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The report outlines a variety of passive and active cooling strategies for urban environments, ranging from nature-based solutions like tree planting and green roofs to technical interventions such as cool pavements and district cooling systems. It emphasizes the importance of integrated urban planning, the implementation of Heat Action Plans to protect vulnerable populations, and the use of diverse policy incentives and business models to scale these solutions.

The report identifies a $895 billion climate-aligned bond universe, consisting of $221 billion in labelled green bonds and $674 billion in unlabelled bonds from pure-play issuers. Transport and energy are the dominant themes, with rail infrastructure being a primary driver. The document highlights the growing role of sovereign and sub-sovereign issuers, particularly in China and the US, and advocates for the green bond market to reach $1 trillion in annual issuance by 2020 to meet Paris Agreement targets.

The report identifies a $895 billion climate-aligned bond universe as of mid-2017, consisting of $221 billion in labelled green bonds and $674 billion in unlabelled bonds from pure-play issuers. Transport and energy are the dominant themes, with China Railway Corp being the largest single issuer. The document highlights the growing importance of municipal and sovereign green bonds, particularly in the US and Europe, and provides a detailed analysis of Brazil's potential to expand its green finance market to meet its Paris Agreement targets. It concludes by advocating for a global green bond issuance target of $1 trillion per year by 2020.

The report identifies a $895 billion universe of climate-aligned bonds, including $221 billion in labeled green bonds. It highlights the dominance of the transport and energy sectors and the critical role of sovereign and sub-sovereign issuers, particularly in China and the US. The document argues for a massive acceleration of green bond issuance to reach $1 trillion annually by 2020 to support Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The document outlines the intersection of climate change and public health in Canada, highlighting risks such as extreme heat, wildfires, and food insecurity, particularly in the Arctic and among Indigenous populations. It advocates for a rapid phase-out of coal-powered electricity by 2030, the implementation of a National Active Transport Strategy, and the integration of Health Impact Assessments into federal environmental processes to mitigate health risks and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The document outlines a diverse landscape of climate financing for cities, categorised into local internal revenues, external third-party sources, and international funds. Local options include property and land taxes, user fees, development charges, and Tax Increment Financing (TIF), as well as 'intracting' for energy retrofits. External sources feature Energy Performance Contracting (EPC), green bonds, and crowdfunding. International support is available through climate funds like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF), Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), and philanthropic organisations, though the authors note that most international funds require cooperation with national governments due to strict fiduciary and creditworthiness standards. The guide emphasizes that while international funds are necessary for large-scale projects, local sources foster greater municipal autonomy and sustainability.

The paper evaluates whether Japan can exceed its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and voluntary corporate targets for electricity sector CO2 intensity. It estimates that by utilizing nuclear power (108–130 TWh) and renewables, Japan could achieve an intensity of 0.34 to 0.36 kgCO2/kWh. However, the study highlights that significant renewable potential in regions like Hokkaido and Tohoku remains under-utilized due to limited grid interconnection capacity and a lack of storage technology.

The policy brief argues that current carbon pricing mechanisms, which use free allowances to prevent carbon leakage in industrial sectors, eliminate the price signal for mitigation beyond primary production efficiency. To address this, the authors propose 'Inclusion of Consumption,' where a consumption charge is levied on carbon-intensive materials (such as steel, aluminum, and clinker) based on benchmark emission values and the carbon price. This charge would apply to all domestic consumption regardless of origin, making it compatible with WTO law. The mechanism would use duty suspension arrangements to track materials through the value chain, with the charge becoming due only when the good is released for consumption. The brief notes precedents in Asia (South Korea, China, Tokyo) regarding electricity consumption and discusses potential implementation in Europe and the United States.

The document argues that climate change adaptation measures involving green and blue areas provide significant co-benefits for human health, which are often overlooked in policy design. It develops a conceptual framework based on five pathways: prevention of climate and pollution effects, improvement of ecosystem quality, social environment benefits, economic activity development, and interaction with microorganisms. The authors review existing literature using objective, self-reported, and mixed methodologies, finding a generally positive but inconsistent correlation between natural environments and health outcomes, with green areas being more extensively studied than blue areas.

The report analyzes the design and operational experiences of various emissions trading systems, including the EU ETS, RGGI, WCI, NZ ETS, TMG ETS, and the Australian CPM. It highlights key design trade-offs regarding coverage, allowance distribution, and price management, while emphasizing that the EU ETS experience demonstrates that over-allocation does not necessarily preclude abatement. The document also provides a toolkit for policymakers to assess the environmental and economic effectiveness of such systems.

The document examines how Taiwan can engage with international carbon markets despite not being a party to the UNFCCC or the Kyoto Protocol. It analyzes formal eligibility requirements and material 'market readiness' conditions across various systems, including the EU ETS, RGGI, WCI, and others. The study suggests that while formal treaty-based access is restricted, Taiwan can utilize indirect participation, bilateral cooperation, and the development of a robust domestic cap-and-trade system with absolute targets to facilitate future linkage.

