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IISD Publications Centre

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Publications count: 877

"Saving Lives and Buying Time": Lessons in good subsidy design from the Affordable Medicines Facility - malaria (AMFm)

Malaria is one of the world’s leading health problems. In 2008, an estimated 243 million people fell sick, and nearly 900,000 people died from the disease—85 per cent of them children under five years of age. In response, over the last 15 years, the global health community has ramped up its fight against malaria. But the arsenal of options to treat the disease has declined over time, as old treatments have become increasingly ineffective due to growing resistance by malaria parasites.

In 2004 the Institute of Medicine published a report that called for subsidization of treatments that are more effective ("saving lives") and stave off resistance to the active ingredient ("buying time"). A rigorous process ensued to establish a well-designed subsidy scheme: the Affordable Medicines Facility - malaria (AMFm).

This policy brief draws lessons from the process of establishing the AMFm and provides recommendations for policy-makers on the elements of good subsidy design, including analysis and research, stakeholder consultations, supporting interventions to mitigate risks and unintended consequences, and a mechanism for monitoring and evaluation.



4 Steps for Targeted Coherence: A Modular ApproachThis paper outlines a set of practical proposals to enhance inter-agency coherence on environmental issues. In particular, it seeks to identify ways in which the UN Environmental Management Group (EMG) can be reformed to increase the coherence of the global environmental governance (GEG) system. The steps suggested in this paper are politically doable and worth doing, in that they will improve institutional coherence for improved global environmental governance.

This briefing paper is an output of the "Mapping Global Environmental Governance Reform" project of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The initiative was conceived of and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Denmark.

ABS-Management Tool: Best Practice Standard and Handbook for Implementing Genetic Resource Access and Benefit-sharing ActivitiesThe ABS-Management Tool (ABS-MT) is a best practice standard and a handbook that provides guidance and tools on ABS practice to help companies, researchers, local and indigenous communities, and governments ensure compliance with the Bonn Guidelines and ABS requirements under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It provides users and providers of genetic resources with a structured process for participating in—and making decisions about—ABS negotiations and the implementation of ABS agreements for access to and agreed use of genetic resources.

Volume 1 provides the reader with an overview of ABS and the relevance of the ABS-MT for users and providers of genetic resources. It includes the Best Practice Standard and advice on key management processes to support its implementation.

Volume 2 provides the reader with Good Practice Guidance for ABS processes, Supporting Tools to apply specific aspects of the ABS practice, and three case studies to provide additional information on applying the ABS-MT, and highlighting lessons learned from field tests of the ABS-MT and other ABS processes.

Achieving the G-20 Call to Phase Out Subsidies to Fossil FuelsIn order to reform fossil fuel subsidies, G-20 governments must first identify the scope, value and impacts of the subsidies they provide to both fossil fuel producers and consumers. Standardized and regular reporting on subsidies is a crucial first step and should be complemented with an international monitoring framework. The Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) has developed tools for identifying, classifying and quantifying fossil fuel subsidies. The GSI also has research underway to explore how reporting and transparency can be improved at national and international levels, including looking at options for developing an international governance framework for fossil-fuel subsidies. In preparing their implementation plans, G-20 governments will also need to develop clear objectives and timeframes, coherent policy packages that include measures to cushion any negative effects of subsidy reform, communications strategies coupled with extensive stakeholder consultation and a process for peer review of progress towards reform. The policy brief outlines the GSI’s initial thinking on these issues in response to the G-20 communiqué.

Achieving Global Sustainability: A role for the Internet Governance ForumIn this IISD Commentary, Heather Creech, Director of Global Connectivity, suggests that the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) needs to move beyond immediate issues like technical infrastructure, rights and privacy to a discussion about why these issues need to be resolved. "What happens if we, in this room, don’t get it right?," she asks of her colleagues at the IGF in Hyderabad, India, in December 2008.

Action Plan: Protecting the Environment and Reducing Canada's DeficitThis Action Plan For Protecting The Environment and Reducing Canada's Deficit was prepared as a discussion paper for consideration by governments and concerned citizens alike. The report highlights what we believe to be a reasonable approach which could demonstrate significant results.

Adapting to a Changing ClimateBy David Runnalls, speech to the Green Leaders Conference, Winnipeg, October 2007 "Adapting to climate change is critical to the long-term development of Manitoba. If we bring consideration of the implication of climate change into our decision-making processes today, we are less likely to be surprised in the future. If we don't, there is great potential for us to take actions that increase the likelihood of economic decline and loss of life in the future. To avoid this situation, action is needed by all Manitobans."

Adapting to Future Weather: Insights from Alberta Agricultural ProducersA summary of how Alberta producers have coped and adapted to past weather-related shocks and stresses.

Adapting to Future Weather: Insights from Manitoba Agricultural ProducersThis brochure provides a summary of how Manitoba producers have coped and adapted to past weather-related shocks and stresses. It is based on Masters degree research undertaken by Peter Myers at the Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba.

Adapting to Future Weather: Insights from Saskatchewan Agricultural ProducersA summary of how Saskatchewan producers have coped and adapted to past weather-related shocks and stresses.

Adaptive Policies: Guidance for Designing Policies in Today’s Complex, Dynamic and Uncertain WorldGovernments today are faced with a difficult task. They need to design policies that not only address the environmental, economic and social needs of today but also policy that is flexible enough to quickly adapt to our rapidly changing world. Traditional policy was designed to provide strict rules and guidelines. But our new world requires a new way of addressing complex and dynamic change.

Adaptive policy is designed to help policy-makers help people. Crafting policy that can quickly adapt to a range of anticipated and unanticipated conditions is the goal.

IISD and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) India are working on a four-year research project on adaptive policy-making with funds provided by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The book, Adaptive Policies Guidebook, will be published in 2008.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Community Studies - Burkina FasoThis report brings together the community and policy level aspects of the study, i.e., the livelihood systems of the village communities of Noungou and Mengou, the environmental and socio-political challenges on their livelihood systmes, the adaptive strategies which have evolved in the face of these stresses, the indicators of sustainable livelihoods, as well as the main policies and institutuional arrangements which have impacted the evolution and implementation of these adaptive strategies in Burkina Faso. Clearly, the effectiveness of policy depends on local reponses, often embodied in the communities' adaptive strategies.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Community Studies - EthiopiaThis report focuses on the community-level aspects of study, i.e., the livelihood systems of the Boran and Afar in southern and notrh-eastern Ethiopia, the environmental and socio-political stresses on these livelihood systems, the adaptive strategies which have evolved in the face of these stresses, their relationship with sustainable livelihoods and finally, the local indicators of sustainable livelihoods in the two communities. The report also discusses the main policies and institutional arrangements that have impacted the evolution and implementation of these adaptive strategies in Ethiopia. Clearly, the effectiveness of policy depends on local responses, often embodied in the communities' adaptive strategies.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Community Studies - KenyaThis report focuses on the community-level aspects of the study, i.e., the livelihood system of the Kitengela-Maasai and Tigania-Meru communities; the environmental and socio-political stresses on these livelihood systems, the adaptive strategies which have evolved in the face of these stresses, their relationship with sustainable livelihoods and finally, the local indicators of sustainable livelihoods in the two communities.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Community Studies - South AfricaA study on adaptive strategies and sustainable livelihoods was conducted by a multidisciplinary team of volunteer researchers from WRF.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Community Studies - ZimbabweThis report focuses on the community-level aspects of the study, i.e, the livelihood systems of Makaha and Mlambaphele in the Muszi and Gwanda districts, respectivley, of Zimbabwe; the environmental and socio-political stresses; their relationship with sustainable livelihoods; and finally, the local indicators of sustainable livelihoods in the two communities. The report also discusses the main policies and institutional arrangements that have impacted the evolution and implementation of these adaptive strategies in Zimbabwe. Clearly, the effectiveness of policy depends on local responses, which are often embodied in the communities' adaptive strategies.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Policy Issues - EthiopiaThis report should be of interest to those who are searching for lessons about the way in which two communities living in an extremely fragile environment operationalize sustainable livelihoods. Thus it should be of interest to local governments in communities similar to those of the Boran and Afar. It should also be of interest to those who design policies which depend on the local responses of agri-pastoralists, not only in Ethiopia, but indeed in all arid and semi-arid zones. This included local and national policy-makers, as well as international donor agencies, especially in the wake of the UN desertification convention when more attention is being paid to resolving the problems confronting the inhabitants of areas with low precipitation.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Policy Issues - Burkina FasoThis report focuses on the policy-level aspects of the study, i.e., the main policies and institutional arrangements that have impacted the evolution and implementation of adaptive strategies in the villages of Noungou and Menegou. Clearly, the effectiveness of policy depends on local responses, often embodied in the communities' adaptive strategies.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Policy Issues - KenyaThis document focuses on the policy aspects of the study for the Kenya case study. There are five such documents, one for each participating country. They serve the critical role of articulating the policy findings in relation to the mircro-level findings, a necessary factor in arriving at a full appreciation of adaptive strategies as a potential tool for the policy-assisted enhancement of sustainable livelihoods.

The studies were conducted at the same time and in a similar manner to those in four other Arican counties; Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Ethiopia. For each study site, a community report, a policy document, and a synthesis document which distills the main links between the community and policy findings were prepared. The interested reader would certainly benefit from the breadth and depth of the various case studies.

Adaptive Strategies and Sustainable Livelihoods: Policy Issues - ZimbabweThis report focuses on the policy-level aspects of the study, discussing the main policies and institutional arrangements that have impacted the evolution and implementation of these adaptive strategies in Zimbabwe. It also presents summaries of the key community-level findings, i.e., the livelihood systems of Makaha and Mlambaphele in the Mudzi and Gwanda districts, respectively, of Zimbabwe; the environment and socio-political stresses on these livelihood systems; the adaptive strategies that have evolved in the face of these stresses; their relationship with sustainable livelihoods; and finally, the local indicators of sustainable livelihoods in the two communities.

Adaptive Strategies of the Poor in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands: In Search of Sustainable LivelihoodsScopes selected literature on coping and adaptive strategies in arid and semi-arid lands. Selectively looks at literature that addresses adaptive stategies as "normal" responses over time to social, political, economic and ecological change.

Addressing Land Ownership after Natural Disasters - An Agency SurveyThe final results of a survey of humanitarian professionals which gathered opinions and experiences on how best to tackle issues of land ownership after natural disasters.

The Adoption of Transgenic Crops in Argentine Agriculture: An Open-ended Story - Full ReportThis study looks at the impacts, mostly in terms of economic effects, but also to some extent looking at social and environmental effects, of Argentina's unprecedented mass adoption of genetically modified soy. It also examines the regulatory system in Argentina for approval of such crops, assessing its strengths and weaknesses.

The Adoption of Transgenic Crops in Argentine Agriculture: An Open-ended Story - SummaryThis study looks at the impacts, mostly in terms of economic effects, but also to some extent looking at social and environmental effects, of Argentina's unprecedented mass adoption of genetically modified soy. It also examines the regulatory system in Argentina for approval of such crops, assessing its strengths and weaknesses.

Advancing Sustainable Development in Canada: Policy issues and research needsIn March 2003, the Government of Canada's Policy Research Initiative (PRI) commissioned the International Institute for Sustainable Development to write this paper on the core sustainable development issues that go beyond climate change. The seven key SD issues facing Canada explored in this paper are: the need to bring about changes in the way cities are designed and planned; improving the quality and management of Canada's freshwater resources; engaging in cross-jurisdictional, eco-region level decision-making; understanding the impacts of globalization on sustainable development in Canada; designing signals and incentives that induce sustainable behaviour among citizens and the private sector; reducing the ecological burden of current lifestyles; and taking bolder steps in meeting international commitments related to the alleviation of poverty in the world. Advancing Sustainable Development in Canada: Policy issues and research needs is available at here.

After the Collapse: Developed countries must become re-engaged after the failed Cancun ministerialThis commentary by Luke Eric Peterson, on behalf of IISD's Trade and Investment Team, looks at the nature and potential impact of the collapse of talks at the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, held in Cancun, Mexico, in September 2003. "The short-term outlook for the Doha Round does not look propitious," writes Peterson. "While the round had been characterized by a series of missed deadlines in the lead-up to Cancun, recriminations have flown in the wake of the Cancun collapse; as have suggestions that countries like the United States will simply choose to trade with countries to whom it will not need to make any deep concessions in advance of next year’s presidential elections."

After Doha - An IISD CommentaryThe Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, held in Doha, Qatar, November 9-13, 2001, created significant new challenges. After all, the conference Declaration is only the framework for a future negotiation. The actual work of negotiation remains largely to be done, and the size of the task has probably increased by virtue of the decisions taken in Doha.

Agenda 21: Agenda for ChangeIn June 1992 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, world leaders from 179 countries made critical decisions involving our economies and the security of our future.

Their blueprint for an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable world is presented in The Earth Summit's Agenda for Change.

The decisions made in Rio had the potential to fundamentally change the way people live and work.

Agri-Environment and Rural Development in the Doha Round - Full ReportAimed at shedding light on the possible options for developing countries to make use of agri-environmental and rural development measures within the framework of the WTO, this paper surveys those programs used in the Quad that are considered non- or, at most, minimally trade distorting, non-discriminatory and otherwise consistent with current WTO rules. Furthermore, it tries to illustrate the possible outcomes in the ongoing negotiations in the WTO on the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) from a developing country viewpoint, related to the types of mechanisms surveyed above.

Agri-Environment and Rural Development in the Doha Round - SummaryAimed at shedding light on the possible options for developing countries to make use of agri-environmental and rural development measures within the framework of the WTO, this paper surveys those programs used in the Quad that are considered non- or, at most, minimally trade distorting, non-discriminatory and otherwise consistent with current WTO rules. Furthermore, it tries to illustrate the possible outcomes in the ongoing negotiations in the WTO on the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) from a developing country viewpoint, related to the types of mechanisms surveyed above.

Agriculture and Climate Change - A Prairie PerspectiveAgriculture is an economic activity that is highly dependent upon weather and climate in order to produce the food and fibre necessary to sustain human life. Not surprisingly, agriculture is deemed to be an economic activity that is expected to be vulnerable to climate variability and change. The vulnerability of agriculture to climate variability and change is an issue of major importance to the international scientific community, and this concern is reflected in Article 2 of the UNFCCC, which calls for the...

Agriculture and Climate Change - Workshop ReportThe Canadian Prairies are particularly sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. Current predictions are that they will experience more of a warming trend than the global average, particularly in the winter and spring. It is also expected that the Prairies could experience longer, warmer and drier summers, with greater potential for precipitation in the spring and winter.

Agriculture and Climate Change: A post-2012 agreement must give agriculture the attention it deservesAgriculture is responsible for 14 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The most critical emissions are from agricultural land use where unsustainable farming practices cause deforestation and soil degradation. This commentary argues that agriculture deserves attention in a Copenhagen climate change agreement because of the potential significant benefits for developing countries associated with mitigation actions in the sector.

Agriculture and Sustainable Development: Policy Analysis on the Great PlainsSustainability of agriculture on the Great Plains has come under question as a result of developments within and outside the region. This study takes a look at key issues on the Canadian prairies and helps develop a process to review the sustainability concerns.

It provides a framework for evaluation of existing agricultural policy with respect to sustainable agriculture and development. The analysis leads to specific recommendations for change or for action. The analytical framework may be applicable to other similar semi-arid agriculture regions of the world.

Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa – A Case Study of Zimbabwe’s Food Security

The briefing sketches the country’s response to the global food crisis and explores the scenarios for food security and agriculture in the medium to long term.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa – Country Briefing – Namibia

This briefing shows that Namibia, a largely arid country, in the face of rising food prices has managed to control these through a conservative price agreement between producers and millers of grain crops and its potential designation as a net food-importing developing country by the WTO may provide it with policy space to increase national food production.

Key findings:



Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa – Ensuring Food Security through Trade Policy

The briefing contextualizes the global debate on food security and trade policy instruments, defining the situation in Southern African Development Community (SADC) in particular. The purpose of the briefing is to outline broad impacts that global scenarios bring to bear on staple foods, consumed, whether grown in, imported into or exported from the region and will serves as a base for four country briefings and regional scenarios report.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa – Food Production in Mozambique and Rising Global Food Prices

This briefing explores the driving forces of high food prices in Mozambique and the country’s potential for food security and agricultural production and illustrates how the government’s underinvestment in agriculture and its limited participation in markets of key agricultural inputs have affected food production.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa – The Livestock Sector in Zambia and Rising Food Prices

The briefing aims to explore the forces of rising food prices and their impact on Zambia’s livestock sector.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Aiding or Abetting? Dilemmas of foreign aid and political instability in the Melanesian PacificSince independence, the self-governing nations of Melanesia - Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu - have been the recipients of a steady flow of foreign aid. Between 1995 and 1999 average per capita aid to Melanesia was US$73, three times that to Sub-Saharan Africa and 35 times aid to India.

Yet aid in Melanesia seems to be failing to achieve many of its goals. The Melanesian countries are amongst the poorest in the Pacific. There is considerable inequality of wealth and power, governments often fail to provide even basic services and corruption is rife. In recent years the Melanesian Pacific has experienced civil war, coups and political instability. Previously considered relatively secure, Melanesia has become known as an 'arc of instability'.

The causes of political instability include; ethnic fragmentation, a lack of national identity, rapid population growth, land disputes, conflicts over resources, high unemployment, weak governments, corruption and a limited capacity to provide basic services.

Aid, itself a politicised phenomenon, is one more ingredient in this unpredictable mix. The aims of foreign aid and stable democracies are the same; economic growth and rising living standards that pull people out of poverty. Political instability and conflict are powerful disruptors of that process. There is now a heated debate in both donor and recipient countries about what role aid should play in the Melanesian Pacific. This article investigates the positive and negative impacts of foreign aid on political stability.

Aiding, Trading or Abetting: The Future of Trade, Aid And Security – 6 Key ObjectivesIf trade and aid policy is to support peace and security rather than increasing the likelihood and longevity of violent conflict, we believe policy-makers should focus their attention and efforts on six key objectives. The following six briefs (i) explain why each objective is critical to security between and within states; (ii) assess current initiatives that attempt to realize that objective; and (iii) make recommendations for future action.

Aiding, Trading or Abetting? Trade and aid in an insecure worldOn May 12, 2006, Oli Brown gave this presentation at the Peacebuilding and human security dialogue hosted by Foreign Affairs Canada in Ottawa.

Alternative trade initiatives and income predictability: Theory and evidence from the coffee sectorThe third in a set of five reports on ways to tackle the commodity price problem, this paper examines the effectiveness of private sector sustainability standards such as the organic and fair trade movements in the coffee sector as ways to provide coffee farmers with more predictable and stable incomes.

Supply chain instruments, through the diverse social, economic and environmental criteria they specify, have the potential to reduce risk across a whole range of farmer activities, thereby setting a foundation for improved stability not just in price or revenue, but in income itself. Ultimately, it is this understated, and underrated, feature of private voluntary sustainability standards—namely their potential impacts on income stability—that arguably offers the greatest promise in promoting stability in farmer livelihoods and opportunities for sustainable development.

This paper begins with a brief overview of the general history of, and responses to, price volatility in the coffee sector. It then reviews the main elements of key private voluntary sustainability standards presently operating in the coffee sector, considering the theoretical and empirical links between such instruments and the various aspects of income stabilization (including price) in the coffee sector.

Amicus Curiae post-hearing submission to the NAFTA Chapter 11 Tribunal: Methanex Corp. v. the United States of AmericaIISD’s post-hearing submission in the NAFTA Chapter 11 case Methanex v. the USA argues that the US defence of the California MTBE ban as a public health measure does not go far enough. The ban is also an environmental measure. On both counts it should not be seen as an expropriation.

Amicus Curiae submissions to the NAFTA Chapter 11 Tribunal: Methanex Corp. v. the United States of AmericaIISD’s submission to the NAFTA Chapter Methanex panel marks the first ever accepted submission to a NAFTA investment tribunal of a “friend of the court.” It deals with several key issues of law relevant to sustainable development, including the definition of expropriation, national treatment and government intent, burden of proof, and costs associated with litigation.

An Analysis and Review of Subsidies in Southern Africa: The case of SACUThis paper aims to illustrate the extent to which subsidies, whether direct or indirect, are still commonplace within the economic sectors of the countries that together comprise the Southern African Customs Union (namely Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland), and whether they flout the multilateral trade rules as embodied in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

An Ecosystem Services Assessment in the Lake Winnipeg Watershed: Phase 1 Report – Southern Manitoba AnalysisAddressing the eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg is a unique challenge that could be realized by preserving and restoring environmental assets at the watershed scale.

Similar to a death by a thousand cuts, Lake Winnipeg's water quality is being degraded by a multitude of human activities influencing water and nutrient flows on its enormous (approximately 950,000 km2) multi-jurisdictional watershed. Preventing the further degradation of Lake Winnipeg will require novel approaches to influence landscape processes and mitigate non-point nutrient loading.

This Environment Canada funded study focuses on assessing the ecosystem services provided by the current and pre-settlement distribution of southern Manitoba's environmental assets, as this landscape contributes a substantial portion of the nutrient load flowing into the lake. The analysis is followed by a policy narrative that discusses the biophysical characteristics and socio-political drivers that have transformed southern Manitoba.

An Environmental Impact Assessment of China's WTO Accession: An Analysis of Six Sectors

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China's accession to the WTO has been the most important recent development in trade policy—for China and for the WTO as a whole. The impact on China's economy has been profound. The impact on the environment has also been significant.

This report by the Task Force on WTO and Environment of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development looks at six sectors where the environmental impacts are the most pronounced: agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, automobiles, energy and textiles.

These sectoral studies represent the most comprehensive assessment of the environmental consequences of trade liberalization policies undertaken by any country to date. The work of the Task Force on WTO and Environment is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).



An International Investment Regime? Issues of SustainablityEnvironmental activists are widely credited with (or condemned for) launching the opposition that finally led to the abandonment of negotiations for a Multilateral Agreement on Investment at eh OECD in late 1998. It took more than environmental opposition to stop the MAI in its tracks, but since then it has been accepted wisdom that environmentalists are opposed to an international investment agreement. This study takes a hard look at that assumption. Its first conclusion is that an international investment agreement should be a priority for those interested in the environment and sustainable development.

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Appreciative Inquiry—A BeginningAppreciative Inquiry-A Beginning documents the expereince of development workers and community members with appreciative inquiry, an innovative approach to bring about lasting change. Appreciative inquiry empowers local people by helping them build a vision for a better future based on their community's strengths. Then, by drawing on these strengths, the community charts a path to turn their vision into reality.

Approaches to Knowledge-brokeringThe purpose of this paper was to stimulate thinking about knowledge-brokering in advance of the May 1997 two-day IISD/IDRC/NSI search conference to identify strategies and actions to follow up the recommendations of the Strong task force on priorities for Canadian internationalism. The paper provides a brief overview of the context for a discussion about knowledge-brokering; introduces a number of distinctions that may be useful in helping describe the concept; identifies some practical issues that have to be addressed by organizations interested in carrying out knowledge-brokering activities; and presents a number of alternatives with respect to Canada's approach to knowledge-brokering for development.

Arctic Future - The Circumpolar International Internship NewsletterArctic Future is a quarterly publication designed to deliver news, information and feature stories about the Future of Children and Youth Initiative and the Circumpolar Internship Program supported by the Arctic Council.

Arctic Future: The Circumpolar International Internship Newsletter - December 2008In this issue of Arctic Future newsletter, the five delegates from IISD's Circumpolar Young Leaders Program (CYL) describe their varied internship placements, including the Canadian Embassy in Norway, Schools on Board, Students on Ice, UArctic, and UNEP-GRID Arendale. Additionally, contributor Greta Schuerch weighs in on the importance of indigenous languages in educational success, and Jessica Kotierk describes the cultural sharing she experienced at the Inuit Studies Conference held at the University of Manitoba in October 2008.

Arctic Future: The Circumpolar International Internship Newsletter - March 2009In this issue of Arctic Future newsletter, the Circumpolar Young Leaders describe their experience in Sweden; two former CYL participants weigh in on the issue of Arctic governance; vegetarianism in the North is discussed; A CYL intern expresses her thoughts on the issue of northern identity; and two northern emerging leaders are featured: Robin Urquhart and Nyla Innuksuk. Additionally, contributor Jesse Tungilik writes on the issue of whether youth in the North are actually being engaged as meaningfully as they should be in policy decisions that they will inherit.

Arctic Future: The Circumpolar International Internship Newsletter - November 2009The Arctic Future Newsletter is a newsletter put out by the interns in the IISD, Circumpolar Young Leaders Program. It comes out twice a year. This newsletter’s theme is climate change, to commemorate COP 15. The articles are meant to inform young people about the important issues that are facing youth not only in the Arctic regions, but everyone all over the world today.

Arctic Sovereignty and Security in a Climate-changing World

Arctic sovereignty is a complicated business. Promises of vast resources and fabled shipping lanes set free by a melting ice pack have triggered a competition for land and influence across the region. Climate change has made it clear that the Arctic environmental transformation poses some very real security concerns for Canada. There is a danger, however, that these perceived security threats, the shared expectations of what lies beneath the Arctic ice and the race to define our northern sovereignty could overshadow some of the current and expected environmental challenges to be faced by the Arctic ecosystem and the communities that depend upon it.

This short report focuses on the important northern issues that Canada should be focusing on beyond those currently grabbing the headlines. In addition to increasing its defence spending in the North, Canada, to guarantee its Arctic sovereignty and the health of its northern ecosystem, must:



Assessing the Impact of NAFTA on Environmental Law and Management ProcessesThis paper, prepared for the North American Symposium on Understanding the Linkages between Trade and Environment, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, October 11-12, 2000, Washington, D.C, looks at how trade rules impinge on the ability of states to regulate in the interests of environmental protection.

Assessing the Security Implications of Climate Change for West Africa: Country Case Studies of Ghana and Burkina FasoTraditionally seen as an environmental and an energy issue, climate change is now also being cast as a threat to international peace and security. Africa, though the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, is seen as the continent most likely to suffer its worst consequences—a function of the continent’s reliance on climate-dependent sectors (such as rain-fed agriculture) and its history of resource, ethnic and political conflict.

The security implications of climate change have become the subject of unprecedented international attention; in 2007 climate change was the focus of both a Security Council debate and the Nobel Peace Prize. There have been some attempts to construct scenarios of the ways in which warming temperatures might undermine security at a global scale. But the country-level security impacts of climate change have been lost in the political rhetoric. Local experts are rarely consulted.

This paper is a modest effort to address this research gap. Drawing on field visits and consultations with local experts, this paper explores the extent to which climate change may undermine security in two different countries in West Africa, Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Assessing Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives: A Checklist

As the use of investment incentives proliferates around the world, the actual impacts of such incentives on attracting foreign direct investment, let alone on promoting socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth, remain seriously under-researched. Assessing such impacts is certainly a challenge – not least due to difficulties in evaluating the costs and benefits of investment incentives and isolating the role of incentives from other factors – but also crucial to maximise potential sustainable development benefits of investments. The checklist provides an analytical framework to examine the sustainable development impacts of investment incentives with regard to the individual projects, the incentive policy in general and the implications of and for international agreements. The checklist is designed to be used either by governments or by stakeholders. It is stressed that incentive evaluation should be seen as an iterative process, with information gained from earlier incentives and programs used to benchmark later ones, to enable governments to move from reactive to proactive investment policy-making.



Assessing Sustainable Development: Principles in PracticeThese principles deal with four aspects of assessing progress toward sustainable development. Principle 1 deals with the starting point of any assessment - establishing a vision of sustainable development and clear goals that provide a practical definition of that vision in terms that are meaningful for the decision-making unit in question. Principles 2 through 5 deal with the content of any assessment and the need to merge a sense of the overall system with a practical focus on current priority issues. Principles 6 through 8 deal with key issues of the process of assessment, while Principles 9 and 10 with the necessity for establishing a continuing capacity for assessment.

Assessing Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity to Climate Risks: Methods for Investigation at Local and National LevelsEffective planning for climate change adaptation programming in developing countries requires a fine-grained assessment of local vulnerabilities, practices, and adaptation options and preferences. While global models can project climate impacts and estimate costs of expected investments, developing country decision-makers also require national assessments that take a bottom-up, pro-poor perspective, integrate across sectors, and reflect local stakeholders’ experiences and values, in order to determine appropriate climate responses. This paper outlines the methodological approach of the social component of the World Bank’s Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change study. The social component features both village-level investigations of vulnerability and adaptive capacity, and innovative, participatory scenario-development approaches that lead diverse groups at local and national levels through structured discussions using GIS-based visualization tools to examine trade-offs and preferences among adaptation activities and implementation mechanisms. This dynamic, multisectoral approach allows for real-time analysis, institutional learning and capacity development. The paper presents the research and learning approach of the study and offers emerging findings on policy and institutional questions surrounding adaptation arenas in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Mozambique.

Background paper on Vattenfall v. Germany arbitrationThis paper provides background on an investment dispute between the Swedish energy utility Vattenfall and the Government of Germany pursuant to the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). Vattenfall is seeking approximately 1.4 billion Euros in compensation from the Government of Germany, claiming that environmental restrictions placed on a coal-fired power plant would make the project uneconomical. In addition to providing background on the dispute, the paper describes the arbitration process under the ECT, a multilateral agreement governing foreign investments in the energy sector. The paper also discusses the ECT’s implications for environmental law and policy making.

Balancing Trade and Environment Needs – Singapore’s ExperienceThis paper describes Singapore's experience in addressing the trade-environment link. It focuses on the proactive measures taken in response to greening of export market demand, and win-win measures that made Singaporean industry more competitive and more environmentally friendly.

Bangkok Talks on Climate Change: Matter over Form is the Only Way Ahead - An IISD CommentaryIn this IISD Commentary, John Drexhage calls for a greater focus on discussing substantive issues within the 2009 negotiations on the future of the international climate change regime.

Reflecting on the outcomes of the climate negotiations in Bangkok in September/October 2009, IISD's Director of climate change and energy observes that constructive headway is being made in some areas. But several key issues, including emission targets and financing, remain far from being resolved. More critically, he draws attention to the continuing fractious debate between developed and developing countries over the legal form of a climate agreement. This debate—on whether the agreement will emerge out of discussions related to the future of the Kyoto Protocol and/or out of negotiations involving all countries under the climate Convention—has the potential to bring the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen this December to a full stop.

The Barcelona Negotiations on Climate Change: Where the Spirit is willing?John Drexhage, IISD’s Director of climate change and energy notes that although the November 2009 climate negotiations in Barcelona, Spain, ended on a more positive note, significant differences between Parties remain. While slow progress was made in Barcelona on issues such as the development of new market mechanisms and addressing deforestation, Drexhage observes that Parties remain far from resolving some of the critical “faults” in the negotiations. In particular, he highlights the challenge posed by the U.S. government’s insistence on a “bottom-up” architecture and the potential for this approach to undermine the international greenhouse gas accounting system and thereby weaken the global climate regime. He also notes the real opportunity the U.S. position creates for China to play a strong leadership role in Copenhagen.

Barcelona PostscriptDirector John Drexhage examines the developments between the climate change meetings held in Barcelona in November 2009 and those to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009. Attention is paid to the commitments of countries to strengthen or take on emission-reduction commitments and to the dynamics of the international negotiations leading into COP 15. Drexhage concludes that the developments have been mostly positive and have injected some life into the COP discussions.

Battling the Elements: The security threat of climate changeAddressing climate change is about more than arctic ice and biodiversity. It is becoming increasingly clear that action on our emissions now may shape our security in the future. But it is a shared challenge, beyond the capacity of any one country to tackle on its own. This commentary lays out the extent of the security challenge of climate change and argues that if we are aware of the potential threats, then we are in a better position to prevent them.

Becoming a Sustainability Leader: Exploring IISD's role in shaping the next generation of sustainable development leadership - Executive SummaryIn this executive summary of a comprehensive research study, IISD examines the impact of IISD's internship programs and makes recommendations for consideration. Since 1997, IISD has graduated 311 interns, many of whom are interviewed about sustainable development leadership in general, and about the IISD internship experience in particular. "It is very difficult for someone without experience to find entry-level opportunities," commented one intern. "The internship really got my career going."

The beginnings of a planCanada's new emissions plan may be tougher on industry than many environmentalists claim. But more will clearly be required across all sectors of Canadian society, says Drexhage, IISD's Director of Climate Change and Energy.

This commentary was published in the June 2007 issue of Environmental Finance and is posted here with permission.

Beyond the Barricades: An FTAA Sustainable Development Agenda - DRAFTThis is a working draft of a book by the same name, a collaborative effort supported by IISD, IUCN (The World Conservation Union) and the United Nations Environment Programme. Its genesis was the 2001 Quebec City Ministerial meeting of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Beyond the barricades in Quebec City, and other trade decision making forums, a constructive agenda was and is being developed on trade and sustainability issues in the Americas. "Beyond the Barricades" reflects that agenda through the diverse perspectives and the rich expertise on environment and development issues of governments, businesses and civil society organisations in the Western Hemisphere.

The book, published by Ashgate Press, includes views, policy options and research results from all across the Americas. It takes a critical yet constructive approach, providing concrete, practical case studies of lessons learned and experiences in the region. This book is timely; negotiations are proceeding for an FTAA covering 800 million people and nearly a third of world's economic output. It aims to help readers better understand the key issues as they become ever more prominent in the media, the current talks and future negotiations.

Beyond the Barricades: An FTAA Sustainable Development Agenda - Executive SummaryThis executive summary sums up the book of the same name -- a collaborative effort supported by IISD, IUCN (The World Conservation Union) and the United Nations Environment Programme. Its genesis was the 2001 Quebec City Ministerial meeting of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Beyond the barricades in Quebec City, and other trade decision making forums, a constructive agenda was and is being developed on trade and sustainability issues in the Americas. "Beyond the Barricades" reflects that agenda through the diverse perspectives and the rich expertise on environment and development issues of governments, businesses and civil society organisations in the Western Hemisphere.

The book, published by Kumarian Press, includes views, policy options and research results from all across the Americas. It takes a critical yet constructive approach, providing concrete, practical case studies of lessons learned and experiences in the region. This book is timely; negotiations are proceeding for an FTAA covering 800 million people and nearly a third of world's economic output. It aims to help readers better understand the key issues as they become ever more prominent in the media, the current talks and future negotiations.

Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Latin America

Summary:

Empirical studies on gender impacts of trade liberalization in South American countries can be roughly divided into four groups. The first group comprises studies focused on the size and characteristics of female employment generated by non-traditional agro-export industries. The second group of studies is concentrated on the impacts of trade liberalization on female participation in urban labour markets. The third group concerns studies on the informal urban sector. Another important field of research addresses the impact of the liberal agenda on female smallholder or peasant production, a phenomenon associated with an increase in the share of female-headed rural households.

Key Findings:



Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southeast Asia

Summary:

There is little doubt that trade liberalization has had a profound effect on the well-being of women in Southeast Asia. Not all of these impacts are negative, however. Indeed, the opening up of the region’s economies, at both national and regional levels, has brought about opportunities in the form of new employment, which may allow them to access higher incomes and improve their status in the society. Given their increasing role in the economies of Southeast Asia, however, women are often the major victims of economic openness. Poor women, in particular, remain vulnerable to economic policy changes that occur in the region. Unfortunately, trade policies are often gender-blind and ignore women’s interests and aspirations. In the view of most trade policy-makers in the region, macro-economics is all about aggregates, and both policy objectives (e.g., price stability, employment generation, growth and external balance) and traditional policy instruments of macro-economics (e.g. fiscal and exchange rate policies) are gender-neutral. As a result, it is not uncommon to find that trade policies adopted and pursued by both ASEAN and its member countries further marginalize the role of women in the society.

Key Findings:

Key Recommendations:



Beyond Barriers: The Gender Implications of Trade Liberalization in Southern Africa

Summary:

Although trade can be a catalyst for gender equality, the effects of trade liberalization and economic globalization on women, in particular, so far have been mixed. For example, while in a large number of cases, trade in general has improved women's empowerment and livelihood, in some other cases, the benefits accrued by women from trade liberalization have been marginal, relatively lower than those accrued by men. Worse, in some other cases, trade liberalization has also exacerbated gender inequalities and women's economic and social status.(1)

The primary criticism levelled against international trade agreements from a gender perspective is that the measurement of international trade in terms of a net economic benefit and market-based criteria has largely ignored societal imbalances, which in turn results in long-term trade inefficiencies. This criticism is supported by the fact that Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT), which allows for the reconciliation of trade and non-trade related norms in the trade context, is silent on the issue of women's rights. Trade agreements have also been criticized for reducing the policy space afforded to national initiatives in general, and the same may well apply to the empowerment of women and their participation in formal economic activities. But these very agreements can be used to streamline and reduce inequalities at all stages of the economic process, such as in identification of and participation in activities, access to resources, possession of the necessary skills, simple formal trading channels and control over income earned. We proffer suggestions on the necessity and means of doing so.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Beyond Delusion: A Science and Policy Dialogue on Designing Effective Indicators for Sustainable DevelopmentFrom May 7th to 9th, 1999, 38 scientists, policy specialists from public and private sectors, researchers, and measurement experts came together in an innovative, multidisciplinary workshop held in San Rafael de Heredia, Costa Rica. Seventeen countries were represented from five continents. A listing of participants is provided in Appendix 1.

In general terms, the workshop's purpose was to examine the challenge of assessing progress toward sustainability. More specifically, discussions focused on two topics: 1. On indicators for sustainable development and the feasibility of generating a short list of highly aggregated national-level indicators that would effectively supplement current reporting practice. 2. On the process of channeling measurement results into decision-making and communicating sustainability indicators effectively.

Beyond Problems Analysis - Using Appreciative Inquiry to Design and Deliver Environmental, Gender Equity and Private Sector Development ProjectsBeyond Regulation: Exporters and VoluntaryThis book is designed to help policy makers, exporters, environment managers and representatives of civil society better understand the implications of voluntary and non-regulatory initiatives of environmental policy and trade competiveness. Using case studies and interviews with Canadian companies, this book examines emerging environmental risks and opportunities to the export performance of Canadian industry.

Bilateral and multilateral financial assistance for the energy sector of developing countriesThis article examines trends in development assistance funding for energy and the implications for mitigating climate change, during 1997–2005, a period that begins with the agreement on the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Analysis suggests that there has been somewhat of a shift away from fossil fuel to lower greenhouse-gas-emitting projects. However, analysis also suggests that, unless development assistance for energy increases in the coming years, the influence of multilateral banks will diminish and their ability to encourage sustainable energy projects will decline.

Several challenges will need to be met in the future to increase funding to ensure that investments made today, do not pollute tomorrow, and to overcome the lack of a common reporting format by standardizing the collection and reporting of data on investments for energy.

Bilateral Investment Treaties and Development Policy-MakingThis paper looks at the impacts of bilateral investment treaties—of which there are now over 2,000—on development-oriented policy making. It assesses the major elements of concern in the various formulations of key obligations, and the types of desirable policies they might prevent.

Biofuels - At What Cost? Government support for biodiesel in Malaysia This report provides a detailed assessment of government intervention in the biodiesel market in Malaysia. It also analyses the role of government support for biofuels—both in Malaysia and internationally—on social and environmental outcomes in Malaysia. The Global Subsidies Initiative examines government subsidies and the ways in which they can undermine efforts to put the world on a path toward sustainable development.

Biofuels - At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in CanadaThis report provides an in-depth analysis of government support to biofuels in Canada, including a comprehensive quantification of the amount of public money spent on supporting biofuels. The report finds a growing array of subsidy programs at the federal, provincial, and even municipal levels that support nearly every stage of the biofuels supply chain. The report also considers whether these subsidies are a cost-effective means for achieving environmental and economic benefits.

Biofuels - At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in ChinaThis report provides data and analysis on government support for biofuels in China. The report finds that China provided a total of RMB 780 million (US$ 115 million, roughly US$ 0.40 per litre) in biofuel subsidies in 2006. The report recommends that the Chinese Government re-evaluates its biofuel policies, particularly to ensure that biofuels genuinely do not compete with food or undermine the government’s social or environmental objectives.

Biofuels - At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in the European UnionThe GSI report, "Biofuels at What Cost? Government Support for Ethanol and Biodiesel in the European Union", questions the rationale behind the very large sums of money being invested in support of this particular form of energy.

Subsidies and other forms of government support are strongly linked to the amount of biofuels that are produced and consumed in the EU. While current policies have been promoted as a way to decrease CO2 emissions, they are an expensive and ineffective means to achieving that goal. Transfers per tonne of CO2-equivalent removed are estimated to be between 575 and 800 euros for ethanol made from sugarbeat, around 215 euros for biodiesel made from used cooking oil, and over 600 euros for biodiesel made from rapeseed. Purchasing CO2-equivalent offsets on the European Cimate Exchange would be far cheaper.

Biofuels - At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in selected OECD countriesA synthesis of reports addressing subsidies for biofuels in Australia, Canada, the European Union, Switzerland and the United States from the Global Subsidies Initiative of IISD.

Biofuels - At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in the United StatesReport on subsidies for biofuels in the United States by the Global Subsidies Initiative of IISD.

Biofuels – At What Cost? Government Support for Ethanol and Biodiesel in the United States: 2007 UpdateThe biofuels industry is witnessing unprecedented growth in the United States, driving agricultural commodities prices to record levels and sparking a host of environmental and economic concerns. This expansion is far from imputable wholly to market forces; rather, federal, state and municipal jurisdictions have been instrumental in driving up both the production and consumption of biofuels through sizeable subsidies and other incentives. A new report by the Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) and Earth Track, “Biofuels – At What Cost? Government Support for Ethanol and Biodiesel in the United States: 2007 Update”, revises an earlier report issued October 2006 and details the extent of current government support to biofuels in the United States.

Biofuels are not the answerIn this commentary, which originally appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, IISD’s President and CEO David Runnalls argues that not only do biofuels cost Canadians an average of $300 million a year in taxpayer subsidies, they are an inefficient way to combat climate change. Diverting crops for biofuel production, says Runnalls, also undermines global food security and drives up commodity prices.

Biofuels at what cost – Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in AustraliaThis report on government subsidies for biofuels in Australia by the Global Subsidies Initiative of the IISD finds the Australian government spent A$95 million on supporting biofuel production and consumption in 2006–07. The Global Subsidies Initiative analyzes government subsidies and the ways in which they can undermine efforts to put the world on a path toward sustainable development.

Biofuels At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in IndonesiaThis report on government support to biofuels in Indonesia finds that the country has been slow to implement its ambitious plans for biofuel production and consumption, largely due to dramatic rises in feedstock prices in 2007 and early 2008.The report cautions Indonesia against setting a compulsory blending mandate; a policy which the Indonesian government has been considering. Letting fuel prices rise to levels prevailing in international markets would reduce consumption and improve efficiency, resulting in improved energy security. Adding an additional layer of subsidies for biofuels to an already distorted system makes little economic sense.

Biofuels: At What Cost? Government support for ethanol and biodiesel in SwitzerlandReport on government support for biofuels in Switzerland by the Global Subsidies Initiative of IISD.

Boom or Bust: Developing countries' rough ride on the commodity price rollercoasterCommodity prices, at historic highs by mid-2006, are becoming increasingly volatile. Volatile prices complicate fiscal and environmental planning and undermine the livelihoods of millions of producers in the developing world. Are commodity-dependent countries prepared should the price bubble burst? This paper describes the impacts of commodity price volatility and argues for new measures to stabilize commodity revenues for countries as well as producers.

Boom or Bust: How commodity price volatility impedes poverty reduction, and what to do about it

Commodity price volatility is a big problem for commodity-dependent countries and producers. With 95 developing countries deriving at least half their exports earnings from commodities, the rollercoaster of commodity prices, which can rise or fall by 50 per cent in a year, makes sound fiscal planning extremely difficult for both countries and producers. Predictable incomes are critical if commodity-dependent countries are to escape the cycle of commodity dependence, which is in turn integral to wider economic stability and poverty reduction.

Since the turn of the millennium, the risks facing commodity producers have been partially disguised by strong prices for certain commodities. But the basic problem has not gone away. At its heart is the imperfect nature of commodity markets. The theoretical ideal of a supply-meets-demand market equilibrium is rarely, if ever, achieved because commodity supply and demand forces respond inflexibly to price fluctuations. But it is not price volatility per se that is the problem—rather it is the volatility of national and individual incomes that obstructs long-term planning, drives commodity dependence, widens inequality and leads to environmental degradation.

Commodity price volatility is a serious issue, but it is not a hopeless one. The basic economic tools necessary to help commodity producers get more predictable incomes are better understood than ever before. This publication looks at the experience, problems and promise of five different types of economic tools: supply management, national revenue management, market-based price risk management, compensatory finance and alternative trade initiatives.

Experience leads us to four conclusions:

Policy-makers need to tackle the very real risks facing commodity-dependent countries and producers. If the international community is indeed committed to reducing poverty, then thoughtful, decisive action is needed. Taking the following seven guidelines into consideration will help ensure that future policy responses are more coherent and successful than past initiatives:



Border Carbon AdjustmentThis paper looks at border carbon adjustment—a trade measure that has been proposed to address competitiveness and leakage concerns in conjunction with strong domestic actions on climate change. It judges BCA on the criteria of effectiveness, administrative feasibility, WTO legality and wider geopolitical impacts. It was prepared for the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18-20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD.

Border Carbon Adjustment and Free Allowances: Responding to Competitiveness and Leakage ConcernsCompetitiveness and leakage concerns arise when countries implement climate change policies and measures (PAMs) that other countries do not, or when PAMs differ between countries. These discrepancies lead to different costs for producers, and to concerns that production of goods will relocate to other countries. Such concerns have been sufficient to dilute or even derail proposed environmental policies and measures in the past. This paper explores two of the tools proposed to deal with those concerns: border carbon adjustment and free allowances.

Brave New Deal? Assessing the May 10th U.S. Bipartisan Compact on Free Trade AgreementsOn May 10 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, powerful members of the newly-ascendant U.S. Democratic Party, announced that they had negotiated a compromise agreement with the Bush Administration and leading Congressional Republicans on critical changes to pending free trade agreements with Peru and Panama. Until that time, there had seemed to be slim hope that either agreement would win approval from a Congress dominated by Democrats, many of whom had been elected on promises to rein in what their constituents saw as a harmful proliferation of flawed trade deals.

The new compact spawns a number of questions for those focused on U.S. trade policy: will its provisions become the new template for bilateral and regional trade agreements? Will it influence the granting of fast track negotiating authority (trade promotion authority) to the administration? Will it even help in the passage of the two agreements to which it applies, given substantial dissatisfaction with the deal within the Democratic caucus? And does Congress' intervention in a negotiated trade deal spell the end of TPA as it was formerly understood?

Aaron Cosbey assesses the compromise.

A Brief Analysis of the Copenhagen Climate Change ConferenceThe commentary provides a brief analysis of the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, examining expectations for and decisive moments in Copenhagen. Attention is also paid to the Copenhagen Accord, reviewing the main provisions of the agreement and its strengths and weaknesses. The authors conclude that the Copenhagen outcome highlights the enormous amount of work that remains to be done, and question if the political and public profile created in Copenhagen can be translated into a binding and ambitious international agreement on climate change.

Building accountability and transparency in public procurementGovernments are the largest consumers in an economy. The public sector on average spends 45 per cent to 65 per cent of their budgets on public procurement, which amounts to 13 per cent to 17 per cent of GDPs. If governments make a concerted effort to purchase environmentally- and socially-preferable products and services, their substantial buying power will drive the delivery of sustainable development policies and stimulate markets for sustainable products and services.

In the first half of 2007, IISD, in partnership with The Energy Resource Institute (TERI), India conducted a global review of international and national Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) initiatives. The survey identified four international and 35 national programs on SPP, and reviewed selected regional and bilateral trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties, as well as the national legal frameworks on SPP in Brazil, China, India and the European Union.

IISD welcomes interest from project partners as we leverage our ongoing work to enable more accountable and transparent SPP practices across the world.

Building Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: Have we got all the blocks?Over the last three months of 2009, calls for the phasing out of fossil-fuel subsidies by the G-20 and others have garnered widespread support. Now policy-makers face the challenge: how should a political call for reform be transformed into coherent action? This policy brief outlines the building blocks needed to implement a multilateral program for fossil-fuel subsidy reform, using the chapters of GSI's publication Untold Billions: Fossil-fuel subsidies, their impacts and the path to reform as a guide.

Building Knowledge, Measuring Well-being: Developing Sustainability Indicators for Winnipeg's First Nations Community (Pre-publication Version)Building Knowledge, Measuring Well-being is the first product of the joint project between the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. The document is a review and summary of relevant literature and available data sources which will be used to develop sustainability indicators for the urban First Nations community in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The contents of the document form an historical overview of First Nations people in Canada; summarise framework methodologies and data sources relevant to First Nations; describe the profile of the First Nations population; explore increasing urban migration; and examine the needs of the growing urban community and the services available.

Bush Blinks; The U.S. now at the climate change tableThere is renewed global energy about tackling climate change following the December 2005 climate conference in Montreal, writes IISD’s Director of Climate Change and Energy, John Drexhage. The fact that the U.S. is prepared to join discussions is a major step forward.

Business Strategy for Sustainable DevelopmentBusiness Strategy, undertaken with Deloitte & Touche and the Business Council on Sustainable Development, offers an in-depth look at sustainable development business practices and describes the practical steps companies can take to internalize sustainable development and profit from the opportunities it offers.

This book highlights best practices at a variety of successful companies, and incorporates results of a 17-country survey.

Business Strategy will be of interst to company managers and senior executives, their professional advisors, business schools, and a variety of others interested in environmentally and socially responsible business.

Campaigning rhetoric or bleak reality? Just how serious a security challenge is climate change for Africa?

If economics is the original dismal science, then climate change could be its understudy. As the meteorological picture comes into focus, campaigners have begun to argue that climate change holds potentially serious implications for international security. The basic argument is that climate change—by redrawing the maps of water availability, food security, disease prevalence and coastal boundaries—will reduce the available food and water, increase migration, raise tensions and trigger new conflicts.

This article addresses the threats of climate change for peace and stability in Africa. It was written for the Heinrich Böll Foundation's book Climate change, resources, migration: Securing Africa in an uncertain climate. The full conference report can be found at http://www.boell.org.za/web/116-505.html.

Key points:



Can we be pleased with the progress we have made in the development of energy efficiency and the mitigation of climate change?

“As the first decade of the 21st Century closes, can we be pleased with the progress we have made in the development of energy efficiency and the mitigation of climate change?”

IISD’s Mark Halle responds to the question posed by Comment:Visions and European Voice for their December 2009 issue, saying, “On the eve of the Copenhagen COP, we have lowered expectations so far that it recalls the pop culture title by Richard Fariña: Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me. We all hope to be pleasantly surprised by Copenhagen, but we are all secretly girding ourselves to explain away a disappointment. But pleased with the progress we have made...? C’mon.”

Comment:Visions, is a project of Euronews channel and Brussels-based European Voice newspaper. The project explores the personal views of thinkers, innovators and scientists about possible solutions to such challenges as global warming, overpopulation and dwindling resources.



Canada and Climate Change: Where to now?On the heels of the recent 2009 Copenhagen Accord negotiations, John Drexhage was invited to speak about Canada's position on climate change at a Round Table discussion led by Liberal Energy and Environment Critic David McGuinty. He examined Canada's position in the global context, as well as in relation to current policy in the United States.

Drexhage shares his concerns for the precarious nature of the current Copenhagen Accord negotiations, suggesting that the global focus remain on the progress made on substantive issues at the 2009 negotiations. On the home front, Drexhage examines national and regional initiatives in Canada and the United States. He suggests that Canada focus on policy incentives and the removal of perverse subsidies in order to negotiate its strong economic and energy relationships with the United States, while still offering a constructive role in building off the Copenhagen Accord.

Canada and Global Knowledge NetworksMay 15-16, 1997 - Ottawa, Canada - Search Conference Summary Report

Canada falling behind on ODA: World leaders commit to increasing development assistance; Canada absent from the listIISD President and CEO David Runnalls writes from the World Economic Forum in Davos that Canada is lagging behind other countries in achieving official development assistance (ODA) goals. Ironic, given Canada's past leadership on the issue.

Canadian Agricultural Practices on WTO Block: Trade talks in Hong Kong take aim at wheat, dairy and poultryIISD President and CEO David Runnalls raises the curtain on the December 2005 World Trade Organization Ministerial in Hong Kong, from a Canadian perspective.

Canada in a Post-2012 World: A Qualitative Assessment of Domestic and International PerspectivesCanada in a Post-2012 World explores Canadian and international perspectives on establishing a sustainable, global regime for climate change action. It provides a set of analytical tools to help frame Canadian perspectives on the range of international options being considered for a post-Kyoto world, and an initial assessment of how Canadian sensitivities and perspectives might be received by critical Parties in the global community. One common theme that emerges is that the threat of climate change is real—some impacts are already visible—and Canada needs to respond in a meaningful way that works to position the country as a leader in a clean energy future.

Canada Needs To Be A Player In The Bean Scene: IISD calls on Canada to join the International Coffee Organization to tackle current coffee crisisThis commentary, written by Jason Potts, Coordinator of the Sustainable Commodity Initiative, examines the current crisis in the coffee market and the implications for the millions of rural households who depend on coffee income for their livelihoods. "In Burundi, 80 per cent of foreign earnings are derived from coffee exports. In Ethiopia coffee represents 67 per cent of foreign revenue earnings," writes Potts. Currently, the world market price for coffee is the lowest in 70 years. The International Coffee Organization was established to enable stabilization and protection of international coffee prices. The efforts of the ICO are, however, undermined by the absence of two important coffee consuming countries: Canada and the United States.

A Capabilities Approach to Trade and Sustainable Development: Using Sen’s Conception of Development to Re-examine the DebatesThis paper takes the thinking of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and uses it to fashion a comprehensive new definition of sustainable development. It then asks how trade and trade liberalization might contribute to sustainable development so defined, surveying a complex web of potential impacts. It draws important lessons for civil society, developing countries and the WTO negotiations from the analysis.

Capacity Building for Integrated Environmental Assessment and Reporting: Training Manual (2nd Ed.)This training manual and the accompanying training program have been prepared to meet the needs of partners for imporved guidance and training during the production of Global Environment Outlook (GEO) and other accociated integrated assessment reports. Although the skills and methods outlined here closely reflect those developed for GEO, they were designed to be applicable to al integrated environment assessment reports at the national and regional levels, as well as in other contexts. As such, the manual reflects the experience gained by UNEP, IISD and other partners while producing integrated assessments over the past decade.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: An Analysis on ResultsAnswers the following questions: How strong is the resulting Cartagena Protocol? What does and doesn't it do? What do the results mean for other trade-related, multilateral environmental agreements and their relationship with the WTO?

Catching up with the Slowest: NGO Accreditation at the WTOIISD's Director of Trade and Investment wonders why the World Trade Organization still hasn't wrapped up the matter of NGO accreditation.

"The Geneva-based, trade-related NGO communities regularly camp out at the WTO," writes Mark Halle. "They wander the dark halls of the Secretariat as if they were fitting them for curtains. They are on a first-name basis with a high proportion of WTO staff. And yet, every time we come to WTO Headquarters we suffer the indignity of being directed to the service entrance."

This article originally appeared in Bridges Monthly, a publication of tne International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development.

Challenges and Lessons Learned from Integrated Landscape Management Projects There are growing concerns about local and regional ecosystems and their vulnerability in relation to human activities. This case study evaluates 10 Integrated Land Management (ILM) projects from Canada, the U.S. and Europe to provide information that will help promote better awareness of potential environmental and cumulative impacts due to development priorities and choices. ILM builds on a spectrum of approaches including integrated resource management, integrated watershed management, comprehensive regional land use planning and ecosystem-based management. The study found that ILM approaches could provide significant benefits for local and regional decision-makers by helping them understand the linkages between environment and humans, and by providing opportunities to explore potential future development pathways and policies.

