Browse Research

Sort by
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

How can Africa’s vast natural resources create more wealth for the African people in a more resource-efficient and beneficial manner? What are the pathways to industrial growth which can create greater employment, produce higher outputs with lower inputs, and enhance competitiveness for African economies? How can vulnerabilities created by climate change, desertification and external shocks in the world economy be tempered, if not eliminated? What challenges will African countries face in the transition to a green economy and how could such challenges be overcome? What experiences within and outside Africa offer lessons that could be built upon?

These are questions that this report seeks to address. The report is meant to stimulate further discussion, aiming to contribute to articulating African views and perspectives on the theme of green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012.

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
Debate about the relationship between environmental limits and economic growth has been taking place for several decades. These arguments have re-emerged with greater intensity following advances in the understanding of the economics of climate change, increases in resource and oil prices and the re-emergence of the discussion about “peak oil”. The economic pessimism created by the great recession of 2008-2012 has also put the spotlight back on the prospects for economic growth. 
 
This chapter provides a conceptual and synthetic analysis of the relationship between economic growth and environmental limits, including those imposed by climate change. It explores two related questions. Will environmental limits, including limits on the climate system, slow or even halt economic growth?
International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD)

The complex inter linkages between trade and climate change governance are increasingly recognised. Examples in point are emissions trading schemes, border carbon measures, and carbon labelling schemes, and various support measures for clean energy—all climate related policies with possible implications for trade and trade law. Against this background, this information note explores the potential for synergy and cooperation between the trade and climate change regimes. This paper will help those working on climate change to better answer questions such as: How can trade measures better address climate change mitigation? Can current climate response measures restrict trade? And how can a strengthened trade and climate governance make them more constructive?

Organisation :
Climate Economics Chair
Paris-Dauphine University

This book offers a global overview of the present status of action on climate change and on the efforts devoted to develop innovative economic tools. Drawing on the most recent data, this collective book analyses the development of carbon markets in Europe and worldwide and assesses the involvement of major sectors such as agriculture, forestry, transport and housing in the fight against global warming.

Springer

This book describes comprehensively potential, co-benefits and drawbacks of carbon (C) sequestration for ecosystem services. Soil generates numerous ecosystem services for human wellbeing and ecological functions. The services discussed include provisional (feed, food, timber, biofuel), regulating (carbon sequestration, pests, diseases), cultural, and supporting (soil formation, nutrient cycling) services. Recarbonization of the biosphere is a potential strategy to redistribute C among global pools, and to enhance ocean but most importantly land-based C sinks with possible feedback on soil-based ecosystem services. Land use and soil management can degrade soil quality, and either reduce quantity and quality of ecosystem services or lead to disservices and create large ecological footprint. Thus, trade-offs between carbon sequestration and ecosystem services must be considered when incentivizing land managers through payments for ecosystem services. Together with sustainable management of land-based C sinks for climate change adaptation and mitigation this will minimize the risks of recarbonization of the biosphere for ecological functions and human wellbeing.