The report analyzes a diverse array of cap-and-trade systems, from the established EU ETS to emerging pilots in China and South Korea. It argues that the success of these markets depends heavily on long-term political commitment, robust data collection, and centralized decision-making to avoid over-allocation. The authors highlight a shift in the center of carbon market activity toward Asia-Pacific economies, which are experimenting with novel scopes including buildings and indirect emissions.

The document outlines the two primary forms of carbon pricing: emissions trading schemes (ETS) and carbon taxes. It details the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme as the world's largest, alongside regional programs like the RGGI in the US and the Tokyo Cap and Trade Program. It also lists numerous national carbon taxes, noting Finland as the first to introduce one in 1990, and describes hybrid systems in Australia and New Zealand.

The report argues that the EU ETS is failing due to a massive oversupply of allowances caused by the 2008 economic recession and industrial overallocation. Sandbag identifies a total excess of 3.1 billion tonnes (Gt) of allowances, including 2.2Gt from obsolete demand forecasts and 0.9Gt from industrial overallocation. The document highlights that 78% of the net surplus is concentrated among ten steel and cement companies, which have generated significant revenues from selling surplus permits. To remedy this, the report recommends the permanent cancellation of 3.1Gt of allowances from Phase 3 auctions, the establishment of a more ambitious Phase 4 carbon budget aligned with 2050 goals, and the introduction of mechanisms like a "heat exchanger" and a strategic demand-correction reserve to protect the system from future exogenous shocks.

The report assesses the potential for linking emissions trading schemes (ETS) globally, concluding that an OECD-wide company-level carbon market by 2015 is a "highly ambitious goal." It identifies that while the EU ETS seeks to be a nucleus for a global market, most emerging schemes prioritize domestic price control over full bilateral linking. The study highlights significant barriers to linkage, including divergent target stringencies, the use of intensity-based targets (notably in Canada), and different cost-containment measures like price caps. It distinguishes between unilateral links (one-way recognition), bilateral/multilateral links (mutual recognition), and indirect links (via common mechanisms like the CDM). The report also examines the legal complexities of such links, particularly the constraints on US state-level agreements and the EU's regulatory mandates. It suggests that a "bottom-up" process of linking regional markets could serve as a fallback if top-down international agreements, such as a Kyoto successor, fail.

The document presents a portfolio of 2008 research by Climate Strategies, focusing on the EU ETS, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and G8 climate opportunities. Key analyses include the risks of carbon leakage in industrial sectors, the underperformance of CDM projects in terms of certified emission reductions, and the economic rationale for transitioning from free allowance allocation to auctioning in the EU ETS. It also includes the Eliasch Review on financing global forests and a study on the development of mandatory emissions trading in Japan.

The document analyzes Japan's transition from voluntary climate instruments, such as the Keidanren Voluntary Action Plan and the Japanese Voluntary Emissions Trading Scheme (JVETS), toward a mandatory ETS. It compares proposals from the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), noting that the use of intensity-based targets and lenient penalties in some proposals could hinder direct bilateral linking with more stringent systems like the EU ETS. The paper concludes that while direct links are unlikely before 2013, indirect links via the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) will remain primary until a mandatory system with absolute targets is established.

The document serves as the first module of a foundation course on air quality management in Asia. It examines the primary drivers of urban air pollution, including fuel combustion from stationary sources and the significant impact of road traffic, particularly motorcycles and old diesel vehicles. It distinguishes between ambient, indoor, and transboundary air pollution, highlighting the severe health impacts of particulate matter (PM2.5) and the role of greenhouse gases in climate change. The text also assesses the air quality management (AQM) capabilities of 20 Asian cities, categorizing them from 'excellent' to 'limited'.

The author critiques five decades of poverty alleviation strategies, noting that while the percentage of people in absolute poverty fell from 28% in 1987 to 24% in 1998, the absolute number remained stable at 1.23 billion. The text argues that previous approaches—ranging from physical capital investment in the 1950s to the 'Washington consensus' of the 1980s—failed because they confused the means of growth with the end goal of poverty reduction. The author proposes a working model based on sustainable development and Joseph Stiglitz's stakeholder framework, emphasizing the role of social capital and the need for transformation to be driven from within developing countries rather than imposed by external donors.

The report examines the transition of global shipping to zero-carbon fuels, specifically hydrogen and ammonia. It identifies a 'chicken-and-egg' dilemma where infrastructure investment depends on demand, and demand depends on supply. The analysis evaluates several major ports—including Rotterdam, Jebel Ali, Los Angeles, Houston, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong—based on their trade connectivity, technological capacity for fuel production, and policy support. It concludes that while blue hydrogen is currently the most realistic large-scale production pathway, green hydrogen is promising in regions with cheap renewables like the UAE and Australia. The report recommends establishing trans-oceanic coalitions, partnering fuel suppliers with shipping companies along major trade routes, and leveraging public finance to de-risk infrastructure investments.