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London School of Economics and Political Science

This empirical paper focuses on the relationship between changes in GDP and CO2 emissions as a country's economy moves through periods of growth and decline. Using a comprehensive panel, the author documents substantial heterogeneity in the relationship across countries. Specifically, countries can be classified into one of the following groups: Group D (for decline) includes countries where the emissions growth rate is more strongly associated with the GDP growth rate in periods of GDP decline than in periods of GDP growth. Group G (for growth) includes countries where the degree of association is stronger in perods of GDP growth. Finally in Group D (for symmetrical) it is not possible to reject the hypothesis that the relationship is the same for growth and decline. According to a simple count criterion, approximately a third of the countries in the sample fall into each group. Notably China and the US, currently the world's largest emitters by a substantial margin, are in group D. These results have potentially important consequences for long-term emissions projections.

Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP)
University of Leeds
Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
London School of Economics and Political Science
CO2 emissions and GDP are positively correlated over the business cycle.
Forests (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

Reducing emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land uses is considered an essential ingredient of an effective strategy to mitigate global warming. Required changes in land use and forestry, however, often imply foregoing returns from locally more attractive resource use strategies. In this paper, the authors assess and compare the prospects of mitigating climate change through emission reductions from forestry and agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon. They use official statistics, literature, and case study material from both old and new colonization frontiers to identify the scope for emission reductions, in terms of potential additionality, opportunity costs, technological complexity, transaction costs, and risks of economic and environmental spillover effects. Their findings point to a comparative advantage in the Brazilian Amazon of forest conservation-based over land-use modifying mitigation options, especially in terms of higher potential additionality in emission reductions. Low-cost mitigation options do exist also in use-modifying agriculture and forestry, but tend to be technologically complex thus requiring more costly interventionschemes.

Springer

The marginality concept calls for the integration of poverty concepts with those of social exclusion, geography, and ecology. The difficulties in reaching people at the margins of systems are explained by a set of distances, (i.e., physical distances such as being located in remote or harsh environments), social distances (being excluded, discriminated against, or not having rights or access to services or opportunities), but may also be related to technological and institutional infrastructure deficiencies. A review of policies intended to reduce marginality suggests that none of the marginality determinants need to be accepted as long term. Coherent policies and actions, however, need to match the systemic causality of marginality in order to be effective. 

 

United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
This document is a product of the project "The Economics of Climate Change in Central America" which aims to conduct an economic impact study on the effects of climate change in Central America based on various development scenarios and emissions trajectories, estimating the potential costs and benefits of a response of inaction (i.e. a business-as usual approach) or of public-policy adaptation and mitigation options to prevent or reduce adverse impacts.
Organisation :
Dual Citizen LLC

The focus of this white paper is communications and the notion that better, more coordinated information exchange is a key strategy for furthering green investment and green growth. The research and client engagements associated with the Global Green Economy Index (the leading measure of national green reputations and performance covering 27 countries and cities) have revealed actionable examples where communications and the technologies that enable them can help to advance green economic growth today.

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

Using the example of the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water’s (MEW) support for the residential solar water heating (SWH) market, this report highlights how sound governmental policies can boost a green economy. It evaluates the creation of a national financing mechanism for SWH, including the effects of government subsidies, interest free loans and sales activities in the residential SWH market in 2011. The study finds that installing solar water heaters saved a total of 18,390 tons of carbon dioxide resulting in a yearly saving of US$ 3,754,687. The success of the financing mechanism is attributed to close cooperation among the Central Bank of Lebanon, the MEW and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Recommendations include: increase awareness raising efforts; build capacity for commercial banks that facilitate solar loans to avoid delays and to simplify applications; and provide risk guarantees for low and middle income households.

This summary was prepared by Eldis

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)

The 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP) adopted by the Chinese government in March 2011 devotes considerable attention to energy and climate change and establishes a new set of targets and policies for 2011-2015.  While some of the targets are largely in line with the status quo, other aspects of the plan represent more dramatic moves to reduce fossil energy consumption, promote low-carbon energy sources, and restructure China’s economy.  Among the goals is to “gradually establish a carbon trade market.”  Key targets include:

Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC)

The Overseas Development Institute, working alongside Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and the International Poverty Reduction Center in China, have been developing a collaborative, research, policy engagement and knowledge transfer exchange programme. The aim is to provide stakeholders with firm evidence of ways to promote effective investment in green growth. This working paper presents the findings of the programme’s scoping study, conducted in India and China, which sought to identify and better understand drivers for green growth.

The paper begins by outlining the tenets of the green growth paradigm, defining the concept of green growth as being both sustainable and inclusive. It then presents the findings of the scoping study and looks at the evolution of green growth thinking. The authors also explore the potential for sharing lessons learnt, both between India and China and with other countries, and set out a proposal for identifying policy and initiative case studies for further analysis and impact assessment.

The scoping study consisted of:

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Bamboo, rattan, seagrass and other raw materials used in handicrafts production are an important part of Viet Nam’s natural capital. These are valuable resources that need to be protected, harvested and utilised in a sustainable manner to ensure a vibrant crafts sector now and for future generations. The environmental impacts of crafts production by households and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are often considered negligible given the scale of their operations, yet taking into account their sheer number, use of natural materials and limited capabilities, their production practices should also be appropriately addressed. Piecemeal interventions just at the production cultivation or stages, will only produce equally limited results. A comprehensive and integrated approach is needed to make green and clean-up the entire value chain, starting from raw materials collection, processing, crafts production and transportation, right up to final markets. Coordinated interventions to make green five value chains were supported in Viet Nam, respectively in the: bamboo and rattan, seagrass, sericulture and silk, lacquerware and handmade paper sectors.