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2,875 results
World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate
The report analyzes the intersection of climate change, World Heritage sites, and tourism, arguing that climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' that degrades the outstanding universal value (OUV) of these sites while simultaneously threatening the tourism economies that depend on them. Through 30 case studies across 29 countries, it demonstrates that impacts range from glacier melt and sea-level rise to increased wildfire regimes and ocean acidification. The document emphasizes that while sustainable tourism can support conservation, unplanned development often increases site vulnerability. It concludes with recommendations for intergovernmental organizations, governments, and site managers to integrate climate science into management plans, reduce tourism's carbon footprint, and empower local and indigenous communities in adaptation efforts.
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Document type: Report
THE BUSINESS END OF CLIMATE CHANGE
The report estimates that if five analyzed business initiatives achieve their most ambitious plans, they could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.2-4.2 billion tonnes per year by 2030. If all relevant companies joined these initiatives, reductions could reach approximately 10 billion tonnes. The document emphasizes that achieving this systemic impact requires governments to remove regulatory barriers and provide incentives, such as carbon pricing and R&D support, to create a virtuous circle of ambition between the public and private sectors.
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Document type: Report
THE PARIS AGREEMENT
The Paris Agreement establishes a global mandate to hold warming well below 2C and reach net zero emissions in the second half of the century. For businesses, this creates a structural shift in energy, land use, and urban systems, offering trillions of dollars in investment opportunities in renewables and energy efficiency. The report emphasizes the importance of internal carbon pricing for risk management and highlights specific vulnerabilities in sectors like textiles in Bangladesh and agriculture in Ethiopia. It argues that the agreement provides long-term policy certainty, making the transition to a clean economy inevitable and irresistible for the private sector.
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Document type: Report
SUMMARY OF WWF POSITIONS ON PRIORTY AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITES COP17
WWF advocates for science-based decision-making at CITES CoP17, emphasizing the need for increased resources for the Secretariat and a primary focus on National Ivory Action Plans to combat illegal trade. The organization supports Appendix I listings for all pangolin species and various Appendix II listings for sharks, rays, and rosewoods, while opposing proposals to allow legal trade in rhino horn or ivory. WWF also supports measures to combat wildlife cybercrime, corruption, and the laundering of captive-bred specimens.
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Document type: Briefing
PLOWPRINT REPORT 2016
The Plowprint report by WWF International tracks the gross conversion of intact grasslands to cropland in the US and Canada from 2008/2009 to 2015. Unlike net conversion studies, the Plowprint counts land as converted even if it later reverts to grass, arguing that the initial plow-up causes significant, long-term ecological loss. The analysis uses federal satellite-derived data to identify conversion hotspots and emphasizes the loss of ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water filtration. While noting that nearly half of the Plowprint area had reverted to perennial cover by 2015, WWF maintains that such restoration may not fully recover biological diversity or soil capacity. The document also outlines WWF's broader efforts to reduce grassland and forest conversion globally, specifically targeting soy, beef, and palm oil supply chains in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
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Document type: Fact sheet
COP21: A Good Deal for Climate and for Growth
The author asserts that the Paris agreement's success is rooted in the collapsing cost gap between clean and fossil energy and the increasing profitability of low-carbon investments. The text highlights that private sector investment is driving climate finance, which grew 18% to $391 billion in the previous year. Specific examples are provided of economic opportunities in the U.S., Europe, India, China, Indonesia, and Brazil, suggesting that the transition to low-carbon energy and sustainable agriculture can unlock trillions in economic value.
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Document type: Statement
6 Things to Look for on Finance at the Paris Climate Negotiations
The document outlines critical areas for climate finance at COP 21, emphasizing the need for developed countries to meet the $100 billion annual goal by 2020, increasing funding for adaptation, and improving transparency in reporting finance flows. It highlights recent pledges from various nations and argues for a shift in trillions of dollars from high-emissions to low-emissions activities.
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Document type: Briefing
Improving Land Productivity through Fiscal Policy: Early Insights on Taxation in the palm oil supply chain
The report finds that Indonesia's current tax system does not incentivize sustainable land use in the palm oil industry, characterized by low tax-to-GDP ratios and minimal revenue redistribution to local governments. It proposes six fiscal reforms, including increasing land taxes and tying revenue sharing to sustainability indicators, to reduce deforestation and improve land productivity.
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Document type: Report
Improving Land Productivity through Fiscal Policy: A Framework for Analysis
The report analyzes Indonesia's land-use revenue systems, finding that 93.5% of revenue is based on production rather than land size, which fails to disincentivize land expansion. It identifies high-potential areas for reform, including the Land and Building Tax, Forestry Non-Tax Revenue, and the use of Adjustment Funds for earmarking sustainable land use activities. The analysis also highlights how current central-to-regional revenue sharing may perversely encourage local governments to grant more land permits to increase their budgets.
