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IISD Publications Centre

All Publications by Theme


Publications count: 613

General (56 publications)

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.

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.

Annual Report 1990-1991Annual Report: 1990-1991

Annual Report 1991-1992Annual Report: 1991-1992

Annual Report 1992-1993Annual Report: 1992-1993

Annual Report 1993-1994Annual Report: 1993-1994

Annual Report 1994-1995Annual Report: 1994-1995

Annual Report 1995-1996Annual Report: 1995-1996

Annual Report 1996-1997Annual Report: 1996-1997

Annual Report 1997-1998Annual Report: 1997-1998

Annual Report 1998-1999Annual Report: 1998-1999

Annual Report 1999-2000Annual Report: 1999-2000

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.

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.

Connecting with the World

Consolidated financial Statements of International Institute for Sustainable Development

Consolidated 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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'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.

Indicators for the Sustainable Management of Tourism

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

President's Report Fall 2001President's Report - Fall 2001

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.

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.

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.

Sustaining Excellence: The 2000-2001 Annual Report of the International Institute for Sustainable Development

Sustaining 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.

Ten+TenTen + Ten explores the top ten achievements and failures in sustainable development in the decade between Rio and Johnannesburg.

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.

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.

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.

Business (15 publications)

Beyond 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.

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.

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.

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.

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:



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."

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.

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).

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 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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Climate Change (92 publications)

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."

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.

Arctic Future - The Circumpolar International Internship NewsletterArctic Futures 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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? (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 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, 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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.


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.

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.

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.

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.



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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:



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 h