China’s Electrical Power Sector, Environmental Protection and Sustainable TradeThis paper considers China’s electrical power sector and asks what changes the country might consider as part of a broader strategy to advance toward a sustainable trade strategy for China. It is part of a larger set of papers, co-authored by IISD, various international experts and Chinese experts, devoted to achieving such a strategy. The paper first looks at the characteristics of the sector and the ways in which it relates to sustainable development. Energy—and electricity in particular—is an essential platform for successful development and for a strong export sector, but if it is generated inefficiently or in a polluting manner, it can also hamstring competitive export-based growth and cause environmental and human health problems. This paper surveys international experience with policy instruments to harness this sector for sustainable development, and seeks to apply that experience to the Chinese context. It finishes with a set of policy recommendations.

China and International Cooperation on Trade and Environment - The Working Group on Trade and Environment - Final Report - Phase IIChina Council for International Cooperation on Environment & Development (CCICED), a high level non-governmental advisory body, was established by the State Council of China in 1992. Its stated purpose is "to further strengthen cooperation and exchange between China and the international community in the field of environment and development."

China needs to become a leading partner in efforts to "decarbonize development"In this February 2005 commentary, IISD intern Maya Papineau says that China needs to make major leaps in emissions reduction, even though it's not bound to any quantitative restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol's commitment period from 2008 to 2012.

The Citizen is Willing, But Society Won't Deliver: IISD's Javed Ahmad commentsIISD’s Javed Ahmad comments on The Citizen is Willing, But Society Won’t Deliver: The Problem of Institutional Roadblocks—a book by Norman Myers and Jennifer Kent. The book looks at how government systems are often blighted by institutional roadblocks.

The Citizen is Willing, But Society Won’t Deliver: The Problem of Institutional RoadblocksGovernment systems are often blighted by “institutional roadblocks” (IRs).These phenomena are profound and pervasive, and growing worse in many sectors. They apply especially to environmental problems, stemming as they often do from a lack of integration—whether economic, political or otherwise—among our principal institutions of governance. Plainly the environmental cause is failing. After decades of efforts by governments, businesses, media and others—and despite many success stories—we are losing ground faster than ever. Problems proliferate, leaving us trying to push ever-larger rocks up ever-steeper hills. How can we get ahead of the game and prevent problems from becoming problems in the first place? A key answer is to tackle the IRs.

This book looks at why institutional systems prove singularly unsystematic, and why they often fail in spectacular fashion as concerns the environment. Why should this be so? What can we do about it? What are some success stories to point the way ahead?

City of Winnipeg Quality of Life IndicatorsPlan Winnipeg, the long-term strategic plan for the city of Winnipeg, identifies high quality of life as the key element in the community's vision for the future. To make this vision a reality, it is essential to identify and monitor key measurable elements of the vision.

Establishing a measurement system for quality of life requires a process to identify the key quality of life issues and indicators, to collect and organize data, and to publicize the information. The key questions to be answered in this process are the following:



Civil Sector Consultation for the Hemispheric Summit on Sustainable Development Bolivia, December 1996Review and recommendations from the Hemispheric Summit on Sustainable Development meeting in Bolivia, December 1996. As well minutes and participant list from the Canadian National Consultation meeting in Ottawa May 28, 1996.

Civil Society in Search of an Alternative Regionalism in ASEAN

The so-called alternative regionalism is becoming a popular concept of late particularly given the increasing role and importance of non-governmental element, or civil society, also commonly referred to as the track-three, in the institutional development and community building of Southeast Asia. Despite the widespread use of the terms, there is yet a common understanding amongst relevant actors in the regionalisation process as to what alternative regionalism actually entails of. The theoretical and practical debates on and about alternative regionalism in Southeast Asian context has been minimal and far from sufficient. Given the increase dynamics of civil society’s efforts to reform ASEAN, alternative regionalism, or the concept attached to it, will hold an important position in the analysis of civil society dynamics in Southeast Asian regionalism. This paper is one of the few attempts that have been initiated by scholars and activists from within the region that tries to fill this gap. More importantly, it is also an effort to provide greater clarity of the dynamics attached to civil society’s engagement with ASEAN as a whole.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Clarity of Thought. Creativity in Action.This brochure was produced in December 2005 for COP/MOP-1 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Clean Energy InvestmentThis paper looks at ways to foster increased flows of investment, both domestic and foreign, into clean energy infrastructure and technologies in developing countries. It looks first at domestic factors—the investment climate for these sorts of investments, and ways that domestic policy might remove barriers and establish incentives. It then looks at existing international investment law, asking how it might either frustrate or foster more clean energy investment. The paper was prepared for the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18-20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD.

Clean Energy Investment in Developing Countries: Wind power in EgyptWind power development in Egypt has many points in its favour: Egypt’s wind resource is one of the best in the world; there is ample land available with low alternative economic value; demand for electricity continues to grow; air quality in the major cities is a key environmental concern and donor support is extremely strong. Yet wind generates just 0.7 per cent of Egypt’s electricity supply. This investment case study describes the development of wind generation to date; analyzes the factors supporting and constraining investment; and discusses the conditions that would be necessary for a large-scale implementation of wind power in the future. The work, founded on detailed economic analysis, is designed to demonstrate the issues around encouraging significant clean energy investment within developing countries that are net exporters of fossil fuels.

Clean Energy Investment in the Former Soviet Union (Ukraine and Kazakhstan) This commissioned study looks at the domestic barriers and opportunities in two countries— the Ukraine and Kazakhstan— for increased investment in clean energy infrastructure and technologies. Some barriers and opportunities are general to all investment, while others are specific to clean energy investment. The study was part of a project that included another country study (PDF - 1.7 mb), in Nigeria. A synthesis report (PDF - 1.1 mb) pulled together the lessons from these studies and the literature on domestic issues, as well as looking at international investment law through the same lens, asking how it might foster or frustrate increase clean energy investment.

Clean Energy Investment in Nigeria: The domestic context This commissioned study looks at the domestic barriers and opportunities for increased investment in clean energy infrastructure and technologies in Nigeria. Some barriers and opportunities are general to all investment, while others are specific to clean energy investment. The study was part of a project that included two other country studies, in the Ukraine and Kazakhstan. A synthesis report (PDF - 1.1 mb) pulled together the lessons from these studies and the literature on domestic issues, as well as looking at international investment law through the same lens, asking how it might foster or frustrate increase clean energy investment.

Clean Energy Investment: Policymakers' Summary This is a summary of a longer report (PDF - 1.1 mb), which synthesizes the lessons learned over a year's study of the barriers and opportunities for clean energy investment in developing countries. It focuses first on the domestic side, looking at those elements of the domestic regulatory and policy framework that might encourage or discourage investment both foreign and domestic. Three commissioned country studies informed this part of the work. It then looks at the web of international investment laws, embodied in bilateral, regional and multilateral treaties, asking how they might impede or foster clean energy investment.

Clean Energy Investment: Project synthesis reportThis report synthesizes the lessons learned over a year's study of the barriers and opportunities for clean energy investment in developing countries. It focuses first on the domestic side, looking at those elements of the domestic regulatory and policy framework that might encourage or discourage investment both foreign and domestic. Three commissioned country studies informed this part of the work. It then looks at the web of international investment laws, embodied in bilateral, regional and multilateral treaties, asking how they might impede or foster clean energy investment. A policymakers' summary (PDF - 433 kb) is also available.

Climate Canada NewsletterClimate Canada: A Canadian Lens on Global Climate Change. Seventeen issues of Climate Canada were produced, ending May 2001.

Climate Change and Competitiveness: A Survey of the IssuesFrom the outset, the Kyoto Protocol and the UNFCCC have had to contend with perceived tension between effective action to slow climate change, and maintenance of competitiveness. Competitiveness concerns were the explicit prime motivation for the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Kyoto Process. Competitiveness concerns have since plagued Canada, the U.S.'s largest trading partner and the bearer of a relatively difficult emission reduction target. They have also figured large in the climate-related policy debates in the EU, where they effectively scuttled the EC's 1992 proposed Directive on Carbon Tax, and have continued to dog the elaboration and implementation of the EU's Emissions Trading System.

This paper explores the nature of the concerns over competitiveness, trying to dissect them in a meaningful way and assess the need for concern. It aims to serve as background to the discussions to take place at the experts' workshop on Climate Change, Competitiveness and Trade, London, U.K., March 30, 2005, organized by Chatham House and the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Climate Change and Conflict: Lessons from community conservancies in northern KenyaThis report is based on the findings of research carried out in two community wildlife conservancies in northern Kenya earlier this year. It illustrates how climate change is affecting the distribution and prevalence of natural resources in Kenya, but makes it clear that this is not the only factor contributing to resource scarcity. It emphasizes that competition for natural resources is a key driver of conflict, but also that it interacts with a range of other factors and that violence is not inevitable. The research found that local governance mechanisms, especially natural resource management mechanisms, provided by community conservancies in the region, are crucial in determining whether competition over scarce resources will turn into violent conflict.

Climate Change and Energy BrochureAn overview of IISD's Climate Change and Energy Strategic Objective.

Climate change and forced migration: Observations, projections and implicationsIn 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that the greatest single impact of climate change could be on human migration—with millions of people (the most common estimate is 200 million by 2050) displaced by shoreline erosion, coastal flooding and agricultural degradation. But with so many other social, economic and environmental factors at work, establishing a linear, causative relationship between anthropogenic climate change and forced migration has, to date, been difficult.

Predicting future flows of climate migrants is complex; stymied by a lack of baseline data, distorted by population growth and reliant on the evolution of climate change as well as the quantity of future emissions. Nevertheless the available science, summarized in the latest assessment report of the IPCC, translates into a simple fact: on current predictions the "carrying capacity" of large parts of the world will be compromised by climate change.

This paper was written as a thematic paper for the 2007/2008 Human Development Report of the UNDP, "Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World." The paper investigates the differing projections for forced migration over the next 50 years, discusses the problem of prediction and analyzes the development implications of large-scale migration. The paper sets out three broad scenarios, based on differing emissions forecasts, for what we might expect. These range from the best case scenario where serious emissions reductions happen and a "Marshall Plan" for adaptation is put in place, to the "business as usual" scenario, where the large-scale migration foreseen by the most gloomy analysts comes true, or is exceeded.

Climate Change and Foreign Policy: An exploration of options for greater integrationClimate change is one of the greatest challenges of this century. Increasing evidence of the impacts of climate change and that human actions are contributing to changes in climate highlights the need for action. There is an increasing realization in the international community that achieving the consensus and commitment needed to take action requires positioning climate change in a broader foreign policy context.

The ostensible goal of Western foreign policy is to provide stability and security as a foundation for human well-being, global freedom and prosperity. However, in today’s increasingly inter-connected world, the traditional instruments of diplomacy are not always effective in tackling global threats. Established alliances and procedures are hard-pressed to be effective against a threat such as climate change, when the cause (greenhouse gas emissions) is not the ambition of any one “hostile” power. Addressing the climate change challenge requires new thinking in foreign policy—thinking that considers engagement on climate change not only in the sphere of environment, but also outside the environment box.

This study examines opportunities for a broader framing of the climate change issue in a number of foreign policy areas of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark: diplomacy and international relations; energy security; peace and security; trade and investment; and development cooperation.

Co-authored by IISD's John Drexhage, Deborah Murphy, Oli Brown, Aaron Cosbey, Peter Dickey, Jo-Ellen Parry and John Van Ham; and Richard Tarasofsky and Beverley Darkin of Chatham House.

Climate Change and Global Governance: Which Way Ahead?In this paper, IISD's John Drexhage looks at the climate regime. From the paper: "My argument has more to do with the current reluctance of major economies—including three of the top four global emitters—to submit their GHG emission activities to strict, internationally binding commitments. If, for example, a mitigation regime strictly under the UN means further delay in the U.S. on a post-2012 agreement, due to its Senate being unable to ratify such an agreement, then why not try and set up an alternative structure, even if only as an initial step? Or, given the challenges faced in ratifying any international binding agreement in the U.S. Senate, could we actually envision a situation where the UN regime would apply everywhere but the U.S.? And if so, what would motivate major developing country economies to agree to submit to a system the U.S. would refuse?"

Climate Change and Global Governance: Which Way Ahead? This paper argues that, to address the multi-faceted climate challenge we face, governance efforts must evolve beyond the current global regime-building model and that environmental and development policies must become much better integrated.

This briefing paper is an output of the "Mapping Global Environmental Governance Reform" project of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The initiative was conceived of and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Denmark.

Climate Change and Global Governance: Which Way Ahead? (Excerpt) In this excerpt of a chapter in "A globally integrated climate policy for Canada" (edited by Steven Bernstein, et al. University of Toronto Press, 2008), John Drexhage, IISD's Director of Climate Change and Energy, argues that to address the multi-faceted climate challenge we face, governance efforts must evolve beyond the current global regime-building model, and that environmental and development policies must become much better integrated.

Climate Change and Security in Africa

As science has revealed that the rate and intensity of climate change is increasing at unprecedented levels, we have begun to realize that it holds potentially serious implications for international security. Analysts argue that climate change—by redrawing the maps of water availability, food security, disease prevalence and coastal boundaries—could potentially increase forced migration, raise tensions and trigger new conflicts.

The imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and manage the impacts of climate change present, in the starkest manner possible, our global interdependence. Africa, though the continent the least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions, is almost universally seen as the continent most at risk of climate-induced conflict—a function of the continent’s reliance on climate-dependent sectors (such as rain-fed agriculture) and its history of resource, ethnic and political conflict. At the turn of the 21st century more people were being killed in wars in this region than in the rest of the world combined.

However, recent years have seen a steady progress in the improvement of Africa’s economic prospects, in the reduction of levels of conflict and in the quality of governance and the number and nature of democracies. The African Union and its constituent regional economic communities, through its security architecture, have developed into key players in the reduction of conflict in Africa. Nevertheless, with its tremendous natural resources and remarkable social and ecological diversity, the continent reflects a close dependency of people on natural resources. It is this dependency and its fragile governance capacities that may present Africa with potentially severe problems in adapting to the future effects of climate change.

In this report, prepared for the Nordic-African Foreign Ministers Forum in Copenhagen in March 2009, IISD examines some of the threats that climate change could pose to security for the continent. These include:

The paper also identifies a set of strategies for peace and development in a changing climate:



Climate change as the ‘new’ security threat: implications for AfricaOnce an environmental issue, then an energy problem, climate change is now being recast as a security threat. So far, the debate has focused on creating a security ‘hook’, illustrated by anecdote, to invest climate negotiations with a greater sense of urgency. Political momentum behind the idea of climate change as a security threat has progressed quickly, even reaching the United Nations’ Security Council.

This article reviews the linkages between climate change and security in Africa and analyses the role of climate change adaptation policies in future conflict prevention. Africa, with its history of ethnic, resource, and interstate conflict, is seen by many as particularly vulnerable to this new type of security threat, despite being the continent least responsible for global greenhouse gas emissions. Projected climatic changes for Africa suggest a future of increasingly scarce water, collapsing agricultural yields, encroaching desert and damaged coastal infrastructure. Such impacts, should they occur, would undermine the 'carrying capacity' of large parts of Africa, causing destabilising population movements and raising tensions over dwindling strategic resources. In such a case, climate change could be a factor that tips fragile states into socio-economic and political collapse.

Climate change is only one of many security, environmental and developmental challenges facing Africa. Its impacts will be magnified or moderated by underlying conditions of governance, poverty and resource management, as well as the nature of climate change impacts at local and regional levels. Adaptation policies and programs, if implemented quickly and at multiple scales, could help avert climate change and other environmental stresses becoming triggers for conflict. But, adaptation must take into account existing social, political and economic tensions and avoid exacerbating them.

Please cite as:

Oli Brown, Anne Hammill, Robert McLeman, 'Climate change: the new security threat', International Affairs 83: 6, November 2007, pp. 1141–1154.

Climate Change Capacity Project–Africa: Report of the Workshop July 17-21, 2000, Dakar, SenegalNegotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol have become extremely complicated, both in the issues under discussion and in the process of addressing them. Individual negotiators are increasingly called upon to address several technical, political and economic issues that often lie outside their areas of professional expertise. For this reason, many developed countries have expanded their delegations to include a range of experts. Developing country representation, however, is generally limited to people with technical backgrounds, or those in the diplomatic service with limited experience in the issues.

Climate Change Impacts in Manitoba: IISD President looks at farming, the north, Lake Winnipeg and urban lifeIn March 2007, IISD's President and CEO, David Runnalls, produced a series on four aspects of climate change in Manitoba for the Winnipeg Free Press: farming, the North, Lake Winnipeg and urban life. The four editorials are presented together here.

Climate Change Mitigation through Land Use Measures in the Agriculture and Forestry SectorsThis paper reviews the status of the post-2012 negotiations on climate change mitigation through land-use measures in the agriculture and forestry sectors. These land-use sectors–agriculture and forestry–can potentially play a large role in the global efforts to address climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, but they are largely excluded from in the current international policy framework. The paper examines why these sectors are important, how these issues are addressed in the current negotiations, and what are some of the major issues and considerations when considering their inclusion in a new climate change agreement. The conclusion puts forward questions that will need to be addressed over 2009 as the world moves closer toward elaborating a post-2012 regime for international action on climate change.

Climate Change, Competitiveness and TradeFrom the outset the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have had to contend with perceived tension between effective action to slow climate change and maintenance of competitiveness. The first section of this report explores the nature of the concerns over competitiveness, trying to dissect them in a meaningful way and assess the need for concern. It looks at both the "non-Party problem" — concerns about competing with firms in states without measures to combat climate change—and the "implementation problem": concerns about competing with firms whose governments set up climate change actions in ways that benefit certain sectors.

The second main section of the report considers the relationship between the Kyoto Protocol and the WTO. Kyoto's present provisions do not contain any specific trade measures, but some of the measures taken to implement the Protocol could overlap with WTO rules. The temptation to use more overt trade measures to offset competitiveness losses will grow as Parties consider more stringent targets under future commitment periods or successors to the Protocol. The analysis here asks what trade law might be applicable to each of the various possible instruments states might use to address climate change and competitiveness concerns.

Climate Change, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property RightsThis paper explores how intellectual property rights, particularly as formulated in the rules of the WTO, affect our ability to successfully address climate change. It was prepared for the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18-20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD. Maria Julia Olivia is lead author of this paper, produced under ICTSD's Global Platform on Linkages between Trade Policies, Climate Change and Sustainable Energy. Substantive contributions were received from Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, Pedro Roffe, Ahmed Abdel Latif and Moustapha Kamal Gueye to this paper. Content and editorial review was provided by several other ICTSD colleagues.

Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and AdaptationWith the growing threat of climate change and climate-related disasters, it’s imperative that communities be empowered to reduce their vulnerability. Ecosystems can be a buffer against natural hazards, and can sustain people daily and in times of crisis. Still, their protective value is often ignored. IUCN – The World Conservation Union, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Stockholm Environment Institute – Boston Centre are working together to strengthen the role of ecosystem management and restoration in reducing community vulnerability, and to spur adaptation to the growing threat of climate-related disasters. By bringing together climate change action, disaster reduction and environmental management, this initiative is identifying and promoting environmental strategies that reduce community vulnerability to our changing climate.

Climate change: A new threat to stability in West Africa? Evidence from Ghana and Burkina Faso

Over the past decades, the way we talk about climate change has evolved. Traditionally seen as an environmental and an energy issue, climate change is now also being cast as a threat to international peace and security. Analysts argue that climate change will exacerbate existing tensions and triggers new conflicts by redrawing the maps of water availability, food security, disease prevalence, coastal boundaries and population distribution.

The security implications of climate change have become the subject of unprecedented international attention; in 2007 the focus of a Security Council debate and the Nobel Peace prize. There have been some attempts to construct scenarios of the security implications of climate change at a global scale. But the country-level security impacts of climate change have been lost in the midst of the political rhetoric. Local experts in the subject countries are rarely consulted.

In this article for the September 2008 edition of the African Security Review, published quarterly by the Institute for Security Studies, Africa’s leading human security research institution, Oli Brown and Alec Crawford draw on their fieldwork in Ghana and Burkina Faso to see to what extent the links that have been hypothesized reflect a realistic future for two different countries in West Africa as the impacts of climate change gather pace.

Key findings:

1. Ghana and Burkina Faso already face considerable development challenges from existing economic, population and environmental stresses.

2. Climate change is not new to West Africa. West Africa in general and the Sahelian region in particular are characterized by some of the most variable climates on the planet.

3. Future climate change will likely make many current development challenges more complex and urgent.

4. There are links between climate change and security in the region. However, there is little research that has managed to construct an empirical link between climate change and conflict in the region (or, for that matter, anywhere else).

5. Climate change could exacerbate existing, latent tensions in Ghana and Burkina Faso.

6. But only in the extreme scenarios does climate change begin to present a determining factor in future economic and political instability.

Key recommendation:

Adaptation needs to focus on the full range of development problems affecting countries. Adaptation to climate change clearly needs to be integrated within wider plans for development assistance, and the additional costs for that adaptation need to be funded with “new money” so as not to undercut development priorities elsewhere.



Climate-related vulnerability and adaptive-capacity in Ethiopia's Borana and Somali communitiesThis report provides a comparative analysis of the climate-related vulnerability and adaptive capacity of Borana and Somali pastoral communities in Ethiopia. It is the result of a study conducted by IISD, IUCN, CARE and SCUK in Ethiopia in 2009. The results of this analysis are intended to provide the Government of Ethiopia, civil society organizations and international donors a basis for improved development programming and advocacy.

Coming Clean: Corporate Environmental ReportingPublished by IISD, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu International, and Sustainability,Coming Clean reveals how 75 of the leading companies in Europe, Japan and the United States are reporting on their environmental performance and management practices.

An analysis of the trends, audience and the impact of corporate reporting is valuable to companies, their shareholders and interested observers.

Comments on ICSID Discussion Paper, “Possible Improvements of the Framework for ICSID Arbitration”IISD's Investment and Sustainable Development team has responded to a call for comments by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) on a public discussion paper which proposes reforms to its handling of international investment treaty arbitrations, including increased transparency and an appeals mechanism. IISD's response calls for a more ambitious reform agenda for ICSID, including its devolution from the World Bank, and calls upon governments to address deficiencies in other international investment arbitration venues as well.

Commodity Income Management: Selected Southeast Asian EconomiesThe fifth in a series of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this comparative study looks at how Malaysia and Viet Nam have addressed volatility in their palm oil and coffee sectors, respectively.

Palm oil in Malaysia and coffee in Vietnam reflect both successes and failures in stabilizing commodity incomes. It is hoped that recommendations can be drawn from each to improve current revenue management policies throughout Southeast Asia. The Malaysian palm oil sector is long established, with a tradition of success in cultivation and primary production. Conversely, Vietnamese coffee represents a newly-emerging industry which has aggressively engaged the international market to become a global leader in recent years.

The paper begins by presenting the two case studies on commodity dependence. The authors then look into the national approaches used by these countries to manage their commodity revenues, and conclude with recommendations for future courses of action, addressing the failures and gaps in past policies for the focus countries and some of their neighbours.

Commodity Revenue Management: The Case of Chile's Copper BoomThe sixth in a series of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this paper looks at how Chile has addressed price volatility in its copper sector.

Chile's experiences managing its copper resources are often cited as a success, albeit a recent one. However in becoming the world's largest supplier of the metal, Chile has also grown reliant on the revenues it generates. Since this dependence can be harmful to the economy due to the volatility of copper prices, the Chilean government has taken measures to forestall the impacts of a sudden drop in prices. These measure also seek to address future economic downturns.

This study details the steps Chile has taken to lessen its vulnerability to commodity shocks. It begins with a description of the evolution and current state of the copper industry in Chile. The paper then discusses the government's past and present efforts to collect and administer copper earnings, before analyzing the political, economic and social effects such earnings have. It concludes by considering future scenarios that could potentially impact the the current approach taken by the Chilean government and discusses some policy alternatives.

Commodity Revenue Management: Coffee and Cotton in UgandaThe second in a series of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this comparative study focuses on how Uganda has addressed price volatility in its coffee and cotton sectors.

Coffee and cotton have been central components of Uganda's economy since the country's independence. However, the price volatility present in both sectors has repeatedly dampened economic growth and threatened producer livelihoods. Failed attempts to address this volatility through supply management have left producers and the government searching for new ways to ensure stable and predictable commodity incomes, incomes upon which economic diversification strategies can be built.

This paper begins with a discussion of the history of coffee and cotton marketing in Uganda. It then examines commodity revenue and price volatility risk for both commodities and some of the approaches taken to manage this risk. The final section of the report presents the authors' recommendations for coffee and cotton revenue management in Uganda.

Commodity Revenue Management: India’s rapeseed/mustard oil sectorThe fourth in a set of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this study looks at how the Indian government and local producers have addressed volatility in the rapeseed/mustard oil sector.

Commodity price volatility is not a new problem in India, however it has grown in the wake of recent liberalization programs and the opening of the domestic sector to the global marketplace. The government and the private sector have tried to stabilize rapeseed/mustard oil prices through the variety of means, including compensatory financing and price hedging on futures markets but few, if any, of these mechanisms have been fully successful.

The paper begins by introducing the rapeseed/mustard oil sector, highlighting its importance to the Indian economy. It then discusses the national revenue management strategies of the rapeseed/mustard oil sector and concludes with recommendations for improving and stabilizing the earnings of the government and the farm sector from rapeseed/mustard oil.

Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book, 2007 - Trade, Aid and Security: an agenda for peace and developmentIn this article for the Commonwealth Ministers Reference Book (CMRB), IISD project manager Oli Brown explores the links among trade, aid and conflict. The CMRB is the flagship annual publication of the Commonwealth Secretariat and is distributed to every government minister in the 53 countries of the Commonwealth. Previous authors for the CMRB include Professors Joseph Stiglitz and Jeffrey Sachs, and U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Most conflicts nowadays are within states – poor states – and most victims are civilians, not soldiers. Rather than focusing solely on reactive responses to conflict, we need to consider how current policies can have a negative effect – in fact, how they can systematically undermine peace and development. Trade and aid policies are two of the areas that require our attention most. Powerful conduits for money, technology, ideas and influence, they both reflect and reinforce global power disparities and, if poorly designed and managed, can undermine economic and political stability.

Communicating Sustainable Development on the WebExcellent external communications practices are essential if an organization is to achieve success in helping decision-makers in government, local authorities and industry to develop and adopt policies and practices that are supportive of sustainable development. "Communicating Sustainable Development on the Web" promotes excellence by encouraging sustainable development organizations to think "Web first" and to know their audiences.

Communities For Environmentally Sustainable Development - Final Report to the Commission on Environmental CooperationMany towns and cities have realized that in order to make sustainable development a reality, they need to quantify some of its measurable components. Many communities set up measurement and reporting systems. Learning from the experience, successes and challenges of the others can be a strong catalytic force in the process.

Community Adaptation and Sustainable Livelihoods: Basic Issues and PrinciplesGenerate and maintain their means of living, enhance their well-being and that of future generations. These capacities are contingent upon the availability of, and accessibility to options which are ecological, socio-cultural, economic and political and are predicated on equity, ownership of resources and participatory decision-making.

Community Drought Mitigation Project Final ReportProject No. 050/19284

Enhancing sustainable livelihoods in drought-prone areas of Mudzi (Makaha ward) and Gwanda (Gwanda Ward 19) - Building on Adaptive Strategies



A Community Indicators System for Winnipeg: Working together to achieve and sustain a high quality of life for current and future generations A Community Indicators System for Winnipeg: Working together to achieve and sustain a high quality of life for current and future generations is a document that serves as an operating model and business plan for establishing and managing the system.

The Community Sustainable Development Action and Knowledge InventoryIISD has developed an inventory tool to help a community document historical and current initiatives being carried out by its citizens. Through the inventory process, the community should gain a better appreciation of the collective knowledge and expertise it has to draw upon—as well as an understanding of how past activities have influenced the types of programs and solutions that the community might view as possible and desirable in the future.

Compendium of Sustainable Development Indicator InitiativesThis brochure invites people to visit IISD's online global directory of sustainability indicator initiatives. At the time of publishing (March 2004), about 600 initiatives were described in the compendium. The compendium was relaunched in 2002 by IISD, Environment Canada and the International Sustainability Indicators Network and can be viewed here.

Compensatory Finance: Options for tackling the commodity price problemCompensatory finance schemes were in vogue in the 1970s because this was a (fairly brief) period of commodity power. Rather than being a permanent adjustment mechanism in a globally Keynesian economy, they were used by industrialised countries as a calming mechanism and an antidote to a Common Fund which threatened over-regulation of commodity markets. Essentially compensatory finance schemes were a political response rather than an economic stabilisation fixture.

The paper reviews in detail the IMF's Compensatory Financing Facility and the EU's Stabex Scheme, and their variants, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Both of the main schemes petered out in the 1990s and by then were only missed for their aid allocation elements, rather than for the producer support or insurance function which had been the claimed purpose. They never shrugged off the tendency to be pro- rather than counter-cyclical.

Various efforts at broadening, globalising or updating them have not proceeded because the donors who effectively ran the schemes nowadays prefer interventions like direct budget support or the use of modern communications to improve market intelligence. Nevertheless, when the World Bank and the OECD donors pressed ahead with debt relief, it still found that commodity earnings instability was one of the reasons for their clients to miss their targets. Moreover, with a shift back to commodity production in state hands and sovereign wealth funds investing globally in commodities, and given the more recent security and sustainability concerns, this could be the time to make the case for international public funding of a global stabilisation-via-compensation mechanism again.

Competing for Business: Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives in Southeast Asia

Recent decades have seen a proliferation of investment incentives around the world, as governments seek to attract increasingly mobile foreign direct investment in the hope of spurring economic growth, raising employment and introducing new technology and know-how. This paper examines the effectiveness of such incentives in attracting FDI and promoting sustainable development in Southeast Asia. Drawing on existing research, the paper assesses the impacts of incentives on economic growth, government revenue, technology and knowledge spillovers, employment and environmental protection. The paper goes on to examine to what extent investment competition within Southeast Asia and with China has influenced the evolution of incentive policies in the region. Finally, the paper loks at how Southeast Asian governments have sought to regulate investment incentives through bilateral investment agreements and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Compliance with International Standards in the Marine Fisheries Sector: A Supply Chain Analysis from Pakistan - Full ReportA case study of coastal fisheries in Pakistan highlights difficulties faced in complying with foreign harvesting and processing standards. The study undertakes a supply chain analysis in the marine fisheries sector and looks at two links in this chain, namely compliance with international standards in the harvesting and processing stages. The analysis is driven by two concerns. First, failure to comply can adversely affect national exports. Second, the livelihoods of coastal fishing communities are at risk.

Conference Report: Choose the Future: Education for Sustainable DevelopmentThe Choose the Future: Education for Sustainable Development Conference was held in Winnipeg, Canada, November 26–28, 2008.This international conference was planned for everyone who understands that education is required to sustain our future.“Choose the Future” stands as a major contribution to Canadian activities supporting the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014).

These proceedings present abstracts of the keynote presentations and the concurrent sessions that took place over the three days. This conference was a project of the Manitoba Education for Sustainable Development Working Group. The Science Teachers Association of Manitoba (STAM) was a major sponsor and partner in the conference.

Conflict-Sensitive Business Practice: Guidance for Extractive IndustriesThis publication is a set of tools to help companies understand and minimise conflict risk, and contribute actively to peace. Under the guidance of a steering committee made up of leading professionals from the extractive sector and humanitarian agencies, the research has produced a practical methodology that applies conflict-sensitive business practice to the complete project cycle for the oil, gas and mining sectors. Please click here for the Project homepage.

Conflict-sensitive conservation: Field report from Queen Elizabeth National ParkIn December 2006, IISD and the Conservation Development Centre (CDC) undertook consultations with a range of fishing, pastoralist and agricultural communities within and adjacent to Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Uganda. The focus of these consultations was the conflict situations being addressed by the CARE Rights Equity and Protected Areas (REPA) program in and around the park. A workshop was subsequently convened at the CARE office in Kampala, with a specific focus on discussing the conflicts around QENP. The workshop introduced and presented various conflict analysis techniques, which were discussed in both plenary and working group sessions that used real conflict scenarios from QENP to test and to draw out the key learning points and recommendations for the future application of these techniques. This report reflects this field research. It is available in English.

Conflict-Sensitive Conservation: Practitioners' Manual The Albertine Rift is one of the most biodiverse and ecologically unique regions of Africa. Sadly it has also been the site of some of the world's most violent conflicts in recent history. This turbulent context can pose a range of risks and opportunities to conservationists who are managing resources that can be both a seed of conflict and foundation for peace-building.

With the financial support of the MacArthur Foundation and the technical support of the Conservation Development Centre, IISD has been working with the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere) International in Uganda to better understand the context in which they operate and apply a conflict lens to their work. This work led to the development of the "Conflict-Sensitive Conservation Practitioners' Manual," which provides an analytical and decision-making framework to help conservationists understand and address natural resource-based conflict, and integrate this understanding into conservation programming and implementation. In so doing, conservationists can avoid exacerbating conflict and maximize opportunities for peace-building.

Connecting Poverty and Ecosystem Services: Focus on KenyaThis is one of a series of seven country scoping studies prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ecosystems provide more than the resources needed for material welfare and livelihoods. In addition to supporting all life and regulating natural systems, they specifically provide health and cultural benefits to people. Moreover, their loss is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals related to reduction of poverty, hunger and disease. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), released in 2005, reported, though, that 15 of the 23 ecosystem services assessed were being degraded or used unsustainably.

In light of these findings, these seven country scoping studies set out to provide a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in each country and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. These studies were prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries examined in this series are Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Connecting Poverty and Ecosystem Services: Focus on MaliThis is one of a series of seven country scoping studies prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ecosystems provide more than the resources needed for material welfare and livelihoods. In addition to supporting all life and regulating natural systems, they specifically provide health and cultural benefits to people. Moreover, their loss is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals related to reduction of poverty, hunger and disease. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), released in 2005, reported, though, that 15 of the 23 ecosystem services assessed were being degraded or used unsustainably.

In light of these findings, these seven country scoping studies set out to provide a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in each country and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. These studies were prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries examined in this series are Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Connecting Poverty and Ecosystem Services: Focus on MauritaniaThis is one of a series of seven country scoping studies prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ecosystems provide more than the resources needed for material welfare and livelihoods. In addition to supporting all life and regulating natural systems, they specifically provide health and cultural benefits to people. Moreover, their loss is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals related to reduction of poverty, hunger and disease. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), released in 2005, reported, though, that 15 of the 23 ecosystem services assessed were being degraded or used unsustainably.

In light of these findings, these seven country scoping studies set out to provide a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in each country and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. These studies were prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries examined in this series are Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Connecting Poverty and Ecosystem Services: Focus on MozambiqueThis is one of a series of seven country scoping studies prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ecosystems provide more than the resources needed for material welfare and livelihoods. In addition to supporting all life and regulating natural systems, they specifically provide health and cultural benefits to people. Moreover, their loss is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals related to reduction of poverty, hunger and disease. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), released in 2005, reported, though, that 15 of the 23 ecosystem services assessed were being degraded or used unsustainably.

In light of these findings, these seven country scoping studies set out to provide a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in each country and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. These studies were prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries examined in this series are Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Connecting Poverty and Ecosystem Services: Focus on RwandaThis is one of a series of seven country scoping studies prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ecosystems provide more than the resources needed for material welfare and livelihoods. In addition to supporting all life and regulating natural systems, they specifically provide health and cultural benefits to people. Moreover, their loss is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals related to reduction of poverty, hunger and disease. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), released in 2005, reported, though, that 15 of the 23 ecosystem services assessed were being degraded or used unsustainably.

In light of these findings, these seven country scoping studies set out to provide a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in each country and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. These studies were prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries examined in this series are Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Connecting Poverty and Ecosystem Services: Focus on Tanzania This is one of a series of seven country scoping studies prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ecosystems provide more than the resources needed for material welfare and livelihoods. In addition to supporting all life and regulating natural systems, they specifically provide health and cultural benefits to people. Moreover, their loss is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals related to reduction of poverty, hunger and disease. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), released in 2005, reported, though, that 15 of the 23 ecosystem services assessed were being degraded or used unsustainably.

In light of these findings, these seven country scoping studies set out to provide a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in each country and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. These studies were prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries examined in this series are Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Connecting Poverty and Ecosystem Services: Focus on UgandaThis is one of a series of seven country scoping studies prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ecosystems provide more than the resources needed for material welfare and livelihoods. In addition to supporting all life and regulating natural systems, they specifically provide health and cultural benefits to people. Moreover, their loss is a significant barrier to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals related to reduction of poverty, hunger and disease. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), released in 2005, reported, though, that 15 of the 23 ecosystem services assessed were being degraded or used unsustainably.

In light of these findings, these seven country scoping studies set out to provide a preliminary overview of ecosystem services in each country and the corresponding constituents and determinants of well-being related to the availability of these services. These studies were prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries examined in this series are Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Connecting with the WorldConnecting with the World: Priorities for Canadian Internationalism in the 21st CenturyInvesting in communications technologies and linking centres of knowledge across the world to promote the sharing of information can address the critical needs of developing countries and bring significant benefits to Canada, according to a report from a task force headed by Maurice Strong. The task force was comprised of nine leading Canadian experts in international development and foreign affairs. The Report was released on November 18, 1996. It contains recommendations aimed at moving Canada towards being a "knowledge broker" to developing countries.

Conservation in Conflict: The impact of the Maoist-Government conflict on conservation and biodiversity in NepalNine years of conflict between Maoist rebels and the government in Nepal has killed more than 12,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more. The conflict has also halted conservation programs and disrupted the management of protected areas across large parts of the country. This paper analyzes the impacts of the Maoist-government conflict on the environment, on biodiversity and on conservation organizations in Nepal.

Conserving the Peace: Analyzing the links between conservation and conflict in the Albertine RiftStrategy Report prepared following the Project Inception Meeting in Nairobi, 1-2 February 2006.

The Albertine Rift is host to some of Africa's richest biodiversity, as well as the site of some of its most intense social and political upheavals. Conservationists working in the region are faced with mounting socio-economic pressures that not only threaten biodiversity but make their jobs more challenging and potentially dangerous. This calls for adaptive and innovative approaches to planning, implementing and evaluating conservation interventions so that they minimize risks and address some of the root causes of threats to conservation.

This paper charts the variety of forms of conflict that conservationists in the Albertine Rift face. It then analyzes seven conflict assessment tools that conservationist might use to obtain a better, more systematic understanding of conflict in their project area, assess how their interventions could affect conflict dynamics and use this understanding to design and implement activities that will avoid or mitigate conflict.

Conserving the Peace: Resources, Livelihoods and SecurityConserving the Peace is a collection of case studies illustrating the relationships among security, the environment and human well-being. Collectively, the studies make the case that conservation activities can motivate peace-building, thereby creating a stable future for all.

Consistently Inconsistent: Addressing income volatility among cocoa producers in Ghana and Côte d'IvoireThe first in a series of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this paper focuses on the effects of cocoa price volatility on national and household incomes in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire.

Despite being geographical neighbours, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire have pursued divergent cocoa production and export policies over the past two decades. Using their respective successes and failures as a starting point, this case study recommends several policy options for national and international policy makers to help stabilize cocoa-related incomes in the face of highly volatile cocoa prices on the world market.

Consolidated financial Statements of International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentConsolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2001-2002The Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, reflecting the year ending March 31, 2002, are available in English and French.

Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2002-2003The Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, reflecting the year ending March 31, 2003, are available in English and French.

Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2003-2004The Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, reflecting the year ending March 31, 2004, are available in English and French.

Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2004-2005The Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, reflecting the year ending March 31, 2005, are available in English and French.

Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2005-2006The Consolidated Financial Statements of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, reflecting the year ending March 31, 2006, are available in English and French.

Continental Drift: Fractured multilateralism, regional trade agreements and the prospects for peaceWith the WTO faltering and the Doha development round in trouble, regionalism is on the rise. Oli Brown investigates the security implications of the growth of regional trade agreements in this presentation which was given at the biennial conference of the International Peace Research Association in Calgary, Canada, in June 2006.

Contributing to Global Solutions: How Canada Corps can make a differenceCanada Corps was announced by the Canadian government in February 2004. It is an ambitious program designed to "harness the energy and experience of Canadian experts, volunteers and young professionals to deliver international assistance in the areas of governance and institution building." IISD offers five recommendations on how the initiative can achieve maximum success.

Cooperative Climate: Energy Efficiency Action in East AsiaEnergy efficiency is high on the policy agenda in East Asia. How can we promote it most effectively? To answer this, Cooperative Climate reviews existing energy efficiency policy and international cooperation in East Asia. Drawing upon the rich lessons, an environmentally-effective, politically-feasible and cost-effective solution is proposed: an independent and dedicated Policy Development Fund for energy efficiency.

Design issues and a wide range of concrete projects under the Fund are discussed and future scenarios are considered. The authors conclude that fostering effective regional cooperation on energy efficiency is an important and practical way for East Asia to fight climate change.

Copenhagen: A Memorable Time for All the Wrong Reasons?Director John Drexhage and Associate Deborah Murphy examine the outcomes of COP15 held in Copenhagen in December 2009. The final result of COP 15 and the roles played by major countries are reviewed. Attention is paid to two problems with the UNFCCC process that became apparent over the course of the two-week meeting: consensus is the only basis by which binding decisions can be made; and a decided lack of access and transparency when the final deals are brokered. Drexhage and Murphy conclude that the next stop is the G-8 and G-20 sessions that Canada will host in 2010, providing an opportunity for Canada to help countries work toward a legally binding pact by the end of the year.

Coping with global change - vulnerability and adaptation in Indian agricultureThis monograph presents an ongoing research project, which attempts to study the impacts of climate change in the context of ongoing economic changes, and how these will affect the adaptive capacity of Indian farmers. This collaborative project is being carried out by TERI, India; the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo, Norway; and the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada, and will be completed in March 2004. The methodology combines vulnerability mapping with participatory appraisals in villages, and places emphasis on understanding physical, socio-economic, and policy factors that can enhance or constrain coping capacity.

Corporate Responsibility in the Age of Irresponsibility: A symbiotic relationship between CSR and the financial crisis?In this commentary, originally published in December 2008 by Triple Bottom-Line, IISD Program Administrator Flavia Thomé looks at the future of corporate responsibility in light of economic turmoil. Three future paths are explored. "The causes of this turmoil are multifaceted. Although many issues remain unclear, there are a couple of conclusions to take from the crisis," she writes. "The first is that this was a crisis of responsibility, or lack thereof. The second is that it will only be repaired by the re-establishment of trust between companies (especially those in the financial sector) and their stakeholders. Logically, this presents a perfect entry-point for CSR to be finally recognized by the business community as a force of necessary good and long-term sustainability. The emphasis placed by CSR on the role of corporations in the larger social and environmental contract is key in preserving an ideal equilibrium of confidence and responsibility."

Corporate Social Responsibility: An Implementation Guide for BusinessThe critical role of companies in implementing sustainable development internationally is widely recognized. Increasingly, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is being acknowledged not only as a key to risk mitigation but also as a core element for building corporate value. This guide, designed for businesses operating in the international context, provides an overview of the basic steps to, and instruments for, implementing a CSR strategy adapted specifically to your business or organizational context.

The Costs and Benefits of Compliance with International Environmental Standards - Full ReportThe research quantifies the micro level costs and benefits associated with compliance with international environmental standards in the textile and leather sectors, assesses the role of the public and private sectors in implementing pollution mitigation measures and identifies existing gaps. The analysis confirms the win-win premise that both efficiency and environmental gains result from compliance with international environmental standards. A combination of importer specifications and efficiency gains ensure compliance within the universe of exporters. At the same time, certain grey areas relating to transparency and accountability need to be explored further.

The Costs and Benefits of Compliance with International Environmental Standards - SummaryThe research quantifies the micro level costs and benefits associated with compliance with international environmental standards in the textile and leather sectors, assesses the role of the public and private sectors in implementing pollution mitigation measures and identifies existing gaps. The analysis confirms the win-win premise that both efficiency and environmental gains result from compliance with international environmental standards. A combination of importer specifications and efficiency gains ensure compliance within the universe of exporters. At the same time, certain grey areas relating to transparency and accountability need to be explored further.

Cotonou Investment Agreement The Cotonou Agreement creates a new framework for the relationship between the European Union and its African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) partners. This analysis, prepared for the Commonwealth Secretariat, shows that the Cotonou Agreement represents a remarkably hospitable environment for an investment agreement that actually takes sustainable development seriously. But the analysis also shows that negotiating such an agreement will be difficult.

Countdown ForestsA Briefings Series on substantive issues in the international forest policy dialogue.

Creating Adaptive Policies: A Guide for Policy-making in an Uncertain World

Comprehensive in scope and grounded in actual case studies, this new contribution to public policy management, backed by three expert sustainability organizations, is a ‘how-to' guide wrapped in clear and thoughtful analytical insight.

– David McLaughlin (President and CEO Canada's National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy)
A critically important read for policy-makers confronted with a ‘perfect storm' of global economic, social and environmental crises.

– Jim MacNeill (Secretary General of the World Commission on Environment and Development and President of MacNeill and Associates)
This is an essential toolkit for those in the business of making, recommending, learning about or teaching sensible and sound policy.

– Margaret Catley-Carlson (United Nations Secretary General Advisory Board on Water, Patron, Global Water Partnership, and Chair, World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Water Security)
Today's policy-maker has a tough job to do. Policies that cannot perform effectively under today's complex, dynamic and uncertain conditions run the risk of not achieving their intended purpose. Instead of helping, they may actually hinder the ability of individuals, communities and businesses to cope with and adapt to change.

Creating Adaptive Policies: A Guide for Policy-making in an Uncertain World is the very first book to distill the principles of complex adaptive systems and adaptive management into practical guidance for policy-makers. It describes the concept of adaptive policy-making and presents seven tools for developing such policies. Based on hundreds of interviews from over a dozen policy case studies, this book serves as a pragmatic guide for policy-makers by elaborating these seven tools. It will be an invaluable information resource for technical policy-makers, politicians and their advisors, as well as for those studying politics and international relations.

The Editors



Critical Internet Uncertainties: How will governance, evolution and growth of the Internet affect sustainable development?

In 2006, IISD began to explore how the future of the Internet, its development and deployment, might affect progress towards sustainable development. As an early adopter of the Internet and the Web as our primary communications channel, we saw, as did thousands of other institutions, the potential for innovation and collaboration supported by a growing global infrastructure. But this potential may now be at some risk, given a number of critical uncertainties related to the governance of the system, the evolution of the technology, and concerns over its security and stability.

We have chosen to use scenarios as a methodology for better understanding what the future of the Internet might look like, and how possible futures might contribute to, or lead away from, sustainable development.

The introduction to this paper contains a brief description of what we are beginning to understand as the “Global Connectivity System” followed by an outline of the important choices the stakeholders and actors within that system are facing. Our goal is to stimulate further inquiry through illustration, rather than, at this stage, provide an exhaustive treatment of the issues or a comprehensive analysis of policy choices.It is written as much for the sustainable development community, which is for the most part, unfamiliar with the emerging challenge of managing global connectivity, as it is for those with more technical backgrounds, who are immersed in the details of particular choices but seek to better understand the broader implications of Internet policy decisions for global futures.



Critical Success Factors and Performance Measures for Start-up Social and Environmental Enterprises (Report for the SEED Initiative Research Program) Eight critical success factors and fourteen performance indicators identified through this investigation form the basis for a robust rapid assessment process for social and environmental enterprises. Such a process can be self directed by the enterprise leaders, to determine in the early stages of their development whether they have the critical elements in place for successful growth.

Cutting our Losses? Reducing the illegal trade in natural resources, BangkokA report from a workshop discussing policy responses to the illegal trade in natural resources, arranged by IISD and held at the World Conservation Congress in Bangkok, November 2004.

The Dashboard of Sustainability BrochureIt is too easy for people, communities and governments to dismiss achievements and failures on the path toward sustainability. Sustainable development is a complex phenomenon to measure as it requires specific, sophisticated and specialized work to produce a meaningful device.

The Dashboard of Sustainability is a truly meaningful device.

As it evolves, we will have a better understanding of our progress toward sustainability and the ability to inform policy-making for the betterment of all people.

Your support will contribute toward the development of the Dashboard and, ultimately, toward significant progress toward sustainable development.

Dating the Decision-Makers: Moving from Communications to EngagementThis paper focuses on the particular challenges of developing and implementing engagement strategies in the context of formal knowledge networks. In addition to outlining the theoretical basis for engagement strategies, it provides practical advice on their development and implementation in network contexts.

Defining New Institutional Options for Investor-state Dispute SettlementThis paper examined institutional options to enhance the legitimacy of the investment treaty arbitration process. It posited that three elements needed to ensure legitimacy in the investor-state arbitration context are currently lacking: Drawing on approximately forty articles, speeches and books by prominent arbitrators and legal scholars, the project examined the most-used arbitration rules, recent developments in investment treaties and practices in other international dispute settlement processes as a basis for identifying those points where change might be most simply and effectively effected to enhance legitimacy. Other international dispute settlement processes considered in the project included those of the World Trade Organization, the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia.

Designing Policies in a World of Uncertainty, Change and Surprise – Adaptive Policymaking for Agriculture and Water Resources in the Face of Climate ChangeClimate change introduces huge unknowns for policy-making. A key challenge to mainstreaming climate adaptation is developing policies that are robust to this highly uncertain future. In this Phase I Research Report, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and The Energy and Resources Institute analyze existing and past policies in the water and agricultural sectors to better understand the features that make policies adaptive to changes in underlying conditions. The study found that "no-regrets" policies and automatic adjustment based on triggers and actions improve adaptability to anticipated conditions. Principles for intervening in complex systems yield many insights for improving policy adaptation to unanticipated conditions, as do structured learning processes such as scheduled policy review and re-adjustment.

Designing Work for SustainabilityProgress in sustainable development is made when there are mutually reinforcing advances in the social, economic and ecological spheres of human interactions with nature. Progress in any one sphere without consideration of its impacts on the others could be self-defeating. In recognition of these interlinkages, IISD offered to the First PrepCom of the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) a report on Sustainable Development and the World Summit for Social Development: conceptual and practical linkages among sustainable development, poverty eradication, productive employment and social integration.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: Advancing the geoengineering debate at the Arctic Council The Arctic is like the canary in the coalmine, warning us about the increasing impact of climate change, which is felt first there. In 2007, the Arctic ice cap shrunk to its smallest size ever recorded, 37 per cent below the recorded average. Its abrupt decline, which deviates widely from the largely linear and predictable trend observed over the past few decades, has alarmed the scientific community and suggests we may be closer to a dangerous "tipping point" than previously anticipated. At the same time, economic globalization is coming to this marginalized region at last through increased resource exploitation, leading in turn to further emissions of greenhouse gases and further climate change.

As unsavoury as it may be, this paper will argue that we must investigate geoengineering as an emergency option in case the mitigation regime fails. Given the dramatic consequences of climate change in the Arctic and the role of this region in the global climate, the Arctic countries have a special responsibility to lead this investigation and the debate surrounding it. As the only circumpolar governance forum on environmental issues, the Arctic Council is an obvious venue for this process. The paper explores the state of global geoengineering governance and how it should be constructed, and how the Arctic Council can contribute.

Determining Demand for Energy Services: Investigating income-driven behavioursABSTRACT: Conventional residential energy demand models are concerned with estimating fuel use (for example, gas, electricity and oil) demand. In this paper, we propose a residential energy demand model that is based on the demand for energy services, namely space heating load, water heating load, and appliance and lighting load. The model is developed using Canadian household data. We estimate the demand for energy services using a two-step estimation procedure. In the first step we compute the efficiencies for furnaces and water heaters for each of the 440 households using a deterministic frontier analysis. In the second step, the estimated furnace and water heater efficiencies are used to determine the demand for energy services. Price elasticities are expressed as a linear function of income to highlight income-related behaviour. Despite limitations with the database, the results show a clear variation in behavioural responses to changes in price and in income across the income groups and energy services. Low-income households are more responsive to price and income changes than higher-income households, while all households are more responsive to price changes than income changes. Space heating load presents the strongest distributional effect with a factor two between price elasticities of the low- and high-income groups. Results also confirmed the rebound effect with respect to the efficiency of furnaces and water heaters. This effect is quite noticeable with furnace efficiency. We used the rebound effect to design a policy that could help lower-income groups cope with increases in energy prices.

A Developing Connection: Bridging the Policy Gap between the Information Society and Sustainable Development.In "A Developing Connection," seven young researchers from six countries look at the emerging relationship between sustainable development and the information society. The potential of information and communications technology to contribute to a more sustainable world is limitless. The challenge is to bring the policy communities together and help them understand the links. In this volume, some important challenges are outlined—and some important examples of success are highlighted.

Developing IdeasDeveloping Ideas was published bi-monthly by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, from Jan/Feb 1996 to May/June 1999.

Its aim was to provide a digest of the 'hottest' ideas shaping the international sustainable development dialogue every couple of months. The information contained in Developing Ideas was gathered from formal and informal surveys of opinion-leaders and literature in the field. Please consult the Issue Index for a complete list of the topics covered.

Developing a Sustainability Indicators System to Measure the Well-being of Winnipeg’s First Nations Community: Framework Development and the Community Engagement Process (Preliminary Report)First Nations people have been counted and studied since the time of early contact. The data that have been collected have largely been used to tell stories about First Nations people, not tell First Nations stories. Developing an indicator system for Winnipeg's First Nations community is an opportunity for the First Nations people of the city to tell their story.

Since 2007, IISD has been working with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) to measure the well-being of Winnipeg's First Nations community. Measures were sought to illuminate the current state of the urban First Nations community, what course the community is on, and how far the community is from its vision of the future. With this knowledge comes the power to effect positive change, celebrate success, and reconnect and empower the community.

The project was designed with a grassroots approach that directly engaged the community members to accurately frame, identify and measure the well-being of the community through a series of semi-structured forums. In these forums, First Nations people and their service sector providers were directly involved in helping us understand the community's issues and concerns.

This document, published in July 2008, is the second output of the joint project to develop a sustainability indicators system for Winnipeg's First Nations community. The document describes indicator framework selection, project methodology and the information collected throughout the community engagement process.

The Development Box (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 5 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

Did WSIS Miss the Point? An information society vision disconnected from sustainable developmentThe second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society was held in Tunis in November, with virtually no mention of sustainable develop­ment. Negotiations between the first phase in 2003 and this phase of the Summit centred on three main subjects: Internet governance; financing strategies; and implementation mechanisms for the Geneva Action Plan. While there were some "positives" resulting from the summit, writes IISD Associate Maja Andjelkovic, "the lack of focus on sustain­able development in the WSIS process is worrisome: without some clear, broader societal goals in mind, the information society may turn out to be unsustainable.

Discussion Paper on an Environment Outlook for CanadaThis document provides background information on a proposed Environment Outlook for Canada coming out of a series of consultation activities and research. It provides scoping results, conclusions and recommendations. At this point, it is clear that there is broad interest in some form of an EOC, in terms of both the products it could produce and the processes it would engender. Still, a number of challenges and opportunities have been identified which need to be addressed in moving forward. These include the feasibilities, costs and risks of various options for an Environment Outlook for Canada. It is recommended that the next steps in the process of an EOC focus on continued discussions with potential collaborators within and outside of Environment Canada in order to further explore these issues, leading to the development of a formal proposal for consideration by the fall of 2007.

