The Province of Manitoba recently proposed a series of initiatives as part of a new watershed-based policy framework to streamline and coordinate provincial programs and initiatives in the geographic context of watersheds.

These include a proposed "GRowing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW)" program focussed on obtaining ecological goods and services from the agricultural landscape; "Watershed-Based Drainage and Water Resource Management" for creating a streamlined approach for addressing drainage and water retention projects; and the "Modernization of Manitoba's Conservation Districts Program" to strengthen collaboration and delivery measurable outcomes.

IISD has been active in Manitoba-based research for close to three decades, providing technical and policy insight on provincial issues including climate change mitigation and adaptation, sustainable agriculture, watershed management, and water resources management in the context of Lake Winnipeg. IISD works to balance social, economic and environmental outcomes in policy design and implementation. In addition, IISD-Experimental Lakes Area provides world-class research on aquatic ecosystems and has provided evidence for global decisions around air and water pollution.

IISD is pleased to see the structure and content of the three consultation documents under the proposed watershed-based policy framework. We have long promoted a watershed approach to integrated land and water management as a means to greater impact, more measurable outcomes and stronger local-level engagement.

Watersheds provide us with a range of important benefits, and good management can mean better environmental, economic and social systems for Manitobans long into the future. The proposed programs are an opportunity to demonstrate strong, made-in-Manitoba solutions for coordinated, evidence-based watershed management resulting in multiple benefits for all Manitobans. In order for the proposed watershed-based programming to be impactful, achievable and sustainable, they must:

• Aim for restoration or a net gain of identified, priority ecological goods and services (EGS) and water-retention capacity;
• Target regions and ensure that the most effective actions are matched with them for the most impact and the least cost;
• Include a robust, evidence-based evaluation framework focused on cumulative improvements and a value-for-money analysis;
• Adopt effective measurement that takes into account conventional environmental monitoring, cost–benefit analyses, community-based monitoring, traditional and local knowledge, remote sensing and other analytical means available.
• Strengthen coordination in the context of watershed management, particularly between geographies, impacts, agencies and processes.

While the water quality of many prairie lakes is monitored and the extent of the eutrophication—and associated negative consequences—generally understood, information on the specific nutrient sources and in-lake processes is often insufficient to identify specific management options.

This study sought to conduct a water and nutrient mass balance, identifying the variance and relative importance of different nutrient sources and internal lake processes for a lake that could be used as a general model for other prairie lakes. As with many other shallow prairie lakes, the eutrophication of Pelican Lake has become increasingly pronounced over recent years. 

Investment treaties grant powerful legal rights to foreign investors.

Foreign investors’ ability to frame plausible multimillion-dollar claims against a wide range of host government actions—and the fact that these claims are adjudicated through a system of private arbitration—has made investment treaties controversial. With this background in mind, this scoping study seeks to provide an overview and assessment of existing evidence of investment treaties’ impacts. The focus is on the costs and benefits of investment treaties from the perspective of developing countries.

To date, the majority of the academic literature has focused narrowly on one supposed benefit of investment treaties, namely the treaties’ effect on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows. Reviewing this literature, this study concludes that investment treaties probably do lead to a modest increase in some types of FDI to developing countries. However, due to methodological challenges, it is difficult to consistently identify this effect or to pinpoint the relevant elements of treaties that cause these impacts. There are further questions about the extent to which treaties’ impacts on the pattern of FDI flows constitute a benefit from a host state perspective. This is both because investment treaties appear to be most effective in increasing FDI in sectors that are least beneficial from a host state perspective, and because investment treaties are preferential instruments that grant legal rights to some, but not all, investors.

Studies to date have not been able to find clear evidence of other supposed benefits of investment treaties, such as facilitating domestic reforms, promoting the rule of law or depoliticizing investment disputes.

Assessing the costs of investment treaties is also challenging. Investment treaties clearly limit government policy space to some extent, but the extent to which these constraints constitute a cost remains a subject of heated disagreement in the academic and policy literature. There is evidence too that investment treaties do have significant distributive impacts, in the sense that states have been required to compensate foreign investors in circumstances where compensation would not have been paid in the absence of an investment treaty. However, it is difficult to assess the relative scale of these impacts, and there has been little research on investment treaties’ other distributive impacts—notably, their impact on investor–state bargaining in negotiations to settle investment disputes.

When weighing all the benefits and costs of investment treaties against each other, there is insufficient evidence to come to any overall conclusion about the net effect of investment treaties for developing countries. It is also highly likely that the net effect of investment treaties varies between developing countries.

Canada’s electricity sector plays a central role in supporting the country’s economic, social and environmental needs.

In order to meet emerging trends, including supply and demand pressures, and to remain competitive in a world that is becoming increasingly carbon constrained, Canada’s electricity sector must modernize and make appropriate investment decisions. To this end, coming decades will be critical and lock-in effects in the electricity sector that can undermine mid-century decarbonization objectives should be avoided.

This report looks specifically at smart grids within the context of grid modernization and urban settings in Canada. In this context, we note that the rapidly aging electricity infrastructure provides a unique opportunity to achieve synergies found between grid modernization and climate objectives. 

The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) held a training workshop for government agency officials from the member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) regarding the optimization of national economies participating in the mining sector's value chain in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) in September 2017.

