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Green European Journal
The Green European Journal (July 2015) examines the systemic failures of the EU, including the Greek debt crisis, the refugee crisis, and the dominance of neoliberal technocracy. It advocates for a 'radicalisation of democracy' and a transition toward a degrowth economy. The document critiques the EU's climate contributions for COP 21 as insufficiently ambitious and calls for a reduction in energy dependency on Russia. It emphasizes the need for Green parties to reconnect with grassroots social movements and a 'trans-European' approach to identity and politics.
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Document type: Report
Report on Activities of the Secretariat
The GCF Secretariat report for mid-March to mid-June 2015 details progress in accreditation, readiness support, and the development of a project pipeline. It highlights the achievement of the Fund's effectiveness threshold with approximately US$ 5.47 billion in contributions and the review of 76 public sector concept notes requesting US$ 3.4 billion. The report also outlines the activities of the Private Sector Facility (PSF), including the review of 48 potential project ideas totaling US$ 3.1 billion, and the Secretariat's engagement with UNFCCC thematic bodies and other climate funds to ensure policy coherence.
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Document type: Report
From social activism to political activism: citizen candidates to local elections in Spain
The document analyzes the 2015 Spanish municipal elections, specifically the rise of 'citizen convergence' lists that integrated political parties, civil society, and independent activists. These movements, stemming from the 'Guanyem' initiative in Barcelona and influenced by the 15-M movement, sought 'democratic regeneration' through horizontal organization, open primaries, and codes of ethics. The author highlights the role of the green party EQUO in incorporating ecological policies—such as sustainable urban development and energy efficiency—into these agendas. The results showed significant success in cities like Barcelona, A Coruña, and Santiago de Compostela, suggesting a shift toward a more plural political cycle based on cooperation rather than the hegemonic strategies used by parties like Podemos.
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Document type: Research paper
How Congo’s rainforest is illegally logged for international markets
The report finds that illegalities are pervasive across DRC's industrial logging concessions, with every visited site between 2011 and 2014 showing violations. These range from over-harvesting and tax avoidance to human rights abuses and the use of fraudulent CITES permits. Despite laws like the EU Timber Regulation and the US Lacey Act, significant volumes of high-risk timber continue to flow to China, Europe, and the US, driven by weak government enforcement and a culture of impunity in the DRC.
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Document type: Report
Connecting the Struggles
This collection of reports and interviews analyzes contemporary European resistance movements, focusing on struggles against extractive industries, infrastructure mega-projects, and economic austerity. It highlights specific cases in Romania, Greece, Scotland, France, and Turkey, while discussing the systemic role of the educated middle class in mobilization. The text argues that Green parties must reconnect with their radical roots and form transversal alliances with social movements to challenge the dominant neoliberal economic model and the 'sacredness of growth'.
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Document type: Report
uk-reply-scanned-correspondence001-35a3a9be7cee6a3f.pdf
The UK government advocates for a global market-based measure (GMBM) via ICAO to achieve carbon-neutral growth for international aviation from 2020, while supporting the EU Emissions Trading System as a regional interim measure. The UK emphasizes that responsibility for aviation and shipping emissions lies with ICAO and the IMO respectively, and supports the Single European Sky initiative to improve air navigation efficiency.
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Document type: Statement
The price of energy efficiency in the Spanish housing market
The study finds that energy-efficient homes in Spain command a price premium between 5.4% and 9.8% compared to less efficient dwellings. Using a sample of 1,507 homes, the authors determined that homes rated A, B, or C have a 9.8% premium, while those rated A through D have a 5.4% premium. The research also highlights a significant lack of energy efficiency in the Spanish housing stock, with 52% of the sample rated E and nearly 25% rated F or G.
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Document type: Research paper
Lab Instrument Analysis: Energy Savings Insurance
The report examines Energy Savings Insurance (ESI), an instrument developed by the Inter-American Development Bank and BASE to unlock energy efficiency investments for SMEs by insuring against the risk that projected energy savings are not met. ESI can absorb up to 80% of underperformance risk and is being piloted or replicated across several countries, including Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador. If scaled globally, the instrument is estimated to drive USD 10-100 billion in investment and reduce annual emissions by 27-234 MtCO2 by 2030.
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Document type: Report
Media Development
The document is a collection of articles examining 'Invisible Walls and Barriers' to communication. It analyzes the use of exclusionary narratives in Spanish populism, the ethical challenges of academic research in Brazilian favelas, the sustainability of community media in Mexico, and the severe political and religious restrictions on media in Afghanistan. It also discusses the impact of austerity on European press freedom, the boundaries of legitimate discourse in Israel, and the role of indigenous community media in Canada's reconciliation process. Finally, it reflects on the paradoxical nature of technological development driven by military interests.
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Document type: Research paper
European carbon market reform must succeed in reality
Carbon Market Watch criticizes the European Parliament for delaying the implementation of the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) until 2019 and for allowing 300 million surplus allowances to return to the market for an innovation fund. The organization warns that the EU ETS is currently flooded with over two billion excess permits, which suppresses carbon prices and hinders the transition to renewable energy. It urges EU Member States to establish the reserve by 2017 to prevent the oversupply from potentially reaching 4.5 billion permits by 2020.