Distributive Impacts from a Kyoto PolicyFROM THE INTRODUCTION: In this paper, we develop a welfare model based on consumer surplus and run a number of simulations looking at the welfare losses accruing from energy price increases caused by a shift to reduce carbon emissions by six per cent of 1990 levels. The price increases we use for this paper are derived from the MARKAL-EQUITY model (Guertin 2002). The energy demand function and the respective price elasticities used in this model are similar to the functions used in the MARKAL-EQUITY model.

Doha Round Briefing Series (2005)This set of 13 briefs gives insight and background for the 13 key negotiating issues in the Doha Round. Written in the run-up to the WTO's 6th Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong (December 2005), they assess the state of progress on each issue, and highlight the major points of interest from a sustainable development perspective.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 1 of 13 - Implementation-related Issues and ConcernsClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (87 kb)

The first of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. Implementation issues usually refer to compliance with one’s negotiated obligations. In the lead-up to the Seattle Ministerial Conference in 1999, however, developing countries began to view implementation in terms of addressing imbalances in the Uruguay Round Agreements, which they felt had hindered the realisation of meaningful gains from the new system of rules. Such imbalances include the lack of implementation of certain commitments and obligations on the part of developed countries (including special and differential treatment provisions, see Doha Round Briefing No. 13) as well as difficulties encountered by developing countries in implementing their new obligations.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 10 of 13 - Trade, Debt and FinanceClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (57 kb)

The tenth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. In the preamble of the Doha Declaration, trade ministers recognised that the "challenges Members face in a rapidly changing international environment cannot be addressed through measures taken in the trade field alone," and decided to "continue to work with the Bretton Woods institutions for greater coherence in global economic policy-making." The Declaration introduces abinding mandate for Members to examine the relationship between trade, debt and finance in the WTO. To this end, ministers established a Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance (WGDTF), open to all Members, to operate within the permanent structure of the WTO.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 11 of 13 - Trade and Transfer of TechnologyClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (58 kb)

The eleventh of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. The Doha Ministerial Declaration has, for the first time in the history of the multilateral trading system, introduced a binding mandate for WTO Members to examine the relationship between trade and technology transfer. To this end, ministers established a Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology (WGTTT), open to all Members, to operate within the permanent structure of the WTO.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 12 of 13 - Technical Assistance and Capacity-buildingClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (72 kb)

The twelfth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. Technical assistance (TA) and capacity-building (CB) are among the key foundations on which consensual support for the Doha mandate rests. It was the oil that smoothed the way towards developing countries’ acceptance of a broad-based new round of talks including, for the first time, issues such as the environment and — at least potentially — investment, competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 13 of 13 - Special and Differential TreatmentClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (69 kb)

The thirteenth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. One of the most contentious issues to face the multilateral trading system is the debate over differentiated rights and obligations between developed and developing countries. While it is now generally agreed that countries at lower levels of development should be accorded more favourable treatment, the form and content of such treatment remains hotly contested.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 2 of 13 - AgricultureClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (73 kb)

The second of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. Agriculture and services are the only areas where negotiations on further trade liberalisation are mandated in the WTO Agreements themselves. These talks started on schedule in 2000, but no noticeable progress was made until broader negotiations were launched in November 2001.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 3 of 13 - Trade in ServicesClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (145 kb)

The third of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. Like the Agreement on Agriculture, the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) contains a ‘built-in agenda’ mandating Members to reopen market access negotiations on services by 1 January 2000. As provided for in GATS Article XIX:3, Members adopted "negotiating guidelines and procedures" (‘Guidelines’, S/L/93) for these negotiations in March 2001.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 4 of 13 - Market Access for Non-Agricultural ProductsClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (65 kb)

The fourth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. Reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers on industrial goods was the core of multilateral trade negotiations under the GATT and remains central to the negotiations agreed in Doha under the WTO. Most countries support this mandate, although many developing countries and, in particular, small economies are concerned about loss of government revenue, the potential weakening of their competitiveness, and the expected erosion of preferential access margins vis-à-vis other developing country competitors. In addition, they have also been alarmed by reports indicating that reductions in tariff and non-tariff barriers will disproportionately benefit developed countries.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 5 of 13 - Intellectual Property RightsClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (73 kb)

The fifth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. In what many described as an ‘historic’ development, the TRIPs Council — at the request of the African Group and supported by many developing countries — took up the issue of intellectual property rights and access to medicines in June 2001 at a time when the WTO was coming under increasing criticism for allegedly impeding developing countries’ access to medicines. The subsequent long and difficult discussions culminated in the adoption of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPs Agreement and Public Health in November 2001 in which countries stressed that the TRIPs Agreement did not and should not prevent Members from taking measures to protect public health.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 6 of 13 - The Singapore IssuesClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (74 kb)

The sixth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. The 1996 Singapore Ministerial Declaration mandated the establishment of working groups to analyse issues related to investment, competition policy and transparency in government procurement. It also directed the Council for Trade in Goods to "undertake exploratory and analytical work […] on the simplification of trade procedures in order to assess the scope for WTO rules in this area." Most developing countries were unconvinced of the necessity or value of negotiating multilateral rules on these issues, which they see as being of primary interest to developed economies.

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 7 of 13 - Negotiations on WTO RulesClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (71 kb)

The seventh of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. The inclusion of trade remedy and subsidy rules in the Doha Round was a victory for developing countries. As frequent targets of anti-dumping and countervailing investigations — and subsequent import duties — on industrialgoods, they had pushed for tightening disciplines on the use of remedies since before the WTO’s failed Seattle Ministerial Conference. To secure a negotiating mandate in Doha, the ‘Friends of Anti-dumping Negotiations’ — a group comprising 14 developing and developed WTO Members — had toovercome stiff resistance from the United States, which views trade remedies (i.e. anti-dumping and countervailing duties) as an essential tool of its trade policy. While not a ‘Friend’, the EU conceded pre-Doha that in order to achieve a negotiating mandate acceptable to all Members, concerns on trade remedyagreements would have to be addressed despite the issue’s political sensitivity. This view finally prevailed in Doha, albeit with the potentially significant proviso that the negotiations must "preserve the basic concepts, principles and effectiveness of these Agreements."

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 8 of 13 - Review of the Dispute Settlement UnderstandingClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (59 kb)

The eighth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. Among the Uruguay Round’s final documents, a 1994 Ministerial Decision agreed to a “full review of dispute settlement rules and procedures under the World Trade Organisation within four years after the entry into force of the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organisation.” Ministers further agreed to “take a decision on the occasion of [their] first meeting after the completion of the review, whether to continue, modify or terminate such dispute settlement rules and procedures.” Members agreed to complete the review by 1 January 1999, which was later extended to 31 January 1999. The exercise yielded no concrete conclusions, however, and the review languished in an inconclusive limbo until ministers agreed in Doha to “improve and clarify” the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU). These negotiations have been taking place in special sessions of the Dispute Settlement Body since March 2002 (DSB).

Doha Round Briefing Series - Issue 9 of 13 - Trade and EnvironmentClick here to download the August 2003 update of this paper (72 kb)

The ninth of a series prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. As the principal demandeur for WTO negotiations on environmental issues, the European Union, supported by Japan, Norway and Switzerland, pushed hard for their inclusion in the Doha Ministerial Declaration.

Domestic Import Regulations for Genetically Modified Organisms and their Compatibility with WTO Rules - Full ReportThis paper surveys the regulatory regimes in key importing countries for imports of genetically modified agricultural products. It is updated to August 2003.

Domestic Import Regulations for Genetically Modified Organisms and their Compatibility with WTO Rules - SummaryThis paper surveys the regulatory regimes in key importing countries for imports of genetically modified agricultural products. It is updated to August 2003.

Early Lessons from Implementation of Climate Change Adaptation Projects in South-eastern Africa - Workshop ReportIn April 2007, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and SouthSouthNorth co-hosted the workshop "Early Lessons from the Implementation of Climate Change Adaptation Projects in Eastern and Southern Africa." The two-day workshop brought together over 50 representatives of non-governmental organizations, government departments and donor agencies to discuss and share experiences related to ongoing and planned adaptation projects in the region. The workshop report captures observations shared, concerns identified and insight gained into new approaches to climate change adaptation.

EarthEnterprise: Tool kitThis book is designed to help entrpreneurs and innovators build new kinds of business through research, networking, and sharing ideas.

Based on the original research by a team of experts who work throughout Canada and the United States, the Tool Kit provides the insights and contacts needed by small and medium-sized enterprises that are successful because they meet today's growing demand for environmentally and socially responsible products and services.

The Tool Kit includes the following:



Eating the Dry Season: Labour mobility as a coping strategy for climate changeIn this commentary, Oli Brown notes that the international regulation of labour migration, adaptation to climate change and capacity building in vulnerable countries are inherently intertwined. Clearly, he writes, there has to be a balance of policies that promotes the incentives for workers to stay in their home countries while not closing the door on international labour mobility.

Ecohealth and Watersheds: Ecosystem Approaches to Re-integrate Water Resources Management with Health and Well-beingOur health and well-being are linked to the watersheds in which we live, but our experience with managing watersheds for health is limited. This publication presents a new field of research, policy and practice that is addressing this need by focusing on watersheds as settings to integrate ecosystem management and public health.The reader is introduced to a range of international innovations—including two complementary approaches to health and the environment: ecohealth, which argues that human health and well-being are not only dependent on ecosystems but are also important outcomes of effective ecosystem management; and watershed-based integrated water resources management (IWRM), which is based on the premise that watersheds are appropriate units for managing social-ecological systems.

The benefits of IWRM for health, social equity and social-ecological resilience are examined, emphasizing the potential role of well-managed watershed systems as buffers against environmental hazards and disasters, as well as new-generation settings for governance, social learning and human well-being. The paper highlights the need for integrated frameworks and governance—especially those that can speak to the converging agendas of public health, development and water resources management communities. Key issues are described, laying the foundations for future research, policy and outreach.

A stand-alone Executive Summary (PDF - 120 kb) in English, Spanish and French is also available.

Ecological Rules and Sustainability in the AmericasA Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is being negotiated, and aims to form a trading bloc stretching from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego by the year 2005 as part of a larger integration agenda. Parallel to this undertaking, environment ministers of the Americas met for the first time at Montreal in 2001 to discuss hemispheric cooperation on ecological issues. Countries of the Americas are parties to sub-regional environmental cooperation arrangements, members of the UNEP Forum of LAC Environment Ministers and parties to Multilateral Environmental Accords (MEAs) which use trade measures, successfully, to support environmental goals.

How can new trade policies support environmental protection in the Americas? Can the integration process lead to a new, strengthened ecological cooperation agenda? If so, what are the key problems that require solutions, which instruments already exist and what are the prospects for a new regime, or even a network of regimes?

Ecological Rules and Sustainability in the Americas is the second in a series meant to strengthen hemispheric information, capacity and analysis on trade and sustainability issues. The study examines existing and potential trade, environmental and social regimes in the Americas. This research summary, by applying IISD’s Winnipeg Principles on trade and sustainable development to a network of over 272 relevant global, hemispheric, sub-regional and bilateral environmental instruments, provides recommendations for new ecological cooperation agendas in the Americas.

Economic and Environmental Impacts of First Generation Genetically Modified Crops: Lessons from the United States - Full ReportThis paper surveys the recent scientific literature in the U.S. to try to find lessons for policy-makers in Argentina, where GM soy, maize and cotton are in use. It finds that if the efficiency of GM crops and glyphosate (Roundup) are to be preserved, there must be changes to cropping techniques used in Argentina.

Economic and Environmental Impacts of First Generation Genetically Modified Crops: Lessons from the United States - SummaryThis paper surveys the recent scientific literature in the U.S. to try to find lessons for policy-makers in Argentina, where GM soy, maize and cotton are in use. It finds that if the efficiency of GM crops and glyphosate (Roundup) are to be preserved, there must be changes to cropping techniques used in Argentina.

Economic Issues Raised by Treatment of Takings under NAFTA Chapter 11This paper served as one of the background papers for the IISD-Institute for International Economics collaborative meeting on Investment Law and Sustainable Development. Graham looks at the idea of "regulatory takings" from a public welfare economics perspective and finds problems with what some have argued to be the proper interpretation of expropriation under Chapter 11.

Economy Report: Canada Trade and Environment Policy and PracticeThe government of Canada’s perspectives on the issues of trade and environment need to be understood in the context of the economy’s strong dependence on trade as an engine of growth and a backbone of economic activity. Roughly one of every three jobs in Canada depends on exports, and exports of goods and services in 1997 were equivalent to more than 40% of GDP -- the highest ratio of goods and services exports to economic output among the G-7 nations.

Effective Communications & Engagement: Research Partnerships for Sustainable DevelopmentCommunications and engagement strategies are essential. From the beginning, research partners must build relationships with those they seek to inform, influence, and work together with for change. Partners must constantly look at how they will move their knowledge not just outward to broad audiences, but directly into practice.

The Effects of Climate Change on Recreation and Tourism on the Prairies - A Status ReportOutdoor recreation is extremely dependent on the natural resource base and the weather. The resource base determines what kind of activities take place - for example, without water people cannot go swimming or sailing- while the weather determines when the activity will take place. Recreational choices are not only affected by the weather but also by socio-economic factors such as cultural norms, levels of disposable income, school/other holidays, the attractions present and the attractions offered elsewhere.

The Effects of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: A review of modelling and empirical studiesUnderstanding the complex trade-offs between the economic, environmental and social impacts of subsidy reform is a challenge for any government considering phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies. Jennifer Ellis provides a detailed literature review, focusing on the six modelling studies in the last 20 years that have attempted to analyze global impacts for all fuels. The studies mostly considered effects on greenhouse gas emissions and gross domestic product, but very little of the work has considered other environmental or social impacts. The paper highlights a number of areas where further research should be undertaken but concludes that there is already enough evidence to demonstrate the significant environmental and economic benefits of phasing out fossil-fuel subsidies, and recommends that policy-makers do not delay in beginning the reform process.

Electrical and Electronic Equipment - Environmental impacts of trade liberalization

Thailand's electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) sector has expanded dramatically over the past decade and has been among the main sectors contributing to export-led growth in the country. This rapid expansion has raised a number of environmental concerns relating to production processes, the generation of EEE waste (or e-waste) and recycling capacities. The paper assesses how trade liberalization in the EEE sector could harm the environment, while highlighting the commercial benefits that could arise from promoting production methods that minimize such impacts. It concludes by outlining options for government policy-making, private sector engagement and capacity building to improve the sector's environmental performance.

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Embodied Carbon in Traded GoodsThis paper looks at the concept of embodied carbon in traded goods, asking how it might change the ways in which we account for GHG emissions at the international level, and the ways in which nations might address the challenge of climate change. The paper was prepared for the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18-20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD.

The Emerging International Framework for AccreditationThere is a significant amount of international effort being put into the development of an international framework for the mutual recognition of conformity assessments. Recognizing the importance of this to the research undertaken under this project, IISD commissioned this paper by David Stanger, which outlines the latest international developments in private conformity assessment services. Stanger is Director General of the International Union of Independent Laboratories, and participates actively on the Joint Committee for Closer Cooperation (JCCC) between the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).

The Emperor Needs New Clothes: Failure in Hong Kong will represent a significant setback even if it is dressed in the clothes of successThere are two ways to avoid failure, writes IISD’s Director of Trade and Investment, Mark Halle, on the eve of the 2005 WTO Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong. The first is to succeed; the second is to “agree that a significantly more modest result is acceptable and declare it a success.” Failure to move negotiations forward in Hong Kong will represent a setback, even if the result is dressed in the clothes of success.

Employment and Sustainable Development: Opportunities for CanadaThis report documents dozens of economic development strategies that are financially viable, environmentally restorative, and socially responsible.

Ideas such as retro-fitting buildings to be more energy efficent, investing in aquaculture, and improving the environment performance of the tourism industry are valuable to three sectors ripe for private sector expansion, and are applicable and of interest to an international audience.

Environmental and information technologies, improved management of natural resources and value-added processing of fish, forestry, and agricultural products are also highlighted. Improved cooperation among public, private and community sectors is a central theme.

Empowerment for Sustainable Development: Towards Operational StrategiesEngaging Stakeholders in Support of Sustainable Development Action

Decision-makers Summary

Empowerment: Towards Sustainable DevelopmentMaking sustainable development a reality-through empowerment.

While fashionable rhetoric threatens to overwhelm clear thinking in sustainable development, the authors of this study believe that serious and fifficult questions need to be asked if we are to move from the concept to the practice of sustainable development.

In particular, it is too easy to assume a positve relation between poverty reduction and an improved environment. Instead the authors argue that poverty alleviation and sustainable development are only likely if the idea of empowerment and its practical institutionalization in the law, the educational process and the machinery of government become a reality.

This innovative book explores the multiple ways in which this approach could become a reality, as well as the difficulties that stand in the way.

Enabling Corporate Investment in Peace: An Assessment of Voluntary Initiatives Addressing Business and Violent Conflict, and a Framework for Policy Decision-makingThis report was commissioned by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) to review the voluntary codes, guidelines and initiatives that address the relationship between business and violent conflict. It suggests a framework through which public policy makers can encourage more-responsible investment.

Encouraging Developing Country Participation in a Future Climate Change RegimeThis paper explores how major developing economies might become effectively engaged in a post-2012 climate change regime. The paper sets out a synthesis of how an international climate deal might play out and proposes a phased approach to a safe climate to encourage deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Under this phased approach, advanced developing countries only take on commitments after 2020 if developed countries meet a collective 2017 emissions reduction goal.

This paper is one of a series of three reports examining how to engage developing countries in a post-2012 climate regime. This paper is informed by the other two papers in the series, Financing Mitigation and Adaptation in Developing Countries: New Options and Mechanisms and State of the Carbon Market: How the future market can encourage developing country participation, and should be read in conjunction with those reports.

Engaging Young People in the Policy Change Process Lessons from the Information Society and Sustainable Development / Next Generation Policy Directions ProjectThis paper explores our most recent learnings about how to realize the potential of young people to influence decision-makers in their own countries. The paper introduces readers to young researchers from Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, India, Brazil, Costa Rica, Canada and the Philippines. Their work on in the information society and sustainable development is discussed further here.

ENRAP II: Knowledge networking for rural development in Asia. A Mid Term ReviewA short version of this paper is also available.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development and the International Development Research Centre commissioned a mid term review of the second phase of ENRAP: Knowledge Networking for Rural Development in the Asia/Pacific Region. The report analyzed the functioning of the ENRAP program and suggested adjustments and lessons learned. In addition, the authors provided insight into what ENRAP might do in future with respect to the use of information and communications technology and knowledge sharing within and across its projects in the region.

Ensuring Development-supportive Accession of Least-developed Countries to the WTO: Learning from Nepal

Nepal was the first least-developed country (LDC) to become a Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) through the accession process in April 2004. Apart from achieving broad-based growth, Nepal envisaged using WTO membership for disciplining its trading partners, improving market access, benefiting from the special and differential treatment (S&DT) within the WTO system for LDCs and securing transit rights to the sea.

Given that a number of LDCs are at various stages of the WTO accession process, learning from Nepal's experience can prove vital for ensuring that they gain maximum benefit from their WTO membership. Several lessons have emerged out of the analysis of Nepal's accession process, commitments and implementation:

Key findings:

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The Entrepreneur's ToolkitEntrepreneurs from every corner of the world are launching businesses that are reducing environmental impacts, creating prosperity and improving lives in their communities. The Entrepreneur's Toolkit is the online meeting place for entrepreneurs seeking information, advice and access to the resources they need to succeed.

The Entrepreneur's ToolkitEntrepreneurs from every corner of the world are launching businesses that are reducing environmental impacts, creating prosperity and improving lives in their communities. The Entrepreneur's Toolkit is the online meeting place for entrepreneurs seeking information, advice and access to the resources they need to succeed.

Environment and Development Decision Making in Africa 2006-2008The twelfth Ordinary Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) convenes from 7-12 June 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa, under the theme "Enhancing the implementation of the action plan for the environment initiative of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)." AMCEN-12 provides a forum for African environment ministers to address the emerging environmental challenges in Africa, particularly those related to climate change and adaptation, and international environmental governance. This Institutional History report places AMCEN-12 in the broader context of decision making for environment and development in Africa. It focuses on how Africa's intergovernmental bodies and Africa's development partners are supporting sustainable development in Africa. The report provides a historical overview of AMCEN, including its many milestone decisions and programs, as well as an overview of NEPAD. The report also provides an overview of key meetings, decisions and declarations on environment and development as they relate to the key AMCEN priorities of: Africa's development needs; biodiversity and wildlife management; climate change; chemicals management; and desertification, food security and land.

Environment and Globalization: Five PropositionsThe processes that we now think of as "globalization" were central to the environmental cause well before the term "globalization" came into its current usage. Global environmental concerns were born out of the recognition that ecological processes do not always respect national boundaries and that environmental problems often have impacts beyond borders; sometimes globally. Connected to this was the notion that the ability of humans to act and think at a global scale also brings with it a new dimension of global responsibility—not only to planetary resources but also to planetary fairness.

While the importance of the relationship between globalization and the environment is obvious, our understanding of how these twin dynamics interact remains weak. The current debate on globalization has, unfortunately, become de-linked from its environmental roots and contexts. The purpose of this study is to explore these linkages in the context of the current discourse.

This work is a product of the "Environment and Governance Project" of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. This research was conducted independently by IISD with financial support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Denmark.

The Environment and our Security: how our understanding of the links has changedEnvironmental degradation and the exploitation of natural resources are recognized as important drivers of violence between and within states, contributing to poverty and state failure.

This paper charts our evolving understanding of the complex relationship between environmental change and security, a debate that has developed considerably since the UN Conference on the Human Environment, held in Sweden in 1972.

It attempts to outline the major theoretical approaches and to arrive at some conclusions as to what we do know about the links between the environment and our security. Finally, the paper makes some suggestions for practical policies that can ensure environmental management is supportive of both peace and sustainable development.

Environment and Security: A Framework for Cooperation in Europe - BrochureEnvironment and Security: Transforming Risks Into Cooperation - The Case of the Southern Caucasus

The Southern Caucasus—composed of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia—has long been a focal point for change, a bridge between Asia and Europe. Today, social, political and economic transformations are altering century-old relationships between countries and communities, affecting and being affected by the natural environment. In the worst case, environmental stress and change could undermine security in the region. In the best, sound environmental management and technical cooperation can be a means for strengthening security in the Southern Caucasus, while promoting sustainable development. What priority actions can be taken to harness the environment for peace?

The United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have joined forces in the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative to offer countries their combined pool of expertise and resources in order to identify and mobilize resources towards those priorities. At the invitation of the governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, ENVSEC was extended to the countries of the Southern Caucasus in 2004.

This report—available in both Russian and English—presents through maps and graphics the linkages between environmental stress, potential social tension and areas of particular vulnerability in the Southern Caucasus, as identified by stakeholders from the countries:

It sets out the basis for addressing these linkages through:



Environment and Sustainable Development Policy Development in K–12 Schools in Manitoba and Canada An initial explorationAs part of IISD's involvement with Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth and the UNESCO Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, this paper was prepared as an initial look at environmental and sustainable development policy development in Manitoba and Canada. The paper includes numerous examples of school and district initiatives from Canada and other jurisdictions. As the document points out, this is still relatively new territory for kindergarten to Grade 12 schools.

Environment and Trade: A HandbookA Second Edition of Environment and Trade: A Handbook was published in 2005. The new edition is available in English only.

This handbook has been developed to highlight the relationship between environmnet and trade. The primary aim is to foster a broader understanding of these interlinkages to enable governments to develop practical approaches to integrating these policies. It is possible, but by no means automatic, that trade and environmental policies should support each other in achieving their objectives. Close integration of these policies is necessary to maximize the benefits that trade can bring to increase human welfare and economic development more sustainably.

The handbook is also available in a continually updated Web version at both http://www.unup.ch/etu and http://www.iisd.org/trade/handbook. Here, readers can link to on-line articles and analyses that go into greater depth on the themes covered in the print version. The Web version will also have other resources, such as a compendium of trade and environment disputes and links to other sites of interest.

Environment and Trade: A Handbook - Second EditionThis handbook, a joint effort of the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Environment Programme, is aimed mainly at those with some knowledge about trade, environment or development, but not expert on the intersection of the three. It is also a practical reference tool for policy-makers and practitioners. But the target audience is not just government policy-makers; the media and public will also find it useful. The handbook uses clear language and a minimum of jargon.

The handbook should help us understand how trade can affect the environment, for better and for worse, and how environmental concern can work through the trading system to foster or frustrate development in both rich and poor countries.

The first edition of the handbook (2001) was a widely acclaimed success, and it has now been completely updated for 2005, with new sections on the Doha agenda and regional trade and investment agreements, as well as analysis of new WTO panel rulings.

Environmental and Other Labelling Of Coffee: The Role of Mutual Recognition, Supporting Cooperative Action

This paper is a revised "working draft" version of a study originally prepared for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation on Mexican shade-grown coffee and was used as a discussion document for the meeting "Sustainability in the Coffee Sector: Exploring the Opportunities for International Cooperation. The paper examines progress and outstanding obstacles to/opportunities for collaboration among labelling and standards initiatives. It also provides:



Environmental and Trade Implications of China's WTO Accession -- A Preliminary AnalysisPrepared for - The Working Group on Trade and Environment China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development

Environmental Assessment and Saskatchewan's First Nations: A resource handbookThe resource handbook is the first output of this project. It is intended to provide an overview of environmental assessment and be a helpful resource for Saskatchewan’s First Nations communities. The document was developed based on needs identified by community leaders and resource personnel. The goal of the resource handbook is to improve basic understanding of environmental assessment, identify how communities can be involved and where resources can be accessed.

Environmental Change and the New Security Agenda: Implications for Canada’s security and environmentThis paper investigates how environmental change and Canadian security are interlinked. First, it attempts to chart the ways in which global environmental change (such as climate change and environmental mismanagement) affect Canada's domestic security and the welfare of Canadian interests overseas. Three particular challenges stand out: the first is the struggle for control of shipping routes across a warming Arctic; the second is the hunt for new sources of energy; and the third is environmental security in regions of diplomatic, economic and military importance to Canada.

Second, the paper analyzes the links between environment and security from the opposite direction. We assess the environmental implications of Canada's current national security focus on the prevention of terrorism. This approach to Canadian security, which we call "the new security agenda," has been evolving since the early 1990s in response to the growing threat of international terrorism.

In a world of competing priorities and limited budgets, this has inevitably brought the new security agenda into direct competition with other areas of federal policy—including environmental management. The way Canada and its allies pursue their security can have both positive and negative consequences for the environment that must be incorporated into any cost-benefit analysis of Canadian policy; in terms of governance and regulatory impacts, the scope for effective environmental management and the direct environmental impacts of new security measures. Two aspects of the new security agenda have particular relevance for the Canadian environment: the North American quest for energy independence and increased border security.

In essence, this paper argues the environment and its management is not just a "soft policy area"—it can have real security implications. Nevertheless, the environment is still typically seen as an optional "add-on" in times of peace and prosperity, to be ignored in times of stress and conflict. In a globalized world shaped by global environmental problems, this might be a dangerously short-sighted approach.

Environmental Goods NegotiationsThis paper analyzes possible approaches for ensuring a balance in trade gains in the ongoing WTO negotiation on environmental goods. It begins with a realistic assessment of the negotiations under Para 31(iii) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration and touches upon the progress made in the negotiations so far vis-à-vis different Members' positions. It suggests that a combination of Special and Differential Treatment provisions and bringing environmentally preferable products of export interest to developing countries in the ambit of environmental goods, could offer a balanced deal to the developing countries.

IISD acknowledges the generous support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in the publication of this paper.

Environmental Health and International TradeThis paper is aimed at fleshing out the various linkages that exist between trade policy (broadly defined to cover investment, intellectual property rights, goods, services, etc.) and environmental health. It is an analysis of the potential impact pathways by which trade policy might affect environmental health, based on a review of the literature and on the authors’ knowledge of trade-environment and assessment issues. The paper serves as a first step in a journey of exploration, trying to gauge the feasibility and desirability of incorporating environmental health aspects in Canada’s environmental assessments of trade liberalization agreements and also briefly consider the implications of the surveyed linkages for the prospects for environmental health impact assessment of trade policy.

Environmental Impact of Cotton Production and TradeThe purpose of this paper is to explore prospects and mechanisms for a transition to sustainable production of cotton and cotton products in Pakistan (and more generally in the South), and the effect of international trade on such prospects. The analysis looks at the differing capacities for change in the different sections of the cotton commodity chain, and explores the policy implications.

Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Costs Associated with Cloth and Leather Exports from Pakistan - Full ReportThis study looks at two key export industries in Pakistan: the leather industry and the cotton and textiles industry. It estimates the environmental impacts of trade liberalization along the lines laid out in the Uruguay Round's Agreement on Agriculture, focusing on increases in production to fill expanded quotas. The projected increases in pollution, assuming current technologies, are significant. It also estimates the costs in both sectors of adopting clean technologies, and finds these to be in most cases quite low.

Environmental Impacts of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement on the Greater Mekong Sub-Region

Using the free trade agreement concluded between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2004 as an example, this study seeks to illustrate the interaction between FTAs, trade and the environment. Based on an analysis of the agreement’s impacts on trade flows between China and its five trading partners in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand), the paper examines the likely effects of these changes on pollution levels. A case study of Cambodia elaborates on other environmental issues arising from increases in agricultural production and natural resource exploitation.

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Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Bio-diesel Sector of the Lao PDR

Lao relies heavily on the import of oil. A switch to locally-produced bio-fuel sources may not only help alleviate that dependency, but also provide a new economic opportunity for Lao PDR. This paper provides an overview of the bio-diesel sector in light of increasing trade liberalization between Lao PDR and its key trade partners. It seeks to explore the environmental issues, both positive and negative, surrounding the trade liberalization of the bio-diesel sector, while also flagging key environmental factors to be considered in trade negotiations.

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Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Hydropower, Mining and Construction Material Sectors of Lao PDR

In Lao PDR, investment has been booming in the industrial sectors of mining, hydropower and construction materials with actual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) more than doubling between 2004 and 2006. This paper provides a preliminary commentary on the key environmental concerns of these three sectors and examines both positive and negative environmental impacts that may arise as a result of increased trade and investment, combined with inadequate policies and standards to monitor these activities.

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Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Medicinal Plants and Spices Sector of the Lao PDR

Regional demand for Lao PDR's medicinal plants is rising significantly. And while this is presenting opportunities for economic growth, it is also placing increasing pressure on the country's natural resource base. This paper provides a commentary on some of the key environmental concerns in this sector and presents case studies on the production and use of medicinal plants in Lao PDR to illustrate positive and negative practices in the industry, including suggestions for the future.

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Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Organic Agriculture Sector of the Lao PDR

Lao PDR has only recently penetrated the organic agricultural products market. Export performance is still underdeveloped. Not enough goods are produced to meet the demand. Non-tariff barriers such as certification remain a major hurdle. This paper explores the potential environmental impact of this sector and finds an inherently environmentally-friendly industry with the potential to grow and prosper in the future.

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Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Silk Handicrafts Sector of the Lao PDR

Demand for Lao's naturally dyed and often handmade silk products is growing steadily and providing key export earnings and potential opportunities for domestic producers. This paper examines the environmental impacts of this growth sector and finds an inherently environmentally-friendly industry with the potential to avoid negative impacts and capture the potential of green markets.

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Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Tourism Sector of the Lao PDR

The development of the tourism industry in Lao PDR over the last two decades has been striking. In 1990, just over 14,000 people visited the country. In 2006, arrival numbers stood at 1.21 million and generated 173.2 million dollars for the Lao PDR economy. This paper seeks to identify some of the key impacts, both positive and negative, of this sector and outline strategic policy recommendations to ensure this increase in business for Lao PDR results in a sustainable industry that enhances the surrounding environment.

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Key recommendations:



Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization in the Wood and Wood Products Sector of the Lao PDR

The wood and wood products sector in Lao PDR is undergoing significant transformation. In the wake of increasing demand for wood resources, declining natural forests, low-value exports and illegal trade, the Government of Lao PDR has implemented a number of reforms to address these issues. This paper examines the environmental impacts of trade liberalization on the wood and processed wood products sector, focusing on the wood-processing industry and its supply of wood from natural and plantation forests.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Environmental Improvement Zones (EIZ): A Guide to environmental issues in Winnipeg neighbourhoodsIdentifies key environmental issues and suggests strategic activities that neighbourhoods could undertake, based on pilot exercises in the Winnipeg neighbourhoods of Whyte Ridge, Riverview and West Broadway.

Environmental Improvement Zones (EIZ): A Model for engaging Winnipeg neighbourhoods in local action; Considerations for implementation in Winnipeg.Reviews the history of environmental communications and decision-making across the neighbourhoods of Winnipeg, examines precedents in other municipalities and provides some guidance on how the neighbourhood approach might work in Winnipeg.

Environmental Improvements Without Environmental Policies: Argentine Agriculture and Manufacturing Exports in the 1990s - Full ReportThis study looks at Argentina's experience with unilateral liberalization, and the impacts on two sectors: agriculture in the Pampas region and manufacturing. It finds that, contrary to expectations, liberalization has not led to a cleaner pattern of manufacturing exports. In agriculture, however, it finds that the rapid expansion of production has actually been accompanied by a number of unplanned environmental benefits, mainly because of the additional resources available to growers under a liberalized regime, and the new technologies they have adopted.

Environmental Improvements Without Environmental Policies: Argentine agriculture and Manufacturing Exports in the 1990s - SummaryThis study looks at Argentina's experience with unilateral liberalization, and the impacts on two sectors: agriculture in the Pampas region and manufacturing. It finds that, contrary to expectations, liberalization has not led to a cleaner pattern of manufacturing exports. In agriculture, however, it finds that the rapid expansion of production has actually been accompanied by a number of unplanned environmental benefits, mainly because of the additional resources available to growers under a liberalized regime, and the new technologies they have adopted.

Environmental Management and Innovation in the Argentine Industry: Determinants and Policy Implications - Full ReportThe possibility of fostering a sustainable development process depends, to a significant extent, on the environmental activities undertaken by firms. While in industrialized countries these activities are mostly carried out in response to environmental regulations and market incentives, the importance and the incentives for allocating resources to environmental activities in developing countries are not yet well established. In this Argentine case, the impact of the Convertibility program and structural reforms on economic and social development issues during the 1990s has been largely analyzed, with attention to environmental activities by private firms.

Environmental Policies under an Obama Administration: Is Change in the Air?The day after Barack Obama's November 4, 2008, election victory, EM asked leaders within the Air & Waste Management Association and the environmental community for their initial thoughts on what a new administration might mean to the environmental industry, particularly in terms of new policies and regulations.

This article captures those responses, and includes a co-written contribution from IISD Project Officer Philip Gass, and Director of Climate Change and Energy, John Drexhage. Their piece begins on page 13 of the article.

This article appears in the January 2009 issue of EM Magazine, a publication of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA; http://www.awma.org). To obtain copies and reprints, please contact A&WMA directly at 1-412-232-3444.

Envisioning a Sustainable Development Agenda for Trade and EnvironmentThis book systematically explores the trade and environment interests of developing countries from a Southern perspective. The contributors write explicitly about both the fears and hopes in the South regarding trade and environment negotiations. Essays are from leading experts and thought leaders from various regions of the South and work to envision new, bold agendas and priorities for their region.

Establishing National Authorities for the CDM - A Guide for Developing CountriesThe global challenge of climate change is established on the international agenda. Human activity is destabilizing the global climate and livelihoods that depend on it. The accumulation of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere must be capped at a safe level. Adaptation to the changes that are already inevitable must be integrated in sustainable development programs, with special attention to the vulnerability of poor countries and poor people.

The United Nations has provided a framework for an effective and equitable global response to this challenge—the 1992 Convention—and the first building block of that response, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Yet the emission reduction targets in the Protocol, modest as they are in environmental terms, have generated economic resistance in industrialized countries and, notably, the rejection of the Protocol by the U.S.

The withdrawal of the largest emitter will undoubtedly weaken the initial impact of the Protocol. But the Protocol is more than a first set of targets. It also a method for approaching the collective task of limiting emissions, a set of mechanisms largely and paradoxically “made in the USA.” The possibility of acquiring emission reductions offshore is a main feature of these mechanisms. The period ahead is one in which these mechanisms will be tested and improved. Hopefully, the parallel system that may be developed by the United States will also encourage recourse to “Kyoto-type” mechanisms by American corporations, thus contributing to the stock of experience and boosting global market demand for offshore emission reductions.

EU Trade Policy and ConflictThis paper investigates the impacts of EU trade policy on violent conflict in the developing world, the leverage the EU can exert through its trade policy to promote peace in countries at risk of conflict and the ‘export’ of the EU model through Regional Trade Agreements and the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Evaluation of UNESCO's Community Multimedia Centres: Final ReportUNESCO's Community Multimedia Centre initiative is contributing "to improving quality of life through access to information" according to an independent evaluation report carried out by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

UNESCO's CMC initiative promotes sustainable local development through community-based facilities that combine traditional media like radio, television and print with new information communication technologies (ICTs) such as computers, the Internet and mobile devices.

The Exhaustion of Intellectual Property Rights: Should countries favour consumers or private interests?Mark Halle, IISD's Director of Trade and Investment, examines the exhaustion of intellectual property rights and how related policy must balance the needs of consumers and private interests. Rights are "exhausted" once a patent-holder sells his/her invention. Same holds true for copyright and trademarks, notes Halle. Once you pay for your iPod, you have the right to display and refer to its Apple trademark publicly. And when you buy the latest John Grisham bestseller, your right over that book includes displaying it publicly, lending it to your friends and making photocopies of your favourite pages because the author's rights were exhausted with the purchase. Decisions about exhaustion are typically based on geography. To simplify, national exhaustion tends to favour the producer, while international exhaustion tends to favour the consumer.

Expanding Agriculture’s Role in a Post-2012 Climate Change RegimeThe aim of this paper is to examine how agriculture can be effectively included in a post-2012 regime. The paper examines issues related to the concerns of developing countries, including how to effectively engage these countries in mitigation efforts in the agricultural sector in a new regime; and issues related to the concerns of developed countries, including ensuring that accounting of agricultural GHG emissions is applied consistently across Annex I countries. The paper explores Canadian considerations and interests in the climate negotiations on agriculture and puts forward a suggested framework for Canada’s approach to agriculture in post-2012 negotiations–a framework that aims to increase opportunities for acting on the potential for agricultural GHG emission reductions in developing countries.

Expanding Shrimp Aquaculture on Sandy Land in Vietnam - Full ReportVietnam (IUCN): This study looks at the potential for environmentally-friendly economic improvement in poor areas of Vietnam through sandy land shrimp aquaculture. It examines the potential environmental and economic impacts of the technology, the export market and its potential as a tool for achieving sustainable development.

Exploring the Links: Human Well-being, Poverty and Ecosystem ServicesExploring the Links sets out to demonstrate how human well-being is dependent upon ecosystems and ecosystem services; to identify barriers and drivers that prevent the poor from using these ecosystem services to improve their well-being, in essence perpetuating poverty; and to identify policy response options to remove the barriers, re-design or even introduce new intervention strategies to allow the poor to improve their well-being through an ecosystem approach.

Fair and Equitable TreatmentThis paper is part of IISD's series entitled "The Best Practice Advisory Bulletin" which aims at making publicly available "best practice" analyses based on actual treaty texts, in order to provide developing and developed country negotiators with state-of-the-art options and approaches to address the new issues and controversies in investment negotiations.

This bulletin on Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) examines the main approaches for defining fair and equitable treatment in international investment agreements (IIAs), and their implications for development policy space. It also identifies best practice approaches in recent IIAs for including FET. The rapid rise of investor-state arbitrations challenging state violations of IIAs has revealed the complexity behind the FET obligation. In fact, the FET standard has emerged as "the most relied upon and successful basis for a treaty claim" for investors.

Farmer Responses to Weather Shocks and Stresses in Manitoba: A Resilience ApproachA Masters Thesis by Peter Myers describing how producers in Manitoba have dealt with past weather- related shocks and stresses as a view toward future coping and adaptation for climate change.

Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A Report on Applying Real Ecosystem Data to the CBI The loss of biodiversity is recognized as one of the most serious global environmental issues. The Canadian Biodiversity Index (CBI) was developed from a need for a consistent mechanism to assess and convey biodiversity issues and management across Canada. The CBI is a tool for capturing and conveying credible information on the status and trends in biodiversity in a consistent manner and presents it in a composite index. The primary goal of this phase of proof of concept testing (POCT) was to test and evaluate the framework and Testing Manual of the CBI against real ecosystem data. This report addresses key questions and issues resolved during testing, and provides recommendations to the CBI framework and methodology.

Fifth Annual Leadership and Social Change Net Impact Conference and Career FairIISD consultant Dagmar Timmer delivered the following address on March 23, 2007, to an audience of MBA students from three schools at McGill University in Montreal. The students are interested in developing their careers in social responsibility and sustainability issues. "...your skill set from an MBA is very important to the sustainability field," Timmer told her audience. "That's a fact."

The Fifth Conference of the China Council For International Cooperation on Environment and Development - Ecolabelling: Its Implications for ChinaWG on Trade & Environment - Fifth Conference on CCICED - Beijing, China 23-25 September, 1996 International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada and Information Institute, National Environmental Protection Agency, China

The Final Decision in Methanex v. United States: Some New Wine in Some New BottlesOn August 3, 2005, the Panel in the NAFTA Chapter 11 case Methanex v. The United States issued its long-awaited ruling, rejecting all of the company's arguments. High points of the Award include: a crystal-clear statement that non-discriminatory regulations in the public interest (such as environmental laws) will almost never be considered expropriation; some welcome reasoning on national treatment; and precedent-setting explicit reliance on arguments from IISD's amicus brief. Howard Mann, lead author of the IISD brief, offers commentary here.

Final Report: Standards for Sustainable TradeThis document provides a generic overview of the results of the Standards for Sustainable Trade project, drawing on examples from the three regional processes in South Asia, South America and Southern & Eastern Africa. The document includes some general recommendations on technical assistance in the area of TBT/SPS, as well as some conclusions on the value of regional South-South cooperation.

The Financial Crisis and Our Response to Climate ChangeIn this commentary, IISD President and CEO David Runnalls looks at the challenge of addressing climate change in light of the current economic crisis. “It is clear that we cannot wait for perfect economic conditions before we act on climate change,” writes Runnalls. “It is equally clear that scaling back or postponing our existing responses is at odds with the long-term focus needed to address climate change.”

Financing for Developing CountriesThis background paper describes the role and profile of climate change financing for developing countries in a new international post-2012 climate change regime. The paper provides a general overview of the issue, identifying needs and current funding levels, and then conducts a review of financing proposals and potential forms of governance discussed in the negotiations. We also examine a series of critical issues such as availability of funds, contingencies for access and accounting systems. The conclusion looks at the questions that remain to be answered as the world moves forward to the creation of a post-2012 climate change regime.

Financing Mitigation and Adaptation in Developing Countries: New options and mechanismsThis background paper addresses financing issues relating to mitigation and adaptation in developing countries under the UNFCCC. The paper reviews current funding mechanisms, proposals for additional funding sources, and a proposal relating to what should be funded and mechanisms to structure a new financial agreement.

The information in this paper provides input to the analysis in the main report of the series, Global Climate Change Goals: Encouraging Developing Country Participation and should be read in conjunction with that report. The second background paper in the series is, State of the Carbon Market: How the future market can encourage developing country participation.

First North American Symposium on Understanding the Linkages Between Trade and EnvironmentThrough the combination of its substantive provisions, adjudicative processes and enforcement mechanisms, trade law has a significant impact on how governments can take environmental decisions and enact environmental measures.

This paper undertakes a survey of the application of trade law rules to environmental management and decision-making by governments. It correlates five generic stages of environmental management against seven major trade law disciplines that are particularly relevant to measures for the protection of the national environment.

Fisheries - Environmental impacts of trade liberalization

Thailand's fisheries sector continues to provide an important source of export earnings, livelihoods and domestic food supply. However, production growth is increasingly threatening the sustainability of marine fisheries resources while aquaculture and fish processing have brought with them a range of environmental impacts on land and water resources. The paper outlines environmental concerns in Thailand's capture fisheries, aquaculture production and processing industry. It assesses how trade liberalization in this sector might exacerbate some of the existing problems while also providing opportunities for reducing some of the impacts, for instance through market opportunities for sustainably-produced fish product. It concludes by identifying some regulatory, policy and knowledge gaps that would need to be addressed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Thai fisheries sector.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Flavia Thomé talks about the Trade Knowledge NetworkFlavia Thomé is the Geneva-based Program Administrator for IISD’s Trade and Investment program and Trade Knowledge Network. She talks about how the network is increasing opportunities for innovation and development as the first point of call for information about trade, investment and sustainable development in developing nations.

Focusing on Current Realities: It’s time for the impacts of climate change to take centre stageWhile the future of the Kyoto Protocol remains unclear, it is vital that we look at ways to adapt to the current realities of climate change. "Policy responses to climate change must not be limited to addressing the source of the problem," writes IISD's Anne Hammill. "but must include measures that help communities to adapt to its impacts."

A Forced Evolution? - The Codex Alimentarius Commission, Scientific Uncertainty and the Precautionary PrincipleOnce upon a time, the Codex Alimentarius Commission was an obscure scientific body busily conducting its affairs far from the public eye on issues of little concern to the public at large. No more. This paper surveys the major trends that have transformed this body into a highly politically charged forum, which is attracting ever-greater scrutiny.

Foreign Investment: Making it Work for Sustainable DevelopmentThis paper, written for the IISD Eastern Europe project’s capacity building workshops, defines foreign direct investment, and asks how developing countries and economies in transition can best attract and manage investment that will result in sustainable development.

Form Follows Function: Management and Governance of Knowledge NetworksThis paper is an overview of the management and governance of formal knowledge networks. It approaches the topic from a relationships management framework—offering suggestions on creating, organizing, formalizing and institutionalizing network relationships over time. One of the key lessons learned by IISD has been to focus on network work during a scoping phase of a network which would end with the development of network governance agreements which reflect how the network actually works. Form follows function.

Formal Knowledge Networks: A Study of Canadian ExperiencesFormal Knowledge Networks examines Canada's evolving knowledge networks, providing a better understanding of what formal knowledge networks are and how they differ from more traditional information and advocacy networks. The resulting model includes a definition of formal knowledge networks and basic criteria for their effective operation. The book concludes with a list of suggested actions and case studies of several formal knowledge networks, including Canada's National Centres of Excellence, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Canadian Policy Research Networks, and selected nongovernmental organizations and international development networks.

Forthcoming Trade Negotiations: Identifying Pakistan's Interests (A paper prepared for the Pakistan Mission in Geneva)This paper reviews Pakistan's negotiating position heading into the WTO's Third Ministerial Conference in December 1999. It argues that Pakistan's negotiating stance (and that of many developing countries) is ineffective because it is reactive, and looks at the environment-trade relationship as a concrete example of this problem.

A Framework for Assessing the Relationship between Trade Liberalization and Biodiversity ConservationThis paper develops a framework for assessing the impacts on biodiversity of trade policies such as tariffs, non-tariff barriers and international liberalization agreements. The intended audience is non-economists working on biodiversity policy, who may wish to integrate such macroeconomic considerations in their work.

The Free Trade Commission Statements of October 7, 2003, on NAFTA's Chapter 11: Never-Never Land or Real Progress?This brief analysis assesses a set of statements issued by NAFTA's Free Trade Commission October 7, 2003, related to NAFTA's Chapter 11. The statements addressed, among other things, transparency of the Chapter 11 process, and set out guidelines for tribunals' use in considering petitions for friends of the court status. To what extent do these statements represent real progress toward making the Chapter 11 process accountable, legitimate and transparent?

From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The role of natural resources and the environment

Since 1990 at least eighteen violent conflicts have been fuelled by the exploitation of natural resources. In fact, recent research suggests that over the last sixty years at least forty per cent of all intrastate conflicts have a link to natural resources. Civil wars such as those in Liberia, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo have centred on "high-value" resources like timber, diamonds, gold, minerals and oil. Other conflicts, including those in Darfur and the Middle East, have involved control of scarce resources such as fertile land and water.

As the global population continues to rise, and the demand for resources continues to grow, there is significant potential for conflicts over natural resources to intensify in the coming decades. In addition, the potential consequences of climate change for water availability, food security, prevalence of disease, coastal boundaries and population distribution may aggravate existing tensions and generate new conflicts.

This major report, co-authored by IISD and UNEP, discusses the key linkages among environment, conflict and peacebuilding, and provides recommendations on how these can be addressed more effectively by the international community.

Key points:

Key recommendations:

1. Further develop UN capacities for early warning and early action

2. Improve oversight and protection of natural resources during conflicts

3. Address natural resources and the environment as part of the peacemaking and peacekeeping process

4. Include natural resources and environmental issues into integrated peacebuilding strategies

5. Carefully harness natural resources for economic recovery

6. Capitalize on the potential for environmental cooperation to contribute to peacebuilding



From Feast to Famine: After seven (relatively) good years, what now for commodity producers in the developing world?In this IISD Commentary, Program Manager Oli Brown ponders the fate of commodity producers in the developing world in the wake of the commodity price bubble bursting.

From Legacy to Vision: Sustainability, Poverty and Policy AdjustmentPoverty alleviation is essential for environmental sustainability.

Development cannot be based on continued global economic growth alone. Traditional models of economic growth have led to the current stalemate confronted by developed and developing countries. Within the confines of current technological capacities, endless expansion of the global economy is not viable.

This publication introduces alternative sustainable development strategies to advance human development, reverse impoverishment processes and to support social, political and ecological integrity of societies.

The FTAA and Hemispheric Integration: Building a Triple-Win Strategy for Trade and Sustainability in the HemisphereThe Americas integration process was launched at the Miami Summit in 1994. Along with democracy, trade liberalisation and sustainable development were adopted as the main thrust of hemispheric integration, as reflected in the first headline of the Miami Declaration of principles: Partnership for Development and Prosperity: Democracy, Free Trade and Sustainable Development in the Americas. Parallel processes were established to implement trade liberalisation and sustainable development. The first one set the goal to create a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), launched formally in 1998 at the Santiago Summit of the Americas with the specific objective to complete negotiations by 2005. A second initiative was to hold a hemispheric Summit on sustainable development in Bolivia in 1996 to follow up on the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, and establish a blueprint for sustainable development in the Americas.

Full Cost Accounting for AgricultureThis paper surveys the key issues involved in full cost accounting for agriculture in Canada. The paper starts with a definition of what full cost accounting is, and discusses why one would want to do it. It then discusses the many conceptual issues associated with full cost accounting of agriculture. This leads to a discussion of the various methods used to value actions that do not pass directly through markets. There is then a brief discussion of some of the methodological issues that full cost accounting must address. The last section details the approaches and results of valuation studies relevant to agriculture.

Full Cost Accounting for Agriculture (Final Report) – Valuing public benefits accruing from agricultural beneficial management practices: An impact pathway analysis for Tobacco Creek, ManitobaThis study, prepared for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provides an illustrative estimate of the public benefit of agricultural beneficial management practices (BMPs) in a small watershed in southern Manitoba. Three key elements form the core methodology for this study:

The Full Costs of Thermal Power Production in Eastern CanadaFull-cost accounting quantifies the environmental externalities associated with electricity generation based on modified life cycle analysis. The basic objective is to make explicit the magnitude of direct environmental costs borne by society from electricity generation, thereby promoting power sector investment decisions that are indeed least cost. This paper focuses on eastern Canada and was produced under the TERI-Canada Energy Efficiency Project undertaken with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India.

Full-cost Accounting for AgricultureIn 2003 IISD embarked on a five-year research project with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada to study the issue of full-cost accounting and its application to policy development in agriculture. Full-cost accounting is the assessment, in dollar terms, of costs or benefits associated with changes in the environment. This report reviews the literature to identify important concepts at the centre of the full-cost accounting approach.

Full-cost Accounting for Agriculture – Year 2 Report: Valuing Changes in Agri-Environmental IndicatorsIn 2003 IISD embarked on a five-year research project with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada to study the issue of full-cost accounting and its application to policy development in agriculture. Full-cost accounting is the assessment, in dollar terms, of costs or benefits associated with changes in the environment.This report develops a conceptual framework using an impact pathways approach for valuing the changes in five agri-environmental indicators that are part of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada’s NAHARP program.

Furthering EU Objectives on Climate Change and Clean Energy: Building Partnerships with Major Developing Economies The European Union has demonstrated resolve to remain at the forefront of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but achieving the EU's goals in the areas of climate change and clean energy will depend significantly on what happens outside the EU, including developing countries with major and growing economics. Foreign policy can help to promote and strengthen EU objectives on climate change and clean energy through progressive partnerships with developing countries. This report scopes out and analyzes potential for collaborative action in the foreign policy areas of finance and investment, development cooperation and trade. The focus is how the EU can more effectively strengthen partnerships with the major developing economies—Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa—in supporting a global transformation to cleaner energy systems.

GATT, the WTO and Sustainable Development: Positioning the work program on trade and environmentIISD believes the transition to sustainable development will be facilitated by ringing the trade, environment and development communities together in a mutually supportive context. A starting set of interlinked principles will enable the communities to understand each other better and find common ground. This could lead them to develop new rules and agreements that enhance the relationship of environment and economy. IISD published Trade and Sustainable Development Principles in February, 1994. We now believe this work should be followed by specific analysis related to regional agreements and to GATT.

Gauging Progress Toward Sustainability: A Communication InnovationCanada's energy sector has matured. Beginning with a focus on the producer in the early 1900s and living through shifts in focus including energy security during the oil crisis of the 1970s, we have arrived at the federal government's current energy policy orientation of sustainable development. Sustainable development acknowledges the interdependency of our economic, social and environmental systems and strives to meet the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

GEO Resource Book: A training manual on integrated environmental assessment and reporting (module overviews).

Integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA) is defined as the process of producing and communicating future-oriented, policy-relevant information on key interactions between the natural environment and human society.

The methodology underlying IEA has been pioneered and championed by the Global Environment Outlook (GEO), the flagship assessment and reporting process on the status and direction of the global environment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). GEO is a consultative, participatory, capacity building process and a series of reports, analysing environmental change, causes and impacts, and policy responses, providing information for decision making at global and sub-global levels.

The purpose of this GEO Resource Book is to help build capacity for forward-looking IEA and reporting at the sub-global level. Users of the GEO Resource Book will:

  1. understand the rationale for undertaking forward-looking, integrated environmental assessment using UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO) approach;
  2. understand the importance of mandate for an IEA, options for its governance structure and participatory process, and be able to construct an impact strategy;
  3. be familiar with the conceptual and methodological aspects of carrying out the assessment, including the analysis of environmental trends and policies, and the study of policy options in the context of future scenarios;
  4. be capable of organizing the process for producing physical and electronic outputs from the IEA; and
  5. have the knowledge and skills to set up a monitoring and evaluation process focused on the IEA itself as part of a continuous learning process to improve the assessment.

The brochure provides a quick overview of the GEO Resource Book's content and intended use in training programs around the world.



Getting on Track: Finding a Path for Transportation in the CDMThe Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) established under the Kyoto Protocol provides a unique opportunity for implementing projects in developing countries that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable development. As a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, the transportation sector could play a central role in the CDM and in addressing climate change.

By delving into the key questions of the CDM within the context of the transportation sector of Chile, including project baseline, additionality, methodology, monitoring and leakage, the case studies presented in this report shed light on how a range of transportation projects fit within the current CDM. The report also examines how such projects could be better facilitated in the future, and where other policy approaches may be appropriate. Taking the lessons learned from these case studies and outcomes of an international workshop held in Chile, the report presents conclusions regarding how transportation projects currently fit into the CDM framework and potential changes for post 2012.