The workshop brought together 32 executive officers in charge of mines, national economies and finance from UEMOA member countries. The workshop was held in partnership with the UEMOA Commission, in connection with the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UEMOA Commission and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

Since independence, the mining sector has been the backbone of the Mauritanian economy.

As such, governmental priorities have been to promote the sector to make it more attractive for investors and to promote sustainable development within the sector. In order to support greater modernization of this vital economic sector and to design a more effective mining legal regime, the Mauritanian government required an IGF Mining Policy Framework assessment to guide this process.

This report presents the results of the in-country assessment and provides an in-depth diagnosis of the mining sector in Mauritania in terms of strengths, opportunities and areas for improvement. It is based on a grid analysis of six pillars: the legal and political contexts, socioeconomic benefit optimization for local communities and other stakeholders, financial benefit optimization, environmental management, post-mining transition, and artisanal and small-scale mining.

With support from the Government of Canada, the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) is working with a voluntary selection of its member states to help them operationalize practices consistent with the IGF’s Mining Policy Framework (MPF).

Assessments completed since 2014 include Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Mongolia, Senegal, Suriname and Uganda; based on the success of these evaluations, the IGF will conduct three assessments each year in response to member requests.

The MPF assessment process is made up of two main steps. First, the MPF assessment team evaluates relevant national, regional and international laws, policies, conventions and administrative frameworks for mining and minerals development and management relative to the six themes of the MPF: Legal and Policy Environment, Financial Benefit Optimization, Socioeconomic Benefit Optimization, Environmental Management, the Post-Mining Transition, and Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). This work is done both through desk- and field-based research involving diverse stakeholders. The assessment identifies key strengths and gaps in the country’s mining laws and policies (compared to the international best practices outlined in the MPF) which helps measure the readiness of the member state to implement the MPF through its existing government measures. The first phase includes documenting the results in a draft report, validating the reported results with the government and its stakeholders, and publishing the report of results.

Building on outcomes of the assessment and validated reporting process, the second phase of the project involves working with the government to develop a capacity-building program that addresses its gaps and needs. The MPF capacity building is designed to strengthen the government’s capacities and increased understanding to enhance national legislation, policies and governance to best leverage mining for sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

In a joint report by IISD, Resources for the Future (RFF) and Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), we explore opportunities and benefits associated with enhancing and aligning oil and gas sector environmental regulations and fiscal policies in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The report contains extensive descriptions of existing policies, legislation, and regulations on transportation, climate change, royalties and fiscal structures, decommissioning and abandonment, water and environmental safety, as well as detailed discussions of harmonization opportunities in each of those areas.

Among key finding, the report notes:

• Simplifying some aspects of oil and gas fiscal policies could provide the public with transparency and fair returns while functioning more efficiently for the oil and gas sector.
• Defining what constitutes a subsidy to the oil and gas sector presents an important first step to their removal as part of a G20 commitment.
• While U.S. federal cooperation on regulating greenhouse gas emissions is unlikely in the short term, there are quite a few opportunities for subnational U.S. and Canadian governments as well as the Mexican government to explore harmonization.
• Opportunities may exist for the three countries to work together to set coordinated standards on well decommissioning, water use and disposal, and safety.
• Infrastructure siting processes should be improved and better aligned to decrease transaction costs and delays, as well as to better address national and cross-border environmental and indigenous concerns.

Canadian scientists have discovered that certain lake predators are altering their behaviour due to climate change, revealing what the future may hold for these fish and their food.

A recently completed 11-year study at IISD Experimental Lakes Area  in northwestern Ontario, first published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America reveals that Lake Trout have a remarkable ability to adjust their behaviour in the face of changing water temperatures. 

A consortium of East African countries requested training on how to implement the IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining. The workshop sought to enhance the capacities of government representatives from 14 African countries, create opportunities for knowledge sharing and establish a community of practice.

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) presents both a significant opportunity and challenge to many countries. The sector is responsible for a large proportion of the global production in minerals and metals, and it supports countless livelihoods, both directly and indirectly. At the same time, it can be a source of considerable risk and impact, socially, economically and environmentally. Strong governance and management of the sector will help governments capture the positive benefits of ASM while ensuring that any negative environmental, social and economic risks are minimized or eliminated.

To help in this effort, the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) released the IGF Guidance for Governments: Managing Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in late 2016. This guidance document, prepared at the request of IGF members and developed through an iterative process of extensive research and stakeholder consultation, aims to guide governments in the development of effective and inclusive management strategies for their ASM sectors.

A consortium of eight East African countries—led by Uganda and Rwanda—requested upon publication of the guidance that a related training program be designed and delivered to ensure that these IGF member states had the capacities required to implement the guidance and develop their ASM management strategies. The scope of this demand-driven training workshop quickly expanded, with invitations sent to all English-speaking sub-Saharan African countries to ensure greater reach, promote a richer sharing of experiences, and encourage peer learning. The IGF plans to deliver similar training workshops in French and Spanish.

Managing ASM: IGF Regional Workshop for Africa was held June 5–9, 2017, at the Marriott Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda thanks to financial support from the Government of Canada. 36 participants from 14 IGF member countries attended: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

The goal of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of participants to apply and implement the IGF Guidance for Governments on Managing Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining.  The workshop objectives were to:

1. Train IGF member representatives to understand the IGF Guidance.
2. Create opportunities for knowledge sharing and peer learning on cross-cutting ASM issues and challenges.
3. Put in place a community of practice to support the integration of the IGF Guidance in the participating countries.