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Document type: Statement
Cooperation to remove the barbed wire: Europe and the Maghreb
The author contends that the EU must move away from criminalizing migrants and implementing neoliberal economic models in the Maghreb. Instead, the document proposes a cooperation framework based on reciprocity and ecological awareness, highlighting how environmental issues—such as desertification in coastal areas and water scarcity linked to fracking in Algeria—drive social instability and migration. It criticizes the 'Washington consensus' and the lack of international legal recognition for environmental refugees, who are estimated to reach 250 million by 2050. The text also notes that political instability, corruption, and bilateral conflicts between nations like Morocco and Algeria hinder regional cooperation and the development of interregional projects.
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Document type: Statement
Green Bonds in Public–Private Partnerships
The document argues that green project bonds can provide a viable alternative to traditional bank lending for green infrastructure PPPs, especially in the wake of Basel III regulations. It details the characteristics of project bonds, the risks involved—such as construction risk and negative carry—and the necessity of credit enhancements to achieve investment-grade ratings. The paper also provides guidance for public procurers on integrating bond financing into tender processes and highlights the growing global market for climate-themed bonds.
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Document type: Research paper
Company profile of Ecoener and Hidralia Energía
The report details the corporate structures and financial standings of Ecoener and Hidralia Energía, two Spanish companies involved in the Hidro Santa Cruz dam project in Guatemala. Ecoener holds an 85% stake in Hidro Santa Cruz, while Hidralia Energía holds 15%. The document outlines the financial assets and liabilities of both firms as of 2012-2013 and identifies the financial institutions supporting the dam project, including Norfund and CIFI.
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Document type: Research paper
MODELLING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES TRADE-OFFS IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS
The document argues that agricultural management is overly driven by food production, leading to a decline in the ecosystems it depends on. It advocates for an ecosystem-based approach to food security and introduces semantic meta-modelling as a tool to integrate various models and quantify trade-offs between crop yields and regulating services like water quality and climate regulation. Using a case study in the Basque Country, the authors demonstrate that informed farming practices, such as adjusting manure application and reducing tillage, can significantly reduce emissions and nitrate leaching without necessarily compromising winter wheat yields.
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Document type: Policy brief
UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS IS THE BIOETHANOL AND BIODIESEL PRODUCED ENTIRELY IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY SUSTAINABLE?
The document evaluates the environmental sustainability of first-generation biofuels produced in the Basque Country using an innovative methodology that integrates the SIMSNIC agronomic model with life cycle analysis. The study focuses on bioethanol from wheat and biodiesel from rapeseed in the La Llanada Alavesa area. It finds that while biofuels are more energy efficient than fossil fuels, meeting the EU's mandatory 35% greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target is unlikely under current mineral fertilisation conditions, particularly in nitrate-vulnerable areas. Organic fertilisation increases the likelihood of meeting GHG targets but exacerbates water contamination, soil acidification, and land-use competition. The authors conclude that the agricultural stage, specifically nitrogen fertilisation and climatology, is the primary driver of the carbon footprint due to nitrous oxide emissions.
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Document type: Policy brief
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: INSTRUMENTAL FOR CONSERVING NATURAL RESOURCES
The document examines the relationship between environmental justice and the success of conservation strategies, specifically Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES). It argues that ignoring social dimensions—such as distributive equity, recognition of rights, and inclusive decision-making—increases the risk of project failure through social conflict and sabotage, whereas integrating these criteria improves ecological outcomes and long-term efficiency.
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Document type: Policy brief
Pakistan as a Return Migration Destination
Return migration to Pakistan is highly diverse, ranging from the lifestyle-driven back-and-forth mobility of naturalized citizens from Europe to the forced return of irregular migrants via deportations and assisted voluntary return programmes. While the country relies heavily on remittances—receiving 18.4 billion USD in financial year 2014—returnees often face a context of instability, poor living conditions, and a lack of trust in state institutions due to corruption and nepotism. The Pakistani government's approach to return migration has primarily focused on short-term laborers from the Middle East and the promotion of formal remittance channels, leaving the needs of other diaspora groups largely unaddressed and the country's broader socioeconomic potential untapped.
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Document type: Policy brief
Transforming Development and Disaster Risk
The TDDR Initiative by the Stockholm Environment Institute seeks to transform the relationship between development and disaster risk reduction (DRR). It identifies three critical gaps in current approaches: a lack of understanding regarding vulnerability creation, a failure to apply knowledge at appropriate scales, and an over-fixation on risk reduction rather than the trade-offs in decision-making. The initiative intends to use a social-ecological systems framework to conduct context-specific research and support the implementation of the Sendai Framework.
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Document type: Fact sheet
SEI INITIATIVE The SEI Initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk
The SEI Initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk (TDDR) addresses the paradox where development often acts as a root cause of disaster risk rather than a means to reduce it. Using a social-ecological systems (SES) framework, the initiative focuses on three research areas: understanding the interaction between development and risk, exploring equitable social-ecological resilience, and investigating adaptive governance processes. The goal is to generate knowledge and a synthesis framework to transform development into a tool for risk reduction, while monitoring the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The explosion of Spain's Podemos and the limits of name-calling
The briefing examines the rapid rise of Podemos in Spain, analyzing its positions on corruption, inequality, democracy, and European policy, while highlighting its influence on traditional left-wing parties and the strategic challenge it poses to ecological parties in Southern Europe.
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Document type: Briefing