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This document is a provisional agenda and procedural guide for an Extraordinary Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on March 9, 2017, in Panama City, Panama, for the purpose of electing a new Executive Director.

The document contains the minutes and an annex from the Special Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on March 9, 2017, in Panama City, Panama. The primary purpose of the session was the election of a new IAI Executive Director.

This fact sheet describes the role of the U.S. Farm Bill in promoting voluntary on-farm conservation practices to address agricultural pollution, improve soil health, and sequester carbon. It details specific conservation techniques—such as cover cropping, no-till operations, and intercropping—and outlines the primary funding programs managed by the USDA under the 2014 Farm Bill.

This statement by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) defends its 2014 research on 'grid defection'—the economic viability of customers disconnecting from utilities in favor of on-site solar and battery systems—against interpretations of a subsequent study by the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). RMI argues that while full grid defection may currently only be economical in Hawaii, the downward trajectory of distributed energy resource (DER) costs creates a systemic risk of stranded utility assets and empowers customers to influence the pace of decarbonization and grid investment.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) details the role of the U.S. Farm Bill in promoting on-farm conservation practices. It examines specific conservation tools—such as cover crops, no-till operations, and intercropping—and outlines the funding and objectives of the 2014 Farm Bill's Conservation Title (Title II), including its primary programs: EQIP, ACEP, CRP, and CSP.

This report by Energy Innovation provides a quantitative analysis of the linked California-Quebec cap-and-trade program, identifying a systemic oversupply of carbon allowances. The author argues that emissions have fallen faster than regulators expected due to successful climate policies, technological innovation, and economic trends. While the program's price floor and holding limits act as stabilizers, the report suggests that the current oversupply has led to undersubscribed auctions. The author proposes four policy reforms—lowering caps, switching to annual compliance, increasing the price floor, and reducing free allowances—to drive more significant emission reductions and provide stable revenue for the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes the landscape of home energy financing in the United States, identifying barriers to scaling both traditional and nontraditional lending products. It argues that the ease of origination and the timing of home improvements are more significant drivers of consumer choice than interest rates or loan terms.

In a 2017 address, SAIIA National Chairman Fred T Phaswana discusses the erosion of international cooperation and multilateralism due to rising populism, protectionism, and political instability in Western societies and South Africa.

A coalition of organizations representing various agricultural, nutrition, and conservation sectors urged U.S. budget and appropriations committees in February 2017 to reject further funding cuts to programs under the jurisdiction of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, arguing that the 2014 Farm Bill had already contributed significantly to deficit reduction.

This fact sheet by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides a comprehensive overview of employment in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors globally and within the United States as of 2016 and 2017. It utilizes data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to compare clean energy jobs against fossil fuel employment and detail specific subsector growth.

A statement from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) advocating for 'applied hope' in the face of political uncertainty regarding the energy transition and climate science, emphasizing the global and commercial momentum of sustainable energy.

This research paper analyzes the impact of commodity price trends, geopolitical shifts under the Trump administration, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution on investment and economic growth in African countries. It argues that while some commodity prices are recovering, African nations should pivot away from fossil fuels and nuclear energy toward minerals essential for renewable energy and digital technologies to avoid premature de-industrialization.

A statement by Lisa Anne Hamilton of the Center for International Environmental Law criticizing the Trump administration's early actions to remove climate change references from government websites and freeze environmental research grants, framing these actions as a form of censorship and climate denial.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) issued a statement opposing the confirmation of Rex Tillerson as US Secretary of State, citing his ties to Vladimir Putin and his role in ExxonMobil's climate denial efforts.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) issued a statement following the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, urging him to maintain U.S. leadership on climate change and uphold the Paris Agreement to preserve international trust and national security.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines the progress of public policy regarding green bonds in 2016 and projections for 2017. It highlights the emergence of sovereign green bonds, the role of green bonds in financing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and various innovative financial tools used by governments to attract private capital for climate infrastructure.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative explains how green asset-backed securities (ABS) can unlock financing for smaller carbon-saving projects by pooling non-liquid assets into tradable securities, thereby improving capital access and reducing costs.

This briefing paper by the Climate Bonds Initiative explains how green securitisation—the process of pooling illiquid low-carbon assets into tradable securities—can unlock finance for small-scale climate projects. It highlights the growth of the green Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) market, identifies suitable asset classes, and provides policy recommendations for the public sector to scale these markets.

This fact sheet by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides a comprehensive overview of employment trends in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors within the United States and globally, primarily using data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as of 2016 and 2017.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) clause in international investment treaties. It examines how arbitral tribunals have interpreted MFN to allow investors to import more favorable substantive and procedural rules from third-party treaties, a practice that has led to legal uncertainty and 'treaty-shopping.' The document provides a typology of MFN clauses, discusses the distinction between pre- and post-establishment phases, and offers recommendations for states to limit the scope of MFN in future treaties to protect national sovereignty and policy space.