Getting on Track: Finding a Path for Transportation in the CDM - Executive SummaryThe International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Climate Change and Development Consultants (CC&D) and the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) were partners on a joint project examining possible scenarios for using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a tool to promote sustainable development in the transportation sector. This is a stand-alone presentation of the Executive Summary from the Getting on Track final report.

Give Peace (and the climate) a ChanceJordan River basin countries are desperately short of water. Israel, Jordan and Palestine have less than a quarter as much water as the common definition of a water-scarce country. Regional climate models predict that unless drastic action is taken to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, rising temperatures will reduce agricultural productivity and make water even harder to come by in this already-dry region. At the same time, population growth is increasing demand for water, food and jobs at a tremendous rate. A decrease in the availability of water needed to feed the Middle East's growing population could raise the stakes for the return or the retention of occupied land. The threat to political stability in the Middle East underlines why the climate talks in Copenhagen in December must conclude with a deal on climate change.

Global Cotton and Textile Product Chains: Identifying challenges and opportunities for China through a global commodity chain sustainability analysisChina is playing a pivotal role in the world cotton and textile industry as the major global cotton producer and importer, and the major textile exporter. Cotton growing has potentially significant environmental impacts because of its high reliance on water and chemical inputs. Cotton production represents approximately one third of global pesticide use, leading to the damaging effects cotton growing inflicts on the environment when badly managed. China’s role in promoting—or neglecting—sustainability should play a decisive role in crafting a sustainable global cotton/textile supply chain.

This report recommends three key strategies for improving the sustainability of global cotton and textile sectors, including improving the recognition of and demand for sustainable cotton and textile products, improving the sustainability of Chinese cotton and textile production, and improving the global sustainability of cotton and textile production chains through a transition to higher levels of sustainable production in Africa.

Global Environmental Governance: Fixing a troubled system - Adil NajamSince environmental issues entered the international agenda in the early 1970s, global environmental politics and policies have been developing rapidly. IISD Senior Fellow Adil Najam talks about the need for urgent reform of our system of global environmental governance—not because it has failed, but because it has outgrown its original design.

Global Environmental Governance: A Reform AgendaGlobal Environmental Governance (GEG) is the sum of organizations, policy instruments, financing mechanisms, rules, procedures and norms that regulate the processes of global environmental protection. Since environmental issues entered the international agenda in the early 1970s, global environmental politics and policies have been developing rapidly. The environmental governance system we have today reflects both the successes and failures of this development. It has become increasingly clear that the GEG system, as we know it, has outgrown its original design and intent. This book identifies a number of practical steps that can foster more efficient and effective global environmental governance, making better use of the resources available and designed in a way that will be more helpful to the implementation of international environmental agreements for developing as well as developed countries. This publication was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

Global Forest Product Chains: Identifying challenges and opportunities for China through a global commodity chain sustainability analysisChina is at the centre of a global forestry chain whose responsible management is highly significant for global sustainability. However, problems such as trade policies, poor governance in wood-supplying countries and irresponsible business practice interact to aggravate forest loss and poverty in the face of increasing competition for agricultural land, energy and urban expansion.

The key to global forest product commodity chain sustainability is to match production efficiencies with improved forest governance in the producer country. Progress in global sustainability will benefit greatly from leadership from the Chinese government—as a regulator, as a source of aid to developing countries, as a nation committed to the production of global public goods and as a major buyer of forest products through sustainable markets. China has an opportunity to take on a leadership role in building key international sustainable forestry initiatives

Global Green StandardsGlobal Green Standards is an informative guide for business on ISO 14000 standards. Used in conjunction with appropriate goals, and with management commitment, the standards will help improve corporate performance.

This report highlights what stakeholders interested in sustainable development should understand about the 14000 standards. It also explains to industry what ISO standards can and cannot do for their organization.

Global Green Standards relates the relevance of ISO 14000 standards to the World Trade Organization and the implications for new international trade rules. In addition, it explores the opportunity for developing countries to embrace the ISO 1400 series.

Anyone with an interst in becoming more efficent while earning profits and maintaining the trust of their stakeholders should read this report.

The Global Initiative on Commodities: From Stakeholder Perspectives to Stakeholder Participation (A Summary of Civil Society Recommendations for Sustainable Commodity Production)The Global Initiative on Commodities (GIC) is an international partnership initiative launched by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the African, Pacific and Caribbean Group; the Common Fund for Commodities; and the United Nations Development Programme designed to break the "conspiracy of silence" regarding the importance of commodities in sustainable development. The priorities of the GIC are outlined in the GIC's Brasilia Outcomes Paper (PDF - 215 kb). Over the course of 2008, IISD's Sustainable Commodity Initiative managed a civil society consultation process to identify CSO views and priorities towards a global strategy for commodities within the GIC. This document summarizes the results of that process as well as the "Chatelaine Consensus," the formal CSO guidance for carrying the GIC forward.

Good Times on the Commodity Price Rollercoaster: But how long can they last?Commodity prices are at historic highs but are commodity-dependent countries prepared should the bubble burst? Oli Brown and Jason Gibson explore the social and environmental impacts of commodity price volatility, calling for renewed efforts toward revenue stabilization.

Gordon McBean talks about the impacts of climate change and the need to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions nowDr. Gordon McBean is a member of IISD's Board of Directors, a professor in the Department of Geography at Canada's University of Western Ontario and Research Chair of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction. His work covers a broad range of climate-related issues, including global peace and security and how changing temperatures affect human health.

He was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his lifetime achievements and contributions to the advancement of climate and atmospheric sciences.

In this interview, he talks about the impacts of climate change.

Gorillas in the Midst: Assessing the peace and conflict impacts of International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) activities

Conservation work in conflict zones and across international borders has impacts on more than just wildlife populations and their habitats; it can also have a profound effect on the peace and conflict dynamics in a region. For example, while the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) implements activities with the primary objective of conserving mountain gorilla populations and habitat, anecdotal evidence suggests that these activities have also improved communication and dialogue among different authorities in the region, thereby fostering relationships and cooperation that are fundamental to peacebuilding. Conversely, decades of experience have shown that conservation interventions can cause tensions and contribute to conflict. This is especially portentous in conflict zones, where any external intervention can unintentionally fuel tensions and conflict by sending the 'wrong' message or entrenching perceived inequities.

As a result, IGCP sought a more detailed and systematic understanding of how their conservation and development activities affect peace and conflict dynamics in the Great Lakes region. In order to ensure that they do not inadvertently exacerbate the conflict dynamic but instead actively contribute to peacebuilding, IGCP contracted the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to conduct a Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment (PCIA) of some of their field operations.

The specific IGCP activities that were selected as case studies were:



Governance and Multi-stakeholder Processes

This paper was commissioned by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco) to inform the organizational work of the Sustainable Coffee Initiative, initiated by IISD and UNCTAD, as a mechanism to promote sustainability within the coffee sector. The objective of this report is to make a survey of issues regarding multi-stakeholder governance. Part one discusses key elements on multi-stakeholder governance, such as representation, inclusiveness in decision-making and duration, so as to ensure legitimacy and power sharing. Part two presents current institutional structures and governance mechanisms of specific institutions of interest for the conformation of the Sustainable Coffee Initiative. Part three presents some conclusions and recommendations to the Sustainable Coffee Partnership.

The purpose of the Sustainable Coffee Initiative is to provide generic policy, research and infrastructural support towards the development and promotion of transparent, multi-stakeholder, market-based sustainability initiatives in commodities trade and production.



The Governance of Non-Legal Entities: An exploration into the challenges facing collaborative, multistakeholder enterprises that are hosted by institutionsIn 2002, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, "Type 2 Partnerships" emerged as a key international mechanism for moving towards sustainable development. At the time, a coalition of Southern civil society organizations (CSOs) took the position that a strong follow-up mechanism must be put in place, including areas of monitoring, reporting, accountability and external evaluation for the implementation of these partnerships. To date, little has emerged to address the concerns of southern CSOs, specifically with reference to decision-making and accountability mechanisms for these partnerships. One might argue that, in practice, Type 2 partnerships and other large networks are less transparent than the institutions hosting and funding them. Annual reports and audited financial statements, which are the generally accepted accountability mechanisms for the not-for-profit sector, are not required of these non-legal entities. This paper is an exploration into these issues, based on IISD’s consulting work with networks and partnerships, and three case studies.

Governance Structures for National Sustainable Development Strategies: Study of Good Practice ExampleIISD was commissioned by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2006 to study approximately 20 countries to identify good practice examples of governance structures for the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSDS) and to study their effectiveness.

Governing Climate: The Struggle For A Global Framework Beyond KyotoThe papers in this book, written by international climate experts, explore three key building blocks of the future climate regime. First, a number of ideas on how to broaden the current cap-and-trade regime are discussed. Second, the role of technology is explored. Lessons from past successes are reviewed with a view to developing options for their most effective use over the near future. Finally, the issue of financial flows to developing countries is addressed, including the issue of mainstreaming assistance for climate-change response.

Government Procurement in the World Trade Organization (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 4 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

Green Box Support Measures Under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and Chinese Agricultural Sustainable Development - Full ReportChina (CAITEC): This study examines the Chinese position relative to the ongoing negotiations on the Agreement on Agriculture and addresses the challenges of sustainable development in agriculture arising from structural changes generated from markets opening under the current international framework. The paper states the goal of agro-policy should be diverted from merely seeking quantity, as in the past, to more diversified and balanced development, taking as priority environmental protection, income growth for local farmers, and enhancement of product quality. The paper suggests the role of Green Box measures and WTO disciplines on agricultural support needs to be reformed to incorporate more mechanisms that support sustainable agriculture in developing countries and minimize the trade distorting effects that harm the agriculture and rural community of the developing countries.

Green Box Support Measures Under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and Chinese Agricultural Sustainable Development - SummaryChina (CAITEC): This study examines the Chinese position relative to the ongoing negotiations on the Agreement on Agriculture and addresses the challenges of sustainable development in agriculture arising from structural changes generated from markets opening under the current international framework. The paper states the goal of agro-policy should be diverted from merely seeking quantity, as in the past, to more diversified and balanced development, taking as priority environmental protection, income growth for local farmers, and enhancement of product quality. The paper suggests the role of Green Box measures and WTO disciplines on agricultural support needs to be reformed to incorporate more mechanisms that support sustainable agriculture in developing countries and minimize the trade distorting effects that harm the agriculture and rural community of the developing countries.

Green Budget Reform: An International Casebook of Leading PracticesThis book gives detailed examples of taxation and subsidy measures that were developed in order to achieve specific environmental results. It shows how governments have met some of the challenges of integrating environment and economic issues and developing tools that fit their needs. The examples can help other governments tackle the issues for themselves.

The cases sited can form part of the foundation of a more general approach to government budgets and integrated decision making. This is needed so that all aspects of financial decision making in governments can take environmental and social aspects into account.

Green Markets: Often A Lost Opportunity For Developing Countries - Full ReportChile (CIPMA/RIDES): This study comprises two case studies: organic wine and eco-labelled forest products. In both cases it looks at the prospects for exports to the EU—the biggest potential market—trying to assess the barriers posed by the EU’s certification systems. It also looks at the domestic institutions for supporting the two products, concluding that the deficits in this area are more of a barrier than the EU systems.

Green Markets: Often A Lost Opportunity For Developing Countries - SummaryChile (CIPMA/RIDES): This study comprises two case studies: organic wine and eco-labelled forest products. In both cases it looks at the prospects for exports to the EU—the biggest potential market—trying to assess the barriers posed by the EU’s certification systems. It also looks at the domestic institutions for supporting the two products, concluding that the deficits in this area are more of a barrier than the EU systems.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Impacts of Liberalizing Trade in Environmental GoodsThe environmental goods and services liberalization talks in the Doha Round of trade negotiations aim to lower or eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in these goods and services. Various proposals have been put forward in the negotiations to define a list of environmental goods. We do not yet have an understanding of the environmental implications of these proposals. This paper aims to define, with as much precision as possible, what the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation potential is for the Doha talks on environmental goods. It takes as a point of departure the proposed lists of goods put forward in the negotiations, determining the GHG mitigation potential that might reasonably be expected to result from the increased trade of the goods in question.

Growing into risk? Emerging environment and security issues in ChinaSerious environmental degradation in China is harming public health, increasing migration and triggering social unrest. In addition, the country’s need to secure the supply of those resources which underpin its growth will increase international competition for them while potentially undermining the security of some of the politically fragile, resource-rich nations with which China trades. This paper discusses the security implications of China’s growing environmental problems.

Growing Unrest: The links between farmed and fished resources and the risk of conflict

This paper examines the links between the risk of conflict and the production and trade of agricultural and marine commodities. It does so using a series of case studies: cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire, bananas and subsequently fisheries in Somalia, and cotton in Central Asia. Much like the traditional conflict resources (oil, diamonds, timber, minerals, etc.), there is strong evidence that fished and farmed commodities can also be (mis)used in such a way that their production and trade contribute to the onset or continuation of violent conflict.

Key findings:

  1. ‘Taxing’ the trade in agricultural and marine commodities can raise funds for conflict.
    Rebel groups, along with governments, can get funding from a variety of sources, and these sources can change over time. In addition, issues of revenue transparency and accountability are not limited to the oil and minerals sector; governments and multinational companies engaging in the trade of agricultural and marine resources can be complicit in supporting conflict.

  2. The volatile prices of agricultural commodities can contribute to economic and political instability, which can, in turn, increase the likelihood of conflict.
    Countries that are highly dependent on the export of a narrow range of agricultural or marine commodities are exposed to increasingly volatile commodity prices and the decisions of international market actors.

  3. Agricultural and marine commodities, as proxies for key natural resources like water and land, can increase the risk of competition (and conflict) over scarce resources.
    Trade in agricultural and marine commodities changes the strategic importance of some basic natural resources. Looking at trade in agricultural and marine commodities can help us understand the political economy of the management of those resources.

Key recommendations:



The GSI's method for quantifying irrigation subsidiesThis discussion paper sets out an initial method for assessing irrigation subsidies. The method draws on the main components of the Net Cost to the Supplier approach, which focuses on measuring the identifiable government on-budget expenditure, in attempting to calculate irrigation subsidization. The long-term aim of developing the paper is to move towards a consistent and internationally accepted method for measuring irrigation subsidy intensities.

GTI Paper SeriesIISD participated in the Great Transition Initiative, a collective effort led by the Tellus Institute to imagine a better future and to map a route towards it. Information on GTI and the 15 theme papers it produced can be found here. Mark Halle, IISD's Director of Trade and Investment, wrote the paper on Trade.

Halle examines what changes would be needed to the multilateral trade rules to enable the transition to three distinct scenarios. One is not too different from the current reality of market-based capitalism, but with far more attention paid to social equity and environmental issues. A second envisions a society where enterprises work for the benefit not principally of the shareholders, but instead of the employees. The third imagines a world where local production is favoured over internationally-traded production. Halle concludes, surprisingly, that it is not principally the trade rules that impede these transitions.

Guest View: Daniel GagnierDaniel Gagnier, the Chair of IISD's Board of Directors, was recently interviewed by the International Organization for Standardization's magazine. In this item, Gagnier speaks about social responsibility, markets, climate change and other elements of sustainable development. And he shines a light on the IISD approach: "…each IISD program includes economic as well as environmental and social inquiry," he says. "This interconnected endeavour requires the use of multiple methods and analytical tools. Economics is increasingly interconnected with other fields of inquiry, thus providing fertile ground for research on how environmental and social issues are affected by our economic choices and vice versa."

This article was first published in ISO Focus, the magazine of the International Organization for Standardization and is reproduced with permission of the Editor. http://www.iso.org/isofocus

A Guide to Kyoto: Climate Change and What it Means to CanadiansThe Guide outlines the scientific background to the Kyoto Protocol and some of the implications for Canadians. It discusses the possible impact on the transportation, industrial and residential sectors, and looks at what strategies business, communities and governments might consider in response to the challenge of meeting the reduction goals. It is a straight forward, non-technical and brief introduction to an international agreement that may be of critical importance to Canada's future development.


A Guide to Using the Working Draft ABS Management ToolThis publication explains how to implement the draft Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Management Tool (ABS-MT). The draft ABS-MT was developed during 2003–04 by the IISD project team, with input from ABS experts and practitioners. The ABS-MT is a practical tool that seeks to help facilitate the negotiation and implementation of fair and equitable ABS agreements. It is NOT a policy document—but targeted at people involved in the day-to-day negotiation of ABS agreements, be they within companies, research organizations, communities or government agencies.

Have Participatory Approaches Increased Capabilities? Since their introduction in the 1970s, participatory methods and techniques have become central tools for community development and have been applied in a variety of contexts and sectors. Participatory approaches to development are promoted on the basis that they support effective project implementation and enhance the well-being of the poor. Although the poor are becoming increasingly involved in the various stages of development, questions remain as to whether their inclusion constitutes genuine participation and whether people's capabilities have been increased in such a manner as to enable them to chart the course of their destinies in collaboration with the government, NGOs and the international community. This paper seeks to address these broader issues within the specific context of participatory freedom. Its main goals are to:

Helping Knowledge Networks WorkThis paper addresses the key competencies which organizations must possess in order to work effectively in networks. IISD has found that leadership of the management and project teams is one of the most critical indicators of long-term network success. This leadership demonstrates itself through the establishment of consistent procedures for teams that allow them to contribute their skills and knowledge. These procedures will reflect the nature of network activities as well as the national, organizational and functional cultures of the organizations involved.

Herding on the Brink: Towards a Global Survey of Pastoral Communities and ConflictAn overview of the linkages between pastoralism and conflict, using a sustainable livelihoods conflict analysis. The paper describes the tensions and threats currently felt by pastoral communities, the ways in which such tensions hold the potential for violent conflict, and the means through which the conflicts can be mitigated and prevented.

Hidden Assets: Young Professionals in Knowledge NetworksOne of the key components of sustainable development is a conscious consideration of the needs of future generations. Today's young people will ultimately bear the responsibility for implementing the policies and programs necessary for sustainable development. New approaches must be found to engage them in solving the challenges we face, and in contributing to policies and directions for the future. We have found that by far the best way to engage young people is to give them the opportunity to work on the issues within the contexts of knowledge networks.

This paper seeks to examine more closely the roles that young professionals play in knowledge networks; determine what their contributions are; determine what they gain from the network experience; uncover obstacles to their work; and make recommendations to strengthen their participation.

Hope and Change are Far from Reality for Congolese and a Threatened EnvironmentIn the IISD Commentary, Alec Crawford notes that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to one of the world’s worst ongoing conflicts. For the residents of eastern DRC, caught in this conflict, the only change being seen is the change from a bad situation to one that is worse. Despair, not hope, is becoming further entrenched. And the environment is suffering.

House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development November 27th, 2007In testimony to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development November 27th, 2007, John Drexahge explained the lessons of the past twenty years of understanding climate change leads us to conclusions about what we need to know and do during the COP 13 meeting in Bali, Indonesia in December 2007. He states it is clear that we simply cannot meet the environmental imperative of avoiding human interference with the globe's climate system without engaging all major emitters. But the lead must lie with developed countries, who are most responsible for the current greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and who, by cause of their relatively stable and prosperous social and economic conditions, are most able to take on more aggressive actions. In his view, this means that North America, which can only be described as a pariah when compared to the rest of the world's greenhouse gas emissions per capita, must lead the way.

House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development—Statement by John DrexhageOn October 29, 2009, John Drexhage, IISD's Director of the Climate Change and Energy Program, gave a presentation to Canada's House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development on Bill C-311, an Act to ensure Canada assumes its responsibilities in preventing dangerous climate change.

How Canada can restore its reputation on climate changeJohn Drexhage, IISD Director of Climate Change and Energy and a former international negotiator on climate change from 1995 to 2001, comments on how Canada can restore its reputation on climate change "The history of Canada's international profile on climate change is unfortunately one of steady deterioration. The tide can be turned, but first we need to recognize how we allowed our credibility to be eroded and what we need to do about it." An abridged version of this commentary appeared in the Opinions section of The Globe and Mail on November 19, 2009.

How Information and Communications Technologies Can Support Education for Sustainable Development: Current uses and trendsAs part of IISD's involvement with Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth and the UNESCO Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, this paper presents a brief history, and identifies current uses and trends for deploying ICTs, primarily in the formal Kindergarten to Grade 12 education system, with a focus on the online environment. It considers three main questions: (1) Why do ICTs need to be considered as a critical tool in education for sustainable development (ESD)?; (2) What ICTs are currently being used by educators and learners?; and (3) What can we expect to see in the near future?

How material is ISO 26000 Social Responsibility to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)?The report maps the materiality of the ISO 26000 Social Responsibility to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through a global survey of 59 SMEs, 37 social responsibility consultations and 16 National Cleaner Production Centres across the world.

How Might Agriculture Develop in Southern Africa? Making Sense of Complexity

The issues around food security and agriculture in Southern Africa are dynamic, complex, uncertain and difficult to address. This report is an attempt at understanding the current situation and the driving forces i.e. the underlying social, political, environmental and technological trends that will affect the future of agriculture in the region. It stems from a scenario planning exercise with regional partners that employed structured strategic conversations from multiple perspectives as a tool to identify critical uncertainties that affect food security and agriculture. The result is a report that identifies a range of threats, opportunities, trends and outcomes of Southern Africa’s agricultural futures.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



How to support an L14 in breaking global deadlocks: do we need a formal network of institutions or an open source system of experts?How could a network of think tanks support a global leaders initiative to resolve global deadlocks on climate change, HIV AIDs, and other crises? This paper explores what such a network might look like in 2015, suggesting that think tanks themselves are changing to more open, social networks of experts.

The ICT Sector and the Global Connectivity System: A sustainable development overview

In 2007, IISD published a collection of papers on Internet Governance and Sustainable Development: Towards a Common Agenda, as a preliminary investigation into the linkages between these two domains. In undertaking this review, we realized that stakeholders in these domains held different perspectives on what constituted the “Internet sector” and, possibly more broadly, the “information and communications technologies [ICT] sector.” Without greater clarity and definition provided by a sector approach, we found it problematic to begin to address questions around who would be in a position to work for greater synergies between ICTs, the management of the infrastructure and content we know as the Internet, and their role in contributing to, or moving the world further away from, sustainable development.

This broad group of actors involved in the production of hardware, software, communications infrastructure, standards, policies, content, collaboration and networking is potentially more complex than other sectors with which the sustainable development community has engaged in the past, including extractive industries, the energy sector, agriculture, health and so forth. Participation from the ICT industry in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development has shifted away from the traditional hardware and software manufacturers; but has increased slightly from the telecommunications sector. Within one of the few sustainable-development-focused ICT industry associations, the Global E-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), there is room for “any company or organization which, as a principal part of its business, provides a service for the point to point transmission of voice, data or moving images over a fixed, Internet, mobile or personal communication network, or is a supplier of equipment which is an integral component of the communication network infrastructure,”[1] but not necessarily room for those that serve to manage the infrastructure through the development of standards and protocols, or for those who provide content and applications as part of their social engagement within and through the infrastructure.

This paper is our first effort to gain greater clarity on what more broadly constitutes the ICT sector and its role in sustainable development.



[1] GeSI membership statement



ICTs, Adaptation to Climate Change, and Sustainable Development at the EdgesA new creative capacity, enabled by information and communication technologies, is one of the keys to adapting to the impacts of climate change, particularly in the most vulnerable regions of the world—areas that are geographically, economically or socially marginal, and therefore tend to lie at the edges of the world's mainstream concerns. In this commentary, IISD Associate Don MacLean explains why.

ICTs, Innovation and the Challenge of Climate ChangeThe purpose of this paper is to provide comments and suggestions aimed at helping the OECD Working Party on the Information Economy (WPIE) develop a work program on the subject of "ICTs and the Environment" under the general theme: "Impact of Networked ICTs on the Economy and Society."

This paper was prepared on the invitation of Industry Canada as a voluntary contribution to the OECD Workshop on ICTs and Environmental Challenges in Copenhagen on May 22–23, 2008. It reflects the personal views of the authors, which are not necessarily those of Industry Canada, CANARIE or IISD. Background information on the proposals presented in this paper is available at http://green-broadband.blogspot.com/ and http://www.iisd.org/infosoc/.

IIA Insighter – Issue 1 – Spring 2007IIA Insighter is an occasional publication targeted at parliamentarians and elected officials, offering them insight into how international investment agreements (IIAs) may impact on domestic issues of public interest.

The publication offers a mix of news, features, commentaries and resources. Particular effort is made to provide information which is pitched at the level of the non-expert, so that readers may grasp and understand the key concerns related to IIAs.

IISD also provides more specialized research and news publications devoted to IIAs. Investment Treaty News, is a free electronic reporting service available by email subscription. ITN offers more detailed and comprehensive reporting on lawsuits arising under IIAs, as well as investigations into lawsuits not otherwise publicized. IISD also produces a wide range of analysis and commentary on emerging issues in this field.

IIA Insighter: Issue 2 – Autumn 2007IIA-Insighter keeps parliamentarians and elected officials abreast of developments in the the field of foreign investment. The publication focuses specifically on the international treaties which regulate foreign investment activity, and which can have myriad domestic policy implications. The latest issue includes an opinion piece by a pair of U.S. politicians, as well as news and analysis of lawsuits between foreign investors and their host governments in the developed and developing world.

IIA Insighter: Issue 3 – Summer 2008IIA Insighter keeps parliamentarians and elected officials abreast of developments in the field of foreign investment. The publication focuses specifically on the international treaties which regulate foreign investment activity, and which can have myriad domestic policy implications. This issue includes a summary of key investment-related disputes which address public policy questions, and a commentary on the need for an international investment court.

IISD Commentary - Environmental InsecurityIn spite of the nearly US$30 billion the international community invested in humanitarian assistance during the 1990s, over 1,500 people died each day as a result of civil wars and natural disasters. What if investment in environmental conservation were a more cost-effective alternative for confl ict and disaster management and prevention than peace-keeping and disaster relief? IISD's Jason Switzer explores the links between environment and security.

IISD Commentary - Sustainable development cools off: Globalization demands summit take new approach to meeting ecological, social goalsThis IISD Commentary, written by IISD's Director of Trade and Investment Mark Halle, appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press July 29, 2002. In this perspective of sustainable development just prior to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, Halle notes that the institutions governing the global economy have grown stronger while those promoting social equity, poverty alleviation and environmental co-operation remain weak

IISD Corporate BrochureIn the spring of 2005, IISD produced this institutional brochure describing our program areas and our commitment to innovation.

The IISD InnovatorThe IISD Innovator is a quarterly newsletter publication of the Fund Development and Community Relations Department at the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Showcasing news, the latest trends, personalities and interviews, The Innovator is all about innovation in sustainable development and regularly highlights IISD's programs and projects at the local, national and international levels.

Alanna Mitchell is the Editor of The Innovator. An IISD Associate in Toronto, she is an award-winning journalist and author of Dancing at the Dead Sea: Tracking the World's Environmental Hotspots and Sea Sick-which is slated for publication in Australia in September 2008 and in Canada in January 2009.

Rick Groom is Contributing Editor of The Innovator. He is also Development and Communications Officer with IISD in Winnipeg. An accomplished freelance journalist, his work has appeared in Canadian Living, Homemakers, Tribute, Today's Bride, TV Guide as well as CTV's Canada a.m. and CBC-Radio.

The IISD Innovator - January 2009Now bigger than ever, this special, 12-page Expanded Edition of The IISD Innovator newsletter showcases an in-depth report on the Jeffrey Sachs / Yvo de Boer Climate Change Dialogue on Carbon Tax versus Carbon Trade at The Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York. Features include Sustainable Prosperity: Where Capitalism Meets The Environment; IISD and First Nations: Near $130 Million in Eco-Benefits for Boreal Forest; The Challenge of Greening Sacred Places and a Profile of IISD Board-Member Milton Wong.

The IISD Innovator - October 2008 The October 2008 edition of The IISD Innovator features an exciting, all-new, expanded format with more pages, more photos and more in-depth articles. On the cover: Climate Change in Canada—the Duval River Disaster on Baffin Island; Green Finance: The Quiet Revolution—focusing on one of the latest trends in sustainability; a new regular feature: Inside IISD; Sustainability Q+A: All About Big Room, Inc., plus A Few Minutes with Chuck Hantho, who retired from the IISD Board of Directors in June 2008.

The IISD Innovator: Issue 5 - May 2008May 2008 edition Highlights: IISD President David Runnalls' recipe as to how Canada can get back on top of its Sustainable Development game again, Sustainability Today Q+A with IISD Youth Internship alumnus Dara Edmonds and Notable Quotes from the Globe 2008 Conference in Vancouver.

The IISD Innovator is a quarterly publication of the Fund Development and Community Relations Department at the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

IISD joins newly formed international coalition for a green economy: Signs open letter to G20IISD-Europe Executive Director Mark Halle has signed an open letter to the G20, as a member of a new international global coalition urging the heads of state to build a green and inclusive economy.

The coalition of environment, development, business and labour groups, met for the first time in Switzerland March 2-3, 2009. The meeting was convened by IUCN in partnership with WWF International UNEP, and IIED. Participants also included representatives from the Bellagio Forum for Sustainable Development, DFID, IISD, ILO, ITUC, Royal Philips Electronics, WBCSD, and The Centre for Human Ecology.

IISD Model International Agreement on Investment for Sustainable DevelopmentThe current model for International Investment Agreements (IIAs) was developed 50 years ago in a political and economic context that bears little resemblance to today's, and designed for a much narrower role than such agreements now play. Many critics believe that the current international investment regime is flawed beyond repair, and argue for the complete dissolution of the regime and its replacement with a regime specifically focussed on the obligations of transnational investors. IISD shares many of the concerns, but has taken a different tack, proposing a new model for IIAs with rights and obligations for investors, home states and host states—a model consistent with the goals and requirements of sustainable development and the global economy of the 21st century.

This publication contains the full text of IISD's Model International Agreement on Investment for Sustainable Development. It is an essential reference for negotiators of IIAs struggling against the current model to craft agreements that will serve their national interests.

IISD Model International Agreement on Investment for Sustainable Development - Negotiators' HandbookThe current model for International Investment Agreements (IIAs) was developed 50 years ago in a political and economic context that bears little resemblance to today's, and designed for a much narrower role than such agreements now play. Many critics believe that the current international investment regime is flawed beyond repair, and argue for the complete dissolution of the regime and its replacement with a regime specifically focussed on the obligations of transnational investors. IISD shares many of the concerns, but has taken a different tack, proposing a new model for IIAs with rights and obligations for investors, home states and host states—a model consistent with the goals and requirements of sustainable development and the global economy of the 21st century.

This publication contains the full text of IISD's Model International Agreement on Investment for Sustainable Development, with an article-by-article commentary explaining in clear language the intent and nuances of the text. It is essential reading for negotiators of IIAs struggling against the current model to craft agreements that will serve their national interests. But it is also written to engage a wider audience of stakeholders concerned about the future path of international law and globalization.

IISD NewsIISD News is a quarterly publication designed to deliver news, information and feature stories about the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

To subscribe to the text-only, e-mail version send a blank e-mail to subscribe-iisdnews@lists.iisd.ca; to receive the PDF version by e-mail, send a blank e-mail to subscribe-iisdnews-pdf@lists.iisd.ca

IISD News was launched in March 2002.

IISD News - December 2007The December 2007 issue of IISD News includes a year-end message from President and CEO David Runnalls; and overview of recent and upcoming work by IISD's Global Subsidies Initiative; a look at the evolving North American emissions trading landscape and more.

IISD News - December 2008The December 2008 issue of IISD News talks about “The Citizen is Willing, But Society Won’t Deliver,” a new e-book by Norman Myers and Jennifer Kent. The newsletter also includes a new feature highlighting what IISD team members are reading… for work and for pleasure.

IISD News - May 2008The May 2008 issue of IISD News includes a feature on IISD’s efforts to promote sustainable development as the meeting theme at the upcoming Internet Governance Forum to be held later this year; an update on IISD’s Bridging the Gap capital campaign; and highlights of IISD’s international conference on Canadian and international perspectives on post-2012 climate policy, held in Ottawa earlier this year.

IISD Statement on Trade & Sustainable DevelopmentThe statement is aimed at those working on international trade policy, and especially those concerned with the issues that arise at the interface between trade, development and the environment. It makes not attempt to be comprehensive; instead, it communicates the messages which IISD feels are most important at this critical juncture in the development of the international trading system and which can be accommodated in a statement of four pages

IISD Viewpoint 1 (Qatar 2001)August 2001 - Commentary from IISD - World Trade Organization

IISD Viewpoint 2 (Qatar 2001)October 12, 2001 - Commentary from IISD

IISD Viewpoint 3 (Qatar 2001)October 19, 2001 - Commentary from IISD

IISD Viewpoint 4 (Qatar 2001)November 6, 2001 - Commentary from IISD

IISD's Letter to Foreign Policy, Reacting to "NGOs: Fighting Poverty, Hurting the Poor"In its September/October 2004 edition, Foreign Policy printed an article by Sebastian Mallaby of the Washington Post. Its thesis was roughly as follows: The World Bank is fighting to alleviate poverty. NGOs are campaigning against the Bank, slowing down its projects and making them more expensive. Ergo, NGO activity is harming the poor. This article has been reproduced on a number of sites, including UN-NGLS Civil Society Observer. IISD's Director of Trade and Investment, Mark Halle, responded with this letter.

IISD/Myrada Appreciative Inquiry Project – Six-Month Report 2: January–June, 2000The goal of this project is to advance sustainable development and to facilitate sustainable livelihoods by providing governmental and nongovernmental organizations in India with a better method of designing and delivering programs— one that identifies and reinforces a community’s strengths, achievements and vision, rather than focusing on its problems, deficiencies and needs.

IISD: Charles Loewen on sustainable developmentCharles Loewen, IISD board member, chair of the capital campaign, and CEO and chair of Loewen Windows, talks about the importance of sustainable development.

IISD: Daniel Gagnier on sustainable developmentDaniel Gagnier, IISD board chair and chief of staff, Office of the Premier of Quebec, shares his views on sustainable development and what originally drew him to IISD.

IISD: Milton Wong on sustainable developmentMilton Wong, IISD board member and chairman of HSBC Asset Management (Canada) Limited, talks about his history with IISD and why young people hold the key to the future of sustainable development.

IISD: Stephanie Cairns on sustainable developmentStephanie Cairns, IISD board member, and principal of Wrangellia Consulting, talks about trends in sustainable development and beyond.

IISD: Vicky Sharpe on sustainable developmentVicky Sharpe, IISD board member, and CEO and president of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), shares highlights of her career in sustainable development.

The Impact of Water Conflicts on Pastoral Livelihoods: The Case of Wajir District in KenyaThis report by Eileen Omosa describes and analyzes the impact of conflicts over water on the livelihoods of pastoral communities in the Wajir District of Northern Kenya.

Implementing Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) Standards, and Technical Regulations: The Developing Country ExperienceAs tariff levels have dropped, non-tariff or technical barriers to trade have become relatively more important for developing-country market access. Although the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) addresses these issues, experience suggests that, without certain basic institutional infrastructure, developing countries cannot benefit from the provisions in the TBT Agreement. This paper reviews developing countries' experiences implementing Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) standards and technical regulations. The paper highlights the kinds of problems that exist, discusses examples of initiatives to address these problems and suggests priorities for future work. It argues that EH&S requirements are no different from other product quality requirements: both are required for market access and both are developed and implemented within a complex institutional and legal framework.

Implications of the Cotonou Agreement for Sustainable Development in the ACP Countries and BeyondThis paper assesses the Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA)—an agreement between the EU and a group of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, most of them former colonies. The CPA relies heavily on the benefits of trade liberalization, complemented by EU aid in various forms. How likely is it that this grand experiment will promote sustainable development, and what else needs to be done to ensure that it does?

Implications of the DOT Force and Genoa G-8 Summit on Youth Organizations and Networks20 August 2001

Impoverishment and Sustainable Development: A Systems ApproachDr. Gallopin's research, carried out while he was a Senior Fellow of IISD, presents a systemic approach which makes the connections among different social and ecological dimensions. The approach described here will be useful to researchers and practitioners seeking a broad understanding of the comples linkages among impoverishment and sustainable development processes. This systemic view is essential for understanding how poverty alleviation must build upon combinations of good local initiative and of changes at a macropolicy level, for example in teh areas of trade and government budget reform.

In the Arbitration under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules between Methanex Corporation, (Claimant/Investor) and United States of America, (Respondent/Party); Petition to the Arbitral TribunalThe purpose of this Petition is to request permission to submit an Amicus Curiae brief to the Tribunal on critical legal issues of public concern in the arbitration between Methanex Corporation and the United States of America.

In the Arbitration under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules between Methanex Corporation, (Claimant/Investor) and United States of America, (Respondent/Party); Petitioner's Final Submissions

On August 25, 2000, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Petitioner, filed a written Petition with this Tribunal seeking:



In the Market for Climate Change Action: Market mechanisms and the achievement of global emissions reductionsResolution of the question “Who pays and how much?” will be a major determinant of any future international agreement on climate change. New international market mechanisms play a fundamental role in creating both the space and incentives for greenhouse gas emission reductions. This commentary addresses the need for robust uses of international market mechanisms, particularly for Canada. A robust framework for market mechanisms within a future agreement could set the groundwork for a much broader shift in how development takes place at the most fundamental levels.

In Search of Aluminum: China’s Role in the Mekong Region

In Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, bauxite mining – the chief material used in the production of aluminum – has been identified as an emerging area of exploration and foreign investment is actively being promoted by the national governments. China is playing an increasingly important role in investing in bauxite mining and regional infrastructure to strategically position the country as the main market for bauxite, alumina and aluminum from these three countries. This study provides an overview of bauxite mining in three key locations in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and takes a deeper look at China’s role in this context. The study also examines the regional linkages behind bauxite mining decision-making in the three Mekong countries and unpacks the degree to which environmental and social considerations have been taken into account in the decision-making process.

Key findings:



In Search of Aluminum: China’s Role in the Mekong Region (Policy Brief)

In Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, bauxite mining – the chief material used in the production of aluminum – has been identified as an emerging area of exploration and foreign investment is actively being promoted by the national governments. China is playing an increasingly important role in investing in bauxite mining and regional infrastructure to strategically position the country as the main market for bauxite, alumina and aluminum from these three countries. This study provides an overview of bauxite mining in three key locations in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and takes a deeper look at China’s role in this context. The study also examines the regional linkages behind bauxite mining decision-making in the three Mekong countries and unpacks the degree to which environmental and social considerations have been taken into account in the decision-making process.

Key findings:



Incentives for Early Action on Climate ChangeAddresses the risk of global climate change and reviews the use of credit and banking to stimulate additional early action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions prior to 2008.

Inching Forward at the Climate Talks in Buenos AiresFrom November 2 to 13, 1998, delegates from 170 countries met in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). This was the first Conference of the Parties (COP) since the landmark Kyoto Protocol was signed in December 1997, committing industrialized countries to targets to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases. The task of COP-4, as it was called, was to start elaborating some of the details wrapped up in the Kyoto Protocol and the Convention. As it turned out, negotiators made little progress in untangling the complex issues on the agenda. Instead, following hours of tortuous negotiations that stretched into dawn on the 14th, they adopted the “Buenos Aires Plan of Action,” establishing a work program with firm deadlines for agreeing on issues.

Increasing Community Resilience to Climate-Related Disasters through Sustainable Livelihoods (Livelihoods and Climate Change Information Paper 1)In an effort to encourage the use of ecosystem management and restoration activities in climate change adaptation strategies, IUCN, IISD, SEI-B and Intercooperation have produced a series of Information Papers to highlight successful examples of where such activities have decreased community vulnerability to climate-related hazards such as droughts and floods.

This first paper of the series is a two-page summary of the purpose, rationale and multi-disciplinary approach that characterizes IUCN, IISD, SEI-B and Intercooperation's project on climate change adaptation.

Increasing the Resilience of Tropical Hillside Communities through Forest Landscape Restoration (Livelihoods and Climate Change Information Paper 2)In an effort to encourage the use of ecosystem management and restoration activities in climate change adaptation strategies, IUCN, IISD, SEI-B and Intercooperation have produced a series of Information Papers to highlight successful examples of where such activities have decreased community vulnerability to climate-related hazards such as droughts and floods.

This Information Paper, second of a series, focuses on the vulnerability of tropical hillside communities around the world and uses an example from Central America to describe how local resilience to climate impacts was built through forest landscape restoration.

Indicators for Sustainable Development: Theory, Method, ApplicationsIn Indicators for Sustainable Development, Dr. Bossel, an engineer and leading systems scientist, shows that we need indicators for sustainable development that provide reliable information about the natural, physical and social world in which we live, and on which our survival and quality of life depends. He illustrates that popular indicators like the gross domestic product are inadequate, as they inform us only about monetary flows and not about the state of the environment, the destruction of resources or the quality of life.

Indicators for the Sustainable Management of TourismIndicators of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change for Agriculture in the Prairie Region of Canada: An Analysis based on Statistics Canada's Census of AgricultureThis working paper documents a collaborative IISD/AAFC-PFRA effort to develop an index of adaptive capacity at the Census Division level for the Prairie Agricultural region. IISD used this index to select case study locations for farm-level analysis of adaptation responses to climate stress and shock.

Indicators of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change for Agriculture in the Prairie Region of Canada: Comparison with Field ObservationsA 2009 update of the joint IISD-PFRA working paper.

Industry in Transition: A Profile of the North American Mining SectorThe mining industry is changing. And so is the planet. As the industry grows and globalizes, there is increasing pressure for mining to embrace the principles of sustainable development. In Industry in Transition, Alistair MacDonald delivers a thorough profile of the North American industry, outlining the challenges and opportunities on the path to sustainability. The changing nature of risk in the mineral industries is highlighted, and it is argued that the industry needs to be treated as an integrated production system in order to make the necessary transition an effective one.

INFASA: A Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture (Brochure)The International Forum on Assessing Sustainability in Agriculture (INFASA) was established by IISD and the Swiss College of Agriculture in 2006. INFASA aims to advance sustainable agricultural production by facilitating an ongoing strategic dialogue among scientists, policy-makers, producers, food industry leaders and consumers. This brochure outlines the need for this type of dialogue by examining the background of the issues regarding sustainable agriculture such as the concerns about projected global population growth, inequitable food distribution and increasing environmental pressures. Sustainable agricultural practices are ncessary to address these issues.

INFASA debuted with a Symposium in Bern, Switzerland in March of 2006. The Symposium included a wide range of stakeholders, including corporations, farmers, researchers and NGOs. Some of the key topics were: the need to coordinate transparent and standardized approaches for all stakeholders; the need for easy to understand measurement and assessment tools; the linkages between policy and practice; and the farm-level applications of these tools.

The future of INFASA includes not only the publication of the book Sustainable Agriculture: From Common Principles to Common Practice and its accompanying CD but also the development of a common understanding of the issue. INFASA will act as a catalyst in finding a common language to address sustainability issues in agriculture. In the next phase of INFASA the following key questions are to be addressed: What measurement tools and practices are needed by the various stakeholders? What are the most prominent and promising measurement tools and practices in use? How can we improve the use of measurement tools? What guidance can we offer for developing the next generation of sustainability measurement tools? How can we strengthen the data underpinning agricultural sustainability measurement? How can we use demonstration projects and promote capacity building?

Information Exchange and Observer Status: The World Trade Organisation and Multilateral Environmental Agreements.This report, prepared for the EU China Programme for China's Accession to the WTO, administered by the German GTZ, looks at the issue of observer status for multilateral environmental agreements in the WTO. Negotiations on this issue are mandated by paragraph 31 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration but little analytic attention has thus far been given to this issue. It turns out that the question raises delicate issues concerning inter-organizational relations but that pragmatic solutions appear to be available. Reproduced here with permission.

Information Society and Sustainable Development: Exploring the LinkagesThis paper, published in 2003 for the World Summit on the Information Society, explores the relationship between the information society and sustainable development. The effective utilization of information and communication technology for development is consistent with the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Sector Industries Might be Cut Down to Size, but Globalization Will Continue: An IISD CommentaryIISD and AccountAbility will soon release a report on responsible competitiveness in information technology enabled services, which we hope will raise the profile of business process outsourcing and software services as catalysts for more sustainable and equitable globalization. Our primer looks at how this could be done—how the world can be made more sustainable and "flat" though improved opportunities for knowledge and growth.

In advance of that release, Project Officer Oshani Perera looks at the impact of alleged corruption in the information technology enabled service sector.

Innovation in the Agro-Industry Sector in Costa Rica: Main DeterminantsThe search for eco-efficiency and clean production methods is closely linked to the capacity for innovation at the firm level. Given that environmental problems are highly specific to firms and locations there is a need for firms to develop the capacity for innovation to find solutions to problems for which there are no “on-the-shelf” technologies available. This paper looks to examine the relationship between innovation strategies at the firm level and some specific characteristics of innovation processes, to analyze internal and external factors working as barriers or motivators for the introduction of cleaner technologies in firms; and to analyze components of the system of innovation and its impacts on the innovation processes in the agro-industry sector.

Innovation in the Governance of Technology and Society: Progress on Internet GovernanceThis report explores progress on the evolution of Internet policy and decision-making, the key institutions involved, and the importance of the debate to developing countries. The continuation of the Internet Governance Forum will be key to ensuring the open and candid exchange of ideas and best practices among all Internet stakeholders–including governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, industry, the private sector, civil society, academia and the Internet technical community–continues at the international level. Further, lessons learned from finding new approaches to decision-making around the Internet and its related technologies have relevance for the governance of technology in other domains, in particular the central concept of “shared responsibility.”

Institutional Brochure 2000The International Institute for Sustainable Development applies research, expert analysis and information technology to the challenges of sustainable development. Through partnerships, policy recommendations and dissemination of knowledge, IISD demonstrates how human ingenuity can improve the well-being of the environment, economy and society.

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Recommendations for Agricultural Sector ParticipationIntegrated water resources management (IWRM) approaches are gaining popularity as an effective means of integrated landscape management around the globe. However, while the basic principles of IWRM are widely accepted as critical factors for managing and protecting increasingly stressed water resources, their acceptance as broad-based management tools for land management, specifically in the agricultural sector, is relatively new and only slowly gaining recognition.

This report, "Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Recommendations for Agricultural Sector Participation," provides a review of IWRM practices in Canada, highlights agricultural sector involvement and provides recommendations for enhancing the participation of the agricultural sector in watershed-based planning and management.

Recommendations from this research include integrated governance and institutional capacity, the need for additional financial resources and continued scientific and technical support for agricultural participation in IWRM in Canada.

Integrating Aboriginal Values into Land-Use and Resource ManagementThis project contributes to the “values” component of the Ecosystems Based Management (EBM) pilot project that Manitoba’s Department of Conservation is implementing on the east side of Lake Winnipeg (Ecoregion 90). IISD’s goal is to develop a process that a) helps Aboriginal people identify the values their community places on the forested landscape around them; b) effectively expresses those values to decision-makers in the provincial government, the forest industry and other stakeholders; and c) stimulates discussion by all stakeholders on ways to incorporate Aboriginal values into land use and resource management.

Integrating the Environment into the Poverty Reduction Strategy PapersThe Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) process was adopted in 1999 to help developing countries and the international donor community better coordinate efforts to reduce poverty. The PRSP review process is guided by a set of two overarching questions followed by a more detailed list of 15 questions. An evaluation of these questions highlights that environment issues aren’t examined. This is not surprising as most PRSPs have emphasized traditional engines of economic growth. Recent studies on the links among the environment, human well-being and poverty have revealed the close links the poor have with the environment especially ecosystem services. Acknowledging these critical links also requires that environmental concerns are integrated explicitly in PRSPs. The World Bank methodology developed to evaluate environmental integration within PRSPs provides only provides a very rough indicator of that integration. This paper advances a different approach using a structured questionnaire to solicit preferences from a range of stakeholders involved in the PRSP process and moves beyond the traditional definition of environmental issues to an ecosystem approach.

International Carbon Market Mechanisms in a Post-2012 Climate Change AgreementThis background paper provides an overview of the role and profile of international carbon market mechanisms in a new international post-2012 climate change regime. The paper first reviews the three market-based instruments under the Kyoto Protocol and then examines a range of possible market mechanisms under consideration in the international climate change negotiations, including allocation-based market mechanisms, REDD mechanisms and an expanded CDM. The concluding section discusses critical issues that will need to be considered in choosing and furthering developing international market mechanisms for a new regime.

International Coffee Agreement 2007: An Instrument for Building a Sustainable Coffee EconomyThis report notes a shift in the scope of sustainability and sustainable expansion in the International Coffee Agreement 2007, from being one issue in the global coffee industry to a broad guiding principle that informs the entire Agreement. This broader focus on sustainability could result in expanded industry opportunities for: participatory governance; market information and statistics about an increasingly differentiated coffee market; capacity-building and technical assistance; and improved access to finance and credit. The report outlines a series of steps for moving from the conceptual commitments made in the new ICA to a proactive and practical agenda for securing the sustainability of the global coffee economy.

International Development Committee Inquiry – Written EvidenceThis short paper was submitted as written evidence for the IDC's inquiry on "Conflict and Development." TAS Project Manager Oli Brown was called as a witness to the inquiry and was cross-questioned by the IDC, a cross-party committee of U.K. MPs, in February 2006.

International Economic Law: Water for Money's SakeThis paper analyzes the implications of international trade and investment treaties, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, GATS and bilateral investment treaties, for the domestic ability to regulate water matters in the public interest. This is an expanded version of an earlier paper by the author, published in 2003.

International Environmental Management, Trade Regimes and SustainabilityInternational Environmental Mangement explores the links and tensions that connect international environmental management and internationa trade policy. These two bodies of law each have their own dynamics and history, and as the two increasingly engage in a comples interaction, there are improtant implications in achieving sustainable development worldwide.

This production includes a precis of the Winnipeg Principles on Trade and Sustainable Development.



International Experience in Establishing Indicators for the Circular Economy and Considerations for ChinaThe rapid growth of China’s material consumption poses profound challenges to sustainable development in the country and the rest of the world. This report was prepared in support of work commissioned by China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to establish an indicator system to monitor progress towards the objectives of the circular economy (CE). The indicators would track some of the key material stocks and flows of China and help, among others, national strategic planning efforts led by the NDRC.

International Forum for Rural Transport and Development: Network Evaluation Synthesis

The International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD) is a global network of individuals and organisations interested in rural transport issues in developing countries. IISD was commissioned to:



International Human Rights in Bilateral Investment Treaties and in Investment Treaty ArbitrationThis paper examines to what extent human rights norms could be relevant to investment treaty arbitration. Just as earlier cases have seen investors challenge health or environmental regulations, there is significant scope for foreign investors to challenge human rights-inspired laws and measures in the host territory, where these infringe upon an investors profitability. It is unclear whether the ad-hoc arbitral tribunals charged with resolving such investment disputes would take into account non-commercial international legal obligations such as those under human rights law.

International Investment AgreementsThis paper is part of IISD’s series entitled “The Best Practice Advisory Bulletin” which aims at making publicly available “best practice” analyses based on actual treaty texts, in order to provide developing and developed country negotiators with state-of-the-art options and approaches to address the new issues and controversies in investment negotiations.

This bulletin on the Definition of Investment examines the main options for defining investment in international investment agreements (IIAs), and their legal implications in view of evolving case law. It also discusses the best practices in recent treaties that allow host states to preserve development policy space in the definition of investment.

International Investment Agreements and Sustainable Development: Achieving the Millennium Development GoalsThis paper starts from the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, and surveys the literature to see how these can be impacted, positively or negatively, by international investment agreements.

International Investment Agreements, Business and Human Rights: Key Issues and OpportunitiesThe paper was prepared for Prof. John Ruggie, UN Special Representative to the Secretary General for Business and Human Rights. It explores the full range of issues that arise between international investment agreements, business and human rights, focusing on the key duties of states to protect and promote human rights, and the responsibilities of business to respect human rights.

Do investment agreements help or hurt the pursuit of these roles?
The paper also takes a first look at the relationship of Host Government Agreements to international investment treaties in the human rights context. The paper concludes the existing investment treaty regime does nothing to either enhance the relationship between business and human rights, or to ensure investors fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights. Moreover, it can negatively impact the duty of host states to protect and promote human rights. However, the paper notes this need not be the case, and suggests specific approaches to enhancing this relationship, and to embed human rights values into the international investment law regime.

International trade and sustainable tourism in Chile: Preliminary assessment of the sustainability of tourism in Chile in the context of current trade liberalizationSince the 1970s Chile adopted an exceptionally successful model of trade liberalization which has given the country the highest growth index in the region. In spite of this challenges abound, including a huge gap in social equality, the need to overcome structural poverty, and the necessity of protecting an increasingly vulnerable environment. This study attempts to understand Chile’s institutional capacity to foment the sustainable growth of tourism and, through a preliminary assessment of the sustainability of the sector, make an effort to point out the linkages between the international trade of this service and the effect such trade has on Chile.

International Trade in Services and Sustainable Development: The Case of Tourism in South Africa - Full ReportTourism is an important services sector identified by the government as a major contributor to job creation, economic growth and poverty relief objectives. However, certain constraints to tourism growth have been identified, such as a lack of transparent investment incentives to attract investors; a scarcity of needed infrastructure in regions with the strongest natural resource base for tourism; inadequate tourism education; and inadequate marketing of South Africa as a long-haul tourism and business centre. This research on the tourism sector focuses on the nature of trade liberalization and deregulation within a sustainable development framework.

Internet Governance and Sustainable Development: Towards a Common AgendaEarly in 2007, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders, IISD commissioned exploratory papers to be written from the perspective of the Internet governance and sustainable development communities with the aim of discovering where links between these two communities of researchers and practitioners could be fostered. The premise of the project was that these two historically disparate policy communities will each gain if they can discover and leverage the overlap in their respective visions for the future. The papers focused on five areas in which potential links could be anchored: governance processes; economic barriers to development; the capacity of developing countries to participate in international governance; access to knowledge as a critical input to decision-making; and indicators for development. IISD has created the following booklet containing short editorials on each of the pair of papers, which includes observations from an associated e-conference along with our conclusions regarding common positions, mutual challenges and differences, and where lessons from one community's experience might contribute to progress by the other.

Can a dialogue between these two communities contribute to mitigating degradation of natural and human environments in developed and developing countries; help avoid the economic marginalization of developing countries facing digital exclusion from global markets; and help maintain and promote cultural diversity and traditional knowledge? Internet Governance and Sustainable Development contemplates such questions, and stimulates further dialogue.

Internet Governance and Sustainable Development: Towards a Common Agenda and 10 papers, combined in a single file (PDF - 1.7 mb)

Internet Governance Forum 2009, “Taking Stock and Looking Forward” main session, Intervention by Heather CreechThis intervention by Heather Creech in the “Taking Stock and Looking Forward” main session at the fourth annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting, November 2009, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, reflects the UN Secretary-General's “formal consultations with Forum participants” on the “desirability of the continuation of the Forum,” as stipulated by Paragraph 76 of the WSIS Tunis Agenda. Heather Creech's intervention on behalf of IISD is broadly supportive of the IGF and affirms that the IGF should renew its mandate for a second five-year term. One key concern, however, is that the IGF has been insufficiently inclusive, in spite of its multistakeholder mandate. Large areas of civil society concern, including the environment as well as social and economic development, are either poorly or not represented. These stakeholders need the engagement of the IGF community to meet these broader challenges, and a renewal of the IGF should include a directive to broaden its stakeholder engagement.

Internet Governance Forum: A commentary on the first meetingThe first meeting of the Forum was an "outstanding success" because its structure allowed for openness and ease of participation for all stakeholders, unparalleled by any other UN meeting of this type. The significance of the event lies in the model it offers for future international multistakeholder policy fora.

