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121 results
Biomass in a Low-Carbon Economy
The report argues that while biomass is essential for a low-carbon economy, it is a limited resource constrained by land, water, and the need for ecosystem functioning. Through four scenarios, the authors demonstrate that a 'Sustainability Transition'—combining aggressive climate policy with focused agricultural productivity improvements—is the most viable path to reducing emissions without excessively increasing the agricultural footprint. The analysis highlights that future yield gains must move beyond the 'Green Revolution' strategy of increasing harvest index (shifting biomass to grain) toward increasing total photosynthetic efficiency to provide enough raw material for both food and industrial bio-materials.
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Document type: Report
The ClimateCost Project. Final Report. Volume 1: Europe
The ClimateCost project estimates significant health risks for Europe under a medium-to-high emission (A1B) scenario, with heat-related mortality and coastal flooding causing the highest welfare costs. Heat-related deaths are projected to reach 127,000 per year by the 2080s, though this is reduced by acclimatisation and mitigation (E1 scenario). Salmonellosis cases and labour productivity losses are also expected to rise, particularly in Southern Europe. The report highlights that technical adaptation, such as sea dikes, can drastically reduce coastal flood fatalities, while other health adaptation measures remain under-researched.
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Document type: Briefing
European and Global Climate Change Projections
The ClimateCost project analysed three emissions scenarios (A1B, E1, and RCP8.5) to project temperature and precipitation changes. Findings indicate that global temperatures could rise by 2.4°C to 3.4°C by 2071-2100 under the A1B scenario, with Europe experiencing more intense summer warming, particularly in the south. While the E1 mitigation scenario reduces these increases, projections for all scenarios do not significantly diverge until after 2040, emphasizing the need for immediate adaptation. Precipitation projections show higher uncertainty, but suggest wetter winters for Northern Europe and drier conditions for Southern Europe.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Impacts and Economic Costs of Climate Change on Enery in Europe
The report finds that climate change will increase summer cooling demand and decrease winter heating demand in Europe, with the A1B scenario leading to significantly higher costs. While physical energy reductions in heating are larger than cooling increases, the higher cost of electricity for cooling makes the economic impacts more balanced. The study also identifies risks to energy supply, including reduced hydroelectricity generation and lower efficiency for thermal and nuclear power plants due to higher temperatures. Adaptation measures, such as low-energy buildings, are discussed but noted as having a low evidence base for cost-benefit analysis.
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Document type: Report
Consistently Inconsistent
The report analyzes the economic dependence of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire on cocoa, noting that short-term price volatility and long-term price declines threaten smallholder welfare. It compares the outcomes of market liberalization in both countries, finding that Côte d’Ivoire's complete dissolution of its stabilization fund (CAISTAB) increased producer price volatility and reduced export quality, whereas Ghana's more cautious approach via COCOBOD maintained greater stability and quality premiums. The author concludes that no single policy is sufficient and recommends a combination of state-led quality control, national price insurance, rejuvenated international coordination through the International Cocoa Agreement, and support for niche markets.
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Document type: Report
Globalization, Women’s Economic Rights and Forced Labor
The research finds that increased trade openness is associated with better economic rights for women and a lower incidence of forced labor, both in global and developing country samples. In contrast, the level of foreign direct investment (FDI) penetration generally shows no statistically significant impact on these specific labor rights.
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Document type: Research paper
REINVENTING THE WHEELS
The report proposes the 'Hypercar', an ultralight hybrid-electric vehicle that combines synthetic composite materials with hybrid propulsion to increase fuel efficiency by up to ten times compared to standard cars. It argues that the current 'Iron Age' approach of incremental steel-car refinements is obsolete and that the U.S. must transition to agile, low-capital manufacturing using moldable composites to maintain global competitiveness. The authors suggest that government mandates, such as California's ZEV requirements, and market-based 'feebates' can accelerate this transition, which would reduce oil dependency and environmental impact while fostering industrial renewal.
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Document type: Report
Global Land & Food in the 21st Century
The report projects that global food requirements will increase significantly by 2050, driven by population growth and rising dietary standards in less developed countries (LDCs). While theoretical land and yield potentials exist, the report argues that meeting this demand will require massive increases in crop yields, a substantial expansion of cultivated land in Africa and Latin America, and a six-fold increase in cereal exports from developed regions. It highlights critical risks including soil degradation, water scarcity, and the environmental impact of forest clearance, suggesting a 'doubly green' revolution focused on sustainable intensification and policy reform to avoid food insecurity.
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Document type: Report
Global Land & Food in the 21st Century
The report analyzes the sustainability of global food systems up to 2050, projecting a significant increase in food demand, particularly in less developed regions (LDCs). It argues that while global production can theoretically meet this demand through yield increases and land expansion, this requires massive shifts in trade, where developed regions (MDCs) must substantially increase cereal exports to Africa and the Middle East. The study highlights critical risks including soil degradation, water scarcity, and the need for a 'doubly green' revolution in agricultural technology to avoid environmental collapse.
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Document type: Report
MAKING MARKETS IN RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
The author proposes shifting economic focus from the mere pricing of depletion and pollution to the creation of active markets for 'negawatts' (saved electricity) and other saved resources. By treating efficiency as a tradable commodity, the author argues that the economic incentive to save resources—which is often cheaper than producing new ones—can be harnessed through arbitrage, auctions, and derivative instruments. The text details various mechanisms for implementing these markets in the electricity and water sectors, suggesting that such an approach reduces financial and environmental risks while providing a more efficient alternative to regulatory mandates.
