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Informing Adaptation
This research paper by Diana Liverman identifies the critical types of information required for climate change adaptation decision-making, emphasizing a user-centered approach to information delivery. It argues that effective adaptation requires a combination of basic climate data, economic cost-benefit analyses, vulnerability assessments, and knowledge of best practices, all integrated into an iterative risk management process.
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Document type: Research paper
40% by 2020
A media briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Friends of the Earth Europe detailing a study on the feasibility of Europe reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 90% by 2050. The document outlines the necessary energy system transformations, lifestyle changes, and financial obligations to developing countries required to achieve climate justice and limit global temperature increases to 2°C.
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Document type: Briefing
China’s Electrical Power Sector, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Trade
This research paper analyzes the environmental impacts of China's electrical power sector and explores how a sustainable trade strategy can be linked to energy policy. It details China's heavy reliance on coal, the resulting pollution, and the regulatory frameworks used to manage these effects. The document also surveys international best practices in low-carbon energy policy—including economic and regulatory instruments—and suggests policy options for China to improve efficiency and competitiveness.
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Document type: Research paper
Private Sector Participation in Water Infrastructure: OECD checklist for public action
This report, written by an IISD consultant, evaluates the 'Istanbul version' of the OECD's Checklist for Private Sector Participation in Water Infrastructure released in March 2009. While acknowledging improvements over previous versions, the author argues that the checklist remains of limited operational value for practitioners due to internal contradictions, a failure to address systemic risks of international investment arbitration, and an over-reliance on outdated theoretical models regarding decentralization and regulation.
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Document type: Report
The Montreal Protocol and Its Implications for Climate Change
This 2009 briefing by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines the Montreal Protocol's success in ozone recovery and its failure to address the climate impacts of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) and their substitutes, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It highlights the risk posed by existing ODS 'banks' and the rapid growth of HFC emissions, while discussing proposed legislative responses in the United States and internationally.
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Document type: Briefing
Jobs from Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) details the employment potential of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) sectors globally and within the United States. It compiles various studies and reports to argue that clean energy transitions can provide quality, long-term jobs and economic growth, contrasting these trends with the decline of traditional fossil fuel employment.
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Document type: Fact sheet
THE CHALLENGE OF UNIONISATION AND DEMOCRATISATION OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE
This report documents a seminar held by the Institute for Security Studies on September 19, 2009, regarding the unionisation and democratisation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The discussions focus on the tension between constitutional labour rights and military discipline, the adversarial relationship between the Department of Defence (DOD) and military unions, and the systemic grievances of soldiers leading to protests.
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Document type: Report
Measuring Energy Subsidies Using the Price-Gap Approach
This research paper evaluates the 'price-gap approach' for measuring fossil fuel subsidies, arguing that while it provides a useful global benchmark, it systematically understates the total magnitude of government support by ignoring transfers that do not affect end-user prices.
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Document type: Research paper
Risks for Host States of the Entwining of Investment Treaty and Contract Claims: Dispute Resolution Clauses, Umbrella Clauses, and Forks-in-the-Road
This report analyzes the legal risks host states face when international investment agreements (IIAs) allow investors to 'internationalize' contract disputes, engage in forum-shopping, or initiate multiple legal proceedings. It examines the impact of broadly-worded dispute resolution clauses, umbrella clauses, and fork-in-the-road clauses, providing a survey of IIA drafting trends and arbitral jurisprudence to recommend best practices for protecting state sovereignty.
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Document type: Report
Whither Human Rights in African International Relations?
This research paper examines the role of human rights in African international relations, arguing that while there is a robust framework of regional and international treaties, human rights often remain a "variable concern" subordinated to national interests and geopolitical strategies. The author analyzes the tension between international monitoring mechanisms and the pursuit of "African solutions to African problems," specifically highlighting the controversy surrounding the ICC arrest warrant for Omar Al-Bashir and the influence of China's non-interference policy on the continent.
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Document type: Research paper
Quid des droits humains dans les relations internationales africaines ?
This research paper by Mireille Affa’a Mindzie, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs in August 2009, examines the role of human rights in African international relations. It analyzes the tension between the formal commitment to international human rights standards and the practical application of these standards in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, where national interests and the pursuit of 'African solutions to African problems' often take precedence.
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Document type: Research paper
Opening Remarks, SCCR, 18th Session
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) delivered opening remarks at the 18th Session of the SCCR in June 2009, advocating for a new international instrument on copyright exceptions and limitations to improve access for the disabled, libraries, and education.
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Document type: Statement
Arts and Cultural Heritage Restitution
This report summarizes an Institute for Security Studies (ISS) seminar held on June 17, 2009, in Pretoria. The session, featuring historian Stefan August Lütgenau and respondent Issake Souaré, examined the complexities of arts and cultural heritage restitution, focusing on Austria's post-WWII experience with Nazi-looted assets and the broader challenges of returningCS colonial looting in Africa.
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Document type: Report
South Africa's and the World's Second Dance of Freedom
The author reflects on three major shifts in global history—the end of Eurocentrism and Empire, the end of the Cold War, and a current shift away from Anglo-Saxon dominance—while arguing that South Africa's future depends on an active, self-reliant citizenry rather than a reliance on 'great men' leaders.
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Document type: Statement
Action List
The Action List from the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Bogota, Colombia on 19-20 May 2009, records administrative decisions including the election of the Bureau, approval of the FY 2009-2010 budget and annual program, and amendments to the Rules of Procedure.
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Document type: Report
Decimosexta reunión de la Conferencia de las Partes (CoP) del IAI
The document records the decisions made during the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Bogotá, Colombia, on May 19-20, 2009.
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Document type: Report
Atténuer les changements climatiques grâce aux mesures d’utilisation des terres dans les secteurs de l’agriculture et de la foresterie
This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) in climate change mitigation. It analyzes the potential for carbon sequestration in developing countries, the technical and financial obstacles to including these sectors in international agreements, and the specific policy positions and regulatory frameworks of Canada.
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Document type: Briefing
Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives
This 2009 case study by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the impact of investment incentives on the mining and quarrying industry in Vietnam between 2000 and 2006. The report finds that while tax incentives are highly valued by foreign invested enterprises (FIEs), they are not a prerequisite for investment decisions and have failed to drive sustainable development behaviors. FIEs outperformed domestic firms economically but showed passive approaches to social welfare and environmental protection, often doing only the minimum required by law.
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Document type: Case study
Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives
This case study examines the impact of investment incentives on the chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Indonesia, specifically focusing on the Banten province. It analyzes the evolution of Indonesian investment laws, the effectiveness of these incentives in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), and the resulting socio-economic and environmental consequences.
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Document type: Case study
Technology Partnerships for Renewables: A Key to Energy Security
This document is an abstract for a volume based on the 3rd roundtable of the Asia-Europe Environment Forum, held in Stockholm in August 2004. It outlines the strategic importance of renewable energy cooperation between Europe and Asia to address energy security, economic competitiveness, and climate change, focusing particularly on the electric power sector and the transition of technologies from research and development to large-scale commercialisation.
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Document type: Report