Internet Governance Forum: A Commentary on the Second MeetingIISD advisor Maja Andjelkovic comments on the November 2007 Rio meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). She describes the meeting as "another sound step in building a new model for sharing governance of a global resource," but notes that very few explicit linkages between Internet governance and sustainable development have been made at the IGF.

Internet Governance Forum: A development perspective: A primer for the third meeting, Hyderabad, India, 3–6 December 2008Taking on a development perspective, this primer summarizes the consultations among Internet Governance Forum (IGF) contributors in preparation for the December 2008 meeting in Hyderabad, India. This summary of the consultations is organized under the following themes: IGF Review and the Way Forward; Development Theme in the Agenda-setting Dialogue; Themes and Basic Structure for IGF Hyderabad; Analysis of Workshop Proposals; and Updates on Dynamic Coalitions of Interest to the Development Community.

Internet Governance: Background to the Internet Governance ForumThe multifunctional nature of the Internet, the lack of centralization of any of its functions and the uniquely wide importance of this communications medium, mean that many different actors have a stake in Internet governance, and must be involved in its development and enforcement. This challenge is the driving force behind the Internet Governance Forum.

Internet Governance: In the Footsteps of Global Administrative Law

The World Summit on the Information Society's Working Group on Internet Governance developed this working definition of Internet governance, which was adopted by the WSIS governments in the Tunis Agenda (2005):

…the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

This definition is helpful in that it enumerates the stakeholders and some of the challenges facing Internet governance; however, it provides no direction as to what a system, or a combination of systems, of Internet governance would require in order to contribute to sustainable development.

One of IISD's strategic objectives is to advance sustainable development by contributing to institutional transformation, particularly through promoting the principles of accountability, participation and legitimacy. This paper, originally submitted as Maja Andjelkovic's LLM thesis to the University of Kent Law School, suggests that accountability and legitimacy should comprise the basic tenets of Internet governance. A framework convention has been proposed as the only traditional international legal instrument with the potential to ensure the integration of these principles in Internet governance; however, despite the flexibility it offers, a framework convention has significant shortcomings that would make employing it in the area of Internet governance difficult. Instead, the paper suggests that solutions for Internet governance should be sought within the emerging theory of Global Administrative Law, which describes a decentralized governance scheme based on common trends and characteristics in other multi-stakeholder, multi-level, international issue areas and one capable of promoting the rule of law in hybrid governance structures.



Interview with author, and environmental leader and activist Vandana Shiva about her book Soil Not Oil - Thought Leaders Interview Series May 2009In her recent book, Soil Not Oil, Vandana Shiva discusses how the world needs to make urgent changes to deal with climate change, the impact of peak oil and increasing food insecurity.

Interview with Dr. Dennis Meadows, an acclaimed American scientist and professor of systems management, winner of the 2009 Japan Prize, and co-author of The Limits to Growth—one of the most influential books of the 20th century - Thought Leaders Interview Series July 2009Dr. Meadows recently talked with IISD’s Nona Pelletier about his work in a telephone interview from his home in New Hampshire.

Introduction to the Development Box: Finding Space for Development Concerns in the WTO’s Agriculture NegotiationsThis paper, prepared by IISD for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, was written as World Trade Organization negotiations were in progress. Its content was accurate as of the end of December 2002, but in the few months since, a great deal has happened. We have therefore added a postscript to review where things stand at the end of April 2003, as this paper goes to print. The rapidly-changing environment has changed the status of the “Development Box,” which is a package of proposals from developing countries that describes what they would like to see in the next iteration of global trade rules for agriculture. In many respects, the Development Box has been overtaken by events. It was never likely to be a stand-alone element in the new agreement, as this paper explains. At this point, what may survive from the Development Box will be individual proposals from the package. Nonetheless, the paper is still timely. All of the issues raised by the Development Box discussion are still pertinent, and some of them need urgent attention from the international community, no matter how the multilateral trade community decides to handle them in this round of negotiations. The ideas will deserve and require consideration and debate for some time to come.

Inuit Observations on Climate Change - Final ReportObservations by the Inuvialuit of Sachs Harbour support what has long been predicted, that climate change would be felt first in the Polar Regions. This community’s way of life is at risk, an urgent warning of the negative impacts of climate change predicted to occur elsewhere in the world.

On Banks Island in Canada’s High Arctic, Inuvialuit hunters and trappers have a close relationship with nature. As they travel over the tundra or harvest fish from the sea, they notice even the smallest changes in their environment. Recently, the changes have been significant and troubling. The climate has become unpredictable; the landscape unfamiliar.

Inuit Observations on Climate Change - Full-Length Version (DVD)This video documents the impacts of climate change from an Inuvialuit perspective. On Banks Island in Canada's High Arctic, the residents of Sachs Harbour have witnessed dramatic changes to their landscape and their way of life. Exotic insects, fish and birds have arrived; the sea ice is thnner and farther from the community, carrying with it the seals upon which the people depend for food; the permafrost is melting, causing the foundations of the community's buildings to shift and an inland lake to drain into the ocean. In the fall, storms have become frequent and severe, making boating difficult. Thunder and lightning have been seen for the first time.

This DVD has both English and French.

Inuit Observations on Climate Change - Summary VersionThis video documents the impacts of climate change from an Inuvialuit perspective. On Banks Island in Canada's High Arctic, the residents of Sachs Harbour have witnessed dramatic changes to their landscape and their way of life. Exotic insects, fish and birds have arrived; the sea ice is thinner and farther from the community, carrying with it the seals upon which the people depend for food; the permafrost is melting, causing the foundations of the community's buildings to shift and an inland lake to drain into the ocean. In the fall, storms have become frequent and sever, making boating difficult. Thunder and lightning have been seen for the first time.

Inventory of ecosytem indicators in Canada's north for the Northern Ecosystem InitiativeTo help make information on the state of ecosystems in Northern Canada more accessible, IISD inventoried and assessed existing ecosystem indicators in the Canadian North for Environment Canada's Northern Ecosystem Initiative. Twenty-two ecosystem indicator initiatives and over 300 ecosystem indicators were identified, with most falling within and/or across the jurisdictional boundaries of the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. We found that individual projects were information-rich with indicators that met the needs of the initiative, but few used indicator frameworks, and most lacked aggregation mechanisms, integration and the existence of truly broad, systemic indicators.

Investing in Stability: Conflict Risk, Environmental Challenges and the Bottom-Line

This collection of papers aims to stimulate debate on the interactions between finance and conflict, and to explore opportunities to improve financial institutions' management of these interactions. Concerning itself principally with voluntary actions, this initiative seeks to identify mechanisms whereby firms could help to reduce the economic drivers and impacts of violence and terrorism, in areas where profitability and social responsibility align.

Drawing upon a series of articles by leading experts in the field of corporate risk consulting, sustainable finance and political risk assessment and management, this collection identifies several areas where the tools and capacities of banks, insurance companies and asset managers could be strengthened, and where novel financial products could be utilized to reduce conflict vulnerability or strengthen post-conflict reconstruction. Firms that start now to identify the emerging opportunities and risks posed by conflict/business interlinkages will be better positioned to respond if and when these do become material.

With conflict high on the international political agenda, the feasibility of launching a multi-stakeholder platform for more sophisticated and informed dialogue and learning towards these ends should be assessed, and appropriate convenors and participants identified.

For this work, IISD has partnered with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative. Mareike Hussels (UNEP Finance Initiative) and Jason Switzer (IISD) served as editors.



Investing in Stability: Conflict Risk, Markets and the Bottom-LineDrawing on research and the results of two workshops, this brochure maps out our understanding of the positive and negative linkages between finance and conflict, and explores some of the voluntary actions the financial sector could take to promote peace. The project was funded by the German Environment Ministry (BMU).

Investing in a Sustainable Future: Multilateral Development Banks’ Investment in Energy PolicyInternational support for energy sector reform seems to be a promising area for achieving both domestic development goals and internationally desirable greenhouse gas mitigation. This paper analyzes the extent to which current and historical lending by multilateral development banks has managed to exploit this potential. It develops a framework for assessing the extent to which international financial institution (IFI) lending is fostering sustainable development in energy policy, and applies it to lending by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, with results that indicate a gap in practice. But the results also indicate that good practice is possible, and indeed is often ongoing. The analysis of the results discusses the ways IFI support can be made to help combat climate change, energy poverty and a host of aligned objectives at the same time.

Investment and Sustainable Development: A Guide to the Use and Potential of International Investment AgreementsThis book looks at the role international investment agreements have, and might have, in fostering sustainable development. Such an analysis is long overdue; it is becoming ever more widely accepted that the proper goal in attracting investment is quality, rather than quantity. In the end if investment does not increase well-being on a sustainable basis, it is not worth having, much less chasing.

Investment Incentives: Growing use, uncertain benefits, uneven controlsThis report analyzes governments' use of investment incentives. These subsidies are designed to induce an investor to choose one location over another, affecting the location of an investment. They can thus be distinguished from production subsidies, which are not contingent on investment, but are instead based on normal production.

Investment incentives have been around for over 100 years. In 19th century America, cities offered money to railroads in order to have the railway pass through them (Sbragia, 1996). But it was only in the late 20th century that governments around the world began offering direct grants, tax breaks, training funds, free infrastructure and other inducements to attract corporate investment. While often thought of as a competition to attract foreign direct investment, competition is equally strong for domestic firms. The most intense competition and the largest subsidies are given to well-known multinational companies who make large investments. At the local level, incentives are often given to real-estate developers and retail projects in order to capture tax revenue that would otherwise go to another jurisdiction.

Investment Treaty News: 2006 Year in ReviewThis publication offers an overview of notable developments in relation to International Investment Agreements in 2006. In addition to summarizing Investment Treaty News' reporting for 2006, the Year in Review also presents the results of a series of interviews with IIA practitioners and arbitration institutions. A key finding of these interviews is that the number of IIA arbitrations initiated in 2006 was at least 36, with the majority of such investor-state lawsuits taking place outside of the well-known International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Investment, Doha and the WTOThis paper served as background to the IISD-RIIA Chatham House experts’ meeting on investment, and the subsequent briefings in Geneva and Brussels. It looks at the historical experience of investment agreements, and asks if Doha, and the WTO as an institution, can deliver. It then asks what types of international investment agreements are needed to promote sustainable development.

Investment, Environment and Development (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 6 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

Investor Rights and Wrongs: Suffering from "calligroeconomania"

The worst kept secret about Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement is that no one, apart from a handful of entrepreneurial lawyers, had an inkling of its value.

By giving rights and legal protections to investors operating across borders, the conventional wisdom was that Chapter 11 would shield Canadian and U.S. firms from arbitrary treatment at the hands of the Mexican government.

This commentary originally appeared in the Toronto Star on June 6, 2002.



Is Green Great?: Balancing the Demands of Environmental Protection and Human NeedsWhile many in the international community view development as a fundamental pillar to promoting human security, development may come with significant costs—environmental degradation among the most concerning. Do eco-sensitive practices promote environmental protection at the expense of individual well-being in developing countries?

As a participant in the 46th International Affairs Symposium at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, Oli Brown sought to answer this question.

The session was a debate format with two speakers taking opposing sides of an issue, giving a 20-minute presentation each and then continuing the discussion in a question-and-answer session. Oli Brown's opponent was Paul Driessen.

Driessen is a senior policy adviser for the Congress of Racial Equality. A climate change skeptic and critic of the theory and practice of sustainable development, he used his presentation to suggest that western environmentalists have become “eco-imperialists” blindly imposing their own environmental standards on the rest of the world. He argued that western-imposed ideas of environmental protection have been bad for development by inter alia: banning DDT and so undermining the fight against malaria; inhibiting the capacity of the developing world to utilize their own cheap sources of energy; blocking the extension of biotechnology and so undermining food security; using the precautionary principle to halt the spread of new technology; and encouraging the spread of organic farming incapable of producing enough food to feed the world.

This IISD Commentary is an adaptation of Brown's response to Driessen's remarks at the symposium, organized by students of the Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Is Let’s Make a Deal Now Dead at the WTO? Approach to trade negotiations might need to be revisitedBefore the Ministerial Meeting of the WTO in Hong Kong in December 2005, the world was warned by the WTO itself not to expect much of an outcome. And that is just what the world got.

ISO 14000 and Business Strategy: An Annotated BibliographyThe vast majority of the pieces in this bibliography present ISO 14000 as a solution to many problems: unintentional trade barriers created by environmental standards; the inefficiency of command and control regulations; and the plethora of permits, inspections, regulations and standards faced by companies trading across international borders. Other authors, if not enthusiastic, suggest that the standard will be necessary for doing business, especially business in Europe. A few authors critique ISO 14000 or doubt its ability to do what others believe it will do. Regardless, many companies are prepared to certify if necessary. Many authors such as Donaldson, Sissell and Watson describe the actions of companies and accreditation boards that are preparing for the standard even though there is still uncertainty regarding the potential impact of the standard.

ISO 14000 Standards and China: A Trade and Sustainable Development PerspectiveThis paper has been prepared for an “International Conference on ISO 14000 and Sustainable Development” being held November 5-7, 1996 in Beijing, China. The objective of this paper is to consider strategic issues posed by the entire family of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14000 standards viewed from a trade and sustainable development perspective.

The paper is comprised of five substantive sections that mirror areas where strategic issues for China can arise. Section 2, the first substantive section, provides background and analysis on the family of ISO 14000 standards and the process used to develop these standards. This section should be of interest to readers who have not yet had the opportunity to become informed about the ISO process. Other readers may wish to move to Section 3. The analysis of Section 2 leads to the conclusion that China has an opportunity to actively participate in the ongoing ISO 14000 process since many important issues relevant to Chinese trade interests remain to be resolved. In particular, product oriented standards for environmental labeling, life-cycle assessment, and environmental characteristics of product policies are still being developed.

ISO Social Responsibility StandardizationThis document was prepared to provide input to both the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Social Responsibility Conference (June 21–22, 2004) and to the ISO Technical Management Board’s meeting (June 24, 2004). It is presented in three parts: i) an introduction to IISD’s perspective on SR and standardization; ii) issues related to ISO’s role in sustainable development standardization; and iii) recommendations related to the next steps in the ISO SR standardization process.

Knowledge Networks: Guidelines for AssessmentThis working paper explores five major elements of network performance and related indicators of success: effectiveness; structure and governance; efficiency; resources and sustainability; and life-cycle analysis. The paper includes a sample process for undertaking an assessment of a knowledge network.

Kyoto is here. What now?IISD's President and CEO David Runnalls shares his thoughts about what Canada needs to do—and how Canada might benefit—now that the Kyoto Protocol is in force. This article originally appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on February 17, 2005.

The Kyoto Protocol and the WTO

This note is based on presentations and discussion at a seminar on The Kyoto Protocol and the WTO, jointly organized by the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) during the third WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle.

The meeting aimed to explore the potential conflicts between climate change mitigation under the Kyoto Protocol and the system of trade rules under the WTO, and how best to avoid them. This note summarizes the main strands of the presentations and discussion at the meeting. The topics discussed here are explored in depth in RIIA’s recently released book on trade and climate change.



Labelling for Environmental Purposes: A review of the state of the debate in the World Trade Organization - Full ReportEnvironmental labelling has long been the subject of discussions in the World Trade Organization (WTO). On November 14, 2001, WTO Members adopted the Doha Declaration and initiated a new round of global trade talks. Paragraph 32 of the Doha Declaration mandates the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) to give particular attention to labelling requirements for environmental purposes. This paper reviews the state of the debate in the WTO on eco-labelling. It reviews the history of the debate, outlines the political challengesand substantive obstacles to resolving it and looks ahead to what can be expected at the Cancun Ministerial in September 2003, where the CTE may make a recommendation on whether to engage in formal negotiations on eco-labelling.

Land and Water Resource Management in Asia: Challenges for climate adaptationThe paper, prepared as background to a workshop held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in January 2009, links the issues of poverty reduction, land and water resource management, and climate adaptation in practice. Within Southeast Asia and the Himalayas, as elsewhere, land and water resource management issues are most pronounced in areas of marginal production systems, and directly connected to poverty reduction efforts. Climate change is likely to exacerbate existing challenges within these sectors in unexpected ways. The paper also reviews some of the many innovative efforts underway in the region to support land and water management and poverty reduction at multiple levels (local, national and regional). It highlights how climate change adaptation measures can complement and reinforce these innovations in land and resource management to reduce rural poverty in Asia. It concludes with the sharing of ideas regarding ways to strengthen the capacity of land and water managers to ensure their continued contribution to the sustainable development of their countries in a changing climate.

Learning from the Future: Alternative Scenarios for the North American Mining and Minerals IndustryLearning from the Future, a report from the Scenarios Work Group of Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development North America, looks at four possible futures for the mining/minerals industry. The thought-provoking scenarios highlight the potential promise and the potential despair in the industry's future and explore what the years ahead could hold for sustainable development. The report represents the cumulative input of a broad range of interests.

The Legality of PPMs under the GATT: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Trade PolicySince the Tuna-Dolphin cases in the mid-’90s, the treatment of process and production methods (PPMs) under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and subsequently the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been a pivotal point of debate and controversy for environmentalists, policy-makers and industry alike. And while governments and other stakeholders have since openly recognized the importance of policy which takes into account the nature of the processing and production methods, a general myth on the illegality of PPM-based policies within the WTO has persisted. Following an examination of the alleged grounds for this conclusion, as well as recent decisions by the WTO Appellate Body, the paper concludes not only that there is no basis for the assumption that PPM-based policy is a priori illegal under the WTO, but also that the legality of any given measure is favoured by taking guidance from basic principles of sustainable development such as economic efficiency, science-based decision-making and international cooperation. Building from this observation, the paper concludes by outlining a series of targeted strategies for the design of WTO-compliant PPM policy.

Lessons Learned from Attempts to Reform India’s Kerosene SubsidyFuel subsidies are frequently used to assist disadvantaged groups such as the poor or regional communities. India’s long-standing subsidy on residential kerosene is a good example of such a policy. Initially established as a distribution scheme during World War II, the subsidy has been maintained to provide poor households with fuel for cooking and lighting. Today, however, at least one third of the subsidized kerosene is diverted to the black market for use as a transport fuel—a lucrative business for corrupt fuel distributors who, in turn, bribe government officials to obtain licenses to distribute or blend the fuel and to maintain the subsidies. India has tried to reform the subsidy by targeting access to the poor more efficiently, tracking the subsidized kerosene and liberalizing fuel prices. These reforms have failed because of the strong political pressure to maintain the subsidies by the poor and the participants in the black market.

Lessons Learned on Trade and Sustainable DevelopmentThis book distills the lessons from six years of research undertaken by and for the Trade Knowledge Network (1998 - 2004). It draws on in-country research, thematic research and workshop papers to identify the key issues, and explores in depth what the TKN research has to say about them. The result is an excellent primer on the issues faced by the South in the area of trade and sustainable development. The book includes a companion CD covering all of the surveyed TKN research (more than 40 papers in all, including several in Spanish).

The Lessons of Practice: Domestic policy reform as a way to address climate changeThe Bali Action Plan proposes that developing countries adopt nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs), supported and enabled by technology, financing and capacity-building, in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner (MRV). Experience of simpler initiatives with the CDM has been mixed. This paper reviews experience to date with policy reforms that can help mitigate climate change; reviews work on indicators of the effort put into policy reforms and their effectiveness and to draw lessons about how the international community can support developing countries to strengthen domestic policy reform and to reflect the success of those efforts in financial transfers. The last section provides ideas as to which areas of policy reform combine promise (in terms of potential effectiveness at mitigating GHG emissions) with the need for measurability, verification and reporting and convincing mechanisms to deliver the necessary technical assistance.

Let Them Eat Paradigms: Public Attitudes and the Long, Slow Decline of Development CooperationThis paper is a draft of notes for a presentation at a panel discussion on ‘What Future for Development Cooperation?’ at the 22nd SID World Conference, Santiago de Compostela, Spain, May 21, 1997. It was also presented in May 1997, at the two-day IISD/IDRC/NSI research conference to identify strategies and actions to follow up the recommendations of the Strong task force on priorities for Canadian internationalism.

Letter from the Green Economy Coalition to G-20 Ministers of FinanceIISD-Europe Executive Director Mark Halle has signed a letter from the Green Economy Coalition to the G-20 Finance Ministers to end perverse fossil fuel subsidies. IISD is a founding member of the coalition, which focuses on the policy changes needed to transform the global economy into one that is clean, green and equitable.

Fossil-fuel subsidies contribute directly to climate change, cost hundreds of billions of dollars each year and create artificial barriers to sustainable development. "These subsidies are a massive diversion of public funds that could be better spent in other ways," says Halle. "Subsidies create false impressions about the relative cost of lower-carbon energy alternatives and this is bringing us closer to irreversible climate change."

In September, G-20 leaders meeting in Pittsburgh agreed to phase out these subsidies over the medium term. The Green Economy Coalition welcomes that move but calls for greater urgency in implementing the phase-out and outlines ways to ensure that a reform of subsidies will protect the welfare of the poorest.

Leveraging the Market for a Sustainable Coffee Economy: Opportunities for Renegotiation of the International Coffee AgreementInternational Cooperation has long been recognized as a fundamental instrument for building sustainable commodities markets. While such cooperation has typically been defined by price stabilization and corresponding supply management strategies, a new generation of supply chain sustainability initiatives has opened the door for catalyzing sustainable production and trade along commodity supply chains. The renegotiation of the International Coffee Agreement presents an unprecedented opportunity for leveraging the potential of supply chain approaches through international cooperation. The working paper Building a Global Strategy for a Sustainable Coffee Sector: Considerations on the Renegotiation of the International Coffee Agreement (849 kb) ," prepared by IISD for the Steering Committee of the Sustainable Coffee Partnership, presents a series of opportunities for leveraging market-based approaches to building a sustainable coffee economy.

To see an example of how IISD's "options" have been taken forward by stakeholders click here.

Liberalization of Trade in Environmental Goods for Climate Change Mitigation: The Sustainable Development ContextThis paper explores the potential and challenges that would face trade-policy-makers in trying to contribute to climate change objectives by liberalizing trade in low-carbon goods. It draws heavily on the existing talks under the Doha Development Agenda for liberalizing trade in environmental goods and services. It was prepared for the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18-20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD. Mahesh Sugathan is lead author of this paper, produced under ICTSD's Global Platform on Linkages between Trade Policies, Climate Change and Sustainable Energy. Moustapha Kamal Gueye and Malena Sell made substantive contributions to this paper. Content and editorial review was provided by several other ICTSD colleagues.

Life Cycle Costing: A question of valueThough many public sector procurers, striving to contribute to sustainable development, are using life cycle costing (LCC) as a decision-making tool, its use is still far from being systematic and the calculation methodologies are sometimes far from robust. Moreover, procurers are not using LCC to inform strategically advantageous decisions. It is therefore clear that the current sustainable public procurement model is not delivering the best value for tax payers’ money. IISD believes this needs to change.

Lima Workshop on Mining and Sustainable Development in the AmericasMinutes from workshop - Vision Towards 2008 - Mining and Sustainable Development which took place in Lima, Peru - July 29 - 29, 1998.

Linking Farm-Level Measurement Systems to Environmental Sustainability Outcomes: Challenges and Ways ForwardAgriculture has a significant impact on the natural environment. Several converging trends make it difficult for the world’s farmers to keep up with the growth in food demand from rising populations and changes in consumption patterns. Many unresolved issues require understanding of the links among farm-level practices and outcomes and impacts at different scales and time frames, including cumulative effects. This paper looks at information needs and information generation at various levels, exploring the issues and the information infrastructure requirements for sharing and understanding the links between farm-level practices and higher-scale outcomes. Opportunities exist to link the data from the hundreds of metric initiatives in existence or in development, operating across scales; however, attempts to date have been limited due to different interpretations of “sustainable agriculture” and multiple conceptual frameworks for organizing and orienting the development of criteria and indicators. Users have different approaches and information needs, and uses for the indicators differ. Our key recommendations for ways forward include standardized terminology and common conceptual frameworks, coordination and integration of metric initiatives, use of criteria and indicator-development standards, and investment in capacity development at all levels. A stepwise, evolutionary approach to measurement, reporting and verification systems should focus on a few strategic indicators as a starting point, embedded in a broad conceptual framework.

Linking National Cap-and-Trade Systems in North AmericaThis paper examines the pros and cons of linking cap-and-trade systems and the prospects for “linking” in North America. “Linking” in this paper means allowing allowances to be traded between systems (not simply aligning systems’ cap levels or carbon prices). The paper looks at arguments for and against linking, and the levels of interest in linking in North America. The importance of linking as a means of addressing competitiveness concerns is explored through an economic modeling analysis. Four possible outcomes for linking cap-and-trade systems in North America are considered. The paper concludes that the divergent interests, circumstances and ambitions of Canada, the United States and Mexico pose significant obstacles to linking.

Livelihoods and Climate Change: Combining disaster risk reduction, natural resource management and climate change adaptation in a new approach to the reduction of vulnerability and povertyThis report was produced by the Task Force on Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation. In 2001, IUCN – The World Conservation Union, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) joined forces to launch an international research and policy initiative on Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation. Guided by a multi-disciplinary Task Force, this initiative represents a confluence of four distinct, yet decidedly relevant, communities working on vulnerability reduction in the face of climate change. These experts—from the fields of disaster risk reduction, climate change, conservation and poverty reduction—first met following the release of the IPCC Working Group II’s latest assessment of climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability and the conclusion of the Marrakech Accords to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In view of the expanding body of knowledge on climate change impacts and new funding opportunities for climate change adaptation, the Task Force set in motion a collaborative effort to inform and influence how the world undertakes and invests in climate change adaptation.

Living with Climate Change: How Prairie Farmers Deal with Increasing Weather VariabilityA technical report by Masters student Kent Pearce describing how producers in Saskatchewan have dealt with past weather -related shocks and stresses as a view toward future coping and adaptation for climate change.

Locating the Energy for Change: An Introduction to Appreciative InquiryAppreciative inquiry is an approach to organizational change based on strengths rather than weaknesses, on a vision of what is possible rather than an analysis of what is not.

In Locating the Energy for Change, Dr. Charles Elliott describes the theoretical basis of appreciative inquiry, shows practitioners how to use it, and provides case studies of its applications in the developing world.

The Maastricht Treaty and the Winnipeg Principles on Trade and Sustainable DevelopmentThe European Union (EU) represents a remarkable process of international political integration and a highly developed customs union. It reflects the dual goals of political integration and internal trade liberation. Over the past 20 years, it has struggled to balance these goals with the needs of environmental management. This paper seeks to understand these processed by analyzing the European Union as transformed by the Maastricht Treaty in light of the Winnipeg Principles on Trade and Sustainable Development.

Making Budgets GreenMaking Budgets Green gives ideas for turning government budgets into more effective mechanisms of sustainable development.

This report is a collection of 23 cases of reform in Canada, the United States and Western Europe.

Each case is laid out to provide readers with summary information at a glance as follows: Making budget green is a concise guide and also a companion to IISD's longer study, Green budget Reform: An International Casebook of Leading Practices, published by Earthscan

Making Global Integrated Environmental Assessment and Reporting MatterHow does the design of global integrated environmental assessments influence their effectiveness, and what are the lessons from this for the design of assessment and reporting programs in the future? Building on earlier research carried out under the Global Environmental Assessment project at Harvard University, the PhD thesis of Measurement and Assessment Progam Director László Pintér developed an extended framework for analyzing assessment and reporting system effectiveness and applied it to UNEP's Global Environment Outlook as a case study. The findings point to the importance of several design elements in assessment and reporting, including issue framing, governance, participation, capacity, communication, data and indicators, and feedback to research agenda setting.

Making Trade-led Economic Growth Sustainable: IISD project aims to advise decision-makers in Thailand and LaosIISD's recently launched Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA) project in Thailand and Laos has a solid contribution to make to development in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. With generally high rates of growth in the Sub-region and the proliferation of bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs), this project—to refine a tool to inform decision-makers—comes at an important juncture in the development of the sub-region. In developing and assessing trade liberalization scenarios, the RTEA can highlight the potential environmental consequences of trade and investment commitments. What will the host of trade agreements these countries are entering into mean for the environment and sustainable development?

Making WTO Membership Work for Least-Developed Countries: Lessons from Nepal and Cambodia

This policy brief reviews Nepal's and Cambodia’s experience during the accession process, examines the countries’ accession commitments and provides a preliminary assessment of how the countries have fared since WTO membership. Several lessons have emerged from the analysis, which can help other acceding LDCs replicate the successful strategies and avoid some of the mistakes in an effort to gain maximum benefit from their WTO membership.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Manitoba Adaptation Day: Understanding Manitoba-focused Adaptation Activities, Research and Capacity – Workshop ReportIISD Climate and Energy team members planned and facilitated a workshop intended to bring together key Manitoba-based academics, researchers, policy-makers and project coordinators to discuss current adaptation-related research and activities, consider relevant initiatives being promoted federally that support provincial adaptation work and support identification of priority areas for a proposed Manitoba Climate Research Table. This report summarizes the discussions that occurred during the workshop and provides ideas and recommendations to the Province of Manitoba on how to move forward in integrating adaptation into the climate change policy mix.

Manitoba and Climate Change: A PrimerClimate change is the most significant global environment threat facing Manitobans. Understanding its impacts and developing a thoughtful response to this very real challenge is critical if we want to ensure an acceptable quality of life for future generations of Manitobans. Climate change represents the concrete manifestation of sustainable development in many ways--an effective response calls for policy and action across the full range of human economic development activities.

By the end of this century, Manitoba will be 4-6 degrees C warmer, on average, than it is today. Manitoba is sensitive and vulnerable to climate change because of the important role that renewable resources like forests and agriculture play in our economy. Change of this magnitude would impact our economy, ecology and health and well-being.

The Manitoba Challenge: Linking Water and Land Management for Climate Adaptation

Ecological watershed management is a key to successful climate adaptation in Manitoba, and will also help improve the state of Lake Winnipeg.

Manitoba is a region of high water variability—floods and droughts have always characterized the region. Climate change threatens to make that variability more extreme and may already be happening. At present, over 90 per cent of the available water budget returns to the atmosphere as evaporation; only 8 per cent is available as watershed runoff. As climate change brings more and more variable rainfall, ecological watershed management (for water conservation, groundwater recharge, and flood and drought protection) becomes an ever more important adaptation strategy and has the major co-benefit of also reducing nutrient loads on Lake Winnipeg.

The necessity of climate change adaptation also creates an innovation opportunity—doing things differently and better. In Manitoba, that means integrating water and land management; investing in our watersheds to seize economic, social and environmental benefits such as flood and drought damage reduction and improving the health of Lake Winnipeg.

The Manitoba Challenge: Integrated Water and Land Management for Climate Adaptation, a new study by IISD’s Water Innovation Centre, presents the case for technological and institutional innovation for effective ecological watershed management. Key elements of this innovation agenda include governance reform at the water-land interface, re-purposing existing resources, and designing new economic instruments to support watershed management, including ecological goods and services programs in the agricultural sector.



Mapping the Future of the Internet onto Global Scenarios: A preliminary view

IISD has observed that consideration of the impact of the Internet and its associated technologies has been either absent or quite narrow in most sustainability scenarios. These scenarios have ranged from assuming the role of the Internet is neutral to viewing the technologies as a driver of globalization, albeit with a predominantly narrow focus on economic implications. Consequently, many scenario-building initiatives have failed to adequately consider how the Internet and related information and communications technologies (ICTs) are actually transforming institutions and governance, and impacting social development and environmental management. These scenarios fail to bring to the forefront of global governance challenges how the Internet/ICTs have an impact on issues such as privacy, security and trust of institutions. Policy decisions taken regarding Internet development, deployment, access and use can have significant positive and negative consequences in this broader context.

This paper begins to address the issue by offering a preliminary view of how the future of the Internet could be considered within global scenarios.



The Marine Seafood Export Supply Chain in India: Current State and Influence of Import Requirements - Full ReportThe study looks at the seafood export sector in India, analyzing it from small-scale producers up through the value chain to final exporters. It analyzes how some parts of the chain face difficulties in complying with standards set by major export markets, and identifies the sustainability implications. It finishes with a number of recommendations for action to increase the welfare of the poorest in the chain, improve compliance with standards and foster environmental sustainability.

Mark Halle sees investment as critical to addressing sustainable development.Mark Halle, Director of IISD’s Trade & Investment program, says massive international investment is critical to addressing issues related to climate change and sustainable development. He says there needs to be a shift in focus from investment in old energy systems, to the new renewable and clean energy systems that are required.

Mark Halle talks about the intersection between international trade and climate change

Mark Halle, Director of IISD’s Trade & Investment program, talks about the intersection between international trade and climate change.

IISD has explored the linkages between trade and climate change for over a decade. The linkages include:



Mark Halle talks about the need for greater government accountability on environmental issues.Mark Halle, Director of IISD’s Trade & Investment program, talks about the need for greater government accountability on environmental issues. He says there is a need for effective mechanisms to ensure governments fulfill promises and undertakings for sustainable development.

Market Access Barriers to Select Nepalese Agricultural Exports - Full ReportThe study looks into the key barriers faced by Nepalese agricultural exporters despite accession to the WTO, and suggests ways in which exports could be enhanced while attempting to minimize such barriers. The study recommends that the policy-makers as well as trade negotiators of Nepal need to differentiate between regional negotiations, in which they should focus on increased market access, and multilateral negotiations, where deep commitments would mean preference erosion for Nepal.

Market Access Issues: EU - Bangladesh Trade Regime
A Case Study on Market Access: Myths and Realities - Full ReportThe research focuses on the major export sectors: ready-made garments, knit ware, jute products, fish, hides and skins, and tea. The aim is to understand the market access issue by using micro- or firm-level information in order to determine the practical barriers to trade for producers in Bangladesh. The study ranks the market access issues for SME exporters from Bangladesh to suggest policy changes in future rounds of negotiation to provide better prospects for expanding trade from Bangladesh to the North.

Market for Ecosystem ServicesEcosystems and biodiversity provide a wide range of services critical for sustaining, strengthening and enriching human well-being. Understanding how valuable these services are is critical as it can serve to inform the choices in how ecosystems are managed. This paper explores the valuation of ecosystem services, the current status of the market for these services and presents key findings and lessons learned.

Market Mechanisms for Sustainable Development in a Post-2012 Climate Regime: Implications for the Development Dividend

There is broad consensus in the international talks on a post-2012 climate change regime on the need for some perpetuation of the CDM—a market mechanism for sustainable development (MMSD). Regime options under discussion will impact on the “development dividend” of a post-2012 MMSD, affecting quality (sustainable development), quantity (volume of CERs) and regional distribution. This paper examines four regime options—increasing the scope of the CDM to include additional sectors, differentiation of developing country eligibility, expanding the CDM, and a fund-based mechanism—and their potential impacts on the three elements of the development dividend.

This paper appears in A Reformed CDM – Including New Mechanisms for Sustainable Development, published by UNEP Risø Centre as part of their Capacity Development for CDM (CD4CDM) Project.

The full publication is available for download.



Market Mechanisms for Sustainable Development: How Do They Fit in the Various Post-2012 Climate Efforts?This new report, developed under IISD's Development Dividend Project, takes a first step at understanding the implications of the various possible climate regimes on the shape and iteration of a market mechanism for sustainable development (MMSD). The paper begins with an analysis that considers the range of options being proposed for the post-2012 regime and then asks what potential role an MMSD might play in these regimes, and what the various sorts of MMSDs might imply for the nature of the overall regime. The second part of the paper examines characteristics of regime structures—targets, differentiation, transition and governance—as they relate to an MMSD and development dividend considerations.

Market-based price risk management: An exploration of commodity income stabilization options for coffee farmersProducers and many others in much of the developing world are exposed to highly volatile commodity revenues. A range of methods have been tried to either reduce this exposure (for example, through compensatory schemes and production/export controls) or to better manage it (e.g., through stabilization funds or market-based risk management mechanisms). This paper, one of a series on this subject commissioned by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), focuses on market-based instruments. Rather than providing a broad, theoretical description (which is amply available from other sources, including international organizations such as FAO, UNCTAD and World Bank) it takes the case of one commodity—coffee—and looks at how market-based risk management can be used to improve coffee growers’ lives.

Markets for Ecosystem Services: A Potential Tool for Multilateral Environmental AgreementsMarkets for ecosystem services (MES) and market-based instruments, though mainly intended to protect the environment, can also help alleviate poverty rather than exacerbate it when designed to be pro-poor. Links between the objectives of various multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the Millennium Development Goals, for example, indicate considerable scope for the development of pro-poor markets for ecosystem services by MEA regimes. Indeed, when one considers the interdependency of ecosystem services which fall under the mandate of different MEAs, then opportunities for pro-poor MES increase substantially when MEA resources are combined. Furthermore, MEAs can provide critical institutional frameworks to guide national-level government implementation efforts.This paper lays out the argument for using MEAs to develop pro-poor markets for ecosystem services and shows how participation by the the public sector is critical for their success. Together, MEAs and governments can provide the institutional structure for these markets to work efficiently as well as equitably.

MEAs, Conservation and Conflict: A case study of Virunga National Park, DRCVirunga National Park (Parc National des Virunga, PNVi), in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, is Africa’s oldest and most diverse park. Stretching along the Congolese border with Uganda and Rwanda, PNVi has more bird, mammal and reptile species than any other on the continent. But for the past two decades, the park and the surrounding area in North Kivu province have experienced near-constant violent conflict. For the local population, the result has been widespread suffering: death, rape, displacement, sickness and starvation.

Beyond the humanitarian crisis, conflict has threatened the species, habitats and communities that depend on PNVi for their survival. The park is in crisis: its governance systems have collapsed; its boundaries are encroached upon by the surrounding local and refugee populations; its habitats are being destroyed by overfishing and charcoal production; and its animals are killed for meat and ivory.

Conflict has significantly contributed to the fact that the United Nation’s environmental conventions are not able to achieve their stated objectives in the park. Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), designed to protect such globally-significant ecosystems, have thus far been unable to address the threats to the park. Despite the proliferation of relevant environmental conventions and the DRC’s participation in them, environmental destruction continues in PNVi.

Using PNVi and the Great Lakes conflicts as a case study, this paper analyzes where entry points exist for policy-makers and conservationists to use five existing international environmental agreements to better protect biodiversity and ecosystems in times of conflict: UNESCO WHC, CBD, CMS, CITES and Ramsar. While not an exhaustive study, the paper identifies some of the shortcomings of existing agreements, where entry points might exist and what other international policy instruments and fora could be used to help protect important ecosystems like PNVi.

The UN MEAs are not designed or expected to offer practical solutions to conservation crises on the ground; it is up to the national governments of the signatory states, and their conservation authority, to enforce and achieve Convention goals. Their sovereignty must be respected by the other parties. However the MEAs, their COPs and their Secretariats can help them do so by building capacity, improving information gathering (i.e., the IPCC model) and supporting underfunded budgets. This analysis reveals a number of specific opportunities for elevating environment-conflict issues to international policy levels to help save important ecosystems in times of conflict.

Measuring Energy Subsidies Using the Price-Gap Approach: What does it leave out?Subsidies to fossil fuels are common worldwide, despite increasing pressures to control energy-related emissions of greenhouse gases. Multi-country studies of subsidies normally use a "price gap" approach comparing domestic prices to world reference prices. Price-gap measures form a lower bound estimate of subsidies, and therefore understate the magnitude of the subsidy problem. This paper examines specific strengths and weaknesses of the price gap metric and identifies potential systematic biases in the measure based on type of fuel, type of subsidy, or type of country. Recommendations focus on ways to improve tracking of price gaps and on alternative subsidy measurements needed to provide an adequate informational base for addressing climate change challenges.

Measuring Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours towards Sustainable Development: Two Exploratory StudiesThe United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development seeks to encourage changes in behaviour towards sustainable development. Work is underway around the world to integrate SD concepts and values into the learning process. But how do we measure whether behaviours are changing as a result? This paper is a first attempt to devise standardized tests for knowledge, attitudes and behaviours toward sustainable development, in adults and students.

Measuring Policy Coherence among the MEAs and MDGsAt present there are about 13 global Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and/or conventions and about 500 international treaties or other agreements related to the environment. This proliferation of agreements has created concern among international and national communities regarding overlap and duplication of goals and programs. Lack of coherence results in high transaction costs and inefficiencies in achieving convention objectives and the need for coherence is obvious. While several MEA initiatives have yielded a more integrated approach towards environmental management, little is currently being done to find coherence between environmental agreements and development initiatives, especially the recently designed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This publication sets out to demonstrate how human well-being is dependant upon ecosystems and ecosystem services and to identify barriers and drivers that prevent the poor from using these ecosystem services to improve their well-being, in essence perpetuating poverty. It identifies policy response options to remove the barriers, re-design or even introduce new intervention strategies to allow the poor to improve their well-being through an ecosystem approach.

Measuring Progress, Strengthening Governance and Promoting Positive Change: Developing sustainability indicators with Winnipeg’s urban First Nations community

Winnipeg's First Nations population is growing rapidly and faces a number of critical challenges. The dynamics of these challenges are poorly understood and, as a result, most policy responses are ineffective. Most scholars and policy specialists agree that the well-being of First Nations peoples will improve if they are empowered and given real opportunities to reclaim control over their lives and socio-cultural assets (Salée 2006). Real positive change is needed, and sustainability indicators are central to achieving positive change and improving the resiliency of the community. “Indicators are needed for sustainability because you cannot manage what you do not measure” (Hoerner 2008, 1).

Typically, indicators of sustainability integrate environmental, social and economic factors so that the complex cause-and-effect relationships among them can be more readily understood. In the context of this initiative and with consideration of cultural relevance, sustainability indicators are defined according to the four dimensions of well-being (social, environmental, economic and cultural) as described by the teachings of the Aboriginal Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Wheel is an unbroken circle that represents an integrated and holistic way of seeing, knowing and learning.

Since June 2007, the International Institute for Sustainable Development has been engaged in an initiative with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to develop indicators of well-being with Winnipeg's First Nations community and chart a positive course for the future. Community-level measures have been sought to illuminate the current state of the urban community, what course it is on, and how far it is from a shared vision for the future. The development of sustainability indicators is seen as a critical piece of social infrastructure that will help Winnipeg's First Nations community enhance their overall well-being.



Measuring while you manage: Planning, monitoring and evaluating knowledge networksThis paper details the strengths and weaknesses of common measurement and evaluation frameworks (SWOT analysis, Results Based Management, Logical Framework Analysis, Outcome Mapping, Appreciative Inquiry and human resource performance assessment) and proposes a simple network evaluation model which incorporates the best of each. This new framework focuses on the key questions of network effectiveness and efficiency.

Methanex Corporation vs. The United States of AmericaA backgrounder on the controversial case under NAFTA's Chapter 11, and on IISD's involvment.

Miami FTAA Results a Complete WashIn November 2003, 34 Trade Ministers from the western hemisphere gathered in Miami, Florida, to discuss the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. The talks were seen a diasppointment. "What happened in Miami was not agreement on how to move forward," writes Aaron Cosbey in this IISD Commentary, "but rather agreement to scuttle ambitions for a deal of any value."

Microfinance and Climate Change AdaptationClimate change is understood as a threat to which the poor are acutely vulnerable. Microfinance services (MFS) are recognized as tools for helping to reduce the vulnerability of the poor. In this report, we explore the possibility of linking MFS to climate change adaptation. MFS can provide poor people with the means to diversify, accumulate and manage the assets needed to become less susceptible to shocks and stresses and/or better able to deal with their impacts. Yet these links may not hold for everybody. MFS typically do not reach the chronically poor, may encourage short-term coping instead (or at the expense) of longer-term vulnerability reduction, or even increase vulnerability. These limitations and risks aside, MFS can still play an important role in vulnerability reduction and climate change adaptation among some of the poor, provided services better match client needs and livelihoods.

Migration and Climate ChangeThis short book analyzes the prospect of large-scale forced migration as a result of climate change and attempts to estimate the developmental impact of potentially millions of people displaced by coastal flooding, extreme weather events and agricultural disruption.

In 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that the greatest single impact of climate change could be on human migration, with millions of people displaced by shoreline erosion, coastal flooding and agricultural disruption. Since then, various analysts have tried to put numbers on these flows of climate migrants—the most widely repeated prediction being 200 million by 2050. The study points out the scientific basis for climate change is increasingly well established, and confirms current predictions as to the `carrying capacity' in large parts of the world will be compromised by climate change. But although it is defined as a growing crisis, the consequences of climate change for human population are unclear and unpredictable.

This report focuses on the possible future scenarios for forced migration as a result of climate change—looking to increase awareness and find answers to the challenges that lie ahead.

It was written for the International Organisation for Migration's Migration Research Series (no.31) and developed from a thematic paper originally written for the 2007/2008 Human Development Report of the UNDP, "Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World."

A link to the IOM publications page can be found here.

Minerals and Conflict: A Toolkit for ProgrammingThis toolkit for development agency practitioners on the management of mineral wealth and its links to conflict is part of a series commissioned by USAID from leading environment and security practitioners, exploring how development assistance can address key natural resource-related risk factors. Other papers in this series focus on land use conflicts, on water and on timber. The minerals toolkit paper: 1) examines the relationship between valuable minerals, such as diamonds or coltan, and violence; 2) discusses lessons learned in aid programs to deal with ‘conflict commodities’; 3) presents a range of program options; 4) provides a survey instrument that identifies key questions related to minerals and conflict; and 5) identifies relevant USAID mechanisms and implementing partners.

A Minority Government and Climate Change: What does Canada’s new political landscape mean for northern residents now experiencing the impacts of climate change?Canada’s first minority government in 25 years will have to ensure it acts on environmental and sustainable development issues if it is to maintain support from the New Democratic Party and the Bloc Quebecois. According to IISD Board Member Mary Simon, climate change should be at the top of the Liberal government’s environmental priority list. As someone with close connections to Canada’s north she is well aware of climate change’s “profound implications for the social, cultural and economic well-being of the 50,000 aboriginal people who live in the Canadian Arctic”.

Mobilizing IUCN's Knowledge to secure a sustainable future: The IUCN Knowledge Management StudyAn Executive Summary of this paper is also available.

A knowledge management study carried out for IUCN. For more than five decades IUCN has used its knowledge to lead and guide conservation thinking around the world. Through its knowledge networks comprised of Commissions and Members, supported by the Secretariat, IUCN has built a remarkable reputation based on its ability to generate, mobilise and provide sound scientific and technical knowledge and advice towards the changes it wants to see in the world. This report suggests a series of strategic moves for IUCN to upgrade to the next generation of strategies and processes for mobilizing its knowledge, its relationships and its communications.

The Study includes a review of the evolution of knowledge management and current trends as well as tables of definitions and typologies of networks and communications practices.

Models and Methods of Measuring Sustainable Development Performance

Reflecting early thinking on indicator and information systems in IISD's Measurement and Assessment Program, the paper was prepared to assist the Government of Manitoba, Canada in the establishment of a provincial scale sustainable development reporting system. Going beyond conceptual frameworks and examples of indicator sets, it also approcahes indicator selection from the process as well as institutional point of view. The report provides a review of the following, based on the state of knowledge and practice in the first half of the 1990s:



A Model International Investment Agreement for the Promotion of Sustainable DevelopmentThe current model for international investment agreements (including many failed attempts, such as the OECD’s MAI) is too narrowly focussed on investor rights. This paper asks what an investment agreement would look like if its goal from the outset were to achieve sustainable development. The result is a novel mix of rights and obligations for investors, host states and home states.

More costly than we thinkThis opinion piece first appeared in The Toronto Star (August 11, 2003). A recent study conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development quantifies the health impacts, air quality and climate change externalities associated with thermal power generation across Eastern Canada, which amounts to $1.8 billion a year. However, the price we pay for electricity produced from coal, does not reflect its full cost.

Moving the Frontier - The Story of the Sarhad Provincial Conservation StrategyMoving the Frontier tells the compelling story of the Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy (SPCS). Launched in 1991, the strategy was the first key, on-the-ground test of the Pakistan National Conservation Strategy. This volume captures the history of the SPCS and examines how well its environmental approach stood up to the realities of the day. It is a story of challenges and successes; expectations and personalities. And ultimately, it's a story of lessons learned.

Multi-Purpose Flood Protection: A rural-urban win-winHenry David Venema, IISD's Director of Sustainable Natural Resources Management and Water Innovation Centre looks at what lessons Manitoba's 2009 Red River flood offers and discusses how building resilience to future floods requires that we make a deliberate effort to learn from history and experience.

"We need to prepare for more years like 2009. With the operational limitations of the Floodway now better understood, we need agricultural water management options that provide rural as well as urban benefits. This is where the next increment of flood protection must come."

Multi-stakeholder Collaboration for a Sustainable Coffee Sector: Meeting the Challenge of U.S. Anti-trust Law

As stakeholders advance on the path towards enhanced cooperation for the promotion of sustainability in the coffee sector, a clear understanding of the competition policy issues will be critical to ensuring that any resulting strategies are as implementable and effective as possible given the policy context in the major consuming regions of the world. It is the purpose of this paper to provide such an analysis as background for current multi-stakeholder discussions within the coffee sector.

This paper was published as part of the Sustainable Commodity Initiative, is a joint venture of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The purpose of the initiative is to provide generic policy, research and infra-structural support towards the development and promotion of transparent, multi-stakeholder, market-based sustainability initiatives in commodities trade and production.



NAFTA's Chapter 11 and the Environment: Addressing the Impacts of the Investor-State Process on the EnvironmentInvestment by private sector companies into foreign countries, often referred to as foreign direct investment or FDI, emerged in the 1980s and 1990s as a major source of international development capital for developing countries. From 1988-1997, annual flows of FDI increased more than five-fold from OECD to non-OECD countries. Total foreign investment, including FDI and other market-based instruments such as bank lending and bond issues, now provides three times more investment capital than all forms of grants, Official Development Assistance and other non-market-based forms of support. Between one third and one half of all private investment in developing countries now comes from FDI. With vast amounts of capital needed to replace environmentally unsustainable industries and infrastructures with sustainable ones, it is clear that FDI is critical to achieving sustainability.

NAFTA's Chapter 11 and the Environment: Addressing the Impacts of the Investor-State Process on the Environment - Executive SummaryForeign direct investment, or FDI, is critical to achieving sustainable development in developing countries. In the last two decades it has eclipsed official development assistance. Between one-third and one-half of all private investment in developing countries now comes from FDI. These flows are needed to replace unsustainable industries and infrastructures with sustainable ones. They may also bring spin-off benefits: investing firms may build up technological and management capacity in the host states, increasing their ability to sustainably manage their natural resources.

NAFTA’s Chapter 11 and the Environment: A Briefing Paper for the CEC’s Joint Public Advisory CommitteeThis paper, commissioned by the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, surveys the problems identified to date with NAFTA’s Chapter 11, both in terms of provisions and process. It also looks critically at the possible solutions.

NAFTA’s Chapter 11 and the Environment: A Discussion Paper for the CEC’s Public Workshop on NAFTA’s Chapter 11This paper, commissioned by the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s Chapter 11 session (Mexico City, March 24, 2003), surveys the problems identified to date with NAFTA’s Chapter 11, both in terms of provisions and process. It also looks critically at the possible solutions.

NAFTA Need Fixing? It Sure Does! Prime Minister Martin market tests amending NAFTA before top US media executivesOn July 7, 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin called for serious amendments to the North American Free Trade Agreement while speaking before an audience of prominent US media executives in Sun Valley, Idaho. In his speech, the Prime Minister suggested a reformed NAFTA has the potential to be a powerful steward of the North American economy and environment. NAFTA is over ten years old now and, according to Howard Mann, Senior International Law Advisor to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, requires reforms far beyond those identified by the Prime Minister if it is to more accurately reflect the current realities of global trade and effectively promote the conditions required for achieving sustainable development.

National Revenue Funds: Their efficacy for fiscal stability and intergenerational equityThe fourth in a set of five reports on ways to tackle the commodity price problem, this paper examines the effectiveness of national revenue management mechanisms in smoothing commodity revenues and promoting intergenerational equity.

Institutionalized commodity revenue management mechanisms are increasingly common at the national level to manage high-value, state-owned commodity revenues. These laws and mechanisms attempt to achieve several parallel objectives: isolating revenues from short-term domestic political interests, increasing transparency of revenues, ensuring a predetermined quantity of the revenue is spent on health and education, and saving surplus revenues when commodity prices are high to be used in times of shortage.

This paper first outlines the major challenges associated with commodity price volatility for commodity-dependent developing countries. It then introduces national revenue management, and specifically national revenue funds, as one of the tools available for promoting revenue stabilization and intergenerational equity. The paper then identifies and discusses the factors that will determine the success or failure of these funds, emphasizing the importance of the political and economic incentives which dictate government expenditure. To overcome these challenges, the funds and the laws that govern them must be designed and implemented through a nationwide multi-stakeholder process.

National Strategies and Initiatives for Sustainable Development: A 19-Country Analysis of Strategic and Co-ordinated Action (Brochure)This international and collaborative research project studied and learned from strategic and coordinated action toward SD taken at the national level in 19 countries, before and after the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The research project was undertaken to enhance and expedite the development and implementation of national SD strategies and specific SD policy initiatives. Specific objectives of the research project were to: analyze national strategies and policy initiatives for SD used by a number of developed and developing countries; and use case studies to identify key innovations, challenges and lessons learned in the development, participation, implementation, and monitoring and adaptation of national SD strategies.

National Strategies for Sustainable Development: Challenges, Approaches and Innovations in Strategic and Co-ordinated ActionThe 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development reiterated a call to all countries to "make progress in the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development" and also to begin their implementation by 2005. A national sustainable development strategy is not simply a document, but rather it is a continuing and adaptive process of strategic and co-ordinated action.

To assist government officials in realizing this process, this publication builds on current thinking and studies 19 developed and developing countries to identify key challenges faced in relation to the strategic management aspects of national sustainable development strategies including leadership, planning, implementation, monitoring and review, co-ordination, and participation. The innovative approaches and tools observed in the 19 countries studied in relation to these strategic management aspects are featured to create a pragmatic toolbox for government sustainable development managers and policy-makers.

The Natural Capital Approach: A Concept PaperNatural Capital is gaining considerable interest as a means for devising policies that reconcile economic and environmental imperatives. Integrating the value of natural capital within economic and environmental management systems is best achieved by treating the natural environment similarly to other forms of valued capital, and adopting an ecosystem approach, which is compatible with a wide range of contexts. This integrated approach facilitates policy making for sustainable development.

Natural Disasters and Resource Rights - Building resilience, rebuilding livesNatural disasters damage and destroy the land, sea and forest resources vital to peoples’ livelihoods. Where resource rights are clearly defined, equitable and verifiable, poor and marginalized communities are better equipped to survive disasters and recover after them. Oli Brown, Alec Crawford and Anne Hammill discuss the role of resource rights in pre-disaster resilience and post-disaster reconstruction.

Negotiating Subsidy Reduction in the World Trade OrganizationThis paper provides an overview of the WTO, its structure, its function and its mechanisms to resolve disputes. The paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the present system. Von Moltke presents a comprehensive discussion of what is lacking in the WTO and offers some suggestions on what is necessary in the future to resolve the trade and subsidy issue in an equitable and fair manner.

A New Mechanism for Hemispheric Cooperation on Environmental Sustainability and Trade?The launching of the FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) process opened the doors for mutually supportive environmental, social and trade policies, and for the participation of civil society.

A New Spring for the UN? Kofi Annan unveils ambitious agendaIn this IISD Commentary, IISD Project Manager, Oli Brown, reviews Kofi Annan's suggested reforms for the United Nations. Annan's report, "In Larger Freedom", seeks to strengthen the UN by streamlining the deliberations of the General Assembly and expanding the Security Council. It also outlines an ambitious agenda to promote the three ‘great purposes’ of the United Nations: development, security and human rights.

