close a projected water supply gap of 3.2 million acre feet by 2060, provided there is political will to scale local successes to a regional level.
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Document type: Briefing
Single-year mitigation targets: Uncharted territory for emissions trading and unit transfers
The paper argues that single-year emissions targets are fundamentally flawed compared to continuous multi-year targets because they create uncertainty regarding cumulative emissions, are more susceptible to annual variability, and are incompatible with domestic emissions trading schemes. The authors highlight that the use of tradable units can further reduce the ambition of single-year targets, potentially allowing countries to meet goals without domestic mitigation. They recommend that future international agreements mandate continuous multi-year targets to ensure comparability and align with global carbon budgets.
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Document type: Research paper
Carbon-Free Prosperity in California: Policies for Success
This report by Energy Innovation outlines policy recommendations to help California achieve its goal of an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by 2050. The authors argue that while the state is on track for its 2020 goals, it must accelerate policy development in electricity, buildings, transportation, and methane emissions, while expanding cooperation with other U.S. states and China.
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Document type: Report
Regulating Carbon Emissions in Canada
This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development reviews Canadian greenhouse gas (GHG) policy in 2013, noting a significant decline in federal political will and a corresponding shift toward provincial leadership and inter-provincial cooperation.
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Document type: Policy brief