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2,369 documents from International Institute for Sustainable Development
A How-to Guide: Measuring subsidies to fossil-fuel producers
This 2010 guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) outlines methodologies for measuring subsidies provided to fossil-fuel producers. It highlights that such subsidies likely exceed $100 billion U.S. annually, contributing to environmental degradation. The guide categorizes producer subsidies into direct transfers, government revenue foregone, and provided goods/services, while noting significant data transparency challenges in countries like China, Indonesia, Germany, and the United States. It advocates for the development of standardized accounting practices and the potential creation of an independent subsidy accounting standards board.
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Document type: Guide
The Growth of China’s Services Sector and Associated Trade
This research paper examines the expansion of China's service sector and its role within a sustainable trade strategy. It analyzes the structural shift of the Chinese economy toward services, the current state of trade in services, and the challenges regarding international competitiveness and liberalization. The authors argue that service sector growth is linked to urbanization and suggest that relaxing migration restrictions and increasing competition are key to enhancing productivity and sustainability.
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Document type: Research paper
Subsidy Estimation: A survey of current practice
The GSI has developed a manual to standardize subsidy estimation methods, addressing a lack of internationally comparable data by utilizing the WTO's Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and methodologies from various governmental and non-governmental organizations.
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Document type: Report
Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the ASEAN: Case studies from the Mekong subregion
This report examines the tension between trade liberalization and environmental sustainability in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), highlighting how infrastructure development and illegal trade undermine ecological protections and proposing regional coordination mechanisms to address wildlife trafficking and climate change.
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Document type: Report
How Trade Facilitation Measures Impact Current Law and Policy on the Wildlife and Timber Trade: Case study of the Greater Mekong Subregion
This case study examines how trade facilitation measures in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) may exacerbate the illegal trade of wildlife and timber by easing the movement of goods across borders, and provides recommendations for policymakers to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Case study
Regional Food Security and Trade Policy in Southeast Asia: The Role of ASEAN
This report examines the conflict between ASEAN's open trade aspirations and the protectionist food policies adopted by member states during the 2007/08 food crisis. It identifies threats to regional solidarity, such as the proposed Organization for Rice Exporting Countries (OREC), and advocates for a coordinated regional approach to food security utilizing existing frameworks like AIFS and AFSIS.
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Document type: Report
Food Security Policies in Maritime Southeast Asia: The case of Indonesia
This report examines food security in Indonesia, arguing that food insecurity is driven by a lack of access and affordability rather than a lack of domestic supply. It highlights the impact of the 2007/08 global food crisis and critiques the government's focus on self-sufficiency over accessibility.
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Document type: Report
Trade and Climate Change Implications for Food Security: The case of mainland Southeast Asia
This report examines the complex relationship between trade policy, climate change, and food security in mainland Southeast Asia, using Cambodia as a case study to highlight the need for holistic, participatory, and long-term policy strategies.
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Document type: Report
International Trade, Ecolabelling and Standards: A case study of the greater Mekong subregion
This case study examines the role of ecolabelling and environmental standards in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and the wider ASEAN region, highlighting how these tools often act as trade barriers for developing countries due to high implementation costs and a lack of domestic environmental consciousness.
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Document type: Case study
Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in ASEAN
This briefing examines the tension between trade liberalization and environmental protection within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with a specific focus on the Mekong subregion. It argues that while regional strategies and national laws exist, actual implementation is often weak, frequently driven by foreign donor interests rather than internal political will, and hindered by a regional preference for non-binding 'soft law'.
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Document type: Briefing
Balancing Trade Growth and Environmental Protection in the Mekong: Key issues
This fact sheet examines the challenges of balancing trade liberalization and environmental protection in the Mekong Subregion. It highlights the gap between regional policy rhetoric and actual implementation, the impact of illegal trade on biodiversity, and the dominant role of foreign donors in driving environmental agendas within trade policy.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Clean Energy Investment in Developing Countries: Domestic barriers and opportunities in South Africa
This report analyzes the barriers and opportunities for clean energy investment in South Africa, focusing on the transition from a coal-dependent energy system dominated by the state-owned utility Eskom to a more diversified renewable energy mix. It examines national policies, regulatory frameworks, and the role of provincial and local governments in promoting sustainable energy.
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Document type: Report
Food Security Policies in Maritime Southeast Asia
This 2010 report examines food security in Indonesia, arguing that the country's focus on food self-sufficiency (Swasembada Pangan) has neglected the critical issue of food access. While national food supplies were adequate during the 2007/08 global food crisis, poor infrastructure and low incomes led to severe food insecurity in remote regions, particularly in East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The report recommends shifting policy toward improving food access, investing in transportation infrastructure, and promoting food diversification.
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Document type: Report
Food Security Policies in Latin America
This report analyzes the impact of the 2006–08 global food crisis on Latin America and the subsequent policy responses. It evaluates the effectiveness of short-term 'coping' strategies versus long-term 'curing' strategies, examines the conceptual shift toward 'food sovereignty' and the 'right to food', and discusses the need for balanced agricultural investments and international governance to ensure future food security.
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Document type: Report
Increasing the Momentum of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform
This report analyzes potential international frameworks for reforming fossil-fuel subsidies, evaluating the roles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the G-20. It argues that while a formally negotiated agreement is the long-term goal, the immediate path requires a multi-forum approach leveraging the political leadership of the G-20 and the technical capacities of various international organizations.
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Document type: Report
Clean Energy and Climate Action: A North American collaboration
This briefing summarizes a high-level expert dialogue held on May 11, 2010, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., focused on clean energy and climate action collaboration between Canada and the United States. The discussion highlighted the interdependence of the two nations' energy policies, the critical role of subnational initiatives, and the challenges facing federal legislation in the U.S.
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Document type: Briefing
Strategies for Reforming Fossil-Fuel Subsidies: Practical lessons from Ghana, France and Senegal
This research paper analyzes fossil-fuel subsidy reforms in France, Ghana, and Senegal to identify lessons for other countries, concluding that while no single formula for success exists, six key strategies are essential for effective reform.
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Document type: Research paper
Gaining Traction: The importance of transparency in accelerating the reform of fossil-fuel subsidies
This report examines how increased transparency and a two-track approach—combining domestic accounting improvements with an international data-gathering regime—can accelerate the reform of fossil-fuel subsidies to support climate change and sustainable development goals.
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Document type: Report
Scenario-Based Planning for a Changing Climate in the Bras d’Or Ecosystem
This workshop report details a Participatory Scenario Development (PSD) process conducted in January 2010 to identify future development pathways and climate change adaptation strategies for the Bras d’Or ecosystem in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The process involved stakeholders developing three distinct scenarios for the year 2060—status quo, best case, and worst case—to analyze the synergies and trade-offs between regional development priorities and climate resilience.
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Document type: Report
Lessons learned from the restructuring of Poland's coal-mining industry
This report examines the restructuring of the coal-mining industry in Poland following the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy starting in 1989.
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Document type: Report