New Views of Trade and Sustainable Development: Using Sen’s Conception of Development to Re-examine the Debates - Full ReportThis paper argues that the current trade and sustainable development debates use a concept of sustainable development that in effect assumes economic growth equals development. By using the definition of development propounded by Nobel-laureate Amartya Sen, the paper re-examines the debates, and calls for a new direction in research and policy focused on trade liberalization's impacts on human freedoms, and the institutions that foster those freedoms.

NEXUS Newsletter

The growing attention being paid to issues relating to poverty and the environment has included three important ministerial-level initiatives: the Malmo Ministerial Declaration which was adopted by the Global Ministerial Forum in May of 2000; the United Nations Millennium Declaration of September 2000; and, in February 2001, the UNEP Governing Council decision 21/15.

Since about 1997, we have seen a change in the way the links between poverty and the environment are perceived. There is an emerging realization that the belief that poverty causes environmental degradation is too simplistic and, in many cases, just wrong. The linkages are more complex and have been found to be site-dependent. Therefore, any generalization of the links or the duplication of lessons learned from best practices must always be approached cautiously.

By publishing Nexus, the International Institute for Sustainable Development aims to provide people working in the field of poverty and environment with information on the various initiatives carried out and the agencies executing them. Nexus will also lend clarity to the poverty-environment discussion with feature articles and interviews with practitioners in the field.



Non Governmental Organization’s Use of the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines for Sustainability ReportingThis paper explores the experiences of IISD and CEDHA in implementing the Guidelines. It provides an overview of the organizations´ experiences by exploring issues such as benefits of using the Guidelines, difficulties of implementation, and suggestions for CSOs contemplating using the Guidelines. The paper also provides recommendations to the GRI regarding how the Guidelines could better meet the needs of CSOs, perhaps considering a sector supplement for CSOs or possibly, a supplement for both for-profit and not-for-profit service providing organizations.

Non-Trade Concerns in the Agricultural Negotiations of the World Trade Organization (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 1 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

Note on NAFTA Commission's July 31, 2001, Initiative to Clarify Chapter 11 Investment ProvisionsOn July 31 2001, the Trade Ministers of Canada, the United States and Mexico (the North American Free Trade Commission) announced that they had agreed to the interpretation of certain provisions of Chapter 11, the controversial investment chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Based on the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s extensive analysis of Chapter 11’s environmental implications to date, this note addresses what the Commission’s statement says, what it means and what remains to be done.

Notes on Trends and Niches in the ICT4D/K4D debate - 2004Informal observations on trends in the field of information and communications technologies in the development process (ICT4D) and knowledge for development (K4D). Includes an ICT4D/K4D timeline of key processes, from 1995 to 2005.

Notes on Trends, Niches and Actors in the ICT4D/K4D debate - 2005Informal observations on trends in the field of information and communications technologies in the development process (ICT4D) and knowledge for development (K4D). Includes coverage of field experience on the use of ICTs in development: contributions, continuing reservations; continuing barriers and changing needs.

A Nordic Research Agenda on Environment and TradeThis paper builds on a previous effort to craft a new research agenda on environment and trade: State of Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research Agenda. Based on guidance provided by a group of Nordic stakeholders, it adapts and updates the earlier work to set out an agenda for Nordic researchers, identifying the issues that will need attention over the coming years.

North American Energy RelationshipsEnergy and climate change policy are inextricably linked, as rational policies and programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions require accounting for how energy is produced, consumed and traded. This paper explores the energy relationships in North America and the implications for action on clean energy and climate change. The paper reviews the energy sector for each of Canada, the United States and Mexico; exploring interrelationships and different energy drivers and infrastructure. It then looks at energy security, and how different interpretations can impact energy trading relationships. The possibility of developing linkages and a common approach in North America are explored, and two possible climate change policy scenarios to 2020 are developed. The conclusion sets out implications for Canada of more highly integrated North American energy and climate policy.

Northern EntrepreneurshipThis paper examines economic, social and environmental entrepreneurship for small and medium-sized businesses in the context of the North. Northern entrepreneurship and economic development in the region have increasingly become an area of great interest for both federal and provincial governments with a growing number of programs and funds being established to stimulate entrepreneurial growth in the region. This paper argues that northern entrepreneurs must be supported in order to capitalize on advantages unique to the North, which include: limited competition; the chance to provide essential services to communities; a rich and active cultural heritage; and economic spin-off opportunities from the strong government presence. This means a policy shift is required to ensure that education, business skills, leadership abilities and artistic talents develop simultaneously.

The Northern Entrepreneurship Workshop Proceedings and Report: Fostering entrepreneurship in the NorthCapacity building is an on-going challenge in many Northern communities and regions, particularly entrepreneurial and leadership skill development. It is widely recognized that the development of entrepreneurial skills is essential for the development of a self-reliant, prosperous North. Over the past several years, Aboriginal, educational, government and industry stakeholders have identified entrepreneurial training as a gap in capacity building that needs to be addressed in the North. This workshop report is the start of a process geared to skills training and knowledge translation in this critical area.

The Numbers Game

Forced Migration Review (FMR)—the leading practical publication on refugee and displacement issues—is published by the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford.

The October issue of FMR has a major focus on climate change and displacement. In response to growing pressures on landscapes and livelihoods, people are moving, communities are adapting. This issue of FMR debates the numbers, the definitions and the modalities—and the tension between the need for research and the need to act.

Thirty-seven articles by UN, academic, international and local actors explore the extent of the potential displacement crisis, community adaptation and coping strategies, and the search for solutions. One article, “The numbers game,” is by IISD's Oli Brown, who writes of the need for better data collection and numerical forecasting. More accurate estimates of the numbers of future forced climate migrants are critical to planning for what is widely viewed as one of the major impacts of climate change.



Offsetting CO2 Emmisions - Tree Planting on the PrairiesThe nations of the world agreed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to take steps to stabilize and reduce the net emissions of carbon dioxide. Trees have often been discussed in this context since, by fixing carbon, they offset carbon emissions by fossil fuels and can be used as an alternative renewable biofuel, replacing the use of fossil fuels. The degree to which tree-planting in the Prairie Provinces will be adopted as a carbon offset in the coming years will depend on technology, programs, policies and legislation.

Canada has agreed to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. Tree planting can be seen as one of the ways of achieving this goal. The ability of trees on the Canadian prairies to offset rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is the topic of this report.

On Behalf of My DelegationThis document pays a tribute to the negotiators from the South who have, under very complicated circumstances, bravely negotiated the extremely complex climate change issue on behalf of the region. It responds to the expressed needs of Southern negotiators over the last 10 years. Individually many are of excellent calibre and highly respected (see the excellent reviews of Ambassador Estrada’s performance in 1997 by Mwandosya 1999; and Oberthür and Ott 1999). At the same time, there is a constant surge of new negotiators who are actually primarily meteorologists, environmentalists, policymakers and scientists, who have to don the garb of a “negotiator” at the negotiations. The implicit understanding in many developing countries is that these experts must learn on the job. In the meanwhile, the negotiations continue at an unrelenting pace, making no allowances for the unprepared negotiator.

On Clustering International Environmental AgreementsThere is widespread consensus that the existing structure of international environmental management needs reform and strengthening. The impetus for this consensus is fourfold:

On the Way to CopenhagenIn this column, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon shares his views on the 2009 climate conference in Copenhagen and on the UN's commitment to the issue.

This guest article was written by the Secretary-General for the first issue of IISD's new publication, CLIMATE-L.ORG Bulletin. To see the whole inaugural issue, click here.

One Lifeboat: China and The World’s Environment and DevelopmentWith a massive population, substantial resource base and unprecedented economic growth, China's environment and development impacts can be felt around the world. By 2020, China expects to quadruple its GDP over the year 2000, while becoming an "environmentally friendly, resource-efficient society." These goals present an enormous challenge, with outcomes of growing significance for all nations.

China has demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship by participating in major international agreements and by investing in improved environmental performance domestically. It's projected that between 2006 and 2010 alone, China will spend US$243 billion on environmental protection and management. Yet economic growth outpaces environmental efforts, and a weak international environmental governance system hinders progress.

This report looks at the international environmental implications of China's growth, and the role played by China in international environmental cooperation, including its regional and global efforts and its growing role in development assistance.

Options for Policy-Makers: Addressing Competitiveness, Leakage and Climate ChangeThis paper presents the options policy-makers have when addressing competitiveness and leakage relating to the mitigation of climate change. The issues faced have much in common worldwide: the sectors that have the highest competitiveness concerns tend to be the same for all countries and compete within the same world market. All policy-makers share the same concerns for protecting domestic employment, and though the scales differ, all have been impacted by the financial crisis. This paper takes a structured and objective approach, seeking to identify the scale of the problem, the options that could be employed to address it and the wide range of impacts the policies could have. (Impacts are not only economic: environmental and political impacts are among other key concerns.) It uses empirical information where possible, backing it up with the necessary economic theory needed to analyze the options.

The Organization of the ImpossibleThere is a growing international debate about the creation of a “World Environment Organization” (WEO, also sometimes called a “Global Environmental Organization”). Policy-makers, from the former Director General of the World Trade Organization Renato Ruggiero to French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, have embraced this idea in general terms. But everything depends on the specifics that might flow from such proposals, in particular the answer to the two central questions: will it improve (international) environmental governance significantly?; and will it improve international governance in general?

Oshani Perera talks about corporate social responsibilityOshani Perera talks about corporate social responsibility and the importance of ISO 20006 Social Responsibility. She says there is a need for effective mechanisms to ensure promises and undertakings for sustainable development are fulfilled.

Ottawa’s “green” budget a good first stepIn this IISD Commentary, IISD's Director of Climate Change and Energy, John Drexhage, reviews Canada's federal budget of February 2005. The budget, he notes, sends a strong signal that Canadians and Canadian industry will be rewarded for pursuing cleaner, more climate-friendly development. This Commentary was originally aired on CBC Radio One, February 24, 2005.

Our Common Inaction: Meeting the Call for Institutional ChangeIISD’s President and CEO, David Runnalls, suggests that our failure to dramatically reform our domestic institutions and create an international architecture to respond to the challenges of sustainable development are the main reasons behind society’s inability to manage the threats that seem about to overwhelm us. This article appeared in the November/December 2008 issue of Environment Magazine.

Our Forests, Our Future (Summary Report)In this report, the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development proposes a plan for how the world's forests can be used without being abused, and outlines what it takes in terms of policies and institutions for such a plan to be implemented.

Our immediate challenge: Arthur Hanson talks about oceans and our future The oceans have been an important part of the work of IISD Distinguished Fellow Arthur Hanson. In this interview, he talks about today's issues in the context of our oceans and our future, including the impact of the changing Arctic region.

Our Responsibility to The Seventh GenerationThis book highlights the contributions of the indigenous knowledge to sustainable development in public policy and administration.Seventh Generation was written by indigenous people from Canada, Mexico and India.

Seventh Generation discusses how policies and institutions have pushed indigenous peoples to the fringe of society and the economy; and how, on the other hand, their view that the current form of development is not sound and the survival of humanity is at stake.

Out of Respect - The Tahltan, Mining and the Seven Questions to Sustainability

The Tahltan Mining Symposium was convened in April 2003 to (1) review the relationship between the Tahltan people, their land and the mining industry; and (2) build a strategy to guide that relationship in the future. Seeking a win-win outcome, and guided by the Seven Questions to Sustainability (7QS) Assessment Framework, the participants considered past, present and potential future conditions as a foundation for ensuring positive outcomes for the Tahltan people and their territory in the years to come. Out of Respect describes the process and documents the resulting strategy.



Paddling upstream – water management on the prairiesHenry David Venema, IISD's Director of Sustainable Natural Resources Management, looks at the challenges of advancing effective watershed governance on the prairies. "…Water doesn't recognize boundaries," writes Venema. "…The forces of nature are greater than the political forces which govern them."

Parallel Importation: Economic and social welfare dimensions"Parallel imports" involve fundamental issues of trade and intellectual property policy. This briefing paper starts with an introduction to the concept of parallel importation, and proceeds to discuss the complex economic and developmental issues raised by it.

Frederick M. Abbott is the Edward Ball Eminent Scholar, Professor of International Law, Florida State University College of Law.

Participatory Research for Sustainable Livelihoods: A Guidebook for Field ProjectsDescribes the basis of discussions at a workshop in Nairobi (September 1994) organized for the purpose, to assist implementation of IISD's project on adaptive strategies for sustainable livelihoods in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).

Paving the Way for National Climate Change Leadership: Provincial and National Actions in CanadaA patchwork of initiatives and actions exist across Canadian jurisdictions to address climate change, some of which demonstrate strong leadership and others that point to the need for a shared national vision and commitment to climate change.

IISD's John Drexhage and Jenny Gleeson outline the various regional, provincial and national level climate change actions taking place in Canada in the February 2008 issue of EM magazine, the journal of the Air & Waste Management Association.

To obtain copies and reprints of the article, please contact A&WMA directly at +1 412 232-3444.

Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment of a Pastoral Sector Support Program in NigerPeace and conflict impact assessment has emerged as a tool for development project planning and evaluation, but the links between natural resource scarcity and conflict have rarely been a part of these assessment methodologies. Applying a livelihoods lens, this field study reviews the peace and conflict impacts of a pastoral support program established by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation in Niger. In addition to offering suggestions for strengthening the project and for designating indicators of effectiveness, it identifies some characteristics of the project which have diminished conflict between herders and farmers in the project area: interest-based negotiation and development projects (e.g. health, education) that offer benefits to both communities.

Peak Phosphorus: Opportunity in the Making

The long-term security of our global food and water supplies may be impacted by the mismanagement of our phosphorus nutrient resources. Essential to plant growth and all life, phosphorus is mined from rock phosphate deposits and synthesized into mineral fertilizers destined for agricultural fields. Easily-mined rock phosphate reserves are dwindling and the constraints this could place on fertilizer production pose risks to our long-term ability to feed the planet. Excess phosphorus from agricultural fields runs off the landscape and eventually gets flushed into the ocean, where it takes millions of years to mineralize. Under the right conditions, phosphorus loads can choke water bodies as algae rapidly grow, die and decompose, depriving lakes, rivers, streams and coastal waters of oxygen. This process, referred to as eutrophication, threatens the security of our freshwater supplies and aquatic ecosystems. Phosphorus is fundamental to long-term food security, yet we mismanage it, allowing excess phosphorus to imperil our water resources.

Within the Canadian Prairies, "peak phosphorus" could have serious economic consequences. Rising fertilizer costs will hit the bottom lines of agricultural producers, which may result in higher food costs. Phosphorus mismanagement is also being exhibited within the water bodies of the region. Lake Winnipeg, which drains the Canadian Prairies, is the most eutrophic large lake in the world. This situation clearly points to a need to better manage phosphorus resources by finding more effective ways to use, recover and recycle this precious nutrient.

Fortunately, opportunities to accomplish this are abundant. Adopting agricultural practices that improve plant nutrient uptake and limit phosphorus runoff can lower application requirements. Phosphorus recovery from manure and human and food waste can also lower our dependence on mineral fertilizers. For instance, phosphorus recovery systems could become standardized within wastewater treatment plants. Composting manure as well as human and food waste also represents an important source of phosphorus. Closing the loop on our food systems and moving toward phosphorus independence are crucial to ensuring the long-term security of our food and water supplies. Treating phosphorus as a finite resource shifts our management paradigm from mitigating a noxious substance to recovering and recycling a precious element.



People, Planet and ProfitsIn June 2006, IISD Board member Sir Mark Moody-Stuart delivered a keynote address to his fellow Board members, IISD staff and guests in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Sir Mark Moody-Stuart is currently Chairman of Anglo American plc. A backgrounder is available here (PDF - 40 kb).

Perverse Subsidies: How Tax Dollars Can Undercut the Environment and the EconomyIn Perverse Subsidies Dr. Myers, University of Oxford professor and one of the world's leading environmental economists, outlines hundreds of examples of perverse subsidies that are granted at the expense of the environment.

In this critically acclaimed book, Dr. Myers addresses the implications of perverse subsidies in five leading sectors: agriculture, fossil fuels, road transportation, water and fisheries, and shows how these subsidies undercut our economies and environments alike.

Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation AssessmentPimachiowin Aki Corp. is a non-profit organization working to establish a World Heritage Site within an area of about 40,000 square kilometers of intact boreal forest on the Ontario-Manitoba border. The non-profit group asked IISD to provide an estimate of the economic value of the services provided by Pimachiowin Aki’s natural environments to both residents and non-residents.

While some spiritual and cultural benefits could not be easily valued in economic terms, ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, tourism, clean air and water resources do indeed have measureable economic value. The measurements are not exact, and, some benefits cannot be measured in dollar amounts, but using a valuation approach, the overall ecosystem service value provided by the Pimachiowin Aki was estimated to be approximately CDN$121.35 to $130.30 million per year.

A summary of the report (PDF - 2.2 mb) is also available.

Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Project Area Ecosystem Services Valuation Assessment (Summary Report)This short document is a summary of a November 2008 report.

Pimachiowin Aki ("the land that gives life," in Ojibwe) is a non-profit corporation striving to achieve international recognition for an Anishinabe cultural landscape as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site (Province of Manitoba, 2007). This landscape consists of 40,000 km2 of intact natural environments located across Eastern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. A detailed document outlining the site's cultural and natural attributes, potential development paths and strategies for its preservation must be devised and presented as part of the nomination process for World Heritage inscription.

This report estimates the economic value of the ecosystem services provided by natural environments to people, which will be useful background for the nomination document. In general, ecosystem services are made up of the many natural processes by which ecosystems, and the species that make them up, sustain and fulfill human life. Of course, there are many aspects of the World Heritage Project (WHP) area, for example spiritual and cultural aspects, that cannot be valued in economic terms. However, other ecosystem services do indeed have economic value, such as the sequestration of carbon, the preservation of endangered species and the provision of pure water and air. Estimating the monetary value of these helps demonstrate that the value of the area in its current state is far higher than just the current level of economic activity would suggest.

The full report (PDF - 2.4 mb) is also available for download.

A Plea for ReasonIISD’s John Drexhage attended the March/April 2009 climate change talks in Bonn, Germany. Participants were impressed by a change in the tone of U.S. representatives, but a “powerful exception” to the cordial affair reared its head in the conference’s final hours. The last item was to cover the conclusions of a somewhat arcane-sounding negotiating group called the “Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex 1 Parties Under the Kyoto Protocol.” It’s the last phrase (“Annex 1 Parties Under the Kyoto Protocol”) that have made these discussions so difficult. “To put it simply,” writes Drexhage, “its mandate is to indicate what actions and commitments developed countries will agree to take after 2012 (after the conclusion of the Kyoto Protocol period) to help avoid the serious consequences of climate change. The only problem is that includes everyone but the U.S., since it is the only developed country that did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. And so we have carried on a discussion now for over two years that, honestly, carries on an Alice in Wonderland quality.”

Policy Brief - Markets for ecosystem services: A potential tool for multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs)Multilateral environmental agreements can facilitate the development and use of markets for ecosystem services (MES), an environmental conservation instrument that can also help alleviate poverty. Markets for provisioning ecosystem services--such as those for timber, agriculture products and so on--which are mainly privately owned, already exist. They allow people to trade and allocate resources through a price mechanism determined by supply and demand. The paradox is that the assignement of property rights over these provisioning services has been a key driver in the declines of other important ecosystem regulating and cultural ecosystem services such as water purification and pollination. While multi-million dollar markets already exist for carbon, wetlands and biodiversity, for example, such market-based approaches may not be feasible or even desirable for all ecosystem services. Even so already-operating MES illustrate several critical factors to consider when designing MES: jurisdiction, environmental effectiveness, economic efficiency, demand and supply distributional effects, harmonization with other instruments, incentives, competitiveness and institutional efficiency. In addition such markets for ecosytem services, when linked to the Millennium Development Goals, provide considerable scope for the development of pro-poor MES.

Policy Brief: Climate-related vulnerability and adaptive-capacity in Ethiopia's Borana and Somali communitiesThis policy brief draws on the findings of a climate-related vulnerability and adaptive-capacity assessment undertaken by IISD, IUCN, CARE and SCUK in Ethiopia's Borana and Somali communities. It provides recommendations to the Government of Ethiopia, civil society organisations and international donors. It also provides a collection of climate-related testimonies from Ethiopian pastoralists.

Policy Submission on Aid Policy for the UN International Meeting on Small Island Developing StatesThis submission to the January 2005 UN meeting on Small Island Developing States, by IISD Project manager Oli Brown, makes the case for more effective, conflict-sensitive aid policy in small island developing states, and offers policy options for how this might be achieved.

The Positive Path: Using Appreciative Inquiry in Rural Indian CommunitiesThis publication is intended for development practitioners who are looking for methods by which local people can consider long-run issues of sustainability while addressing immediate deployment priorities. It will be of particular interest for those seeking to move beyond deficit-based approaches, to project planning and implementation, to methods that identify and build upon local strengths, values and visions. The guide introduces and explains the use of appreciative inquiry, an approach to organizational and social development that identifies peak moments within a community, then discovers and reinforces the conditions that made past achievements possible.

Positive Relationship Work: Organizational Case Study of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC)Many organizations are seeking to build the capacity of networks, particularly that of network secretariats. This case study explores the process and impact of capacity building interactions between the International Development Research Centre and the Association for Progressive Communications from 1996 to 2006. It concludes that that the multiple roles that IDRC has played in APC's development conform to "positive relationship work." In this type of partnership, the donor contributes to capacity building through "suggestive dialogue," and the collaboration is marked by a creative outlook, shared understandings and mutual commitments. Over the years, the relationship has provided avenues through which the two organizations have become "partners in learning"—challenging each other's perspectives, seeking to improve performance, and advancing the application of ICTs to further social justice and address development issues.

Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development: Implications for the Management of Natural CapitalThe purpose of this workshop is to see how the ideas of sustainable development fit into the vision for development articulated by Stiglitz in his Prebish lecture at UNCTAD in 1998. This is quite a challenge; Stiglitz barely mentions the term sustainable development in his entire lecture. Further he only twice refers (briefly) to the environment or natural capital, which are the specific issues to be covered in this paper. It is hard to imagine that these concepts were high on his mind when he prepared the lecture.

In this paper, I will begin by looking at the literature on sustainable development, focus on the role of natural capital, and see what it implications it has for poverty alleviation. The next section will look at the ideas for economic development outlined by Stiglitz and see what one can draw out in terms of implications for sustainable development and natural capital management. The final section of the paper addresses the specific questions the organizers want answered, which relate to the Stiglitz paper and the guiding principles of sustainable development.

Poverty and Ecosystems: prototype assessment and reporting method - Kenya case studyPeople are better able to move out of poverty when they have access to education, basic healthcare, clean water, energy, shelter and so on. Their situation is improved when they can speak for themselves and participate in decisions affecting them. These basic tenets of development have been long understood. Even so, poverty still stalks many people. At the same time, life-nurturing and sustaining ecosystems are suffering in many parts of the world. Aspects of this catastrophic twinning are being charted by various governments and United Nations agencies, but usually the emphasis is on poverty or on the environment. Recent pioneering efforts, such as the soon-to-be-released Global Environment Outlook, aim to show how closely poverty and environment are entwined. This publication is one such effort. We draw on a conceptual framework based on earlier work done with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment to test whether this framework will provide the necessary road-map to sustainable development. We applied our framework to Kenya, a country with high levels of poverty and environmental degradation and also with readily available trend data. The result is this prototype report, which assesses sustainable development in Kenya and concurrently helps us answer our initial question and find ways to improve both the method and the report. This report was funded by IISD's Innovation Fund.

Poverty and the Environment - A Role for UNEPConcept Paper written for UNEP in preparation of Guidelines on Poverty and the Environment.

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers And Sustainable Development, Ottawa, January 23, 2001In his 1998 Prebisch Lecture, Joseph Stiglitz put forward a new paradigm for development, which is a key topic of discussion at this workshop. Today I will make the case that the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper—PRSP—program launched by the World Bank and the IMF is an effort to make operational the core principles of that new paradigm. I will begin my remarks today by explaining the PRSP approach and its consistency with the Stiglitz paradigm. Then I will discuss several of the most difficult questions about how to implement the PRSP approach. In closing, I want to talk briefly about the relationship between the PRSP approach and the challenge of sustainable development.

Preparing for Climate Change in Eastern and Southern AfricaPublished in May 2007, this brochure provides an overview of the four-year project "Integrating Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change into Sustainable Development Policy Planning and Implementation in Eastern and Southern Africa." The project seeks to reduce the vulnerability of communities in Kenya, Mozambique and Rwanda to the impacts of climate change through a combination of field level interventions and policy engagement and influence. Funding for this project has been provided by the Global Environment Facility and Government of the Netherlands. It is being implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme, the African Centre for Technology Studies and IISD in partnership with various organizations in each of Kenya, Mozambique and Rwanda.

Preparing for Climate Change in Kenya: Early Outcomes of the Project “Increasing Community Resilience to Drought in Makueni District”This brochure describes some of the early outcomes of a project designed to increase drought resilience in Kenya's Makueni District. IISD is working on this project with the Centre for Science and Technology Innovations and the African Centre for Technology Studies.

"Increasing Community Resilience to Drought in Makueni District" is one of three pilot projects being implemented as part of the regional project, "Integrating Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change into Sustainable Development Policy Planning and Implementation in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACCESA)." Through pilot projects in Kenya, Rwanda and Mozambique, ACCESA is working with communities to introduce measures to reduce their vulnerability to climate variability and climate change. It is also working to integrate adaptation to climate change into national policy- and decision-making, allowing for amplification of benefits across a wider area and over a longer period of time.

Funding for this project has been provided by the Global Environment Facility and the governments of the Netherlands and Norway, and supported by in-kind contributions from the Governments of Germany, Kenya and Rwanda.

Preparing the Next Generation for SD LeadershipIn this IISD Commentary, Heather Creech, Director of Knowledge Communications, discusses what today's graduates bring to the job market and what they're looking for in their careers. It all points to the need to develop the next generation of sustainable development leadership.

A Presentation to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentOn February 17, 2005, David Runnalls, IISD's President and CEO, made a presentation to Canada's House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. His remarks centred on how Canada can achieve a necessary portion of its emission reduction objectives through careful use of the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms of Joint Implementation, the Clean Development Mechanism and International Emissions Trading.

Preserving Policy Space for Sustainable Development: The Subsidies Agreement at the WTO - CommentaryThis is a commentary based on a longer paper produced by the same authors.

The paper upon which this commentary is based addresses the need to preserve the ability of nations to use subsidies in order to correct distortions in the global economy and spur innovation for sustainable development. It shows that the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) created significant policy space for nations to address technological, poverty and environmental problems—all seminal issues for sustainable development—but that such space no longer exists.

Preserving Policy Space for Sustainable Development: The Subsidies Agreement at the WTO - Full ReportThis paper addresses the need to preserve the ability of nations to use subsidies in order to correct distortions in the global economy and spur innovation for sustainable development. It shows that the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) created significant policy space for nations to address technological, poverty and environmental problems—all seminal issues for sustainable development—but that such space no longer exists.

President's Report Fall 2001President's Report - Fall 2001

Price Volatility in the Cotton Yarn Industry: Lessons from IndiaThe last in the series of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this paper looks at how India has addressed cotton yarn price volatility in the handloom sector.

In an era of modernization and globalization, India's handloom weavers have found their margins squeezed by volatile cotton yarn prices, increasing domestic and international competition, and a crowded value chain. With millions of artisans involved in the weaving sector, the challenge of addressing handloom income volatility is a significant one, however efforts thus far—at both the macro and micro level—to solve the problem have been met with mixed success.

This study examines the steps India has taken to address the yarn price vulnerability of its handloom weavers. It begins by describing the importance of the cotton industry to the country, before moving on to discuss both the cotton yarn value chain and the price volatility which affects each actor along it. It then focuses on the national and local interventions which have been initiated to address this volatility, and their varying degrees of success and failure. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for policymakers.

Private Rights, Public Problems: A guide to NAFTA's controversial chapter on investor rightsThis guide was jointly produced by IISD and WWF-U.S. as part of an international effort to raise awareness on the full implications of investment law. Its production was made possible through the generous financial support of the Ford Foundation.

Proceedings of the TKN Phase I Central America Workshop: Trade and the environment: Toward an essentially Central American plan of actionReport of the Regional Forum on Trade and the Environment Held in San Salvador, July 7-10, 1999, Organized by SG-SICA, CCAD, IISD, IDRC and IUCN.

Proceedings of the TKN Phase I Pakistan WorkshopReport of the TKN workshop held April 12-14, 1999, in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Proceedings of the TKN Phase I South Africa WorkshopReport of the TKN Trade and Sustainable Development Workshop, held July 1-2, 1999, in Midrand, South Africa.

Proceedings of the TKN Phase I Vietnam WorkshopReport of the TKN workshop held April 9-10, 1999, in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Process Matters: Sustainable Development and Domestic Trade TransparencyExperienced trade negotiators know that their work begins at home in learning what matters for their constituents, and it ends at home in ensuring that any new obligations can be implemented in legislation. Broad public education and focused solicitation of information from economic actors contribute to a trade policy that will be both legitimate and effective.Trade policy democracy begins at home.

This book contributes to a growing literature on the national trade policy process. Does an open and transparent process alter the way a government perceives the public interest? Or is trade policy still dominated by whoever has the ear of government? These questions are addressed in case studies of Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Brazil, India and South Africa. The authors assess the policy process in terms both of transparency and of opportunities for meaningful participation by stakeholders ranging from export-oriented commercial organizations to rejectionist NGOs.

This book also illuminates how the policy process can contribute to sustainable development by ensuring that the needs of growth, the environment and social cohesion are all considered. If trade policy is made in the light of day, then there is a chance that it will not merely serve the interests of a narrow elite.

Producer Coping and Adaptation Responses to Weather Shocks and Stresses in Southern AlbertaA technical report by Jennifer Medlock and Andrew McCoy describing how producers in Alberta have dealt with past weather -related shocks and stresses as a view toward future coping and adaptation for climate change.

Projecting the Evolution of the Internet, its Technologies, Communities and Management: Canadian stakeholders’ understandings and perceptions of the issuesIISD is exploring what Canadians and the broader global community value, want and expect with respect to the future growth of the Internet and its role in supporting more sustainable societies. IISD has been piloting the use of scenarios, building exercises designed to help participants consider what might be at risk to identify their most critical issues for the future of the Internet.

With the support of Industry Canada, IISD hosted a workshop in Vancouver in March 2009, which specifically sought to broaden previous stakeholder engagements to include Canadian viewpoints from government, civil society and private sector interests covering health care, academia, media, urban development, energy and corporate social responsibility. In addition to considering the scenarios developed, IISD explored with participants what they value, want and expect with respect to the future growth of the Internet and its role in supporting a more sustainable society. This report captures participants' recommendations to Industry Canada, as well as to themselves in terms of their stake and responsibility in the shared development of the Internet. IISD also recommends follow-up actions to further engage Canadian Internet users.

Promises Made, Promises Broken: Barriers to Northern markets hamper efforts of Southern countries to gain accessThe World Trade Organization's drive towards free trade will not happen until there is the removal of all barriers that hinder economic exchanges between countries. A major concern for developing countries has been gaining access to markets for their exports in the North. Although governments such as Canada, the United States and the EU, have agreed to work towards removing any barriers to entry, such promises have not resulted in any significant market access gains for much of the South.

Promoting Sustainable Trade: The Case of Environmental RequirementsThis paper looks at India's experience with environmental requirements in export markets. It surveys the problems Indian industry has encountered with such requirements, and makes recommendations for preventing such difficulties in the future.

Promote Trade and Environment Policies That Enhance Sustainable Development in China - 1999 Annual Report to CCICED The Working Group on Trade and EnvironmentThe Third Meeting of the Second Phase of CCICED The Working Group on Trade and Environment

Prospects of CDM for Promoting Sustainable Development in China - Accelerating Foreign Investment and Technology TransferPrepared for - The Working Group on Trade and Environment China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development

Protected areas and the security communityProtected Areas are often situated in remote areas prone to conflict, but they can also make important contributions to peace. This paper draws from IISD's contribution to the World Parks Congress (September 2003, Durban), highlighting the different ways in which Protected Areas are linked to conflict and what this means for different members of the 'security community.'

Protecting Investor Rights and the Public Good: Assessing NAFTA’s Chapter 11 (English, Spanish)This paper served as the background document for the tri-national policy workshops of the Investment Law and Sustainable Development Program. It gives a survey of IISD’s thinking on investment agreements and their relationship to sustainable development.

Public Policy Influence of International Development Networks: Review of IDRC Experience (1995-2005)Since the early 1990s IDRC has committed attention and resources toward ensuring that IDRC-supported research results are better utilized, with a particular emphasis on "research for policymaking." IDRC-supported networks have played an important role in expanding policy capacities, broadening policy horizons, and undertaking policy advocacy. To be most effective, however, networks must pay careful attention to developing their governance and membership models in order to engage policy makers. Furthermore, networks must develop comprehensive influencing strategies which encompass three interwoven strategies dealing with: relationship management, knowledge management, and opportunities management. Such strategies are built on a solid understanding of the non-linear nature of policy development and acknowledge the existence of informal policy advocacy coalitions within a given policy community. While windows of opportunity to influence policy open and close over time and depend on factors external to a network, networks need influencing strategies in place which will prepare them to take advantage of these policy windows when they open.

Public Policy Influence of International Development Networks: Review of IDRC Experience (1995-2005)Since the early 1990s IDRC has committed attention and resources toward ensuring that IDRC-supported research results are better utilized, with a particular emphasis on "research for policymaking." IDRC-supported networks have played an important role in expanding policy capacities, broadening policy horizons, and undertaking policy advocacy. To be most effective, however, networks must pay careful attention to developing their governance and membership models in order to engage policy makers. Furthermore, networks must develop comprehensive influencing strategies which encompass three interwoven strategies dealing with: relationship management, knowledge management, and opportunities management. Such strategies are built on a solid understanding of the non-linear nature of policy development and acknowledge the existence of informal policy advocacy coalitions within a given policy community. While windows of opportunity to influence policy open and close over time and depend on factors external to a network, networks need influencing strategies in place which will prepare them to take advantage of these policy windows when they open.

The Pursuit of Sustainable Economic Development through Regional Economic Integration: ASEAN and its Potential as a Development-oriented Organization

This report analyses the potential for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to function as a development-oriented organization. It departs from the developmental regionalism analysis that is currently emerging in the literature on regional integration. In the context of Southeast Asia such an analysis has been limited and can be further developed. The report focuses on ASEAN’s economic integration initiatives and the extent to which they help advance its stated sustainable development objectives in the areas of poverty reduction, rural development, social protection and the environment.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Put ecosystem to work: Restoring wetlands, managing watersheds could save Lake WinnipegAs concerns rise over what to do about rising levels of phosphorus in Lake Winnipeg, the Director of Sustainable Natural Resources Management for IISD, Henry David Venema, offers natural ecosystem solutions. Payments for ecosystems allows for the protection of upstream water quality to ensure that communities downstream can enjoy clean safe water. By paying farmers not to pollute we can avoid the costly water treatment plants infrastructure and protect our natural environment at the same time. Other organizations such as Ducks Unlimited suggest that protection of our watersheds is critical to allow for the natural filtration of water and the protection of wildlife. All of these options require a change in thinking from concrete solutions to natural ones.

The Quality Institutions: An Enabling Framework for International Trade"The Quality Institutions" is a short paper addressing rule-making, conformity assessment and accreditation in standards and technical regulations. The paper is based on a longer research paper called "Developing Country Experience Implementing Enviornmental and Health & Safety Standards and Technical Regulations" produced for the Trade Knowledge Network.

Rainforest Alliance CertificationOn farms throughout Latin America, coffee is growing beneath the shade of the forest canopy, in harmony with the environment. Water and soil are clean; children have access to schools and healthcare; workers are well-treated and fairly paid; wildlife habitat is protected; and the farms are economically viable, thanks to the success of Rainforest Alliance certification. Tensie Whelan, and IISD Board member and the Executive Director of the Rainforest Alliance, describes certification and its impact.

Rapid Assessment Case Study: The Environmental Information Infrastructure of Pulse Production in CanadaThis brief case study assesses the information infrastructure being used to portray the environmental implications of lentil production in Canada. It was prepared to complement the report Linking Farm-Level Measurement Systems to Environmental Sustainability Outcomes: Challenges and Ways Forward. That report aims to help define and design tools and methods to improve existing measurement systems that link farm-level to landscape- and regional-level environmental impacts by exploring the issues and the information infrastructure required to share and understand those links. This case study illustrates the construction and use of a measurement system in the lentils value chain in Canada as it relates to the rise of sustainable agricultural practices, including conservation tillage and pulse production. The assessment includes the innovations, challenges and constraints related to this transformation. It also examines the common metrics and information infrastructure related to the rise of conservation tillage and pulse production, and the usefulness and gaps therein. Finally, it assesses the cross-scale interactions among different levels of assessment, from the farm to the federal level. This case study was selected because the environmental issues that gave rise to pulse production are well articulated. Environmental benefits and impacts from pulse production are also well-known and monitored by various organizations. In addition, the bulk of the crop is grown in a geographically well-defined area in Canada’s Prairie region.

Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA): National Report for Lao PDRThis report presents the results of the Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA), which examines possible environmental impacts and opportunities arising from further trade liberalization in Laos, carried out in collaboration with The World Conservation Union (Laos). It provides an overview of the economic and environmental contexts in Laos, including a review of existing and planned bilateral and regional trade agreements. It goes on to identify key economic sectors that are most likely to have significant trade/investment potential and environmental impacts: hydropower, mining, construction materials, wood and wood products, garments, tourism, organic agricultural products, silk handicrafts, medicinal plants and spices and biofuels. For each sector, the report provides a preliminary assessment of the risk that continued export growth in these sectors might pose for the environment as well as opportunities for using trade policies and tools to advance environmental objectives in these sectors. The report concludes with a series of general and sector-specific policy recommendations on how such impacts could be mitigated and identifies areas where further analysis on the interaction between trade/investment liberalization and environmental sustainability would be needed.

Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA): National Report for ThailandThis report presents the results of the Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA), which examines possible environmental impacts and opportunities arising from further trade liberalization in Thailand, carried out in collaboration with the International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD) and the Good Governance for Social Development and the Environment Institute (GSEI). It provides an overview of the economic and environmental contexts in Thailand, including a review of existing and planned bilateral and regional trade agreements. It goes on to identify key economic sectors that are most likely to have significant trade/investment potential and environmental impacts: electronic and electrical equipment; automotive vehicles and parts; rubber; textiles; fisheries; and fruits and vegetables. For each sector, the report provides a preliminary assessment of the risks that continued export growth in these sectors might pose for the environment as well as opportunities for using trade policies and tools to advance environmental objectives in these sectors. The report concludes with a series of general and sector-specific policy recommendations on how such impacts could be mitigated and identifies areas where further analysis on the interaction between trade/investment liberalization and environmental sustainability would be needed.

Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment - National Report for Ecuador

El estudio proporciona un panorama global de los principales aspectos económicos y ambientales en el Ecuador, considerando especialmente las relaciones de comercio internacional y del régimen de inversiones, suscritos por el Ecuador. Además, el estudio identifica y analiza los impactos comerciales y ambientales tanto positivos como negativos de los sectores económicos que tienen más incidencia en la economía ecuatoriana y que tienen una alta probabilidad de continuar su desarrollo a futuro. Estos sectores son el florícola, camaronero, maderero, turístico y minero.

El análisis de los sectores, da como resultado una apreciación de las implicancias económicas y ambientales de su desarrollo. Proporciona elementos de política comercial y de inversiones para mejorar la relación entre el comercio y ambiente; y desarrolla medidas de política que puedan potenciar los impactos positivos y logren mitigar los impactos negativos.

Recomendaciones:



Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment - National Report for Namibia

Namibia has recently undertaken a Rapid Trade and Environment Assess ment which identified potential “green” opportunities and likely threats from international trade law and technical standards.

The Namibian RTEA aimed to:

  1. Provide a preliminary assessment of the potential environmental impacts and “green” opportunities of trade relationships;

  2. Provide strategic recommendations on a way for ward for sustainable development as input to the policy-making process; and

  3. Build capacity to develop integrated trade and environment policies, and help plan and direct capacity building measures.

The assessment has ignited national debate among stakeholders from the often un connected sectors of international trade, environment, agriculture, water, energy, tourism and others. The rapid assessment is the start of a process of greater collaboration between these previously distinct sectors, which will have the opportunity to collaborate to a greater extent in the future. Namibia's economy cannot com pete with neighbouring South Africa's economic and infrastructural advantages, but the country can excel in some niche, high-value areas depending on how policy-makers plan ahead. This book highlights opportuni ties and areas for further attention and follow-up.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:



Realizing the Development Dividend: Making the CDM Work for Developing Countries (Phase I Report)The CDM has a host of objectives not directly related to climate change; it aims to bring host countries socio-economic and environmental benefits through technology transfer and foreign direct investment. In short, it aims to deliver a "development dividend." Based on an extensive consultation process, this paper assesses the state of the emerging CDM regime, asking whether trends presage a strong performance in this context. It addresses three concerns: that the quality of the projects is not what it could be; that the quantity is not what it needs to be, and that the distribution of investment is skewed in ways that exclude most poor developing countries. The paper concludes that the CDM has great potential for sustainable development, but only if some changes are made. It offers a number of recommendations.

Realizing the Development Dividend: Making the CDM Work for Developing Countries (Phase I Report) - Executive SummaryThe CDM has a host of objectives not directly related to climate change; it aims to bring host countries socio-economic and environmental benefits through technology transfer and foreign direct investment. In short, it aims to deliver a "development dividend." Based on an extensive consultation process, this paper assesses the state of the emerging CDM regime, asking whether trends presage a strong performance in this context. It addresses three concerns: that the quality of the projects is not what it could be; that the quantity is not what it needs to be, and that the distribution of investment is skewed in ways that exclude most poor developing countries. The paper concludes that the CDM has great potential for sustainable development, but only if some changes are made. It offers a number of recommendations.

Realizing Opportunities: Emissions Trading in ManitobaIn January 2004, the Task Force on Emissions Trading and the Manitoba Economy released its report. The task force, chaired by the honourable Lloyd Axworthy, made 17 recommendations regarding economic and environmental opportunities for Manitoba as part of Canada's proposed domestic emissions trading system. The recommendations stem from three overarching conclusions: (1) Manitoba has a natural advantage in offsets and clean electricity; (2) 2008, the planned start date for the trading system, is too late; and (3) we need to get the trading system right in the long run. David Runnalls, IISD's President and CEO, was a member of the task force and IISD served as secretariat.

Reassessing Like ProductsPaper presented at Chatham House Conference "Trade, Investment and the Environment."

A Recurring Anarchy? The emergence of climate change as a threat to international peace and security

Robert Kaplan’s 1994 article, “The Coming Anarchy” was a milestone in literature on the links between environmental change and security. The article predicted that disease, corruption, overpopulation, scarce resources and climate change would plunge West Africa into pervasive conflict. A decade and a half—and several civil wars—later, this article returns to West Africa to see to what extent Kaplan’s predictions have come to pass.

While West Africa may not have followed exactly the trajectory that Kaplan foresaw, he did correctly predict that climate change would be recognized as a threat to international security. This paper reviews, in greater detail, the development of conceptualizations of environment and security that influence current discussions about the potential impacts of climate change on security, paying particular attention to the ways in which West Africa is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:

Please cite the article as:

Brown, Oli and McLeman, Robert (2009). A Recurring Anarchy? The emergence of climate change as a threat to international peace and security. Conflict, Security & Development, 9(3), pp. 289–305.



The REDD Negotiations: Moving into CopenhagenThis paper provides an analysis of the options for including REDD in a post-2012 agreement. It aims to identify the key issues and questions to be considered in the negotiations in order to craft an agreement that is detailed enough to allow early action on REDD and investment in REDD readiness, while leaving sufficient flexibility to be further developed and adjusted as countries gather experience in REDD implementation and determine their stakes and interests.

REDD: Bridging the Gap between Negotiation and Action - Key Messages for CopenhagenThis policy brief summarizes key messages for the negotiations on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries at the Copenhagen climate talks (COP 15). The messages were developed during a set of capacity-building workshops for REDD negotiators and stakeholders from developing countries in Asia and Africa, held in November 2009.

Regional Trade Agreements: Promoting conflict or building peace?Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) have become a defining feature of the modern economy and a powerful force for globalization. The example of the European Union shows that RTAs can build prosperity and peace.

However, RTAs can be divisive and exclusive, their terms can hinder development or even trigger violent conflict. This paper analyses the role that Regional Trade Agreements can play in building, or undermining, peace between and within countries.

Regional Trade Integration and Conflict Resolution

This book addresses the growth of regional trade agreements (RTAs) which have mushroomed since the 1990s, and considers their potential as a tool for reducing inter- and intra-state conflict.

Exploring the links between trade, conflict, and peace in different and varying contexts, this book maps the extant RTAs in the region, analyses the factors which hinder or promote regional trade integration, and considers their economic and political impacts. Presenting a series of case studies in four regions: South America; the southern African region; South Asia and South East Asia, the authors consider three key questions:

Regional Trade Integration and Conflict Resolution will be of interests to students and scholars of trade, international relations, and conflict studies. It will also be of interest to policymakers, NGOs, and development professionals.

IISD Program Manager Oli Brown co-authored the book's introduction (PDF - 188 kb) and conclusion (PDF - 164).

To order a copy of the book click here (PDF - 101 kb).



The relationship between trade and sustainable development of agriculture in Central America - Full ReportThe study characterizes the evolution in trade of agricultural products in Central America and provides insight on how to remove environmental impacts of production and provide support systems for agricultural and trade systems that promote conservation of natural resources. It concludes that strengthening institutional support of sustainable agricultural systems, cooperation among environmental and agricultural departments with proposed recommendations for multilateral trade rules that can benefit sustainable agriculture in Central America.

The relationship between trade and sustainable development of agriculture in Central America - SummaryThe study characterizes the evolution in trade of agricultural products in Central America and provides insight on how to remove environmental impacts of production and provide support systems for agricultural and trade systems that promote conservation of natural resources. It concludes that strengthening institutional support of sustainable agricultural systems, cooperation among environmental and agricultural departments with proposed recommendations for multilateral trade rules that can benefit sustainable agriculture in Central America.

Remembering a Friend; Remembering a Visionary - A Tribute to Konrad von MoltkeKonrad von Moltke, a long-time associate of IISD, passed away in May 2005. In May 2006, a memorial event was held in his honour in Geneva. IISD prepared this collection of tributes that recognize Konrad's genius, his warmth and his passion.

Renforcement de la capacité de l’ICCN à la gestion et la résolution des conflits lies aux ressources naturelles dans le Parc National de Kahuzi-BiégaIn early August 2007, IISD and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) facilitated a workshop on conflict-sensitive conservation in Kahuzi-Biéga National Park (PNKB). The workshop, held outside of the park in Bukavu in eastern DRC, had two goals: a) to begin thinking about how to integrate conflict-sensitivity into the general management plan of the park; and b) to evaluate the working draft of IISD’s Conflict-Sensitive Conservation manual. The workshop was attended by PNKB staff, their partner organizations, civil society groups, NGOs, customary chiefs from the region and members of the media. It was supported by community consultations in and outside of the park. This report is available in French.

Renforcement de la capacité de l’ICCN à la gestion et la résolution des conflits lies aux ressources naturelles dans le Parc National des VirungaIISD and its lead partner for the case study, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), convened a workshop in December 2006; in Goma, DRC to discuss conflict sensitivity and resolution strategies for conservation actors working in Virunga National Park (PNVi). The meeting, attended by staff from the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and its conservation partners, aimed to come up with conservation activities that could be used to build peace among the stakeholders in and around the park, as well as building up the capacity of ICCN on the ground. Findings were strengthened with community consultations in and outside of the park. This workshop report details those discussions. It is available in French.

Reporting Progress on Sustainable Development for Manitoba's Prairie Ecozone

Moving Toward Sustianable Development Reporting



Research in Support of the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission's Hog Production Industry Review: Task 1 - Analysis Framework for Total Nutrient LoadingOn 8 November 2006, the Minister of Manitoba Conservation requested that the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission (CEC) to "conduct a review and produce a report on the environmental sustainability" of the hog industry in Manitoba (Manitoba Conservation 2006). Central to this review is the following item within its Terms of Reference:

The CEC, as a part of its investigation will review the current environmental protection measures now in place relating to hog production in Manitoba in order to determine their effectiveness for the purpose of managing hog production in an environmentally sustainable manner.

In Manitoba one of the largest environmental concerns is the sustainability of its water resources. Recently several organizations, such as the Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba Stewardship boards have been formed to address critical water issues in Manitoba, in particular nutrient loading. Many human activities lead to the movement of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus entering Manitoba's waters. Research has been initiated to review the movement and sources of nutrients in Manitoba's watersheds, but is still in its initial stages.

To fully understand the impacts of particular sectors, such as agriculture or even more specific the hog industry, a total nutrient framework is required that addresses the cumulative impacts of all sectors, and natural nutrient sources on Manitoba's water resources. The development of framework would include a determination of baseline nutrient data and provide the necessary tools and processes to focus on specific sustainability concerns.

In January 2007, the CEC entered into discussions with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to assist in fulfilling its Terms of Reference item #1. In March, IISD produced a concept paper for the CEC. This in turn resulted in the preparation of two research papers (Task 1 and Task 2).

Research in Support of the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission's Hog Production Industry Review: Task 2 - Policy/Process Review - Conclusions/RecommendationsOn 8 November 2006, the Minister of Manitoba Conservation requested that the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission (CEC) to "conduct a review and produce a report on the environmental sustainability" of the hog industry in Manitoba (Manitoba Conservation 2006). Central to this review is the following item within its Terms of Reference:

The CEC, as a part of its investigation will review the current environmental protection measures now in place relating to hog production in Manitoba in order to determine their effectiveness for the purpose of managing hog production in an environmentally sustainable manner.

In Manitoba one of the largest environmental concerns is the sustainability of its water resources. Recently several organizations, such as the Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba Stewardship boards have been formed to address critical water issues in Manitoba, in particular nutrient loading. Many human activities lead to the movement of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus entering Manitoba's waters. Research has been initiated to review the movement and sources of nutrients in Manitoba's watersheds, but is still in its initial stages.

To fully understand the impacts of particular sectors, such as agriculture or even more specific the hog industry, a total nutrient framework is required that addresses the cumulative impacts of all sectors, and natural nutrient sources on Manitoba's water resources. The development of framework would include a determination of baseline nutrient data and provide the necessary tools and processes to focus on specific sustainability concerns.

In January 2007, the CEC entered into discussions with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to assist in fulfilling its Terms of Reference item #1. In March, IISD produced a concept paper for the CEC. This in turn resulted in the preparation of two research papers (Task 1 and Task 2).

Research Note: Emerging Bilateral Investment Treaty Arbitration and Sustainable Development (current as of August 2003)This research note takes stock of the current known cases (almost all ICSID cases) pending under bilateral investment treaties. It analyzes the numbers and the types of cases and highlights the worrying aspects, from a sustainable development standpoint, of the current trends.

Resource Wars and Information and Communication TechnologiesIISD's Tony Vetter was investigating the impacts of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on sustainable development when he stumbled upon a troubling connection. The last time the price of the mineral tantalum (a key ingredient in compact electronics) spiked, it helped to fuel one of Africa's bloodiest-ever wars. As the demand for mobile phones rises dramatically, so again does the price of tantalum. Will the fragile Congolese democracy be tested?

Rethinking Investments in Natural Resources: China’s Emerging Role in the Mekong Region (Full Study)China’s economic rise and consequent demand for a reliable and steady supply of inexpensive natural resources have led to a rapid increase in Chinese foreign direct investment stretching all the way to Africa and Latin America. Southeast Asia's Mekong region is no exception to that trend. This study highlights China's emerging role in finance and trade in three selected Mekong region countries (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam). The focus is on investments in the agribusiness, hydropower and mining industries where Chinese companies and banks are steadily gaining influence in the region.

Key findings:

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Rethinking Investments in Natural Resources: China’s Emerging Role in the Mekong Region (Policy Brief)China’s economic rise and consequent demand for a reliable and steady supply of inexpensive natural resources have led to a rapid increase in Chinese foreign direct investment stretching all the way to Africa and Latin America. Southeast Asia's Mekong region is no exception to that trend. This policy brief highlights China's emerging role in finance and trade in three selected Mekong region countries (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam). The focus is on investments in the agribusiness, hydropower and mining industries where Chinese companies and banks are steadily gaining influence in the region.

Key findings:

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Review of the Decision on Jurisdiction of the Methanex Tribunal, August 7, 2002On August 7, 2002, the Tribunal in the NAFTA Chapter 11 case Methanex vs. the United States of America delivered an interim ruling. This brief non-technical summary discusses the ruling and its significance for sustainable development.

Review of International AssessmentsThree major multi-year international science assessments were recently released to the public, shedding light on the status and trends in global environmental issues, climate change, and agricultural science and technology. Given its export orientation and sensitivity to global forces of socio-economic and environmental change, the sustainability and competitiveness of Canadian agriculture requires keeping external conditions constantly under review. With this purpose in mind, this IISD report summarizes the results of UNEP's Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-4), the fourth report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) using agriculture as its reviewing lens. It then identifies and analyzes the major implications of these findings for Canadian agriculture in light of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's main policy goal: to create a sector that iscompetitive and innovative, contributes to society's priorities, and proactively manages risk.

Review of the Mandate of the Internet Governance Forum: A response from IISDThe upcoming fourth annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting November 2009 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt marks the start of an evaluation process of the five-year mandate of the forum, ending in 2010. IISD prepared the following response to seven questions posed by the Secretariat soliciting inputs for a synthesis document to support the UN Secretary General’s formal consultation with IGF participants. IISD is broadly supportive of the IGF and has affirmed that the IGF should renew its mandate for a second five-year term.

Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions: Climate change and the risk of violent conflict in the Middle East

Climate models are predicting a hotter, drier and less predictable climate in the Middle East—a region already considered the world's most water-scarce and where, in many places, demand for water already outstrips supply. For Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, climate change threatens to reduce the availability of scarce water resources, increase food insecurity, hinder economic growth and lead to large-scale population movements. This could hold serious implications for peace in the region.

Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions: Climate change and the risk of violent conflict in the Middle East is the latest IISD report on the links between climate change, peace and conflict. Drawn from extensive consultations and workshops throughout the region, augmented by desk research, the report makes three key points:



Risks for Host States of the Entwining of Investment Treaty and Contract Claims: Dispute Resolution Clauses, Umbrella Clauses, and Forks-in-the-RoadThis paper is part of IISD's series entitled "The Best Practice Advisory Bulletin" which aims at making publicly available "best practice" analyses based on actual treaty texts, in order to provide developing and developed country negotiators with state-of-the-art options and approaches to address the new issues and controversies in investment negotiations.

The Best Practice Advisory Bulletin aims to uncover the defects in IIA drafting that enable investors to forum-shop, to initiate multiple proceedings and to internationalize their contractual and administrative disputes. Second, it aims to show how IIA provisions can be simply drafted so as to minimize involuntary host state exposure to this triple threat. The Bulletin finds that the majority of IIAs surveyed utilize a very broad definition of "dispute" in their dispute resolution clauses, that they contain some form of umbrella clause and lack an effective fork-in-the-road clause. This leaves capital-importing States that are party to these IIAs highly exposed.

A Road Map for Cotonou Investment NegotiationsThis short document was submitted to regional meetings of ACP trade experts in preparation of negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) called for in the Cotonou Agreement. It identifies issues that need to be addressed in any Cotonou investment agreement that takes sustainable development seriously. It sets out clear objectives and suggests criteria for monitoring whether these objectives are being met. It also identifies the institutional requirements for a successful Cotonou investment agreement, including the creation of a Cotonou Investment Fund.

