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The report presents twelve reasons why large hydroelectric projects are incompatible with the goals of renewable energy initiatives. It contends that these projects fail to alleviate poverty, divert funding from cleaner decentralized technologies, and often suffer from underestimated costs and overestimated benefits. The text highlights severe social and environmental impacts, including the forced displacement of 40 to 80 million people and the emission of greenhouse gases from reservoirs. It further argues that large dams increase vulnerability to climate change, are inflexible and costly to build, and are not truly renewable due to sedimentation.

The report details a workshop on integrating public benefits—such as rural electrification, energy efficiency, and renewable energy—into power sector reforms in developing countries. It argues that while reforms can threaten traditional public benefit delivery, they also create opportunities for new, more transparent regulatory frameworks. The document emphasises the need for broader stakeholder involvement, including NGOs and academia, and calls for specialised training and research-based capacity building to ensure reforms align with sustainable development goals.

The report examines the global landscape of GMO import regulations, noting a concentration of commercial acreage in the US, Argentina, Canada, and China, while many developing nations face regulatory blockages. It details the stringent regimes in the EU and Australia/New Zealand, the more flexible approach in the US, and varying levels of adoption and restriction in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The document further analyzes potential conflicts between these national regulations—specifically regarding traceability, labelling, and the precautionary principle—and WTO agreements such as the SPS, TBT, and GATT, as well as the influence of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The 18th SAC meeting focused on reviewing the IAI's scientific agenda, managing Core Research Network (CRN) projects, and planning future funding calls. Key outcomes included the formation of working groups to rewrite the scientific agenda, the recommendation of a new Small Grants Program (SGP) with a US $600,000 budget, and the appointment of Walter Fernández as the new SAC President. The committee also discussed collaborations with the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

The document details the progress and disputes surrounding the four 'Singapore issues' following the Doha Ministerial Declaration. It highlights a recurring rift between developed nations (such as the EU, US, and Japan), who seek multilateral rules, and developing nations (such as India and Brazil), who express concern over policy flexibility, resource constraints, and the necessity of new binding obligations. For each issue, the briefing outlines the specific mandates, the current state of play in Working Group discussions, and the differing positions of member states regarding definitions, transparency, and the role of technical assistance.

The document examines the three forms of special and differential treatment (SDT) in the WTO: modulation of commitments, trade preferences, and declarations of support. It argues that existing SDT is often unenforceable or eroding, and that the Doha Round requires a new, more sophisticated regime of differentiation based on objective criteria to achieve consensus among diverse developing nations.

The report examines 'village demining' in Cambodia, where locals use basic tools to clear land for survival. It contrasts this with professional humanitarian mine action, which prioritizes absolute safety and standardized procedures. The author argues that professional agencies often ignore the relative risks—such as starvation and landlessness—that compel villagers to clear mines. The document recommends a paradigm shift toward community-oriented strategies, including the use of mobile quick-response teams and the integration of mine action with broader development and land-titling initiatives to reduce the vulnerabilities that make village demining necessary.

The evaluation of the Sustainable Development Communications Network (SDCN), 1996-2001, finds that the network successfully built the electronic communications capacity of its members and established the SD Gateway as a premier portal for sustainable development knowledge. While the network achieved high levels of success in capacity development and stakeholder engagement, it faced challenges with institutional support and the sustainability of joint value creation. The report recommends transitioning the SDCN from a formal knowledge network to an open community of practice focused on individual practitioners, while separating IISD's broader research on knowledge networks into an independent activity.

The report examines hydropower planning in the Se San and Sre Pok Basins, highlighting a persistent gap between progressive regional policies—such as those of the Mekong River Commission (MRC)—and the actual practice of site selection, which remains driven by national economic interests and technical-economic feasibility. It argues that while the 1995 MRC Agreement provides a legal framework, genuine environmental governance requires a transition from project-based to programme-based approaches that incorporate local perspectives and transboundary impact assessments. The study uses the Yali Falls Dam incident as a critical example of governance failure and a potential catalyst for improved conflict resolution and information sharing.

The EPTSD Framework aims to minimize conflicts between trade, environment, and development policies through five principles: efficiency, equity, good governance, stakeholder participation and responsibility, and international cooperation. The document argues that the adversarial nature of WTO binding dispute settlement is often a 'last resort' that fails to address underlying environmental issues, as seen in the Shrimp-Turtle case. It proposes a four-stage dispute prevention process: informal international cooperation, bilateral/multilateral consultation, non-binding third-party assisted processes (such as mediation under Article 5 of the DSU), and finally, binding settlement. Applying this to the Shrimp-Turtle dispute, the author suggests that technical assistance and multi-stakeholder dialogue could have avoided the trade ban. For the GMO Labelling conflict between the US and EU, the document emphasizes the need for international policy coherence across the WTO, the Biosafety Protocol, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission, while supporting the EU's labelling scheme as a tool for consumer transparency and risk internalisation.

