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116 results
Shaping local climate policies: A review of experience
The document identifies three critical sets of conditions for the effective implementation of local climate policies in developing countries: government capacity, problem framing, and political factors. It argues that while government capacity (legal, financial, and technical) acts as a necessary enabling condition, the actual motivation for policy action depends on how climate goals are framed to align with local socioeconomic concerns and the influence of political entrepreneurs and interest groups. The author emphasizes that implementation is more politically challenging than adoption and suggests a 'configurational' approach to understanding how these various factors combine to produce successful outcomes.
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Document type: Research paper
Rio’s New Bus Rapid Transit Line Improves Life for Millions
The Transoeste BRT system in Rio de Janeiro has reduced travel times for 65% of riders by at least half and is projected to save 300,000 tons of CO2 annually by 2016. Supported by EMBARQ, the system improves social inclusion for residents in west Rio and is part of a plan to expand the network to 153 km by 2016.
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Document type: Case study
Changing our Understanding of Sustainability: The impact of ICTs and the Internet
The report examines how ICTs and the Internet impact the core pillars of sustainable development: economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental protection. It distinguishes between direct (first-order) negative environmental impacts, such as e-waste and greenhouse gas emissions, and indirect (second-order) positive potentials like 'smart systems' for energy efficiency. The authors argue that the most significant impacts are third-order societal changes—including the virtualization of goods and shifts in governance—which are often ignored by international policy frameworks. The report critiques the Rio+20 summit for failing to substantively address these technological shifts, suggesting that a paradigm gap exists between the ICT sector and the sustainable development community. It concludes by calling for a move away from large-scale UN summits toward more adaptive, multistakeholder dialogues and the integration of environmental sustainability into ICT design and standards.
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Document type: Report
ICTs, the Internet and Sustainability: Where Next?
The report examines how ICTs impact sustainability across first, second, and third-order effects. It criticizes the Rio+20 summit for failing to systematically address the information society and calls for a new, multistakeholder approach to bridge the paradigm gap between the ICT and sustainable development communities.
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Document type: Report
There are no jobs on a dead planet!
The global trade union movement criticizes the Rio+20 Summit Declaration for lacking targets, timelines, and a strategic vision for planetary justice. The statement argues that the summit failed to provide a new model of development to address unemployment, poverty, and environmental destruction, while noting a significant lack of public trust in government economic decision-making.
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Document type: Statement
Manifiesto de Repudio por el Asesinato de dos Pescadores de AHOMAR
The manifesto condemns the execution of AHOMAR leaders Almir Nogueira de Amorim and João Luiz Telles Penetra in June 2012, linking the violence to their opposition to the Petrobras COMPERJ petrochemical complex. It details a history of threats and previous unsolved murders of fishers and demands state protection, the reopening of a local police post, and negotiations between Petrobras and the fishing community.
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Document type: Statement
The energy for sustainability in the streets
The statement emphasizes the importance of the People's Summit in Rio de Janeiro as a space for grassroots activism and solidarity among those impacted by climate, financial, and food crises. It argues that sustainability is found in solidarity and the implementation of diverse, non-patented solutions rather than in official state-led negotiations. The text highlights the need to protect local environments from corporate pollution, citing oil spill damage in Mage, and calls for the removal of corporate influence from political structures.
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Document type: Statement
Rio+20: "We Cannot Afford to Let This Moment Slip By"
The World Resources Institute argues that sustainability must be viewed as a pro-growth path rather than a conflict with economic growth, urging governments and businesses to move from promises to concrete policy actions to protect the climate and ecosystems.
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Document type: Statement
Shell and corporate lobbying in the Rio+20 process
The briefing argues that Shell exerts significant influence over the Rio+20 process by occupying senior leadership roles in a 'complex and hermetic web' of interlinked business associations and UN-affiliated initiatives. It details Shell's presence in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), UN Global Compact, IPIECA, and IETA, highlighting how these entities coordinate through Business Action for Sustainable Development 2012 (BASD) to shape sustainable development policy.
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Document type: Briefing
Speeding the Transition
The statement by the Green Economy Coalition emphasizes that while sustainable development models are proven, the global pace of transition is too slow, leaving many economies locked in unsustainable patterns. It calls for bold leadership to overcome government caution following the economic crisis and proposes specific actions for the Rio conference, including clarifying green economy principles, improving progress metrics, and redirecting investment flows to support sustainability.
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Document type: Statement
how corporations rule part 3: vale – leading the corporate lobby for easier offsetting and other false ‘green’ solutions
The document examines Vale's dual strategy of expanding global coal and mining operations while lobbying for lenient carbon offsetting regulations and implementing 'green' projects that the authors claim exacerbate the climate crisis. It highlights specific negative impacts in Mozambique and Brazil, and describes how Vale influences national and international climate policy to benefit its business interests.
