The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
Sometime ago we asked if Barack Obama was black or white. Now we are wondering how green he is, going by the way the US establishment has already given up on a legally binding global agreement on climate change at Copenhagen. However, the American president needs to be complimented for …
AS OFFICIALS from 192 countries converge in Barcelona for the last round of negotiations ahead of the December summit, expectations that the Copenhagen meet will result in an agreement appear to be reduced. Given the increased call for some kind of agreement at Copenhagen, it could mean a greater pressure …
Developed countries are largely responsible for the climate change to date, but future responsibility is shared by developed and developing countries alike. Rapidly developing countries such as China with steeply rising emission curves must also actively participate in the much needed transition to a low-carbon economy. As the world
The aim of this paper is to examine some important aspects of the linkage between climate change and trade-related issues. In particular, the paper looks at developments in policies taken by governments and the inter-governmental processes to deal with the crisis in climate change, including within the international climate change …
This paper identifies the key elements needed to ensure enhanced action on technology transfer and development and then evaluates the approaches taken in major country positions. It finds a number of important convergences in these positions and identifies four types of institutions that recur in country positions: central bodies, dedicated …
This policy brief summarizes the current state of international climate negotiations relating to technology transfer and draws on an assessment of pertinent research to develop recommendations for participants at the upcoming climate negotiations in Copenhagen. Proposals geared towards the establishment of a new body responsible for technology in a future …
A two day high-level conference on "Climate Change: Technology Development and Transfer" hosted by India and UN-DESA successfully concluded on 23 October 2009 with the adoption of the Delhi Statement on Global Cooperation on Climate Technology. An international exhibition on climate technologies was also organised at the sidelines of the …
This report by Christian Aid analyses whether CCS could be a suitable technology for cutting down India's carbon dioxide emissions and also explores how CCS might be developed and deployed in the Indian context. To justify the expense of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration
The special early excerpts of the World Energy Outlook 2009 released by IEA on 6th Oct 2009 at the climate meet in Bangkok. It finds that investment in polluting technologies has been deferred and CO2 emissions could fall in 2009 by as much as 3% - steeper than at any …
The Task Force recommends that UNFCCC parties agree at COP 15 to create a set of public-private initiatives in close consultation with business and other non-governmental experts. This would create a bottom-up dimension to the world
Banana is a common horticultural crop in the Sunderbans region though there are hardly any cultivation of proven commercial elite varieties that can yield much higher incomes per unit of area under the crop. Keeping in mind the promise that banana holds as a cash generating crop for the Sunderbans …
This study demonstrates that the imminent danger of climate change necessitates fundamental reforms in world trade regulation. The decades old aim of liberalising trade between countries and creating a free world market runs counter to climate protection. What used to be controversially debated has now been empirically proven: the expansion …
The article explores the link between international economic integration and technological capability in colonial India. The example of the iron industry shows that many new ideas and skills flowed into India from Europe, but not all met with commercial success. The essay suggests a reason why. In those fields in …
The UNFCCC Secretariat has published the Report of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to the fifteenth Conference of the Parties. The report consists of two parts and four annexes. Part I reports project activities approved by the GEF during the reporting period from 1 September 2008 to 30 June 2009. …
This report identifies areas of potential collaboration between the EU and India that could reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The EU-India Summit in November 2009 will be a challenging forum to tackle climate change issues, coming just weeks ahead of COP15 negotiations in Copenhagen. As a result, specific new initiatives …
Rajendra Pachauri heads TERI, The Energy and Resources Institute, based in New Delhi. An engineer of the railways in his early career, Pachauri went to the United States to earn a PhD in industrial engineering and another in economics, after which he returned to India in 1981 to work with …