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Document type: Report
The missing ingredients for successful NAMAs
The document examines Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) as tools for developing countries to achieve mitigation and sustainable development goals. It highlights a significant gap between the high interest in NAMA development and the actual financial support provided, noting that less than 2% of requested support has been offered. The brief argues that the lack of official UNFCCC guidelines for stakeholder consultation and the absence of sector-specific environmental criteria—such as 'negative lists' to exclude harmful technologies—risk promoting 'greenwashing' and locking countries into high-carbon infrastructure. It recommends adopting universal safeguards, harmonized sustainable development assessments, and mandatory guidelines for effective stakeholder engagement, including indigenous peoples, to ensure NAMAs drive true transformational change.
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Document type: Policy brief
Subsidies to Coal Production in China
The report identifies 18 subsidies to coal extraction in China for the 2013–2015 period, quantifying 11 of them. For 2013, quantifiable subsidies (excluding credit support) totaled CNY 35.7 billion (USD 5.8 billion). The most significant quantified measures include temporary tax and fee relief from provincial and local governments (USD 1.65 billion), state budget investment in fixed assets (USD 1.27 billion), and compensations for mine shutdowns under phase-out plans (USD 1.03 billion). Credit support is identified as a potentially massive but uncertain subsidy, estimated between CNY 3.5 billion and 35.7 billion annually depending on the scenario. The report argues that these subsidies, particularly those driving long-term investment, lock in coal use and act as barriers to renewable energy deployment.
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Document type: Report
Slowing the Growth of Coal Power Outside China: The Role of Chinese Finance
This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the scale and distribution of Chinese finance for overseas coal power projects, highlighting China's role as a major provider of finance and the potential impact of its 2015 commitment to control public investment in high-carbon overseas projects.
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Document type: Report
Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
The document provides a comprehensive overview of 'green jobs' in the US and internationally, highlighting the growth of sectors like solar, wind, and energy efficiency. It notes that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics ceased its Green Careers program in 2013, leading to a reliance on fragmented data from multiple sources. Globally, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) identifies China as the leader in renewable energy employment, with solar PV being the largest global employer in the sector.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Global Climate Policy Conference 2015
The Global Climate Policy Conference 2015 explored innovative research-driven approaches to climate action, focusing on the intersection of development, adaptation, carbon pricing, and state accountability. Key discussions highlighted the need for a 'club' approach to carbon pricing and technology, the importance of microfinance and local capacity in adaptation, and the role of basic energy research in breaking the link between emissions and economic growth.
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Document type: Report
Central Kalimantan’s Oil Palm Value Chain: Opportunities for Productivity, Profitability and Sustainability Gains
The document analyzes the economic value and operational gaps in Central Kalimantan's oil palm sector, highlighting significant under-utilization of midstream mill capacity and limited downstream refining. It identifies a wide range of business models, from smallholder farmers to fully integrated multinationals, and argues that integrated models are better equipped to manage financial, production, and market risks. The authors recommend a 'landscape management approach' via the PALM Program to transition the sector toward sustainable, high-productivity practices without further deforestation.
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Document type: Research paper
Slowing the Growth of Coal Power Outside China
The report estimates that China provided USD 21-38 billion to overseas coal power projects between 2005 and 2014, with a further USD 35-72 billion planned. This financing is primarily debt used to support Chinese equipment exports and construction contracts, driven by domestic overcapacity and strategic political goals. The report analyzes China's September 2015 commitment to control public investment in high-carbon projects, estimating that up to USD 18 billion in planned investment could be discontinued, though it warns that other international lenders or export credit agencies might fill the void.
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Document type: Report
Jobs in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
The document provides a comprehensive overview of clean energy employment, highlighting the U.S. and global landscapes. In the U.S., it details job figures across energy efficiency (buildings, appliances, transport) and renewable energy (solar, wind, biofuels, geothermal, hydro, and waste-to-energy). Globally, it identifies China as the leader in renewable energy employment, followed by Brazil, the U.S., India, and Germany, with solar PV being the largest employment driver worldwide.
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Document type: Fact sheet
COAL ATLAS
The Coal Atlas 2015 examines the systemic damage caused by coal extraction and combustion, highlighting its role as a primary driver of global CO2 emissions and its associated health and human rights violations. It analyzes the economic instability of the 'carbon bubble' and the failure of technologies like carbon capture and storage, while documenting the rise of renewable energy and grassroots protests against the coal industry across various nations, including China, India, the US, Russia, and Germany.
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Document type: Report
Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes
The report evaluates forest governance through three indicators: institutional policy scores, the rule of law (illegal logging and violence), and land tenure rights for indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). While some progress is noted in policy frameworks and the total area of recognized IPLC rights, the report highlights a slowdown in tenure recognition since 2008, a rise in absolute volumes of illegal timber imports—particularly into China—and persistent violence against land defenders, especially in Latin America.
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Document type: Report
Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Technical Annexes
The report evaluates the market share of certified sustainable commodities and the volume of deforestation-free commitments from companies, financial institutions, and governments. It finds that while palm oil certification has increased, soy and paper have remained stagnant, and beef lacks a global certification standard. Corporate pledges have risen rapidly since 2009, but financial institutions and exporting jurisdictions show significantly lower levels of commitment and policy implementation.
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Document type: Report