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Document type: Report
como as corporações governam part 3: vale – liderando o lobby corporativo para facilitar compensações e outras falsas soluções “verdes”
The document examines how Vale leverages its relationship with the Brazilian government to lobby for lenient climate regulations and financial incentives for carbon offsets. It highlights the contradiction between Vale's corporate sustainability claims and its actual operations, specifically citing the Moatize coal project in Mozambique and the TKCSA steel plant in Brazil. The report characterizes these market-based mechanisms, including the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and REDD, as 'false solutions' that facilitate corporate profit while causing social displacement and environmental degradation.
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Document type: Report
Rebuilding After Disasters: Why sustainable public procurement can be a practical policy
The report advocates for the adoption of sustainable public procurement (SPP) during post-disaster and post-conflict reconstruction. It highlights that the high volume of public spending during these periods—often ranging from 2% to 15% of annual GDP for recovery—can be used to signal long-term demand for green goods and services, stimulate private sector innovation, and build domestic capacity for sustainable production. The author provides evidence that integrating sustainability into infrastructure rebuilding, such as mangrove conservation in Vietnam or flood-resistant works in China, significantly reduces future disaster losses and improves resilience. However, the report notes that implementation is often hindered by a lack of dedicated SPP laws and political instability in lower-income economies.
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Document type: Report
DRAFT REPORT 3rd GIBSA PARTNERS’ MEETING
The 3rd GIBSA Partners' Meeting, held in April 2009 in Tshwane, South Africa, brought together representatives from Germany, India, Brazil, and South Africa to discuss the emerging global political and economic order. Key discussions focused on the transition of power from West to East, the role of 'smart power' in international relations, and the challenges facing African states in exerting influence globally. The meeting also analyzed the rise of 'club governance' (such as the G20 and Heiligendamm Process) as a flexible alternative to traditional multilateral institutions like the IMF and World Bank, while emphasizing that Africa remains more of a 'field of action' than a proactive actor in international relations.
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Document type: Report
Internet Governance Forum: A development perspective
The document outlines the tension between a 'narrow view' of internet governance, focused on critical internet resources, and a 'broader view' that links technical decisions to development outcomes. It details the proposed agenda for the 2008 Hyderabad meeting, specifically the 'Reaching the next billion' theme, and highlights the role of Dynamic Coalitions in addressing the digital divide, human rights, and linguistic diversity. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) specifically argues for the inextricable link between internet evolution and global sustainability.
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Document type: Briefing
The Johannesburg Summit 2002: A Call for Action
The document is a formal appeal to the President of the United States to participate in the 2002 Johannesburg Summit. It argues that the U.S. has a special responsibility to lead on sustainable development and environmental protection, citing urgent global crises including climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. The signatories request that the U.S. ratify Rio treaties, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and support renewable energy technologies.
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Document type: Statement
1 Regional Workshop on Sustainability Science: Science and Technology for Sustainable Development
The document proposes a regional workshop on sustainability science to explore the intellectual foundations, research strategies, and institutional infrastructure needed for sustainable development. It builds on a previous global meeting in Sweden that concluded the current global development path is unsustainable and is undermining the Earth's life-support systems. The proposed workshop aims to integrate global processes with local ecological and social characteristics, resulting in a multi-lingual report and the creation of a regional network on sustainability science.
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Document type: Briefing
Connecting Weapons With Violence: The South American Experience
The document outlines the Towards Collaborative Peace (TCP) project, which examines how the proliferation of small arms and light weapons fuels a 'culture of violence' and undermines democratization in Southern Africa. The project employs a south-south comparative framework, contrasting trends in Southern Africa with those in South American Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Through field research and a series of publications, the TCP project aims to identify the dynamics of illegal weapons flows and develop regional control mechanisms and local educational packages to mitigate violence.
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Document type: Research paper
INFORME de la SEGUNDA REUNION DE LA CONFERENCIA DE LAS PARTES (CoP)
The CoP-II meeting focused on establishing the institutional infrastructure of the IAI, including the election of its first Director, Dr. Armando Rabuffetti, and the approval of a basic budget of US$570,000. Key outcomes included the adoption of the Host Country Agreement with Brazil, the approval of the Initial Scientific Program (ISP), and the establishment of a policy for the open exchange of scientific information. Member nations provided updates on national climate initiatives, and the meeting concluded with the election of three additional members to the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).
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Document type: Report
Concepts and Principles of International Environmental Law
The document provides an overview of the legal frameworks guiding sustainable development, focusing on the duties of states to cooperate, avoid environmental harm, and compensate for damages, while examining the legal status of natural resources and the global commons.
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Document type: Research paper