The Role of Sectoral Approaches and Agreements: Focus on the Steel Sector in China and India - Full Report and Executive Summary

Sectoral approaches and agreements may offer good options for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in certain sectors of the economy. In the developing world, they offer the possibility of scaling up from relatively small-scale, project-based emission reductions. Some countries prefer sectoral schemes in the medium term as pathways toward an ultimate aim of economy-wide emission reduction targets in developing countries.

To date, work on sectoral approaches and agreements has been dominated by work of a strategic nature, generally focusing on relatively high-level economic and political analysis. The details needed for the successful implementation—both practical and political—have been largely missing. This study is based on the premise that it is essential to understand how decisions—financial and production as well as response to environmental policies—are made within the candidate sectors to better understand what impacts these decisions could have, and at what cost. The study is therefore narrowly focused on the iron and steel sector in China and India.

This study analyzes the potential impact of sectoral approaches and agreements, presents what they could look like in practiceand provides advice to allow national negotiators to advance the debate on sectoral approaches and agreements within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It aims to:

The elements necessary to design and implement sectoral approaches and agreements are analyzed and discussed. The study concludes by recommending what types, for the steel sector in India and China, would offer the best chances for an international agreement and how effective these might be in reducing GHG emissions:



The Role of Sustainable Development Indicators in Corporate Decision-makingThe purpose of this paper is to provide insight and examples into how sustainable development indicators are being used in board-level decision-making, corporate strategic management and supply chain management. The paper is based on the completion of three key tasks: (1) a literature survey, (2) a detailed review of 17 corporate sustainable development reports, and (3) structured interviews with 15 Canadian experts. The paper should be of particular interest to board members, senior management and managers of sustainable development and related areas in corporations. This paper represents the first step in an ongoing study. It is anticipated that the feedback received on the paper will provide the basis for further work.

RTEA Namibia Sector Paper – Green Labelling, Eco-certification and Fair Trade: Threats and Opportunities for Namibia

Namibia has recently undertaken a rapid trade and environment assessment, which identified potential green opportunities and likely threats from international trade law and technical standards. The assessment has ignited national debate among stakeholders from the often unconnected sectors of international trade, environment, agriculture, water, energy, tourism and others. The rapid assessment is the start of a process of greater collaboration between these previously distinct sectors, which will have the opportunity to collaborate to a greater extent in the future. Namibia's economy cannot compete with neighbouring South Africa's economic and infrastructural advantages, but the country can excel in some high-value niche areas, depending on how policy-makers plan ahead.

Namibia's vast, unpolluted environment and sound conservation achievements, including the world-leading Community-Based Natural Resource Management program, provide a competitive edge in markets where green labelling, eco-certification and fair trade schemes apply. However, these instruments are double-edged swords when they become requirements for market entry. The cost of obtaining certification can result in Namibian goods becoming uncompetitive. This policy brief highlights opportunities and areas for further attention and follow-up in the green labelling and eco-certification sectors.

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RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper - Biochar in Namibia: Opportunities to Convert Bush Encroachment into Carbon Offsets

Namibia has recently undertaken a rapid trade and environment assessment, which identified potential green opportunities and likely threats from international trade law and technical standards. The assessment has ignited national debate among stakeholders from the often unconnected sectors of international trade, environment, agriculture, water, energy, tourism and others. The rapid assessment is the start of a process of greater collaboration between these previously distinct sectors, which will have the opportunity to collaborate to a greater extent in the future. Namibia's economy cannot compete with neighbouring South Africa's economic and infrastructural advantages, but the country can excel in some high-value niche areas depending on how policy-makers plan ahead.

Considerable portions of Namibia's natural rangelands are encroached by invader bush-a phenomenon that is recognized as a form of land degradation. Yet the bush resource also sequesters significant amounts of carbon dioxide, rendering Namibia a net carbon sink. While many farmers consider bush an expensive nuisance that needs to be eradicated, projects using bush and its derivative products could potentially earn carbon credits. This policy brief highlights opportunities and areas for further attention and follow-up in the biochar sector.

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RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper – Ecotourism and the Informal Carbon Market: Is the Climate Right for Change?

Namibia has recently undertaken a rapid trade and environment assessment, which identified potential green opportunities and likely threats from international trade law and technical standards. The assessment has ignited national debate among stakeholders from the often unconnected sectors of international trade, environment, agriculture, water, energy, tourism and others. The rapid assessment is the start of a process of greater collaboration between these previously distinct sectors, which will have the opportunity to collaborate to a greater extent in the future. Namibia's economy cannot compete with neighbouring South Africa's economic and infrastructural advantages, but the country can excel in some high-value niche areas, depending on how policy-makers plan ahead.

International tourists (especially those from Europe, Namibia's main source market) are increasingly becoming aware of issues related to climate change and global warming. Recent studies conducted in Namibia suggest that though the tourism resource itself may be directly impacted by climate change, climate change is highly likely to have an indirect impact on tourism, primarily linked to tourists' concerns over the contribution of their trips to global warming. Without action, these fears could result in deterioration of the Namibian tourism economy. This policy brief highlights opportunities and areas for further attention and follow-up in the tourism sector.

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RTEA Namibia Sectoral Paper – EU Sanitary Demands for Red Meat Trade: Impact on Sustainable Development in Namibia

Namibia has recently undertaken a rapid trade and environment assessment, which identified potential green opportunities and likely threats from international trade law and technical standards. The assessment has ignited national debate among stakeholders from the often unconnected sectors of international trade, environment, agriculture, water, energy, tourism and others. The rapid assessment is the start of a process of greater collaboration between these previously distinct sectors, which will have the opportunity to collaborate to a greater extent in the future. Namibia's economy cannot compete with neighbouring South Africa's economic and infrastructural advantages, but the country can excel in some high-value niche areas, depending on how policy-makers plan ahead.

Harmonizing Namibia's animal health policies with the European Union's sanitary requirements for importation of fresh red meat into the EU market has great potential to contribute to national economic growth through increased foreign exchange earnings and household incomes. This policy brief highlights opportunities and areas for further attention and follow-up in the red meat sector.

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RTEA Namibia Summary Paper - Emerging Dynamics for Namibia’s Sustainable Development: A Summary Policy Brief

Namibia has recently undertaken a rapid trade and environment assessment, which identified potential green opportunities and likely threats from international trade law and technical standards. The assessment has ignited national debate among stakeholders from the often unconnected sectors of international trade, environment, agriculture, water, energy, tourism and others. The rapid assessment is the start of a process of greater collaboration between these previously distinct sectors, which will have the opportunity to collaborate to a greater extent in the future. Namibia's economy cannot compete with neighbouring South Africa's economic and infrastructural advantages, but the country can excel in some high-value niche areas, depending on how policy-makers plan ahead. This policy brief highlights opportunities and areas for further attention and follow-up.

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The Rush to Regionalism: Sustainable Development and Regional/Bilateral Approaches to Trade and Investment LiberalizationThis paper aims to set out the issues of importance in addressing the links between sustainable development and the rush to regionalism. It begins by describing the trends in regional agreements. It then surveys current practice, asking how the agreements address a number of key issues of importance to sustainable development, both in the context of economic development and the context of environment. Based on that survey, and a survey of the literature, it then sets out a number of key themes, and asks what we know and do not know about each. The concluding section describes the state of research in relation to these themes.

Russian Ratification Puts Pressure on CanadaAfter over two years of anticipation, President Vladimir Putin's November 2004 signature on Russia's Kyoto Protocol ratification papers is the final step in confirming his nation's commitment to address climate change, and brings into force one of the most complex multilateral environmental agreements ever negotiated. It also means countries, like Canada, that have taken on specific greenhouse gas emission reduction targets have a fundamental obligation to show leadership in the international community by actually implementing credible plans to achieve their targets.

Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Barriers to Trade and its Impact on the Environment: The Case of Shrimp Farming in Bangladesh - Full ReportBangladesh (IUCN, North-South University): This study examines the shrimp industry in Bangladesh, focusing in particular on the effects of the standardization of production and processing methods resulting from sanitary and phyto-sanitary agreements. The production of shrimp has exploded in recent years, and it has become an important source of foreign exchange. Yet, it suffers from significant production inefficiencies, and is exposed to social and environmental risks. Standardized production and processing methods have proven hard to impose on small shrimp farms. Capacity building for shrimp farmers is required, to make them aware of the impact of chemicals and the risks of the shrimp business. The report concludes that a multi-stakeholder process is necessary to build trust among farmers and processors, to make them aware of their responsibilities and to address the high commissions taken by middlemen.

Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Barriers to Trade and its Impact on the Environment: The Case of Shrimp Farming in Bangladesh - SummaryBangladesh (IUCN, North-South University): This study examines the shrimp industry in Bangladesh, focusing in particular on the effects of the standardization of production and processing methods resulting from sanitary and phyto-sanitary agreements. The production of shrimp has exploded in recent years, and it has become an important source of foreign exchange. Yet, it suffers from significant production inefficiencies, and is exposed to social and environmental risks. Standardized production and processing methods have proven hard to impose on small shrimp farms. Capacity building for shrimp farmers is required, to make them aware of the impact of chemicals and the risks of the shrimp business. The report concludes that a multi-stakeholder process is necessary to build trust among farmers and processors, to make them aware of their responsibilities and to address the high commissions taken by middlemen.

Sarhad Province Conservation Strategy - Indicators for Sustainable Development - Section 1IUCN-P (the World Conservation Union-Pakistan), the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad and the Government of the North West Frontier Province under the auspices of the Pakistan Environment Programme (PEP) requested technical assistance (TA) from a "Sustainable Development Monitoring Advisor" through the Canadian partner organization. IISD was contracted to provide the services. The main purpose was to assist in the design of a system of monitoring sustainable development, initially within the context of the Sarhad Province Conservation Strategy (SPCS). On behalf of IISD, Dr. Peter Hardi, Senior Fellow and Director of the Measurement and Indicators Program, and Mr. László Pintér, Program Officer of the Program, have been assigned as consultants to perform the work.

Sarhad Province Conservation Strategy - Indicators for Sustainable Development - Section 2Section 2 - Integrated Assesment System For Pakistan's North West Frontier Province

Scale-up and Replication for Social and Environmental Enterprises (Report for the SEED Initiative Research Program) This paper explores how the international development community approaches scale-up and replication and, in particular, its role in supporting start-up social and environmental enterprises to expand both their business and their social and environmental impact.

Science and Precaution in the Trading System - Seminar NoteThis note is based on presentations and discussion at a seminar on Science and Precaution in the Trading System, jointly organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development(IISD) and the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) during the third WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle.

The meeting explored the meaning of the precautionary principle in the trading system; differences in the North American and European understanding of precaution; and ways to implement a precautionary approach in international trade. This note summarises the main strands of the presentations and discussion at the meeting.

Scoping the Convergences of Knowledge, Technology, Community and Decision-makingThis IISD Knowledge Communications Practice Note looks at convergence among knowledge, technology, community and decision-making.

Knowledge concepts and practices for international organizations have emerged out of a cross fertilization of management approaches in the private sector, innovation in the uses of information and communications technologies, and processes for addressing international development through more consultative approaches. Influencing sectors, disciplines and communities include:

These notes were originally prepared as background for a study on knowledge mobilization for IUCN – The World Conservation Union; it has subsequently been expanded and updated. For more information on the full study, click here.

Seattle and Sustainable Development

Among the different opinions on what happened at the Third WTO Ministerial Meeting in Seattle, one point seems to rally everyone -- that Seattle changed things for good. Seattle represented the demise of the old way of preparing and conducting multilateral trade negotiations. Whatever ways are encountered to take the multilateral trade agenda forward, they are unlikely to bear much resemblance to the approach followed in the past.

Securing Enough to EatThis paper offers a brief introduction to the concept of food security. Several different strategies have been tried to realize the objective of food security: writing it into international human rights law as the right to food; attempting to provide all of a country's food entirely from domestic resources for food self-sufficiency; liberalizing and privatizing economic exchanges to give consumers access to an international food supply; and, more recently, either putting the emphasis on national decision-making without closing the possibility of international trade-a strategy known as food sovereignty; or, looking to build an approach to agriculture that focuses on environmental needs and constraints together with meeting food supply needs, referred to as Multi-functional Agriculture. This paper explains the fundamental elements of food security and these various strategies for its realization. The paper is focussed on food security and ways to achieve it.

IISD acknowledges the generous support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in the publication of this paper.

Securing a Sustainable Future in the Arctic: Engaging and training the next generation of northern leadersIn recent decades, the Arctic has undergone major environmental, socio-economic and political changes. The rapid loss of Arctic ice is having negative consequences on northern communities and lifestyles, on iconic species such as the polar bear, and is altering the ecology of the Arctic ocean and the permafrost lands. With the majority of the population in Canada’s North being under the age of 30, they have an enormous stake in the present state of the North as they will ultimately be responsible for shaping the future of the region. Thus, training such a large generation of young people for active citizenry in a region strained by global warming and other sustainability challenges is critical to the future stability of the North. This paper provides an overview of capacity building programs for northern youth; examines what has worked up to now; identifies the existing gaps and barriers; and makes recommendations on what will be needed in the future.

Click here for the Executive Summary.

Securing a Sustainable Future in the Arctic: Engaging and training the next generation of northern leaders - Executive SummaryIn recent decades, the Arctic has undergone major environmental, socio-economic and political changes. The rapid loss of Arctic ice is having negative consequences on northern communities and lifestyles, on iconic species such as the polar bear, and is altering the ecology of the Arctic ocean and the permafrost lands. With the majority of the population in Canada’s North being under the age of 30, they have an enormous stake in the present state of the North as they will ultimately be responsible for shaping the future of the region. Thus, training such a large generation of young people for active citizenry in a region strained by global warming and other sustainability challenges is critical to the future stability of the North. This paper provides an overview of capacity building programs for northern youth; examines what has worked up to now; identifies the existing gaps and barriers; and makes recommendations on what will be needed in the future.

Click here for the full paper.

The Security Dimensions of Environmental Policy: Canadian defence policy changes along with climate in the suddenly accessible Far NorthIISD Project Officer Alec Crawford discusses how Canada's longstanding concern about Canada's Arctic sovereignty and security are increasingly shaped by climate change and the resulting reduction of sea ice. "The exploitation of the area's mineral deposits will become more cost-effective, and the region's vast oil and gas resources—which are believed to account for one-quarter of the world's undiscovered reserves—will ironically become more accessible due to climate change," writes Crawford. "A well-publicized scramble for these resources is already underway, with Canada, Russia, the United States, Denmark and Norway all staking competing claims." This commentary appeared in the Toronto Star on July 8, 2008.

Seeing Change Through the Lens of SustainabilityBackground Paper for the Workshop "Beyond Delusion: Science and Policy Dialogue on Designing Effective Indicators of Sustainable Development"

The International Institute For Sustainable Development
Costa Rica, 6-9 May 1999

Seeing the Light: Adapting to climate change with decentralized renewable energy in developing countriesThe central theme of this book is that well-designed decentralized renewable energy projects are in fact a mitigative and an adaptive response to climate change. Decentralized renewable energy projects (DREs) address core sustainable development priorities and build adaptive capacity to climate change, without increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Building coherent climate policy around the DRE option is a win-win opportunity that overcomes the policy divide by addressing the South’s adaptation needs and the North’s mitigation priorities. In supporting strong DRE-based climate policy, the North can build the good faith necessary to meaningfully engage the South in a post-Kyoto phase of climate negotiations.

Seeing the Light: Adapting to climate change with decentralized renewable energy in developing countries (Brochure)The central theme of this book is that well-designed decentralized renewable energy projects are in fact a mitigative and an adaptive response to climate change. Decentralized renewable energy projects (DREs) address core sustainable development priorities and build adaptive capacity to climate change, without increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Building coherent climate policy around the DRE option is a win-win opportunity that overcomes the policy divide by addressing the South’s adaptation needs and the North’s mitigation priorities. In supporting strong DRE-based climate policy, the North can build the good faith necessary to meaningfully engage the South in a post-Kyoto phase of climate negotiations.

Seeking Sustainability: COSA Preliminary Analysis of Sustainability Initiatives in the Coffee SectorThe growing economic value and consumer popularity of sustainability standards inevitably raise questions about the extent to which their structure and dynamics actually address many environmental, economic and public welfare issues. The Committee on Sustainable Assessment (COSA) was formed, in part, to develop a scientifically credible framework capable of assessing the impacts associated with the adoption of sustainability initiatives. This paper examines the pilot phase of vetting and testing the COSA method, a farm management tool used to gather and analyze data using economic, environmental and social metrics.

This COSA method pilot test involves vetting and testing over 50 farms in five countries—including Kenya, Peru, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua—who were using the most widely-known sustainability initiatives: Fair Trade, Organic, Utz Certified and Rainforest Alliance. In the testing process, certified farms are compared with their conventional counterparts along social, economical and environmental indicators. These indicators include net income, biodiversity and soil health, market access, occupational health and safety, employment contracts and aggregate producer satisfaction. Given the small sample represented, the results of this testing process should be considered observations rather than firm conclusions or generalizations.

Seven Questions to Sustainability - How to Assess the Contribution of Mining and Minerals ActivitiesMining, Minerals and Sustainable Development North America set out to develop practical principles, criteria and/or indicators that could be used to guide or test mining and minerals activities in terms of their compatibility with sustainable development. Seven Questions to Sustainability: How to Assess the Contribution of Mining and Minerals Activities offers the strategy and the template.

Seven Questions to Sustainability - How to Assess the Contribution of Mining and Minerals Activities (Brochure)This brochure outlines the assessment approach developed by Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development North America. The assessment framework addresses areas of: engagement; people; environment; economy; traditional and non-market activities; institutional arrangements and governance; and synthesis and continuous learning.

Shall We Dance: What the North needs to do to fully engage the South in the trade and sustainable development debateWhat the North needs to do to fully engage the South in the trade and sustainable development debate.

Sharing Climate Adaptation Tools: Improving decision-making for development

In April 2007, 40 representatives gathered in Geneva to attend the two-day workshop, "Sharing Climate Adaptation Tools: Improving decision-making for development." Co-hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the World Bank and the Institute of Development Studies, the workshop brought together those working on and interested in adaptation tools related to development assistance to compare notes, particularly in the context of developing common approaches related to G8, OECD and UNFCCC processes. Workshop participants:

The workshop combined presentations and discussions with practical demonstrations of tools. The workshop demonstrated that:



Sir Mark Moody-Stuart on sustainable developmentSir Mark Moody-Stuart, IISD board member, and chairman, Anglo American, talks about his career in the oil industry and his long-standing commitment to sustainable development and IISD.

Skownan - Dreaming the LandThis video features members of Skownan First Nation sharing their dreams for the future of their lands and community. It captures some of the highlights of a unique project shared between Skownan first Nation and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Together, they used an innovative process called Appreciative Inquiry to learn how Aboriginal people value the lands around them, and how this information can be incorporated into provincial land-use and resource management planning. Through Appreciative Inquiry, local people have built a shared vision for their future based on community strengths and have developed strategies for turning this vision into reality.

Skownan - Our Land, Our FutureThis video presents the people of Skownan speaking about what the land means to them and how they are striving to maintain their way of life. It captures some of the highlights of a project between Skownan First Nation and the International Institute for Sustainable Development that used an innovative process called Appreciative Inquiry to learn how Aboriginal people value the lands around them, and how this information can be incorporated into provincial land use and resource management planning. Through the appreciative inquiry, local people have built a shared vision for their future based on community strengths and have developed strategies for turning this vision into reality.

Small Victories in the Road Forward: “No breakthrough, but no breakdown” at WTO meetings in Hong KongCanada’s Ministers of Trade and Agriculture joined their counterparts from 149 countries in Hong Kong last month for five gruelling days of high-stakes negotiations, designed to get the current round of world trade talks back on course. Meeting against a backdrop of sometimes violent public protest, and in talks that dragged into the wee hours of Sunday morning, the Ministers in the end managed, in the words of the Chair of the talks, “to pull a rabbit out of a hat.” In the end, this may prove to be a very small rabbit.

SMEs, ISO 26000 and social responsibilityIn the September-October 2009 issue of ISO Management Systems, Oshani Perera discusses the findings of a survey (commissioned by the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs) conducted by IISD on the materiality and relevance of the future International Standard ISO 26000 (Guidance on social responsibility) to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Perera concludes that driven by the global and prestigious brand value attached to ISO standards, SMEs will look to ISO 26000 as a broad reference document which provides a comprehensive definition of social responsibility and a detailed description of all its contents. However, SMEs are not likely to use ISO 26000 as a practical guide or management tool.

Sober Reflection: Considering the Rush to RegionalismThis paper asks whether the rush to regionalism in international trade and investment benefits developing countries. It argues that preferential trade agreements (PTAs) are harmful to the multilateral trade regime in a number of possible ways. As well, their contributions to economic improvement are uncertain at best, and depend on the presence of a number of other factors. In some ways, PTAs may actually harm signatories (loss of tariff revenue, loss of policy space). However, they do provide a platform for negotiated progress on a number of important non-economic objectives, from cementing peaceful political relations to pursuing common environmental problems.

Sobering Days in BonnIn this IISD Commentary, John Drexhage assesses progress toward Copenhagen following the August 2009 climate negotiations in Bonn.

"The June session in Bonn ended with recriminations abounding as the Kyoto Protocol negotiating group, led by China, accused developed countries of not acting in good faith," he writes. "This time it ended in what can most accurately be described as a farce. The week did very little–if anything–to actually help bridge negotiating positions. Even simple process issues unwound all too easily for the international community to witness."

See our Reporting Services coverage of the Bonn meeting.

Social Networking and Governance for Sustainable DevelopmentCommunications technology has enabled new approaches to governance in which stakeholders across sectors and jurisdictions are engaged in consensus building and implementation processes. This paper explores some mechanisms through which online social networking may impact on governance for sustainable development. Are social networking sites driving the transformation of the governance landscape, or are they merely diverting vast amounts of time from addressing the difficult sustainable development challenges at hand? And if they are useful tools for sustainable development, how can we ensure that they live up to their potential?

Social Rules and Sustainability in the AmericasSocial Rules and Sustainability in the Americas, uses a “rights-based approach” to examine social regimes in the Western Hemisphere and develop recommendations for future hemispheric co-operation on social policy in the context of advancing FTAA negotiations. It explains the Inter-American Human Rights System, the Pan-American Health System and other structures of the Organization of American States, and surveys examples of innovative sub-regional co-operation instruments on health, human rights, including socio-laboural rights, social security, gender and indigenous peoples’ participation, corporate social responsibility and other social issues from across the Americas. Extending the Winnipeg Principles analysis to social regimes, it proposes ways that the complex and inter-related international frameworks for social development, including human rights protection, could be strengthened for an Americas integration process that would support more equitable sustainable development.

Sourcebook on Sustainable DevelopmentAt IISD we frequently hear the complaint that there is both a wealth and dearth of information about sustainable development - no shortage of writing on the subject, but difficulty in knowing what to read and where to find it. This first edition of Sourcebook on Sustainable Development was designed to give the reader a useable "window" on both the practical and intellectual side of sustainable development. Components of the Sourcebook have been redesigned and updated for use on our SD Gateway.

A Southern Agenda on Investment? Promoting Development with Balanced Rights and Obligations for Investors, Host States and Home StatesIISD's Southern Agenda on Investment is one of, if not the first, deliberate effort to look at how to approach international investment negotiations based on an agenda that takes the priorities of developing countries as its starting point. Existing international investment agreements are based on a 50-year-old model that remains focussed on the interests of investors from developed countries.

This paper identifies major issues of concern for developing countries that are vital from the perspective of sustainable development but that are not being addressed in the current negotiating processes, beginning with the very need for investment to support development goals. When these issues are identified, it becomes clear that, although there are more than 2,000 international investment agreements that have been signed, they address but a small proportion of the issues that require attention if international investment is to promote sustainable development.

In practice, international investment agreements are now about governance for globalization, but they fall far short of the standards one can expect for such a legal structure. The Southern Agenda on Investment seeks to begin a dialogue on a different approach, one focussed on the needs of the vast majority of people on the planet. It is an agenda—and a dialogue—that must involve more actors, cover more issues and be better at balancing the interests of investors; host states and local communities; and home states.

Special and Differential Treatment (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 2 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

Standards and Sustainability in the Coffee Sector: A Global Value Chain ApproachThis paper analyzes the potential of sustainability standards to address the current turmoil in the coffee industry through the lenses of Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis. How do sustainability standards affect the structure of the coffee marketing chain? Do they actually address and/or solve problems of sustainability in its economic, social and environmental aspects? Can different sustainability standards be coordinated or harmonized to improve their actual impact? Can sustainability be addressed in mainstream markets as well as in niche markets? Is there a role for public regulation (national and international) for the development, harmonization and/or implementation of sustainability standards?

Standards for Sustainable Development: Sustainable China Trade Strategy ProjectThis paper considers how China should approach foreign standards for its exports as part of a broader strategy to advance toward a sustainable trade strategy for China. It is part of a larger set of papers devoted to achieving such a strategy, co-authored by IISD, various international experts and Chinese experts. The paper first looks at how standards are affecting current flows of exports from China. A wide variety of government-mandated and private standards govern China’s exports, and a significant percentage of that trade is influenced by environmental standards. The paper then explores China’s current regime for addressing standards—both the domestic regulatory regime and the regime for foreign standards affecting exporters. The two are related, since a weak domestic regime leads to difficulties in meeting tough foreign standards. The paper briefly considers the literature assessing the economic impacts of strong domestic standards. It then considers the ways in which standards are evolving in key markets for Chinese exports, and it closes with a number of options for Chinese policy-makers.

Standards for Sustainable Trade: Overview of the Issues and Outline of the ProjectThis paper sets out some background information and parameters for the regionally based research project. The following two sections of the paper focus more specifically on the standards process and its capacity requirements. What capacities are required to effectively participate in the making and use of international and national standards? And what options are available for developing countries to promote increased access to this trade promotion process? They also provide an indication of the research needs that might be subject to assessment by each regional group. Section 4 then suggests some ways in which these standards can restrict market access for goods from developing countries. Annex 1 proposes a research agenda that will allow common elements to be identified, while still providing the flexibility to accommodate regional differences. Annex 2 then provides a review of the relationship between standards for sustainable trade and the WTO, in particular the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. Annex 3 includes contact information for the project partners and advisory committee.

Standards, Labelling and CertificationThis paper looks at standards, labeling and certification, and their potential to address climate change objectives. It treats two different types of standards—product standards (based on product characteristics) and PPM-based standards (based on how the product was manufactured). The paper was prepared for the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18–20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD.

A Standing Conference on Trade and EnvironmentIISD and IUCN propose the convening of a Standing Conference on Trade and Environment (SCTE). The Conference would be a forum for achieving coherence in environmental policy as it relates to trade. It would gather the key nvironmental actors with an interest in trade policy, review policy objectives and proposals, and seek to formulate practical recommendations, which could be introduced to the WTO and other policy forums. SCTE is would be a light structure, not a new organisation. Uniquely, it would gather intergovernmental organizations, secretariats, and key elements of civil society.

The Standstill in Subsidies - UpdateThis paper takes an insider's look into the WTO negotiations on subsidies from the July Framework Agreement to the eve of the December 2005 Ministerial Conference. It paints a grim picture. Overall, progress has been slow, and subsidies have received relatively little attention. Fisheries remain the exception, and present the best hope for stronger disciplines. But in other aspects of negotiations on WTO rules, as well as the services talks, subsidies have taken a back seat to other items on the agenda. Meanwhile, in agriculture, which sits at the heart of these negotiations, the negotiations as a whole have been stalled for much of the past year, and recent attempts to kick-start them have largely been frustrated.

State of the Carbon Market: How the future market can encourage developing country participation Mitigation and adaptation will require major finance and investment, with estimates of hundreds of billions of dollars per year. Carbon markets could generate at least a significant portion of the finance and investment required, but to do so will require that markets expand their coverage, both geographically and within sectors and activities of the economy. To be successful, market-based instruments must lead to real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and be acceptable to both the buyer and seller.

This background paper examines the impact the carbon market could have on funding mitigation and adaptation in developing countries. A number of options are presented, and discussion focuses on their advantages, disadvantages, and where and to what they could be applied. The paper is informed by the considerations of supply and demand and by those the options would fit into the framework of the UNFCCC.

State of Play in Sustainable Public Procurement

Governments are the largest consumers in an economy. The public sector on average spends 45 per cent to 65 per cent of their budgets on public procurement, which amounts to 13 per cent to 17 per cent of GDPs. If governments make a concerted effort to purchase environmentally- and socially-preferable products and services, their substantial buying power will drive the delivery of sustainable development policies and stimulate markets for sustainable products and services.

In the first half of 2007, IISD, in partnership with The Energy Resource Institute (TERI) India, conducted a global review of international and national Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) initiatives. This study also included research into:

The survey identified four international and 35 national programs on Sustainable Public Procurement, reviewed selected regional and bilateral trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties, as well as the national legal frameworks on SPP in Brazil, China, India and the European Union.

This report records the findings of this survey and goes on to discuss the necessary conditions for establishing sustainable procurement policies and practices at the level of national governments. Amongst the necessary conditions discussed is that SPP frameworks should be country-specific in design and that "learning by doing" is the most effective means of realizing the benefits of SPP.

In follow up, IISD has launched country feasibility projects in India and South Africa to explore the most effective strategy to promote SPP in the national context.



The state of the REDD negotiations: Consensus points, options for moving forward and research needs to support the processThis paper, written by Louis V. Verchot and Elena Petkova, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), summarizes the state of the negotiations toward a decision in Copenhagen, specifically outlining areas of consensus, options for resolving areas where consensus has not been reached, and priorities for research to support successful implementation of an international REDD program.

The State of Sustainable Coffee: A study of twelve major marketsThe State of Sustainable Coffee provides a glimpse of the potential of using standards-based supply chain management and eco-labelling as tools for improving the terms of trade and environmental conditions facing poverty-stricken coffee producers in the South. The study provides an overview of the specific features of, and market conditions facing, organic, shade grown and fair trade coffee in 12 markets across Europe and Japan. The book was published by IISD, the International Coffee Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development with the support of the World Bank and the International Development Research Centre.

The State of Trade and Environment Law 2003: Implications for Doha and BeyondThe relationship between trade and environment has, over the last decade, become an important focus for many environmental and other civil society groups. In an effort to make this focus more productive, IISD and the Center for International Environmental Law have joined forces to look at the current state of trade law as it relates to some key environmental issues. The thesis is that the state of trade and environment law has evolved in some important ways since the issues first came on the scene, and that assessing the current state of that evolution will help negotiators and civil society to define both what the law is today and what the law in this area ought to be. This publication was made possible by a generous grant from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape.

State of Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research AgendaThis paper sets out a new research agenda on the issues of trade and environment. Based on a survey of over 300 research documents in the area over two years, and the inputs of an international group of experts, it lays out where the coming challenges lie, and where the current research effort falls short of preparing us to meet them. It concludes that too much of the current focus is on yesterday's issues, and that most of the issues of import are not those on the WTO's current agenda.

State of the World 2006: Special Focus: China and India (© Worldwatch Institute)IISD Associate and Senior Advisor Aaron Cosbey contributed a chapter to the Worldwatch Institute's State of the World 2006. The chapter, "Reconciling Trade and Environment," asks whether the current round of trade negotiations—the Doha Round—looks like it's achieving its stated aim of sustainable development. After analyzing the trends in the current negotiations in a broad array of areas, it concludes that the prospects are not good. It argues that if the WTO is serious about achieving sustainable development, it will have to address a much wider variety of concerns than it does at present. It will have to work closely with other organizations with similar mandates, such as the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme and others to help ensure that countries that liberalize are ready to do so and able to gain thereby.

Chapter 8 by Aaron Cosbey is available for download at the right. State of the World 2006 can be ordered from Worldwatch.

State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy (© Worldwatch Institute)IISD's Director of Trade and Investment, Mark Halle, contributed a chapter to the Worldwatch Institute's State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy. This year's edition marks the 25th anniversary of "State of the World."

In the chapter, titled "New Approaches to Trade Governance," Halle explores how, in the last decade, the debate on trade and the trading system has moved from a narrow focus on trade policy and mechanisms to a broader focus on how the system might best contribute to the search for sustainable development.

Chapter 14 by Mark Halle is available for download at the right. State of the World 2008 can be ordered from Worldwatch.

Statement by John Drexhage, IISD’s Director of Climate Change and Energy, to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentJohn Drexhage, IISD's Director of Climate Change and Energy, made a statement to Canada's House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development regarding Bill C-288, "An Act to ensure Canada meets its global climate change obligations under the Kyoto Protocol." Drexhage argues that effectively addressing "the grave and present threat" of climate change demands a response well beyond the world of environmental negotiators. Kyoto and future agreements, if they are to be successful, must engage at the investment and financial policy level. (November 23, 2006)

Statement to House of Commons Legislative Committee on Bill C-30On February 13, 2007, IISD Director of Climate Change and Energy, John Drexhage, made a Statement to Canada's House of Commons Legislative Committee on Bill C-30, also known as the "Clean Air Act."

"The very phrase 'Kyoto' has taken on all sorts of connotations, most of which, unfortunately, have only worked to needlessly politicize the issue of climate change in Canada," noted Drexhage. "In particular, all the attention on our specific targets has resulted in us losing sight of the fact that the Kyoto agreement just as critically established, and continues to establish, the international policy architecture for addressing climate change, from methodologies for how we count, verify and report our emissions, including biological sequestration activities, to developing work programs for adaptation, and establishing the rules for the operation of the many flexibility provisions in the agreement."

Statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentJohn Drexhage, IISD's Director of Climate Change and Energy, shared his post-Bali thoughts with Canada's House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development on January 28.

"First of all, was Bali a success?," writes Drexhage. "If I may bring in a baseball analogy here, while the final agreement reached at Bali was far from a 'home run', neither was it a strike out. I guess I would categorize it as a 'bunt single'. The world is 'on base' in addressing climate change—but barely—and we are now entering into the last innings of this critical global challenge."

Statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development (June 19, 2007)On June 19, 2007, John Drexhage, IISD's Director of Climate Change and Energy, made this statement to Canada's House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development. In the statement, Drexhage assesses G-8 progress and comments on climate change and comments on Canada's efforts in that context. Writes Drexhage: "… successfully addressing climate change requires a serious re-thinking of how we approach policy development and implementation towards more integrated, adaptive models."

Status of the UNFCCC Negotiations: Outcomes of the Bonn Climate Change TalksThis paper provides an overview of the status of the international climate change negotiations, with an emphasis on the outcomes of the Bonn Climate Change Talks in March–April and August 2009. The paper examines the main issues at stake in the negotiations, with an emphasis on the four pillars of the Bali Action Plan: mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing. The concluding section discusses critical issues that will impact the negotiations.

Status of the UNFCCC Negotiations: Outcomes of the Bonn Climate Change Talks, March-April 2009This paper provides an overview of the status of the international climate change negotiations with an emphasis on the outcomes of the Climate Change Talks, March-April 2009 in Bonn, Germany. The paper examines the main issues at stake in the negotiations with an emphasis on the four pillars of the Bali Action Plan: mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing. The concluding section discusses critical issues that will impact on the negotiations.

Status of the UNFCCC Negotiations: Outcomes of COP 14 PoznanThis paper provides an overview of the status of the international climate change negotiations, with an emphasis on the outcomes of COP 14 in Poznan, Poland. The paper first provides information on the main negotiating bodies and the process. It then presents the range of discussions and conclusions in Poznan, looking at the outcomes of the AWG-LCA, AWG-KP, the Article 9 review, Adaptation Fund, REDD, technology transfer and financing. The concluding section sets out some of the critical issues that will need to be resolved over 2009.

Strategic Environmental Assessment: A Concept in ProgressIn cooperation with the World Bank Institute (WBI), IISD developed a training module focused on integrated policy analysis. The methodology underlying the training module is developed on the basis of the World Bank's emerging Country Environment Analysis (CEA) approach and also draws on IISD's experience with UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO). The module was field-tested in a training workshop in Moscow as part of a World Bank capacity building initiative.

Strategic Intentions: Managing knowledge networks for sustainable developmentStrategic Intentions focuses on the International Institute for Sustainable Development's experiences in establishing and managing knowledge networks. This collection of observations, insights and lessons learned, demonstrates the true value of the "network advantage" in the pursuit of sustainable development.

Strategic Intentions: Principles for Formal Knowledge NetworksThis paper is an overview of formal knowledge networks, a model for networking which IISD has seen as a more structured and outcome-oriented approach than some other models for collaboration. The paper briefly examines the drivers behind the growth of interest and experimentation with networks; the different types of knowledge and their relevance for knowledge networks; the range of collaboration models available for sharing, aggregating and creating knowledge; the formal knowledge network as a separate and distinct approach; the operating principles for formal knowledge networks; and a synopsis of the basic components for formal knowledge networks.

Strong Task Force: Current and Future Follow-upMay 1997

Subsidizing Biofuels BackfiresCEO and President of IISD, David Runnalls comments on the recent publication on global subsidies to biofuels in the United States. The report estimates that the subsidies to biofuels are between $5.5 billion and $7.3 billion U.S. per year. Many of these subsidies are being piled on top of one another without policy-makers having a clear idea of their potential impact on the environment and the economy. The report states that biofuels are an extremely high-cost means for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, costing approximately US$500 if state and federal subsidies to reduce one metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalency. As Mr. Runnalls points out, US$500 could offset more than 30 tonnes on the European Climate Exchange or nearly 140 tonnes on the Chicago Climate Exchange.

Success Factors in Knowledge ManagementThis IISD Knowledge Communications Practice Note explores what success means in strengthening knowledge management practices. There is ongoing debate in the field of knowledge management about whether it is possible to set standards or benchmarks for knowledge management practices, and what those standards might be. Nevertheless, there are a number of knowledge management practices that appear consistently across a variety of organizations, regardless of structure and mandate.

These notes were originally prepared as background for a study on knowledge mobilization for IUCN – The World Conservation Union. For more information on the full study, click here.

Summary of CRiSTAL: Community-based Risk Screening Tool – Adaptation & LivelihoodsCRiSTAL (Community-based Risk Screening Tool - Adaptation and Livelihoods) is a tool designed to assist project planner and managers with integrating risk reduction and climate change adaptation into community-level projects. Developed by IISD in partnership with the World Conservation Union–IUCN, Stockholm Environment Institute–United States and Intercooperation, the tool (a) helps users to systematically understand the links between local livelihoods; (b) enables users to assess a project's impact on community level adaptive capacity; and (c ) assists users in making adjustments to improve a project's impact on adaptive capacity. The "Summary of CRISTAL" brochure provides on overview of CRiSTAL–its history, objectives and structure.

Summary Remarks: Copenhagen Seminar on Trade and Climate ChangeThese are the summary remarks delivered by IISD President David Runnalls at the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18-20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD.

Supermarket Buying Power: Global Supply Chains and Smallholder FarmersSupermarkets now dominate food sales in developed countries and are rapidly expanding their global presence. This paper is about the impact of the supermarkets' increased market power on global supply chains and what this means for smallholder farmers in the developing world trying to sell their produce to the potentially lucrative markets of the developed world.

Supply Management: Options for Commodity Income StabilizationThe best known tool for commodity price stabilization, especially in developing countries, is supply management (SM). Management of both domestic and international commodity supplies by governments has a history dating back to the agricultural price crisis of the 1930s. It has been a mechanism in the defence of poorer countries' interests on numerous world markets. What is less widely considered is SM's basis in market mechanisms, as a tool in the hands of powerful players in the market. This paper explains SM, highlights some historical success and failures, and makes recommendations for its future implementation.

Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leadership

As a new generation of leaders in the field of sustainable development emerges, it is imperative that their knowledge and passion is efficiently and effectively channelled into managing the critical issues: reducing CO2 emissions, mechanisms to ensure reliable and sustainable food and water supply, plans for protecting and enhancing biodiversity, pollution prevention and clean-up, and harnessing the power of the market for sustainable development.

This paper presents the results of IISD’s 2008 survey of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) members’ training programs for ages 20-35. It serves as the foundation document for a workshop on Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leadership at IUCN Congress 2008 aimed at exploring collaborative possibilities to shape future training programs by reviewing existing programs, highlighting key issues and identifying the possible next steps.



Surviving and Thriving in the Great M&A GameCanadian aluminum giant Alcan was recently the target of a US$28-billion hostile takeover bid by Alcoa and then managed to organize a friendly takeover by Rio Tinto worth US $44 billion. Clearly a Canadian firm can play in the big leagues of business and maintain their corporate responsibility. Dan Gagnier, who was at the Alcan senior management table throughout this turbulent period, shares this personal account of surviving and thriving during a global trend of consolidation.

This article appears in the 2007 July/August issue of Policy Options.

Surviving in a Changing World: Environment, Security and Microfinance IISD Environment and Security Team members Richard Matthew and Anne Hammill have written an article for the Spring 2006 issue of Green Cross International's Optimist magazine. The article summarizes some of the ways in which environmental change and security have been linked, highlights case studies from Nepal and Sudan, and discusses the current research being conducted on microfinance as a strategy for bolstering the resilience of the most vulnerable peoples in the world.

Sustainable Agriculture: From Common Principles to Common PracticeThe International Forum on Assessing Sustainability in Agriculture (INFASA) was established by IISD and the Swiss College of Agriculture in 2006. INFASA aims to advance sustainable agricultural production by facilitating an ongoing strategic dialogue among scientists, policy-makers, producers, food industry leaders and consumers.

INFASA debuted with a Symposium in Bern, Switzerland in March of 2006. The Symposium included a wide range of stakeholders, including corporations, farmers, researchers and NGOs. Some of the key topics were: the need to coordinate transparent and standardized approaches for all stakeholders; the need for easy to understand measurement and assessment tools; the linkages between policy and practice; and the farm-level applications of these tools.

This book Sustainable Agriculture: From Common Principles to Common Practice and its accompanying CD is an in-depth report on the symposium's findings as well as questions about the future direction of INFASA. In the next phase of INFASA the following key questions are to be addressed: What measurement tools and practices are needed by the various stakeholders? What are the most prominent and promising measurement tools and practices in use? How can we improve the use of measurement tools? What guidance can we offer for developing the next generation of sustainability measurement tools? How can we strengthen the data underpinning agricultural sustainability measurement? How can we use demonstration projects and promote capacity building?

Download CD contents (ZIP - 74 mb)

Sustainable Coffee Trade: The Role of Coffee ContractsThis paper provides an overview of the feasibility of using contracts generally, and specific contractual elements in particular, as instruments to catalyze sustainable development within the coffee sector. Conventional contracts maintain stability and predictability in international coffee trade, but generally do little to support coffee production and processing methods critical to sustainable development. An overview of three alternative contracting systems (Utz Kapeh, Fair Trade and the Starbucks Preferred Supplier Program) highlights the potential for using price, contract length, risk distribution and preferred supplier status as tools for reducing producer exposure to the market risks and uncertainties which threaten the livelihood of millions of small coffee producers around the world.

The Sustainable Commodity Initiative SCI Rationale and Road-map: 2008-2011The Sustainable Commodity Initiative is a multi-stakeholder alliance aimed at maximizing the sustainable development impacts of Voluntary Sustainability Initiatives (VSIs) in commodity production and trade. Guided by a multi-stakeholder Secretariat and Consultative Group, the SCI will play an action-oriented role as a proponent and facilitator of debate, policy and initiative development while stimulating the adoption of best practice across initiatives and associated public policy. The SCI Secretariat is currently supported by AIDEnvironment, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

The SCI offers a unique forum for leveraging existing knowledge and initiatives across VSIs with a view to maximizing sustainable development impacts through scientific research; policy analysis; highlighting best practice; facilitating learning, and more.

The SCI has continued to develop a strategic approach in response to recent changes in supply chain challenges and opportunities. Equipped with a revitalized three-year road-map that builds on the SCI's mission to act as a catalyst towards improved social and environmental performance in global commodity production and trade, the Initiative will continue to strengthen the link between the production of commodities and sustainable livelihoods.

Sustainable Development and China: Recommendations for the Forestry, Cotton and E-products Sectors

China has entered an unprecedented stage of economic growth. Home to one-fifth of the world's population, China's domestic markets and production base are set to establish China as the world's single largest economy by 2030. China's rapid and foreseeable economic growth places it in the unique position of being able to redefine its manufacturing base and trading relationships in accordance with the core principles of sustainable development over a relatively short time frame. And while the opportunity before China is clear, it is also clear that taking full advantage of this opportunity will only be possible with the cooperation and support of its trading partners.

The Global Markets Project is a joint initiative of the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM). It is aimed at identifying practical strategies for ensuring the long-term sustainability of China's growth process. Fuelled by an international research team and guided by a high-level international advisory panel, the project provides a forward-looking and constructive approach to transitioning key Chinese supply chains from "business as usual" to a "sustainable business" paradigm.

This report, which summarizes the results of the first phase of the Global Markets Project, provides an overview of the social and environmental impacts associated with the Chinese forestry, cotton and E-product supply chains, as well as a corresponding set of recommendations to the Chinese government as it moves towards its objective of attaining HeXieSheHui ("harmonious society"). The report's conclusions suggest a series of concrete actions available to the Chinese government as it seeks to leverage the forces of the market as a vehicle for stimulating sustainable production, consumption and trade.

For additional background, please see the three sector reports:

Global Forest Product Chains (PDF - 2.8 mb)

Global Cotton and Textile Product Chains (PDF - 1.2 mb)

Sustainable Electronics and Electrical Equipment for China (PDF - 1.5 mb)



Sustainable Development and National Government Actions: New study identifies key issues in national sustainable development strategy processAs nations work on meeting their 2005 commitments for the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development, a recent 19-country independent study conducted by IISD, the Canadian consulting firm Stratos Inc., and the Environmental Policy Research Center in Berlin, concludes that most national governments are not thinking strategically about the transition to a sustainable future. Simply developing a national strategy for sustainable development will not radically shift the course of public policy to more sustainable paths or address pressing national social, economic and environmental issues in an integrated manner. Instead, our world of constant surprise, change and uncertainty requires medium and long-term work toward improving national-level strategic and coordinated action to yield large gains in the ability of nations to identify, and take full advantage of, leverage points for influencing sustainable development and to continuously learn and adapt to challenges. The authors have highlighted four key areas in need of immediate attention including: improved feedback mechanisms, coordination of strategic objectives and initiatives with the national budgeting process, coordination with sub-national and local sustainable development action, and increased implementation of under-utilized policy instruments.

Sustainable Development and the Oceans - Navigating Our Way From RioDescribes the relationship between development and the environment in all sectors and regions of the world. Also describes moving from sustainable development concept to practice, the problems and opportunity of Agenda 21 (contains the latest of a long series of prescriptive analyses regarding the oceans, and Bruntland's Seven Imperatives and Ocean Development.

Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation Exploring the LinksThe number of people living in absolute poverty (living below the dollar-a-day poverty line) fell from approximately 28 per cent in 1987 to 24 per cent in 1998 (WDR 2000). The absolute number of people living below that poverty line has remained stable at 1.23 billion, however, almost half of the world’s population of six billion lives below the two-dollar-a-day-poverty line. More must be done. A new paradigm—rooted in sustainable development—might be the answer.

Sustainable Development and the World Summit for Social DevelopmentThis contribution, which is intended to assist in the deliberations of the preparatory process, seeks to give an integrated perspective to the` core issues of the World Summit on Social Development (WSSD). Issues discussed during UN deliberations leading up to the decision to hold the WSSD and the definition of its scope of work have been given due consideration.

Sustainable Development Communications Network EvaluationThe SDCN evaluation was IISD’s first attempt at applying new network evaluation models. It used a self assessment approach to evaluation using an agreed performance framework, questions and a facilitated process. While this was a consultative process, it was not a collaborative process. The evaluation of outcomes, conclusions and recommendations are those of IISD, based on consultations with members, related correspondence and five years of network documentation.

The Sustainable Development Communications Network, 1996-2001: An EvaluationThe SDCN evaluation was IISD’s first attempt at applying new network evaluation models. It used a self assessment approach to evaluation using an agreed performance framework, questions and a facilitated process. While this was a consultative process, it was not a collaborative process. The evaluation of outcomes, conclusions and recommendations are those of IISD, based on consultations with members, related correspondence and five years of network documentation.

Sustainable Development for the Great Plains: Policy AnalysisSustainable agriculture is fundamental to the future sources of food and fibre for the expanding world population.

This decision-makers summary of Agriculture and Sustainable Development-Policy analysis on the Great Plains presents a framework to analyze policy with respect to sustainable development principles for agriculture and case studies applying such a framework.

Sustainable Development for the Great Plains is important reading for those interested in agriculture and sustainable development policy on the Great Plains and anyone working in agri-business.

Sustainable development impacts of investment incentives : A case study of the mining industry in Vietnam

Vietnam has seen impressive increases in foreign direct investment over the last two decades thanks to gradual improvements in the legal system and investment policy to create favourable conditions for foreign investors. Incentives available to enterprises investing in certain sectors and locations have become an integral part of Vietnam’s investment framework. Using the mining and quarrying sector as a case study, this paper examines the impact of such incentives on shaping foreign enterprises' decision to invest in Vietnam. The study also assesses the role of investment incentives in encouraging socially responsible and environmentally sustainable performance in the mining industry. It concludes with a series of recommendations on how to ensure that incentive-induced FDI promotes sustainable development in Vietnam.

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Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives: A Case Study of the Chemical Industry in Indonesia

Foreign direct investment inflow has assumed great importance for the Indonesian economy, especially after the 1997 economic crisis, as a means of stimulating job creation, poverty alleviation and economic growth. In order to attract foreign investment, Indonesia offers various investment incentives to potential investors. Using the chemicals industry as a case study, this paper provides an overview of incentives and assesses the likely role they have played in attracting foreign investments and generating employment. In addition, a field study of Banten province highlights some of the social and environmental impacts of investments in the chemical sector.

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Sustainable Development Impacts of Investment Incentives: A Case Study of Malawi’s Tourism Sector

Many countries have policies to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and use policy instruments such as investment incentives to enable FDI relationships. While the efficacy of incentives as a determinant for FDI is often questioned, small developing countries have resorted to such measures. Malawi, for instance, has introduced a range of allowances, tax holidays and tax rate reductions for investors in its tourism sector. This case study investigates the costs and benefits of these incentives, especially in light of assisting the country in reaching its sustainable development goals.

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Sustainable Development in the Plantation Industry in Laos: An Examination of the Role of the Ministry of Planning and Investment

The plantation industry in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has seen rapid growth in recent years, driven predominantly by overseas investment. This paper examines the investment boom in the sector, the current policy, regulations and decision-making mechanisms, and the important role the Ministry of Planning and Investment could play in ensuring that investment flows into the Lao PDR achieve the best environmental and social outcomes for the country.

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Sustainable Development Indicators: Proposals for a Way ForwardThis paper was commissioned by the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development in preparation for its expert meeting in December 2005. The paper’s key point is that sustainable development indicators have the potential to turn the general concept of sustainability into action. Today, however, we are far from achieving this potential.

A Sustainable Development Roadmap for the WTOThe impasse in the Doha negotiations offers both grounds for concern about the current regime’s model, and the breathing space in which to thoughtfully consider how that model might better serve today’s needs. This short book argues that the WTO has committed to sustainable development as one of its basic objectives, and asks what the organization would look like if that objective were rigorously pursued. The answers (that range across areas as diverse as dispute settlement, accession, trade and environment, trade and development, and the negotiation process) identify what needs to be done and what role the WTO should play. The result is a timely roadmap for helping the WTO achieve its full economic, environmental and social potential.

The Sustainable Development Timeline - 2002Starting with the release of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, the IISD Sustainable Development Timeline highlights key meetings, environmental events, publications and other milestones that have paved the path toward sustainability. This version of the Timeline was published in 2002 prior to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

The Sustainable Development Timeline - 2006Starting with the release of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, the IISD Sustainable Development Timeline highlights key meetings, environmental events, publications and other milestones that have paved the path toward sustainability. This fourth edition, available in Chinese and English, was published in January 2006. IISD prepared this edition with the generous support of the Canada School of Public Service and the Canadian International Development Agency.

The Sustainable Development Timeline - 2007Starting with the release of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, the IISD Sustainable Development Timeline highlights key meetings, environmental events, publications and other milestones that have paved the path toward sustainability. This fifth edition, available in French and English, was published in the summer of 2007. IISD gratefully acknowledges the support of Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth in the production of this edition.

The Sustainable Development Timeline - 2009Starting with the release of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, the IISD Sustainable Development Timeline highlights key meetings, environmental events, publications and other milestones that have paved the path toward sustainability. This sixth edition, available in French and English, was published in January 2010. IISD gratefully acknowledges the support of Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth in the production of this edition.

Sustainable Development: The Case of Energy in South Africa - Full ReportEnergy is central to achieving the interrelated economic, social and environmental aims of sustainable development and energy services play a crucial role in providing efficient access to energy in support of development. Developing countries are faced with a number of challenges in this regard, such as achieving more reliable and efficient access to energy for domestic consumption and production, growing their share in the trade of energy goods and services, and mitigating adverse environmental impacts from energy activities. The main objective of this study is to look at what dominates South Africa’s energy supply – coal-based energy – with an emphasis on electricity.

Sustainable Development: The missing piece in the Southern African Customs Union's regional trading arrangements?

A sound SACU-wide sustainable development agenda is crucial to address poverty, access to health, education and income opportunities while ensuring environmental conservation that works in balance with economic and trade development. Within this context, the study reviews the regional trade agreements operating in the region and assesses the potential for these agreements to promote and frustrate sustainable development goals.

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Sustainable Development: Theme Proposal for IGF New DelhiIn response to the request for comments and views on the November 2007 Rio de Janeiro meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and suggestions regarding the format and content of the December 2008 New Delhi meeting, this paper proposes that sustainable development be considered as a theme for the New Delhi meeting, and that one of its plenary sessions be devoted to “exploring the linkages between Internet governance and sustainable development.” This document is based on IISD's submission to the February 26, 2008, stock-taking session of the Internet Governance Forum in Geneva.

Sustainable Drylands Management (Livelihoods and Climate Change Information Paper 3)In an effort to encourage the use of ecosystem management and restoration activities in climate change adaptation strategies, IUCN, IISD, SEI-B and Intercooperation have produced a series of Information Papers to highlight successful examples of where such activities have decreased community vulnerability to climate-related hazards such as droughts and floods.

This Information Paper, third of a series, focuses on the vulnerability of dryland communities, particularly the one billion people who depend on rural drylands for their livelihoods. The examples of watershed management in India and rangeland rehabilitation in Sudan are used to highlight the importance of ecosystem management and restoration activities in increasing community resilience to climate change.

Sustainable Electronics and Electrical Equipment for China and the World: A commodity chain sustainability analysis of key Chinese EEE product chainsSince its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, China’s e-product manufacturing sector has entirely reoriented itself from an industry driven primarily by domestic markets, to a fundamentally export-driven sector and the world’s most important supplier of many, if not most, major e-products on the market today. Perhaps not surprisingly, the single most important environmental impact arising from e-products are those impacts associated with energy use. Both the manufacturing and use phases of e-products are highly energy intensive. At a more local level, the manufacture, recycling and disposal of e-products presents serious threats to personal and community safety through the heavy metals and chemicals used in processing and production. China’s special role as the world’s leading destination for foreign e-waste, combined with its vast system of informal e-waste recycling and disposal, presents both an environmental challenge and opportunity.

