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271 results
Africa is Sovereign and will not be Re-colonized!
An open letter from Friends of the Earth Africa and various NGOs addressed to the Prime Minister of Denmark, protesting statements made by Minister for Development Cooperation Christian Friis Bach. The letter rejects the imposition of failed development models from developed nations and asserts Africa's right to food sovereignty and sustainable, self-determined development.
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Document type: Statement
New Business Models for the Distribution Edge
This research paper by RMI explores the transition of the U.S. electricity sector from a traditional value chain to a 'value constellation' at the distribution edge. It examines how the rise of distributed energy resources (DERs) challenges existing utility business models and proposes new regulatory and economic frameworks to better integrate these resources for improved system efficiency, resilience, and reliability.
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Document type: Research paper
Registration and Approval Requirements in Investment Treaties
This report analyzes the use of registration and approval requirements in investment treaties to limit their scope of application. It examines how these requirements function in practice, their interpretation by arbitral tribunals, and provides recommendations for States to ensure such clauses are legally effective and transparent.
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Document type: Report
Making renewable energy affordable: the South African Renewables Initiative
This policy brief describes the South African Renewables Initiative (SARi), a government-led effort launched in December 2011 to establish financing arrangements for scaling up renewable energy. The initiative aims to achieve a target of 19 GW of renewable electricity by 2030 while managing the incremental costs compared to coal-fired power to avoid unacceptable economic burdens on the public.
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Document type: Policy brief
Barbados Declaration on Achieving Sustainable Energy for All in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
The Barbados Declaration, issued on May 8, 2012, by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), outlines the challenges and commitments of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in transitioning from fossil fuel dependency to sustainable, renewable energy to ensure economic resilience and climate survival.
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Document type: Statement
Following the Money: Fossil fuel subsidy reform en route from Durban to Rio+20
This report summarizes a high-level discussion titled "The Missing Piece? Climate Change Mitigation and the Benefits of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform," held as an official side event of the UNFCCC COP 17 on December 7, 2011, in Durban, South Africa. The event focused on the scale of fossil fuel subsidies compared to climate finance and the necessity of reforming these subsidies to enable green growth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Report
Procurement, Innovation and Green Growth
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of public procurement as a strategic tool for driving green growth and innovation. It argues that governments can leverage their significant purchasing power to create demand for sustainable products, thereby incentivizing private sector innovation and scaling green markets. The document provides a theoretical framework for sustainable value creation and presents several international case studies to illustrate different approaches to Green Public Procurement (GPP).
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Document type: Report
The Common Agricultural Policy post-2013: a Pathway to Regional Cohesion? Lessons Learned in Implementing Agri-Environmental Measures in the Baltic Sea Region
This 2012 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the implementation of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) within the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) during the 2007-2013 period. It examines the challenges of integrating agricultural productivity with environmental boundary conditions, such as nutrient reduction and biodiversity conservation. The report argues that the diversity of farming systems in the BSR should be an asset and recommends that post-2013 CAP reforms shift toward treating environmental services as a core value of farming rather than a precondition for payment, while introducing 'soft measures' to improve transboundary cooperation and stakeholder engagement.
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Document type: Report
Annual Partner Survey 2011-2012
The Annual Partner Survey 2011-2012 report details the results of a voluntary survey conducted by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in late 2011. The survey gathered feedback from 202 participants—including NGOs, individual consultants, and research institutes—regarding the quality of CDKN's products, its effectiveness in knowledge sharing and partnership facilitation, and its overall influence on organizational practices and policies.
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Document type: Report
Agriculture in an International Climate Change Agreement
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the challenges and opportunities of integrating agriculture into an international climate change agreement under the UNFCCC. It highlights the 'triple dividend'—the potential to simultaneously improve food security, enhance adaptive capacity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions—while detailing the diplomatic tensions between developed and developing nations regarding trade, financing, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
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Document type: Report
A Vision Statement by Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General of the United Nations
A vision statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlining the goal to achieve sustainable energy for all by 2030 through universal energy access, improved energy efficiency, and an increased share of renewable energy.
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Document type: Statement
Informationsinstrumente zur Förderung von Energieeinsparungen im Wohngebäudebestand
This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) reviews information instruments designed to promote energy efficiency retrofits in the residential building stock, with a primary focus on Germany and supporting evidence from international case studies. The document categorizes these tools based on the stage of the homeowner's decision-making process: moving uninterested households toward consideration, assisting those in the planning phase, and training the professionals who implement the retrofits.
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Document type: Report
Learning from Japan’s nuclear disaster
A statement by Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) arguing that the Fukushima nuclear disaster demonstrates the inherent dangers and economic obsolescence of nuclear power. Lovins contends that nuclear energy is uniquely risky, costly, and slow to deploy compared to renewable energy, cogeneration, and efficiency measures, which he presents as superior alternatives for climate protection.
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Document type: Statement
CLEARING THE AIR
This executive summary by Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland argues that carbon trading is an ineffective and dangerous primary tool for tackling climate change. The document proposes a comprehensive package of alternative mitigation strategies across energy, agriculture, forests, and industry, alongside several specific financial mechanisms to provide at least US$420 billion per year in additional climate finance for developing countries.
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Document type: Executive summary
DespejanDo el aire
The report "DespejanDo el aire" argues that carbon trading is an irresponsible and ineffective solution to climate change. It proposes a comprehensive package of alternatives: investing US$100 billion annually in renewables via feed-in tariffs, adopting sustainable small-scale agriculture, implementing common industrial technology standards, and protecting forests by addressing demand for commodities. To fund these actions, it suggests generating over US$420 billion annually through a global financial transaction tax, combating tax evasion, reorienting fossil fuel subsidies, and issuing new IMF Special Drawing Rights.
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Document type: Executive summary
Proliferation, oil, and climate: solving for pattern
This research paper argues that nuclear proliferation, climate change, and oil dependence are interconnected problems that can be solved simultaneously by shifting energy strategy away from nuclear power and fossil fuels toward energy efficiency and 'micropower' (distributed renewables and cogeneration). The author contends that nuclear power is economically unviable and inherently linked to proliferation risks, while integrative design and renewable technologies offer more profitable and faster paths to energy security and carbon reduction.
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Document type: Research paper
Keeping the Lights On While Transforming Electric Utilities
This report argues that electric utilities must shift from a traditional model of managing uncontrollable demand with large 'baseload' plants to a new paradigm using a diversified portfolio of smaller, variable resources, including energy efficiency and renewables, to maintain reliability and cost-effectiveness.
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Document type: Report
China’s Electrical Power Sector, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Trade
This research paper analyzes the environmental impacts of China's electrical power sector and explores how a sustainable trade strategy can be linked to energy policy. It details China's heavy reliance on coal, the resulting pollution, and the regulatory frameworks used to manage these effects. The document also surveys international best practices in low-carbon energy policy—including economic and regulatory instruments—and suggests policy options for China to improve efficiency and competitiveness.
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Document type: Research paper
Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) details the employment potential of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) sectors globally and within the United States. It compiles various studies and reports to argue that clean energy transitions can provide quality, long-term jobs and economic growth, contrasting these trends with the decline of traditional fossil fuel employment.
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Document type: Fact sheet
THE CHALLENGE OF UNIONISATION AND DEMOCRATISATION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE
This report documents a seminar held by the Institute for Security Studies on September 19, 2009, regarding the unionisation and democratisation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The discussions focus on the tension between constitutional labour rights and military discipline, the adversarial relationship between the Department of Defence (DOD) and military unions, and the systemic grievances of soldiers leading to protests.
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Document type: Report