The document provides a legal and scientific defense of U.S. Section 609 measures, which prohibit shrimp imports from nations that do not require the use of turtle excluder devices (TEDs). It asserts that TEDs are the only effective means of preventing the extinction of endangered sea turtles caused by mechanized shrimp trawling. The brief argues that these measures are justified under GATT Article XX(g) as they relate to the conservation of exhaustible natural resources and are consistent with international obligations under CITES, UNCLOS, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. It further contends that the measures do not constitute arbitrary discrimination or disguised restrictions on trade, and advocates for the acceptance of amicus briefs in WTO disputes to ensure public participation in sustainable development.

The document warns against adopting a deregulatory investment model for the FTAA, citing the destabilizing effects of short-term speculative capital flows seen in the Asian and Mexican financial crises. It argues that broad definitions of investment and 'national treatment' provisions in NAFTA and the MAI would prohibit essential capital controls and 'speed bumps' used by countries like Chile and Colombia to maintain economic stability. Furthermore, the text contends that such rules threaten environmental protection by allowing corporations to sue governments for 'regulatory expropriation' and by banning performance requirements that mandate technology transfer to developing nations. The authors recommend that any hemispheric agreement must preserve the right of states to regulate currency convertibility, mandate technology transfer, and utilize transparent dispute resolution mechanisms that include civil society participation.

The report warns against the deregulation of investment within the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), specifically criticizing the adoption of models from NAFTA and the OECD's Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). It argues that broad definitions of investment and restrictive rules on capital controls increase vulnerability to speculative 'hot money' and financial crises, as seen in Mexico and East Asia. Furthermore, it contends that such frameworks undermine environmental protection by allowing corporations to challenge public health and environmental regulations through secretive investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms and by prohibiting performance requirements like technology transfer.

The World Bank Inspection Panel was established in 1993 to provide a mechanism for citizens adversely affected by Bank projects to seek independent analysis of policy compliance. While the Panel has the potential to shift the Bank from a "culture of approval" to a "culture of results" by amplifying local voices, the document argues that its impact is limited by Bank Management's adversarial responses, the Board of Directors' reluctance to authorize full investigations, and a divide between donor and borrowing countries. The authors highlight systemic violations of policies regarding project supervision and involuntary resettlement, noting that claimants often face significant risks, including violence, when seeking accountability. The paper recommends empowering the Panel to set its own terms of reference, involving claimants more deeply in the process, and utilizing independent legal counsel to avoid conflicts of interest.

The document proposes the "hypercar" concept, which utilizes a recursive "mass decompounding" process to create ultralight vehicles. By combining advanced composites and hybrid-electric drives, the authors argue that cars can achieve significantly higher fuel economy and lower emissions without sacrificing performance or cost. The paper examines the lifecycle benefits of this approach, including reduced embodied energy in manufacturing, lower in-use emissions, and the potential for high-value recycling of polymer composites through processes like low-temperature catalytic pyrolysis.

The document is an annotated bibliography that examines the ISO 14000 series of standards. It highlights the tension between those who view the standards as a tool for reducing trade barriers and improving corporate efficiency and critics who argue that the lack of specific environmental performance requirements undermines their effectiveness. The text explores the integration of ISO 14000 with other standards like ISO 9000 and EMAS, its applicability to small- and medium-sized enterprises, and its role in transitioning from 'command and control' regulation to a voluntary, market-driven era of environmental stewardship.

The report outlines eight key action items to protect marine and coastal biodiversity under the Convention on Biological Diversity, focusing on integrated management, protected areas, sustainable fisheries, and the mitigation of global threats like climate change and pollution.

Global Witness reports that despite a May 1, 1995, timber export ban by the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), illegal timber continues to enter Thailand via land and sea. The investigation finds that Thai military officers and companies maintain direct trade links with the Khmer Rouge, with some companies signing multi-year concessions. Global Witness estimates the Khmer Rouge earn between US$10 million and US$20 million per month from the timber trade. The report highlights that the Thai government is undermining the 1991 Paris Peace Accords and the RGC's efforts to curb deforestation, which has already contributed to rice harvest failures and malnutrition in Cambodia.

The report finds that while global attitudes toward climate change remain largely stable, there is a distinct increase in concern and perceived impact within Europe, where salience rose in France, Italy, and Spain, and more people reported noticing heatwaves and droughts.

The document highlights that just 1% of Thailand's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 294 GW of energy capacity, potentially replacing all coal and gas used for electricity production and reducing emissions by approximately 82 megatonnes of CO2eq. It argues that this technology offers a low land-use footprint and a reliable 24/7 power source that could significantly reduce Thailand's dependence on energy imports from Myanmar, Qatar, and Indonesia.