| 18
June
2008
CC8 Open letter on Climate Cooperation
A post-2012 international agreement on climate change must break new ground in
international cooperation. It will require consciously promoting a collaborative atmosphere of
trust and a sense of common interest similar to the ‘spirit of Montreal’ that has characterized
twenty years of international cooperation since the Montreal Protocol on protecting the ozone
layer. A post-2012 agreement must aim to promote a global technological revolution that will
transform the world’s energy system within a few decades. While the scope is huge, it can be
focused, recognizing that only about 25 nations – including both developed and rapidly
industrializing nations – account for about 85 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas
emissions.
In this letter we present the key messages coming from the Conference for your consideration.
While these are meant to contribute to the consideration of technology and finance issues in
the course of international negotiations leading up to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties
in Copenhagen in 2009, they should also be useful in the discussion of these issues in other
fora.
11
October
2007
Ethanol – Brazil risks to lose its cutting edge position on biofuels
At this stage, available information indicates that Brazil will keep its role in the production of agricultural products with little aggregated value – based on its large territorial availability – while paying royalties for technology that has a high aggregated value. Put in simple words, only more of the same.
12
June
2007
Power struggle in the Amazon
NGO PRISMA proposes a feasible and replicable model to supply power to small isolated communities in the Amazone. It addresses properly community ownership, involvement of the local utility, and renewable energy solutions; it gathers all key elements to promote sustainable development and local social inclusion.
04
January
2007
Environmental Regulations in Mining: Business Opportunities for Goods and Services
In the last decades, the mining and metallurgical industries worldwide, including Chilean companies, have had to modify their technological processes to meet the environmental regulations required by their governments, as well as to come up with the public opinion.
For example, between 1989 and 2002, the five State Chilean copper smelters invested over US$ 1.5 billion in their operations to comply with the new air quality standards (particulate matter and sulfur dioxide) and of arsenic emissions regulation .
These investments generated an important market for gases handling systems.
Now, new environmental regulations such as the guidelines on hazard solid wastes management, the updating of the air quality and emissions standards, the draft law on mine closure and environmental mining wastes (abandoned mines) that is being discussed by the authorities and the mining sector, or initiatives about efficient use of the energy and water resources will allow the environmental goods and services market to keep growing.
06
November
2006
Joining the dots:Informal global partnerships cut through bureaucratic walls
Type 2 energy partnerships are young, but seem to be finding a role in the global clean energy marketplace. At times this is a precarious spot located between the private sector, development banks, NGOs and the regions and communities who desperately require access to clean, affordable energy.
09
October
2006
As Central and South American's economies get stronger, a clean energy matrix is gradually becoming visible
The economic success in Central and South American has been accompanied by a steady increase in energy demand. The present article sets out to assess how governments are dealing with this new matter.
27
September
2006
Making Trade Liberalization Work for Sustainable Development
How environmental policy—far from being a brake on trade—is emerging as a powerful new force generating new kinds of trading opportunities.
01
August
2006
Energy security causing more concern than climate change?
Energy security looks possibly for the present at least, to become a greater concern to many governments than climate change. The recent G8 summit in St. Petersburg, for instance, manifested this. The present article sets out to assess this prospect--and also to see where UN agreements, such as CDMs, fit in to current and future possibilities.
08
June
2006
Energy Efficiency – that elusive bargain!
The Energy Efficiency Investment Forum (EEIF), attended by over 110 international experts on EE, held in New York last month, provided an excellent forum for presentation and debate on the state of the global EE market, coming as it did alongside the wider debate on future energy needs at the CSD within the United Nations. If there was one theme that emerged from the EEIF, it was that while energy savings could provide perhaps a 50% reduction in global energy demand, the realisation of such savings is still an uphill battle.
15
December
2005
Is transformation possible? Towards a low carbon economy
This article examines some of the themes emerging from the UNFCCC
convention just held in Montreal. Negotiations will continue for the
period beyond 2012--perhaps even with full US participation sooner or
later--so coming up on the international climate change agenda will
be more discussion, and some dissent, on carbon trading markets, on
renewables, new technology, and other very necessary moves towards the
low-carbon economy. The Montreal Convention was one as much for
business as environmentalists, and no meaningful progress seems
possible without their mutual cooperation
23
November
2005
Assessing microbial safety of drinking water: Improving approaches and methods
Inadequate drinking water and sanitation are amongst the world's major causes of preventable morbidity and mortality. This book provides a state-of-the-art review on approaches and methods used in assessing the microbial safety of drinking-water.
12
October
2005
"Natural Accounting" Essential for Poverty Reduction
Poverty will only be made history when nature’s capital is factored into national profit and loss books, one of the world’s leading economists will assert today.
03
October
2005
World Habitat Day
The theme of this year’s World Habitat Day, “The Millennium Development Goals and the City”, highlights the importance of managing rapid urbanization and reducing urban poverty.
03
September
2005
Nature’s Capital at Centre of Poverty Eradication
Editorial by Klaus Toepfer, UNEP Executive Director
2005 World Summit Must be Red Ribbon Day for Environment.
22
October
2004
Assessing the environment
This article outlines the current state of environmental assessment and monitoring in Latin America. It looks at the relative progress made in e.g. Mexico as highlighted in an OECD asssessment. As that same report indicated, however, much remains to be done, and the article goes on to consider some of the basic problems remaining, and how they can best be addressed. More public participation is clearly required, and some guidelines are given by, for example, JPAC (the Joint Public Advisory Committee) associated with NAFTA, which this year celebrates its 10th birthday.
16
March
2004
Pollution Prevention-What is It, and How to Advance It
This article defines Cleaner Production/Pollution Prevention. It then looks at how it can be promoted in Latin America, by means of environmental management systems (EMS), environmental accountancy (EMA), and various other avenues, including foreign assistance.
01
October
2003
Environmental biotechnology: Problems and prospects, with respect to waste treatment and other environmental challenges
This article outlines biotechnology developments occurring in Latin America, particularly with regard to waste treatment and other environmental challenges. Opportunities for cooperation with Canada, and Canadian firms, in both traditional and new sectors, are discussed.
07
June
2003
What Kyoto offers towards Canadian-Latin American Partnership
This article looks at opportunities for Canadian business in Latin America, and cooperation in general between Canada and Latin American countries, once Kyoto is ratified. The environmental industry/business is growing steadily in, for example, Mexico and Brazil, but there are some misgivings in, for instance, Chile, about proposed legislation designed to deal with the Kyoto Protocol and its implications.
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