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Document type: Research paper
THE CASE FOR ACTION ON TROPOSPHERIC OZONE
The report highlights that tropospheric ozone is a potent greenhouse gas and air pollutant responsible for approximately 0.23°C of present-day warming and nearly 500,000 premature deaths annually. It is not emitted directly but forms from precursors like methane, nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), and carbon monoxide (CO). The document identifies a significant gap in global climate strategies, noting that tropospheric ozone is largely absent from the Paris Agreement and most Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It provides sector-specific policy levers—ranging from methane capture in oil and gas to electric vehicle adoption in transport—and presents case studies from Los Angeles, Mexico City, Beijing, and Europe to demonstrate the effectiveness of targeted pollution control. The report concludes with recommendations for policymakers to adopt multi-pollutant approaches, for scientists to fill knowledge gaps in regional climate effects, and for funders to increase the currently insufficient international development funding for outdoor air pollution.
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Document type: Report
Stimuler l’innovation : Comment des lois plus strictes appuient la commercialisation de produits chimiques plus sûrs
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) asserts that stringent chemical regulations drive the development and market adoption of safer substitutes by overcoming economic and informational barriers. While noting the risk of 'regrettable substitution'—where one hazardous chemical is replaced by another similarly dangerous one—the report recommends shifting the burden of proof to manufacturers, phasing out chemicals based on intrinsic hazards, and increasing transparency to ensure a healthier market.
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Document type: Executive summary
The war in Ukraine, the climate crisis and the energy crisis have common roots
The statement by Svitlana Romanko asserts that fossil fuel revenues directly fund the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that global dependence on these fuels empowers authoritarian regimes and exacerbates the climate crisis. It calls for an immediate embargo on Russian fossil fuels, divestment from related infrastructure, and the adoption of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to transition to clean energy.
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Document type: Statement
The Global "GO-TO THINK TANKS”
The report provides a comprehensive mapping of the global think tank landscape, identifying 5,080 such institutions worldwide. It specifically highlights the 'go-to' think tanks through a selection process involving peer nominations and expert panels, resulting in a list of the top 10 and top 30 think tanks globally (excluding the US), as well as a separate ranking of the top 30 US-based institutions. The document also analyzes the growth and recent decline in the establishment of new think tanks, attributing these trends to factors such as the information revolution, globalization, and changing donor priorities.
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Document type: Report
Ethnic inclusion, democracy, and terrorism
The research argues that ethnic terrorism declines when governments implement accommodation strategies, such as granting political power or regional autonomy to marginalized groups. Using a dataset linking the Global Terrorism Database to the Ethnic Power Relations project, the authors find that moves away from active discrimination significantly reduce the expected number of terrorist attacks. While transitions to democracy generally reduce ethnic terrorism, the effect is heterogeneous, with some Asian countries showing increased activity. The study also notes that while overall terrorism declines after accommodation, attacks by splinter groups may increase as hardliners reject settlements.
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Document type: Research paper
Hypercars: The Next Industrial Revolution
The paper proposes a 'hypercar' design based on the synergy of advanced-polymer-composite monocoques, ultralow drag, and hybrid-electric propulsion. It argues that this approach can increase fuel economy by 4–10 times compared to conventional cars, potentially reaching 60–120 km/l with fluid fuels or 250 km/l with fuel cells. The author emphasizes that the primary barriers to adoption are cultural rather than technical, as the industry relies on incremental steel-based design. Strategically, the shift to composites would lower fixed tooling costs, reduce reliance on oil, and enable a transition to distributed energy systems via fuel-cell vehicles acting as power plants.
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Document type: Research paper
Drill Rigs and Battleships Are the Answer! (But What Was the Question?) Oil Efficiency, Economic Rationality, and Security
The authors contend that energy efficiency is a far more cost-effective and reliable method for reducing oil dependence than drilling in frontier areas or investing in synthetic fuels. They provide data showing that from 1973 to 1986, efficiency gains significantly outperformed supply expansions in terms of effective energy supply. The paper highlights the transportation sector, particularly light-vehicle efficiency, as the most critical area for potential savings, suggesting that higher CAFE standards could save billions of barrels of oil. It also examines savings in buildings, industry, and utilities, arguing that these 'negabarrels' are cheaper to produce than extracting new oil. Finally, the authors link energy efficiency to broader national security goals, including the mitigation of climate change, the reduction of nuclear proliferation, and the decrease of geopolitical volatility in the Middle East.
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Document type: Research paper
A roadmap to combating climate change
The document assesses how constraints on biomass, specific metals, and water resources may impact the transition to a low-carbon economy. It evaluates various scenarios for biomass production, predicts cumulative deficits for metals like indium and tellurium, and examines the water-energy nexus, using a California case study to demonstrate how technology choices can mitigate water stress while reducing emissions.
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Document type: Executive summary
Energy for a Shared Development Agenda: The three scenarios
The fact sheet outlines three scenarios: a Baseline scenario (BAS) where business-as-usual leads to a 98% likelihood of temperatures increasing by more than 2°C; a Basic Energy Access scenario (BEA) that provides basic energy for all while limiting global GHG emissions to 1,300 Gt CO2; and a Shared Development Agenda scenario (SDA) which aims for a more balanced global income distribution with per capita incomes of at least $10,000 for all nations by 2050.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Human contribution to the record-breaking July 2019 heat wave in Western Europe
The study finds that the July 2019 heatwave in Western Europe was made significantly more likely and intense by human-induced climate change. In France and the Netherlands, the event would have been extremely improbable without human influence, with return periods exceeding 1,000 years. Across all analyzed locations, the heatwave was 1.5 to 3 °C hotter than it would have been in an unchanged climate. The analysis utilized a combination of observational data and eight climate model ensembles, noting that while models generally underestimate temperature trends and overestimate variability, they still simulate large probability changes.
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Document type: Research paper