Based on our analysis of the social and environmental impacts of e-products, both within China and abroad, basic areas for improvement can be identified that provide a baseline set of objectives for any policy action aimed at attaining improved sustainability across the sector. These include improved management and handling during e-product manufacture, e-waste collection, dismantling and disposal and improved design for the reduction of energy and resource use (both during production and use phases) and the maximization of recyclability (eco-design).

The main challenge facing Chinese (and international) policy-makers in this context is the identification of effective mechanisms for stimulating the efficient adoption of such improvements without jeopardizing the economic growth needed to maintain economic development. Building on the existing policy framework and related private initiatives both nationally and internationally, this report proposes policy action along two complementary trajectories: the reinforcement of regulatory measures and the expansion of market-based measures.

Sustainability of Canada's Agri-Food System - A Prairie PerspectiveIISD's Great Plains Program aims to better understand and promote sustainable development within the prairie regions of Canada and the United States. The Great Plains are important in terms of biodiversity, climate change and conservation of soil and water.

The University of Manitoba produced this report which explains the role of science and technology in achieving a sustainable system of agricultural production, and in ensuring a safe and nutritious food supply thoughout Canada's prairie region.

Sustainability of International Development Networks: Review of IDRC Experience (1995–2005)Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has 35 years of experience in developing and sustaining international networks. In the fast-changing global context of the past 10 years, it has found that sustainability means that a network continues to function until it achieves its goals, or until its members are no longer willing or able to continue, or until it becomes irrelevant. Sustainability thus has four dimensions: time, relationships, resources and relevance. In order to be sustainable across these dimensions, network members and coordinators must cooperate in establishment of mechanisms to enable strategic management, internal management, external management and financial management. Most importantly, however, members and coordinators must possess adaptive capacity that enables them to recognize the need for change and to respond appropriately to it.

Sustainability Policies at the School Division Level in Manitoba: The status of policy development and its relationship to actions in schoolsThis report, prepared with the support of the Province of Manitoba and presented to Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth, looks at how sustainability policies at the school division level in Manitoba intersect with what happens in schools. “…Despite the noticeable lack of policies at the school division level, there does seem to be a real movement within many individual schools to promote strategies and processes for creating more sustainable schools,” the authors note. “Individual schools in Manitoba appear to be taking their own initiative in the absence of a formalized school mandate or policy, with initiatives driven either by the principal, teachers, students or a combination of the above that do not appear to require a division mandate to move forward.” This raises the question about whether these initiatives can be sustained and replicated in other schools, in the absence of division policy. Research included a literature review, surveys and interviews with education officials.

Sustainability, Poverty and Policy Adjustment: From Legacy to VisionDecison Makers Summary

Findings and Recommendations of the International Conference 2-4 December 1993 on Sustainable Development, PovertyEradication and Macro/Micro Policy Adjustment

Sustainable Livelihoods & Climate Change Adaptation - A Review of Phase One Activities for the Project on “Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation"Phase One of the project on "Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation" ended in December 2003. This report provides a summary of the rationale, activities, results and lessons-learned from the project, as well as a discussion of next steps.

Sustainable Tourism in St. Lucia: A Sustainability Assessment of Trade and Liberalization in Tourism-services - Full ReportThis paper examines the role played by trade and liberalization in tourism services in fostering or constraining sustainable development. In short, it explores the question: what are the opportunities and barriers to achieving sustainable development through trade in tourism services? The paper draws on relevant current literature, as well as existing data on tourism services in St. Lucia, a popular tourism destination in the Eastern Caribbean.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2000-2001 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentSustaining Excellence: The 2001-2002 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentSustaining Excellence: The 2001-2002 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, captures institutional highlights and financial news from the fiscal year ending March 31, 2002. This year's report also includes a feature article about the tenth anniversary of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, a collection of insights and ideas from IISD board and staff, and a guest column about the state of sustainability, by James Gustave Speth, Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2002-2003 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentSustaining Excellence: The 2002-2003 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, captures institutional highlights and financial news from the fiscal year ending March 31, 2003. This year's report also includes an "FAQ about IISD" and a collection of insights about learning, written by IISD staff.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2003-2004 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentSustaining Excellence: The 2003-2004 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable Development captures institutional highlights and financial information for the year ending March 31, 2004. This year’s report includes an interview with former IISD President, Dr. Arthur J. Hanson, O.C., and a report on IISD’s own institutional sustainable development performance.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2004-2005 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentThe 2004-2005 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable Development covers programmatic and financial highlights for the year ending March 31, 2005. This year's report also celebrates IISD's fifteenth anniversary with an institutional timeline and the personal reflections of five eminent friends of the institute. We also examine the institute's recently-confirmed strategic directions for the period 2005-2010.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2005-2006 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentThe 2005-2006 annual report describes program highlights and financial performance for the year ending March 31, 2006. The report also includes feature articles about our Global Subsidies Initiative, the Emerging Leaders for Governance project and about the economic value of ecological goods and services. The report begins with a feature called "The Change I Seek," wherein members of our team express their individual perspectives and passions about the work we do.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2006-2007 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentThe 2006–2007 annual report describes program highlights and financial performance for the year ending March 31, 2007. The report also includes feature articles on our work in China, ongoing research into Lake Winnipeg, and the prospects for global environmental governance in a world of institutional change. The report also draws attention to sustainable development since the Bruntland report, with an article focusing on the reflections of Bruntland's Canadian commissioners—Maurice Strong and Jim MacNeill. As climate change policy heats up in Canada and abroad, IISD's Climate Change and Energy Director John Drexhage probes some tough questions on the road ahead.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2007-2008 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentThe 2007–2008 annual report describes program highlights and financial performance for the year ending March 31, 2008. The report also includes a compelling article by IISD President and CEO David Runnalls on what must happen for sustainable development to finally take hold; an interview with a project partner in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; an overview of the global food issue; a look at the intersection between Internet governance and sustainable development, and more.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2008–2009 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable DevelopmentThe 2008–2009 annual report describes program highlights and financial performance for the year ending March 31, 2009. The report also includes a guest essay by Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme; a compelling photo essay, telling the story of conflict-sensitive conservation in Africa; a perspective on the prospects for a post-2012 climate agreement; and a discussion of the principles of ecological goods and services.

A Synopsis of Trends in Knowledge ManagementThis IISD Knowledge Communications Practice Note briefly reviews seven trends that are influencing how organizations are approaching knowledge management. These trends are: convergence; transition from the storage and retrieval of information to active engagement with the knowledge user; shifting emphasis from knowledge to influence; a new focus on social capital and social networks; open source/open content: addressing the democratization of knowledge-sharing; the adoption of different modalities; and adaptive management.

These notes were originally prepared as background for a study on knowledge mobilization for IUCN – The World Conservation Union; it has subsequently been expanded and updated. For more information on the full study, click here.

Taking the Doha Language Seriously: The WTO as if Sustainable Development Really MatteredThis paper, written for the Royal Institute of International Affairs conference: Sustainable Development in the New Trade Round: Trade, Investment and Environment after Doha, Chatham House, London, May 13–14, 2002, argues that the language of the Doha Declaration is strongly in favour of sustainable development as a goal for the multilateral trading system, and asks what the organizational and rules-based implications are if we actually take that objective seriously.

Ten Questions to Guide the Development of Communications Tactics for Research ProjectsThis IISD Knowledge Communications Practice Note focuses on communications planning for research projects. The practices outlined here are based on IISD's Influencing Strategy, but focus more specifically on the issue of tactics—how to move your knowledge into the hands of the people you seek to influence. These planning guidelines are followed by a brief inventory of communications approaches and tools.

Ten+TenTen + Ten explores the top ten achievements and failures in sustainable development in the decade between Rio and Johnannesburg.

The Terminology of Knowledge for Sustainable Development: Information, Knowledge, Collaboration and CommunicationsThis IISD Knowledge Communications Practice Note offers an extensive glossary of terms related to sustainable development communications. The glossary covers: principal distinctions; terminology of knowledge processes; typology of collaborative relationships; and an inventory of communications practices and tools. These notes were originally prepared as background for a study on knowledge mobilization for IUCN – The World Conservation Union; it has subsequently been expanded and updated. For more information on the full study, click here.

Terms-of-Trade: A Criterion for Trade Disputes SettlementThis paper reviews existing studies on trade-distorting subsidies and their impact on trade in Canada, the U.S. and the EU15 as well as the measures that have been undertaken by the GATT and most recently, the WTO for detecting problems related to over subsidization and resolving trade disputes. The paper suggests the use of terms-of-trade as a better indicator for detecting and resolving trade disputes.

There is a Better Way: An Introduction to the Development as Freedom Approach

This is a documentary comic-book for people who are completing their studies and are about to enter the arena of public life to earn their living. It is an introduction to the ideas of Amartya Sen, the celebrated economist, who earned the Nobel Prize for Economic Science in 1998, and who has spent a lifetime urging for a change of focus in what has come to be called 'the development process'. In 1999, Sen gathered all his arguments together in a landmark book called Development as Freedom. Even the title was a revelation to the development planners at the World Bank and the IMF, to whom these arguments were originally addressed. Sen's new approach has since changed development thinking profoundly, for both rich and poor, in the twenty-first century. It is a challenge to us all to make a difference.

Sen's ideas are presented in this comic-book in a fast-moving, illustrated dialogue - giving a broad overview of what it is that he is driving at - in the hope that more people will be attracted to read his book in more detail, to discuss it, and understand its important message to us all.



A Thirst for Distant Lands: Foreign investment in agricultural land and waterThe paper, A Thirst for Distant Lands: Foreign investment in agricultural land and water, provides a synopsis of current trends in the expansion of foreign investment in agriculture. Drawing on current literature, media reports and a series of interviews, the paper looks at the causes, the mechanisms and the growth, in particular, of long-distance farming for home-country consumption.

The paper considers both the land and water issues that are involved. Much of the existing literature focuses on the investment in land, addressing water as an adjunct problem only. However, land without the water is of little value to the investors. In IISD's view, the land and water issues are equally critical, raising similar problems to local communities and developing countries. The paper, therefore, examines some of the uncertainties and impacts relating to the commodification of land and water for long-distance agriculture.

In particular, the paper focuses on the linkage between domestic law, international investment contracts and international investment treaties. Each of these three sources of law can have positive and negative implications for community and individual rights to land, water and food. The initial scoping of issues reveals the potential for the international law sources to prevail over domestic law, providing foreign users with enforceable rights at the expense of local rights' holders, particularly where domestic law is insufficient to identify and protect citizen rights. This situation can be addressed, but it requires specific and deliberate efforts.

Tobacco Revenue Management: Malawi case studyThe third in a series of seven case studies examining national responses to the commodity price problem, this study focuses on how Malawi has addressed price volatility in its tobacco sector.

Agriculture is the driving force of Malawi's economy, and tobacco is the country's primary crop. However, continued tobacco price volatility and a long-term trend of declining prices has forced Malawi to consider new ways of stabilizing producer and government incomes, in the hopes that these incomes can then be used to invest in economic diversification.

This paper presents a critical review of the existing and potential measures available to stabilize tobacco incomes in Malawi. It begins by examining the extent of Malawi's dependence on tobacco and the crop's persistent price fluctuations. The paper then details the approaches used within the country to stabilize tobacco revenues, before concluding with recommendations for producers and policymakers to move forward.

Tools for Assessing Web Site UsageWeb sites are now a common component of network communications with external audiences. This paper is an examination of several tools for assessing the effectiveness of a web site. Is the knowledge of the network reaching its target audiences? Is the presentation of that knowledge usable by the audience?

Towards Assessing the Distributional Impacts of Meeting Kyoto Targets in CanadaLower-income groups spend a bigger share of their budgets on energy expenses than higher-income groups do and are therefore more responsive to changes in energy prices. As a result, lower-income groups are more likely to bear a greater impact of increased energy prices, such as the ones resulting from meeting targets of the Kyoto Protocol. However, such assessment has not yet been performed within an energy modelling framework. MARKAL-Equity was developed to achieve this. When trying to meet Kyoto targets, Canadian data show that all income groups will see a reduction in demand for energy services. However, the reduction of energy consumption is not straightforward. Some groups, specifically the middle-income group, will choose less efficient technologies, such as wood stoves, over time. Results show that the low-income group, although it reacts to the new emission constraints by demanding less energy service, does not fundamentally change its technology, and thus its fuel consumption pattern, as do other income groups. This tends to show that the low-income group does not have the ability to cope as well as other income groups. Transitional policies should therefore be aimed at the low-income households to help them cope with energy policies that will curb emissions to reach the Kyoto targets. Although this first model of MARKAL-Equity could still be enhanced, this study shows the importance of taking into account specific income group behaviours and responses to energy policies. The MARKAL-EQUITY program is part of the TERI-Canada Energy Efficiency Project undertaken with our partner, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India.

Towards Change: The Work and Results of Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development North America (Brochure)This brochure offers a snapshot of the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development North America project, which concluded in 2002. The brochure also includes the project's recommendations in brief.

Towards Change: The Work and Results of Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development North America

Towards Change is the final report of Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development North America. It captures the work and results of the largest-ever review of mining and minerals. Positive and negative implications to people and to ecosystems are considered. As part of the MMSD Global initiative, MMSD–North America also offers a strategy for how the industry and others can ensure that mining and minerals contribute positively to society's overall transition to sustainable development.



Towards a Common Methodology for Measuring Irrigation SubsidiesThis discussion paper on the quantification of water subsidization marks the first step in a major research effort launched by the Global Subsidies Initiative in the area of irrigation subsidies. The paper focuses on the development of a methodology, in order to provide researchers with a concise set of defined parameters to follow when quantifying irrigation subsidies and developing nationally comparable estimates.

Towards Departmental Stewardship Planning in the Saskatchewan Government: Insights from Other Stewardship Planning and Related Efforts in Canada and Abroad

The Green Policy and Integrated Environmental Monitoring Sections of Saskatchewan Environment contracted the International Institute for Sustainable Development in 2005 to conduct background research in support of proposed Departmental Stewardship Planning for the Government of Saskatchewan. Departmental Stewardship Planning is an action to support the goal of Shared Responsibility, Integration and Accountability as set out in the government of Saskatchewan's new Green Strategy. The research report provides insights toward possible departmental stewardship planning pertaining to two important modes by which the government can have an influence on environment and sustainable development:



Towards the integration of conflict assessment and prevention in extractive industry practiceAn analysis of the best corporate practice in political risk assessment, developmental and environmental impact assessment as they relate to conflict sensitivity.

Towards A Southern Agenda on International Investment: Discussion Paper on the Role of International Investment AgreementsUntil recently, the universe of international investment agreements (IIAs) and their role in relation to sustainable development had not received much attention. This paper addresses this relationship. It identifies some of the key developments in relation to IIAs, and articulates a number of issues specifically relating to sustainable development.

Towards A Southern Agenda on Investment: Summary of Country Studies and Some ObservationsThe five studies represent a remarkable initial approach to the complex issues of articulating a Southern Agenda on Investment that promotes sustainable development. They provide important insights and lead to a number of follow-up questions that are arguably even more difficult to answer. This note summarizes some of the results of the studies and articulates some follow-up questions with a view to promoting further debate about the research and policy requirements for international investment regimes that promote sustainable development.

Towards Sustainable Outsourcing: A responsible competitiveness agenda for IT-enabled servicesIISD's primer on Responsible Competitiveness in the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) explores an ambitious agenda for countries, cities and firms to create an outsourcing model that is genuinely sustainable. In the past decade, sustainable development proponents and the ITES industry have missed two clear opportunities to engage in developing solutions for sustainable development.

They now have a third chance-ITES 3.0, which recognizes that investment in ITES alone, will not automatically increase resource gains and productivity. Rather, ITES needs to be given its due place as a new industry, while investment promotion agencies need to broker agreements that will increase employment, innovation and entrepreneurship in their own countries.

The current global economic downturn will only increase the momentum for ITES 3.0 as governments create even more streamlined value chains, a more equitable distribution of incomes and design stimulus packages to support new 'green' jobs and technologies.

Tracking Global Environmental Financing: A ProposalThis paper outlines a proposal for the establishment of a mechanism to track global environmental financing as a means to increase transparency, enhance efficiency and improve coordination and management of financial flows related to global environmental governance (GEG).

This briefing paper is an output of the "Mapping Global Environmental Governance Reform" project of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The initiative was conceived of and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Denmark.

Trade and Climate Change LinkagesThis paper was written as the first of a pair of background papers to the Trade Ministers' Dialogue on Climate Change Issues, held in conjunction with the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, December 8-9, 2007 (UNFCCC COP 13, Kyoto Protocol MOP 3). It lays out the full range of connections by which trade and climate change are interlinked, including legal linkages, physical impacts of climate change on trade and investment flows, impacts of trade and investment policy changes on climate change, and competitiveness issues.

Trade and Climate Change: Issues in Perspective (overview) This is an overview synthesis of the issues addressed in the seminar on Trade and Climate Change, June 18-20, 2008, in Copenhagen, co-hosted by the Government of Denmark, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and IISD. It lays out the key issues in each of the six thematic areas that the meeting addressed (incorporating the stand-alone background papers), summarizes the in-session discussions, and describes the research agenda that follows from the discussions and analysis.

Trade and Development: The rising importance of sustainable development in the South American trade agenda

Latin American countries have historically adopted a defensive stance in trade forums when it comes to topics related to sustainable development, tending to see protectionist intentions behind the efforts to link environmental and labor issues to trade negotiations. However, the situation of such countries has changed significantly over recent years. Several countries in the region have accepted the inclusion of chapters dedicated to environmental and labor topics in the free-trade agreements (FTAs) they signed with the United States and Canada. Simultaneously, the level of demand defined by such agreements has increased gradually, as can be confirmed through a comparison between some of the older agreements (such as the agreement between the United States and Chile, for example) and the more recent ones (such as that between the United States and Peru).

This report synthesizes the findings of a joint TKN-CINDES research project comprising of four national case studies – of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru – undertaken to identify within the thematic areas of environmental and labor regulation the most important issues for each country in terms of opportunity and/or vulnerability, as well as the forces that prompted the introduction of sustainable development topics into the countries’ trade and investment agendas. The individual country reports are also available through the Trade Knowledge Network website.

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Trade and Development: The rising importance of sustainable development in the trade agenda of Argentina

This report constitutes a first approach to the examination of the link between the international trade and direct foreign investment agenda of Argentina and emergent issues of sustainable development. The study consists of four sections. In the first section, recent trends in trade and investment flows in Argentina, as well as the evolution of the public policies pertaining to those fields, are reviewed briefly. In the second section, we study the impact of international agreements and practices (public and private) in the matter of environmental standards, labor and climate change on the trade and investment agenda. The third section discuses five questions about the management of natural resources that are crucial for the sustainability of development (“agriculturalization”, the impact of mining, forest degradation, fishing over-exploitation and the energy matrix and the role of biofuels). A brief section of conclusions ends the work.

This country report is part of a joint TKN-CINDES research project comprising of four national case studies – in addition to Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru were also studied – undertaken to identify, within the thematic areas of environmental and labor regulation, the most important issues for each country in terms of opportunity and/or vulnerability, as well as the forces that prompted the introduction of sustainable development topics into the country’s trade and investment agendas. The other individual country studies, as well as a synthesis report summarizing the main findings for the region as a whole, are also available through the Trade Knowledge Network website.

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Trade and Development: The rising importance of sustainable development in the trade agenda of Brazil

Brazil has traditionally been amongst the most ardent critics of the attempt to link labor, social and environmental issues to the commerce and investment agendas in trade negotiations. The official position of Brazil has maintained notable continuity through governments of differing political orientation. Despite this, due to links established in the international arena, diverse economic and social actors in Brazil routinely deal with issues of sustainable development in their agendas of trade, investment and financing. This study tries to identify the channels through which themes of sustainable development “enter” the international economic agenda of Brazil, as well as to “map” some emergent trends in the relation between trade and sustainable development issues that can come to have significant impacts on Brazil’s negotiating interests.

This country report is part of a joint TKN-CINDES research project comprising of four national case studies – in addition to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru were also studied – undertaken to identify, within the thematic areas of environmental and labor regulation, the most important issues for each country in terms of opportunity and/or vulnerability, as well as the forces that prompted the introduction of sustainable development topics into the country’s trade and investment agendas. The other individual country studies, as well as a synthesis report summarizing the main findings for the region as a whole, are also available through the Trade Knowledge Network website.

Key points:

Key recommendations:



Trade and Development: The rising importance of sustainable development in the trade agenda of Chile

Since the early 1970s, Chile has embarked on a markedly liberal trade policy, including the elimination of price and credit controls, the reduction of barriers to trade and the liberalization of capital flows. Since then, Chile has continued with this approach, supporting exports through the signature of more than twenty free trade agreements with different countries and economic associations from diverse regions of the world. Unlike other countries of the region, such as Brazil and Argentina, Chile has actively incorporated environmental and labor issues into its trade agenda. The purpose of this work is to identify the channels through which issues of sustainable development are incorporated into the trade agenda of Chile, including the trade agreements and the policy for foreign direct investment (FDI). As well, it tries to examine some emergent issues and tendencies associated with sustainable development that are likely to impact the future agenda of Chilean trade negotiators.

This country report is part of a joint TKN-CINDES research project comprising of four national case studies – in addition to Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru were also studied - undertaken to identify, within the thematic areas of environmental and labor regulation, the most important issues for each country in terms of opportunity and/or vulnerability, as well as the forces that prompted the introduction of sustainable development topics into the country’s trade and investment agendas. The other individual country studies, as well as a synthesis report summarizing the main findings for the region as a whole, are also available through the Trade Knowledge Network website.

Key points:

Key recommendations:



Trade and Development: The rising importance of sustainable development in the trade agenda of Peru

This paper analyses how the trade agenda of Peru has been influenced by issues of sustainable development, such as environmental, labor and social concerns. The first section presents the evolution of Peru's trade and investment policies and how these relate to issues of sustainable development. In the second section, the factors that are responsible for the introduction of these issues into the trade agenda of Peru are identified, domestic antecedents are outlined and the commitments implicated by the free trade agreements (FTAs) that Peru has signed are discussed. The new commitments outlined in the FTAs, as well as other new government initiatives related to the area, have been the source of dispute in Peru, including within the Administration. Their resolution will define Peru's official position towards these issues in the external agenda. Finally, issues that will compose the future agenda of Peru in this area, and so must be the object of further discussion, are presented.

This country report is part of a joint TKN-CINDES research project comprising of four national case studies – in addition to Peru, Argentina, Brazil and Chile were also studied – undertaken to identify, within the thematic areas of environmental and labor regulation, the most important issues for each country in terms of opportunity and/or vulnerability, as well as the forces that prompted the introduction of sustainable development topics into the country’s trade and investment agendas. The other individual country studies, as well as a synthesis report summarizing the main findings for the region as a whole, are also available through the Trade Knowledge Network website.

Key points:

Key recommendations:



Trade and the Environment: The linkages and the politicsThe environment has entered the World Trade Organization against sustained resistance. The first beginning was inauspicious to say the least: In 1972 the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) decided to create a committee to address environmental issues in trade. This was presumably a defensive move in response to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm that year. It was designed to ensure that any trade-related environmental matters would be decided within the purview of GATT rather than in the uncertain environment of a UN conference. This classic bureaucratic anoeuvre achieved its purpose. Discussion of the linkages between trade and environment ceased and the GATT committee was not convened for 20 years—until trade and the environment emerged again in the early 1990s, during the NAFTA negotiations and in the final phase of the Uruguay Round, which coincided with the UN Conference on Environment and Development.

Trade and Environment: Looking beneath the Sands of Doha?Progress on trade and environment is too often judged by the lethargic pace of the Doha negotiations or of the work of WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment. IISD's Mark Halle offers a more optimistic picture. By looking at the changes in mood and attitude over the decade of WTO's existence, and by examining the way the WTO's dispute settlement body has dealt with environmental issues, he demonstrates that environmental thinking has in fact progressed in the WTO in encouraging ways. This article was published in the Journal of European Environment and Planning Law.

Trade and Environment: A Resource BookTrade and environment policy is increasingly intertwined and the stakes are nearly always high in both trade and environmental terms. These issues are often complex and discussions tend to become very specialized, challenging policy practitioners to understand and follow all the various sub-strands of trade and environment debates. This Resource Book seeks to demystify these issues without losing the critical nuances.

This collaborative effort of some 61 authors from 34 countries provides relevant information as well as pertinent analysis on a broad set of trade and environment discussions while explaining, as clearly as possible, what are the key issues from a trade and environment perspective; what are the most important policy debates around them; and what are the different policy positions that define these debates.

The volume is structured and organized to be a reference document that is useful and easy to use. Our hope is that those actively involved in trade and environment discussions—as practitioners, as scholars and as activists—will be able to draw on the analysis and opinions in this book to help them advance a closer synergy between trade and environmental policy for the common goal of achieving sustainable development.

Trade and Environment: South Africa Case Studies – Full ReportThis study looks at three trade-related sectors in South Africa: coal, steel and citrus. In the coal and steel sectors, it forecasts the future trends in the industry and surveys the key environmental concerns. It also looks for threats to South Africa's exports based on environmental concerns or multilateral environmental agreements in their export markets. In the citrus sector, it details the way in which some producers have gone beyond domestic environmental standards in an effort to penetrate certain high-standard export markets.

Trade and Subsidies: Undermining the trading system with public fundsIn this IISD Commentary, Mark Halle describes how subsidies undermine the international trading system and its potential to help the transition to sustainable development.

"Solving this situation is not simply a matter of all sides showing marginal flexibility. It is not a matter of stumbling across the ingenious formula that everyone has missed in their haste. It is not a matter of cutting a few bilateral deals in the corridors and forcing a consensus on the more recalcitrant WTO members," writes Halle. "Instead, it requires recognizing that, in many ways, the current organization of both national and global economies seriously undermines the goals that trade liberalization is intended to serve, and recognition that we must retool the trading system to confront these issues.

This article will appear in October in "Peace and Prosperity through Global Trade," a joint publication of the Evian Group and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Trade and Sustainable Development in China – Full ReportThis study looks at three cases of trade and sustainable development linkages in China. The first is the environmental effects of trade in leather products. The second is the introduction of regulations in China's export markets to address the environmental problems of textile dyes. The third is the potential markets for Chinese-produced organic foods. The study makes recommendations in all three areas.

Trade and Sustainable Development in Vietnam - Full ReportThe Vietnam study was broader than that conducted in the other partner countries. The report covers trade and environment linkages at a general level, and also looks at agriculture and forestry, industrial products, eco-labelling and environmental management system certification. It also looks briefly at two case studies: the coffee sector, and the Cau Tree export processing company.

Trade and Sustainable Development Principles

Trade and Sustainable Development Principles were drafted by nine eminent members of the trade, environment and development communities internationally.

The "Winnipeg Principles" include the following:

This concise book is designed to aid negotiators in trade, environment and development, as well as the wider group that influences their decisions: business, environment and development NGO's, academics and multilateral institutions in the United Nations and beyond.

The principles point to ways in which policies, practices and agreements can work to achieve.



Trade and Sustainable Development: A Survey of the Issues and a New Research AgendaTrade agreements are now becoming a very important element in the transition towards sustainable development.

Trade and Sustainable Development offers a common dialogue embracing the concerns for economic developments and environmental integrity. The sustainable developments framework also brings to the table poverty, equity and community-critical issues of well-being that are not currently part of the trade-environment discussion.

Trade and Sustainable Development is essential reading for those interested in international trade, the environment and global development.

Resolving existing conflicts will ensure that international trade fosters, rather than frustrates, sustainable development.

Trade and Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities for China as a WTO MemberTrade and Sustainability: Challenges and Opportunities for China as a WTO Member is a collection of essays addressing the implications of China's accession to the World Trade Organization for trade and sustainable development. The book was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (November 2002). Foreword by Zhenhua Xie, Minister, The State Environmental Protection Administration, China.

Trade in Domestically Prohibited GoodsThis paper looks at the export of domestically prohibited goods—chemicals (including pesticides and fertilizers), hazardous wastes, pharmaceuticals and consumer products—and the challenges it poses for sustainable development. It surveys the complex web of instruments for addressing those challenges, including information exchange mechanisms, voluntary agreements, binding international agreements and agreements under negotiation.

Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) Brochure

The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) is a global collaboration of research institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas that share the goal of promoting sustainable development through supportive trade and investment policies.

Coordinated since 1998 by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the TKN can draw on a decade of experience in strengthening research capacities in developing countries and generating cutting-edge policy analysis that addresses the impacts of trade and investment on sustainable development.



Trade Knowledge Network BrochureSince its launch in 1997, the goal of the Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) has been to foster long-term capacity to incorporate sustainable development in national, bilateral, regional and multilateral trade policy and practice. The TKN seeks to achieve this through increased awareness, policy research and dialogue in and among developing country governments; policy and research institutions; non-governmental organizations; and multilateral policy institutions. This brochure was distributed initially in the fall of 2005 in connection with the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong.

Trade Policy Tools and Instruments for Addressing Climate Change and Sustainable DevelopmentDavid Runnalls delivered this short intervention at the Bali Trade Ministerial meeting, which ran parallel to the UNFCCC COP-13 in December 2007. This meeting was the first time Trade Ministers had ever considered the intersection of trade and climate change issues, and the purpose of this intervention was to set the context, outlining the issues to be discussed over the two-day event.

Trade Policy Tools and Instruments for Addressing Climate Change and Sustainable DevelopmentThis paper was written as the second of a pair of background papers to the Trade Ministers' Dialogue on Climate Change Issues, held in conjunction with the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, December 8–9, 2007 (UNFCCC COP 13, Kyoto Protocol MOP 3). It examines in some depth the ways in which trade and investment policy might be employed to further climate change objectives. The discussion covers: liberalizing trade in low emission goods, allowing subsidies for greenhouse gas reductions, addressing domestic barriers to clean energy investment, amending intellectual property rights and lowering fossil fuel subsidies.

Trade Rules and Sustainability in the AmericasThe trade rules and sustainability in the Americas research project drawn upon lessons learned in the trade and sustainable development debates at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in the Western Hemispheric subregional or bilateral trade integration processes. Its aim is to analyze the interaction between developing trade, environment and social regimes in the American hemisphere.

Trade, Aid and the Millennium Development Goals: Reaching the goals in an insecure worldThis February 2006 commentary by IISD Project Manager, Oli Brown, reviews the world's progress towards the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. He argues that the MDGs will never be achieved unless the international community tackles the elements of its trade and aid policies which undermine security and set back development.

Trade, Aid and Security: An agenda for peace and development Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur. All resonate loudly on the international stage, exposing and illustrating the intractable links among global security, war and conflict, the control over natural resources—be they oil, water, timber or "conflict diamonds"—and the deployment of aid money and the manipulation of international trade policies. This volume, written by leading authorities from across the globe, introduces the linkages among trade, aid and security, and exposes how inappropriate or misused trade and aid policies can and do undermine security and contribute to violence and the disintegration of nation states. On a practical level, they demonstrate how six key areas of trade and aid policy can be used to help forge stability and security, reduce the likelihood of armed conflict and assist economic and political recovery in our war-torn world. Foreword by Lloyd Axworthy.

Trade, Aid and Security: Elements of a Positive ParadigmMany sectors of society, including the sustainable development community, are seeking to understand how best to contribute to security. This paper explores the relationships among trade in natural resources, aid and security. These relationships are significant to sustainable development and, so far, their interactions have been incompletely understood.

This document is a revised edition of Trade, Aid and Security: Elements of a Positive Paradigm, originally published in 2002.

Trade, Environmental Services and Sustainable Development in Central America: The Cases of Costa Rica and El Salvador - SummaryThis study looks at two cases. The first is about the export of shaded coffee from El Salvador. Shaded coffee provides striking environmental benefits, including biodiversity conservation and soil erosion control. But the rules of international trade do not allow importing countries to discriminate against the more damaging traditionally cultivated coffee. The second case is about the potential for trade in environmental services, particularly in the context of the Kyoto Protocol of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Countries like Costa Rica and others in Central America are exploring whether they can benefit from maintaining considerable land under forest—or restoring land to forest cover—and be rewarded for the environmental services thus provided. The Kyoto Protocol provides for a market reward for carbon fixation, but may not prove acceptable under the current interpretation of WTO agreements.

Trade, Environmental Services and Sustainable Development in Central America: The Cases of Costa Rica and El Salvador – Full Report This study looks at two cases. The first is about the export of shaded coffee from El Salvador. Shaded coffee provides striking environmental benefits, including biodiversity conservation and soil erosion control. But the rules of international trade do not allow importing countries to discriminate against the more damaging traditionally cultivated coffee. The second case is about the potential for trade in environmental services, particularly in the context of the Kyoto Protocol of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Countries like Costa Rica and others in Central America are exploring whether they can benefit from maintaining considerable land under forest—or restoring land to forest cover—and be rewarded for the environmental services thus provided. The Kyoto Protocol provides for a market reward for carbon fixation, but may not prove acceptable under the current interpretation of WTO agreements.

Trade, Sustainable Development, and the Environment: A BibliographyJointly produced by IISD and the Centre for Trade Policy and Law in Ottawa, this up-to-date bibliography thoroughly covers the range of issues relevant to the intersection of trade, environment and development policies.

As well as NAFTA and GATT/WTO-related coverage, it includes trade-related topics such as the implications of global warming and biodiversity concerns for various economic policies. It is an essential tool for any researcher involved in this growing area of interest.

Trade-Related Subsidies - Bridging the North-South DivideThis summary provides an overview of the initial five papers produced under the Van Lennep Subsides Initiative. The goals of the Van Lennep Subsidies Initiative are; (1) to establish a process to resolve subsidy-related differences between developed and developing countries in a constructive, transparent and equitable manner; (2) to defuse the present antagonistic and suspicious attitudes towards the WTO on the issue of subsidies; and (3) to build research capacity in the participating developing countries to identify the priority, trade-related subsidy issues affecting them, and to develop policy approaches to address these priorities.

Trade-Related Subsidies - Bridging the North-South Divide: An Indian PerspectiveThis paper comprises the background work undertaken by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for the preliminary phase of the project titled "World Trade Organization (WTO) and Subsidies: Bridging the North-South Divide." The project is an initiative of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the Earth Council and the Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto that aims at closing the wedge between developed and developing countries thinking on the issue of subsidies, especially at the WTO. In particular, it envisages contributing to the debate on subsidy-related aspects in the ongoing Doha Development Round. The initiative (henceforth the Subsidies Initiative) is the next stage in the Van Lennep Program on subsidies. This paper includes a background survey of subsidy issues in India, particularly in those areas that are important from a developmental viewpoint in the country or have some link with the ongoing WTO negotiations. It intends to provide inputs for the development of the proposal for research and policy formulation capacity on trade-related subsidies in key developing country partner institutions.

Trading into the Future: Rounding the Corner to Sustainable DevelopmentAs part of the Great Transition Initiative, IISD's Mark Halle has written a chapter on Trading into the Future: Rounding the Corner to Sustainable Development. The chapter looks at three scenarios for the future, and suggests what might have to happen to the trading system if those scenarios are to play out. It starts with an analysis of the fundamental principles underlying the trading system and assesses the extent to which they are respected at present, or how they might be in the future. The trading system is certainly in transition. The question remains: to what?

Trading Practices for a Sustainable Coffee Sector: Context, Strategies and Recommendations for ActionThe past decade has given rise to a growing number of voluntary standards for sustainable agriculture production. The coffee sector has proven to be one of the most vibrant and dynamic commodity sectors for standards development during this period, with standards being designed to serve distinct specialty and mainstream markets. For the most part, sustainability standards in the coffee sector have focused on specifying criteria for "sustainable production"—and yet, it is widely recognized that many of the greatest challenges facing the sustainability of the sector as a whole, and smaller producers in particular, are related to the sustainability of the trading relationships between producers and buyers in international markets. This paper, one of the first of its kind, takes a detailed look at the issues and range of options available for the integration of "sustainable trading practices" within existing coffee supply chains.

Traditional Knowledge and Patentability (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 7 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Exploring Opportunities for the Clean Development Mechanism in Chile - Highlighting Project Conclusions December 2004The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Climate Change and Development Consultants (CC&D) and the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) are partners on a joint project examining possible scenarios for using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a tool to promote sustainable development in the transportation sector. The partners are working with Chilean government agencies, private sector stakeholders and non-governmental organizations to develop methodologies for assessing potential transportation-related GHG reduction initiatives eligible under the CDM.

Transportation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Exploring Opportunities for the Clean Development Mechanism in ChileThe International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Climate Change and Development Consultants (CC&D) and the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) are partners on a joint project examining possible scenarios for using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a tool to promote sustainable development in the transportation sector. The partners are working with Chilean government agencies, private sector stakeholders and non-governmental organizations to develop methodologies for assessing potential transportation-related GHG reduction initiatives eligible under the CDM.

The TRIPS Agreement and Biological Diversity (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 8 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

TRIPS and Public Health (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 9 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

Turning the "Clean Energy" Superpower Oxymoron into RealityIn this IISD Commentary, Climate Change and Energy Director John Drexhage offers some ideas about how Canada can move toward international clean energy leadership. An initial step, writes Drexhage, would be for the federal government to convene a first ministers' conference on the matter. This article originally appeared in the Embassy, Canada's Foreign Policy Newsweekly.

Turning toward Sustainability? Looking at the Third Meeting of the Internet Governance ForumIn this commentary, IISD advisor Maja Andjelkovic reflects on the third meeting of the IGF held in Hyderabad in December 2008. Over time, she notes, the Forum has become increasingly concerned about sustainable development.

The Hyderabad meeting “seemed to mark a tipping point: whether due to a combination of IISD’s and others’ work within the Forum community, the urgency created by climate change issues among the general public, or a combination of the two, IGF 2008 participants actively sought guidance and advice on topics normally considered by sustainable development professionals, clearly expressing concerns about the wider economic, societal and environmental impacts of the Internet.”

Typologies for Partnerships for Sustainable Development and for Social and Environmental Enterprises: Exploring SEED winners through two lenses (Report for the SEED Initiative Research Program) Creating a comprehensive typology of partnerships is problematic, because of the extreme variety of forms and shapes that these partnerships take. Nor has there been sufficient exploration of critical success factors for different types of partnerships. This paper suggests that, in order to help local-level partnerships achieve their goals, the experience of social and environmental enterprise has much to offer.

The U.S. Climate is Changing: But Where Was Canada at Davos?The talk at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this year (January 24–28) was all about climate change. This was not unique. The annual conference of the world's financial and political elite is supposed to be about "improving the state of the world" according to its motto. David Runnalls, IISD's President and CEO, was in Davos and reports on The U.S.'s renewed interest in climate change.

Understanding Adaptive Policy Mechanisms Through Farm-level Studies of Adaptation to Weather Events in Alberta, CanadaThis case study examines the adaptive policy features of the Alberta Irrigation District Program and select Agriculture Income Stabilization Programs in Alberta.

Understanding Adaptive Policy Mechanisms through Farm-level Studies of Adaptation to Weather Events in Saskatchewan, CanadaThis case study examines the adaptive policy features of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association’s Extension Activities for Minimum Tillage.

The UNEP That We Want: Reflections on UNEP's Future ChallengesAt the request of UNEP and with funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UNEP, IISD convened a group of individuals with substantial experience in international environmental affairs, to reflect for a day on the nature and evolution of our environmental challenges, to discuss appropriate responses, and to consider the role of UNEP in deploying these responses. They met in Prangins, Switzerland, on September 17, 2007. This note summarizes some of the reflections recorded during the day.

Use of Indicators in Policy Analysis: Annotated Training Module Prepared for the World Bank Institute In cooperation with the World Bank Institute (WBI), IISD developed a training module focused on the use of sustainability indicators in policy assessment. The methodology underlying the training module is developed on the basis of the World Bank's emerging Country Environment Analysis (CEA) approach and also draws on IISD's experience with UNEP's Global Environment Outlook (GEO). The module was field-tested in a training workshop in Moscow as part of a World Bank capacity building initiative.

Using Performance Information in Government Budgeting and Reporting Review of Best PracticesCurrently, many governments use a wide range of approaches to translate qualitative information into budget priorities. These approaches, while always subject to change due to political imperatives, may include qualitative methods based on criteria, or quantitative approaches based on the articulation of performance indicators, expected outcomes and efforts required to meet those outcomes. The objective of this review is to learn how other governments from around the world are using performance-based information to inform decision-making on annual departmental priorities and budget estimates.

Valuing Changes in Agri-Environmental IndicatorsThis paper develops a conceptual methodology for valuing changes in agri-environmental indicators and uses this methodology to identify important data needs and gaps. The Impact Pathway approach was used to develop conceptual models for valuing changes in five agri-environmental indicators and for assessing the availability of required economic and physical data. We analyzed five different agri-environmental indicators, including the risk of water erosion and water contamination by phosphorous, GHG emissions, energy use efficiency, and wildlife habitat. The key general lessons from the analysis were that the methodology was robust, in that it guided the work on a disparate set of indicators and was helpful in identifying data needs and gaps. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that defining the full set of impact pathways for each indicator is a complex and time consuming job. In part, the job is complex because there is a good deal of prior research that can help answer the valuation questions. However, it must be organized and applied to specific situations, and the remaining gaps identified.

Virtual Exhibition E-Discussions: Working Together for Sustainable DevelopmentIn the lead up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Business Action for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Development Programme co-sponsored the Virtual Exhibition to showcase sustainable development partnerships to the world. From May 6 to June 11, 2002, on behalf of the Virtual Exhibition, the International Institute for Sustainable Development facilitated an electronic consultation on the nature of partnerships for sustainable development. The dialogue explored the power and potential of SD partnerships. Over 475 people subscribed to the e-conference, with one third of the contributions coming from participants based in the south/transitional countries. A richness of observation and analysis was provided, from which can be drawn a number of useful conclusions about partnership practice.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Economic Rents: The economic impacts of voluntary sustainability standards along the coffee, fisheries and forestry value chainsCompliance with sustainability initiatives has become a virtual “prerequisite” for producers to access many mainstream markets in commodities sectors. These private voluntary systems can make important contributions to sustainable development, if the benefits of participation are fairly distributed between regions and supply chain actors. This paper uses a Global Value Chain framework to analyze how sustainability standards affect the distribution of economic benefits along international supply chains in the coffee, fisheries and forest products sectors. It examines how certification systems affect international trade flows, the generation of economic rents, and the accrual of costs and price premiums at different value chain nodes to determine where and by whom substantive economic benefits are enjoyed. The paper pays particular attention to impacts on commodity producers in developing countries.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Value Chain Governance: How sustainability standards affect the distribution of decision-making power in global value chainsSustainability standards affect decision-making processes in global value chains by appropriating and redistributing the power to set, implement and verify compliance with the terms of chain participation. If standards create a prominent role for disadvantaged stakeholders in organizational decision-making, they can make substantive contributions to participatory supply chain governance. This paper aims to assess the potential and actual impacts of select voluntary sustainability standards on participatory decision-making within global value chains in the coffee, forestry and fisheries sectors. A set of indicators is used to assess the compliance of standards organizations with seven principles of participatory governance: representation, accountability, checks and balances, equity, subsidiarity, effectiveness and efficiency.

Vulnerability & Adaptation Work Program: Achieving sustainable development in a changing climateFor nearly a decade, the International Institute for Sustainable Development has been actively engaged in understanding and addressing the impacts of climate change and its implications for the lives and livelihoods of people in Canada and the developing world. This brochure highlights IISD’s approach, and the seven themes of its work in the area of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change.

A Way Forward: Canadian perspectives on post-2012 climate policyParties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol agreed on the Bali Action Plan in December 2007. The plan sets out a process to negotiate a post-2012 regime by December 2009. This book provides analyses from a Canadian perspective on the four main elements of the Bali Action Plan: mitigation, adaptation, technology development and transfer, and financing and investment.

In this book, IISD examines emerging approaches and options for post-2012 climate change cooperation, focusing on salient Canadian sensitivities and perspectives, and how Canada might contribute to the development of a robust and equitable climate change regime. The first chapter provides context for the analysis by examining the national circumstances in which Canada will develop and negotiate a position under the Bali Action Plan. The second chapter addresses how the post-2012 regime may address the urgent need for mitigation, and the basic fact of economic growth, particularly in developing nations. The analysis includes international and domestic perspectives, describing how the various possible elements of an international agreement fit with Canadian interests. Using this lens, the subsequent chapters look at adaptation, technology, and financing and investment-reviewing the options and assessing how Canadian strengths and interests might best be addressed.

Weather of Mass Destruction? The rise of climate change as the "new" security issue. “The extent to which the climate change debate is becoming a debate about security (and in so doing displacing focus on its developmental or environmental consequences) presents both risks and opportunities,” writes Oli Brown in this IISD Commentary. “First, the more dire predictions border on scaremongering (climate change campaigners regularly default to worst case scenarios). These risk spreading ‘climate change fatigue’ among the public—a sense of hopelessness and resignation in the face of an unbeatable challenge. Second, dire predictions about coming ‘climate wars’ imply that climate change requires military solutions; to secure by force one’s resources or erect barriers to large-scale migration. But focusing on military response both raises the stakes and draws attention (and donor dollars) away from the very real, and current, development problems that already pose immediate threats to vulnerable societies; extreme poverty, access to education, HIV/AIDS and so on. Third, the international community needs to ensure that this does not become a northern, donor-driven agenda, perceived as yet another way for northern interests to interfere in southern affairs.

"On the positive side, a 'securitized' climate debate might just be able to marshal sufficiently compelling arguments to encourage the politicians to do something about reducing emissions and investing (carefully) in adaptation. These are the sort of things that the international community should be doing anyway. So, if hanging the climate change debate on the security hook speeds their implementation, it may yet serve a useful purpose."

What is Canada's Environmental Identity?In this January 2005 commentary, IISD intern Christopher Evans looks at his home country's environmental identity and performance from his perspective at a European university. "We should be proud to cry 'I am Canadian,'" writes Evans. "But before we shout it from the rooftops, let's be secure in the knowledge that the actions we take with our environment are responsible and consistent with our values and the identity we portray to the world around us."

What to Consider in Creating a Strategic AllianceThis IISD Knowledge Communications Practice Note offers advice on what to consider in creating and managing a strategic alliance. Although many research institutes have experience with networks, partnerships, communities of practice and other forms of institutional and individual collaboration, an "alliance approach" is relatively new to these not-for-profit organizations. A key part of this Practice Note addresses start-up tasks. These are: analyzing the history of inter-institutional relationships; reviewing organizational mandates and cultures; defining roles within the individual organizations; addressing potential operational challenges; and implementing a monitoring framework to assess alliance performance.

Where Are We in the Doha Round"...Multilateral trade rounds always take long, and nothing really shifts until it all falls together at the end. The Doha negotiations are no exception," writes Mark Halle, IISD's Director of Trade and Investment in the summer before the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong. "Yet when things do fall together, the pattern is rarely surprising—its broad outlines were usually detectable from an early stage of the talks. In the case of Doha, too many fundamentals (modalities, in the obscure language of the WTO) are still undecided, and the gulf between the parties on key issues is still very wide."

Where to Next? Future steps of the global climate regimeThis paper captures the outcomes of an international collaboration of experts from Japan, Norway, Germany, China, the United States and Canada on the options for the development of a post-2012 climate change regime. The paper highlights areas of common ground among the researchers while also identifying alternative pathways towards the goal of addressing climate change over the long-term.

Which Way Forward? - Issues in developing an effective climate regime after 2012

A post-2012 climate change regime will need to balance the diverse needs of all countries while striving to prevent the potentially serious economic and social consequences of the impacts of climate change. A common understanding of the issues associated with four key elements of a potential post-2012 climate change regime could support the emergence of an internationally acceptable approach to this critical issue.

This publication, a series of discussion papers prepared by IISD to support Canada's efforts to prepare for COP-11/MOP-1, examines four main elements of a potential post-2012 climate change regime:



Which way to Brazil? Notes from the “Taking stock and the way forward” consultations on the Internet Governance ForumThe first Internet Governance Forum was held in Athens, Greece, in October 2006. The meeting has been widely praised for its innovative, open and inclusive format, the formation of multistakeholder "dynamic coalitions" and an atmosphere that encouraged sincere exchanges on complex Internet governance issues among governments, businesses, civil society and academia.

The Athens meeting will be a tough act to follow for the Brazilian government, hosting the second Forum November 12–15, 2007, in Rio de Janeiro. The stock-taking and planning session in Geneva, February 13, 2007, has left many stakeholders, particularly those from civil society and business entities, wondering whether the IGF can remain an open and inclusive forum for sharing experiences and good practice, and for bridging the gaps in vocabulary and approaches across stakeholder groups.

Whither MEAs?The Role of International Environmental Management in the Trade and Environment Agenda

Who Owns "Your" Water? Reclaiming Water as a Public Good Under International Trade and Investment LawThis paper, an amalgamation of two previous papers on the subject by the author, analyzes the implications of investment law treaties such as the NAFTA for domestic ability to regulate over water matters in the public interest. An expanded version of this paper, published in 2004, is available.

Why Aren’t We There Yet?: Twenty years of sustainable developmentIn this commentary, IISD's President and CEO, David Runnalls, takes a short historical look at the Brundtland Commission, explores why progress toward sustainable developed slipped and ponders what Canada needs to do to restore its respectability, if not leadership, on sustainable development.

Working towards mutually beneficial economic relations: Indonesia’s expected challenges in pursuing an FTA with the EU

Indonesia and the European Union (EU) took a major step recently to cement their economic relationship through the signing of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The agreement, which was signed following a meeting between senior officials from both sides in Jogjakarta, on 13th and 14th July 2009, covers diverse areas of cooperation, such as trade, investment, human rights, climate change, and so on. The PCA with Indonesia is the first such agreement to be signed by the EU with Asian countries, thus, reinforces Indonesia’s diplomatic standing in the eyes of European policy-makers. Despite this encouraging news, the signing of the PCA is likely to present considerable challenges, particularly for Indonesia. Amongst other things, the agreement paves the way for negotiations to resume on the long-awaited Indonesia-EU Free Trade Agreement (IEUFTA).Given the economic imbalance between the EU and Indonesia in the world economy, economic relations between the two sides remain in favour of the EU. Consequently, in order to redress this imbalance, the proposed IEUFTA must take into account the development objectives of Indonesia.

Key findings:

Key recommendations:

Indonesia can certainly benefit from this trade agreement if the EU is willing to:



World Summit on Sustainable Development: An assessment for IISDThis briefing paper was prepared for the International Institute for Sustainable Development following the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. The paper includes sections on: World Summit outcomes and commitments; background; the actors; an assessment of the political significance of the Summit; comments on policy developments of interest to the IISD; and conclusions.

The World Trade Organization and Sustainable Development: An Independent AssessmentThe World Trade Organization (WTO) assessent is an in-depth progress report prepared by IISD in advance of the WTO's first meeting of trade ministers in Singapore in December 1996. The report examines not only the work of the WTO Committee on Trade and the Environment, but that of the other WTO Councils and Committees. It concludes that the WTO has failed to integrate sustainable development concerns into trade policies that the organization still conducts its business behind closed doors, and has been slow to develop relations with other organizations essential for its success.

The World Trade Organization and Sustainable Development: An Independent Assessment SummaryThe interlocking of the world’s economy and ecology presents difficult but also bold choices. The relationship of trade and sustainable development is perhaps the most significant. We cannot afford the costs of trade derived through resource and environmental degradation. Nor can we ignore the unmet social and economic needs of billions of people.

IISD has focused on the WTO because this new organization is the global bell-wether for action on the linkages of trade, environment and development. It is the meeting place of nations from South and North on the key subject of wealth creation through free trade. But we know there are important differences to be bridged. The period from the Rio Earth Summit to Marrakesh introduced many of the necessary concepts. Since then what has been the action?

WSIS Unfolds: Finding the right way to TunisIn this IISD Commentary, IISD Project Manager Terri Willard reviews the February 2005 Preparatory Committee meeting of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Willard, who has been actively enagaged in the WSIS process since 2002, describes the meeting, identifies some weaknesses and casts an eye toward the remainder of the process.

WTO and Sustainable Development (A chapter in "The WTO and East Asian Regional Integration")Contrary to popular opinion that suggests the trade and environment agenda is stalled, IISD's Trade and Investment Director, Mark Halle, argues in a chapter for a forthcoming WTO book that the environment is alive and well, and thriving in the WTO. Although negotiations on trade and environment may not have progressed dramatically, the action of the WTO Dispute Settlement system, and in particular the Appellate Body, has clarified the relationship between the rules governing trade and those governing environment in ways that will delight defenders of the environmental regime.

To be published in Yasuhei Taniguchi, Alan Yanovich and Jan Bohanes (eds.), The WTO and East Asian Regional Integration (publication by the WTO expected in Winter 2006).

WTO Subsidy Notifications: Assessing German subsidies under the GSI notification template proposed for the WTOThis report uses Germany as the test case in applying a template developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development's Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) for notifying subsidies to the World Trade Organization. The study reveals the template vastly improves subsidy reporting.

The study's conservative approach identifies 180 specific subsidy programs that should have been notified (totalling € 10.8 billion) for 2006, rather than 11 subsidies notified by Germany (with a total value of € 1.25 billion).

The WTO, Trade Facilitation and Sustainable Development (IISD Trade and Development Brief, Number 3 of 9, 2003)This paper is one in a series of nine briefing papers prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Each of the papers focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development in the South in the WTO’s current round of negotiations—the so-called Doha Development Agenda. The aim of the series is to set out, in brief and uncomplicated style, what is at stake in those negotiations for those concerned with international development and the environment.

YCLSF Host Organization Guide: Young Canadian Leaders for a Sustainable Future This manual is designed as a resource for host organizations affiliated with IISD's Young Canadian Leaders for a Sustainable Future program. This booklet offers ideas, tips and guidelines to ensure that the relationship between interns and host organizations is mutually rewarding.

YCLSF Information Kit: Young Canadian Leaders for a Sustainable FutureThis booklet is a valuable source of information for interns in IISD's Young Canadian Leaders for a Sustainable Future program.

Youth Input to Global Knowledge Partnership DOTforce ReportFrom January-February 2000, the Global Knowledge Youth Advisory Council facilitated an e-conference on “Youth: Building Knowledge Societies.” This event brought together more than 350 participants, primarily young people between the ages of 15-30 from developing countries, to explore how youth are using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the production, dissemination and use of knowledge for sustainable development. The final report from the Youth Advisory Council was submitted to the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) to inform the selection of priorities for its Action Plan. Upon request of the GKP, IISD reconvened the Youth Advisory Council in April 2001 to undertake a follow-up study on significant initiatives in their regions. This study seeks provide guidance to the G-8 Digital Opportunities Taskforce on how to design ICT initiatives that provide the greatest benefit to young people around the world.

Youth Networking, Education and Communications Channels Across the Circumpolar Region: A preliminary explorationThis brief study is an exploration of youth networks across the Arctic, together with the communications channels they use and their access to formal and informal education channels. This information will help us to develop a better understanding of how to reach and engage youth across the region. This paper was an output of a project that received financial support from the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation, the Aboriginal and Circumpolar Affairs unit of the Department of Foreign Affairs Canada and Canada Corps.

Youth Sourcebook on Sustainable DevelopmentThe Youth Sourcebook was written by an international youth working group to: The Youth Sourcebook contains information on the concerns of youths with sustainable development issues, a directory of international and regional youth organizations, case studies of youth action, and a youth perspective of issues outlined in Agenda 21.

A Youth Strategy for Public Outreach on Climate ChangeBased on our research, we believe that personal behaviour change alone on the issue of climate change is insufficient to lead to significant greenhouse gas reductions. Therefore communications and social marketing strategies, which tend to be designed for people at risk (smoking, drinking and driving, get fit programs) are not sufficient for our purposes. We have therefore looked carefully at a model of engagement: how do we turn knowledge into action, can small, individual actions be aggregated for greater benefit, and how do we ensure that the actions will have longer term benefits for the community, the country and the planet?