India has the world’s largest concentration of population using biomass with inefficient stoves—about 840 million people in India rely fully or partially on traditional biomass for cooking.

In India, cooking is mainly carried out by women, and they thus play an important role in managing domestic energy needs. When modern fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are unavailable, women and children not only face health hazards due to smoke but also “time poverty.” Freedom from smoke and the drudgery associated with biomass is a pressing need to empower women and allow families to live purposeful lives.

This report explores the issues and challenges of clean cooking in urban India through a case study of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation in Uttar Pradesh. The report analyzes results from a survey of 250 households in Ghaziabad district which yielded statistics and insights on clean cooking coverage and accessibility, energy usage and prices and how gender is an important determinant of cleaner cooking fuels.

For the past 60 years kerosene in India has primarily been available as a subsidized commodity for households as an affordable cooking and illumination (lighting) fuel.

However, the subsidy program in its current form is marred by high levels of leakage in distribution. With efficient alternatives emerging to provide the end services being met by kerosene, continuing to subsidize it may not be the most efficient use of fiscal resources. This study aims to address the key question of how to best rationalize the kerosene subsidy to improve its effectiveness as well as provide the maximum benefit to the households using the fuel.

The report analyzes the current role and use of kerosene in Indian households, using National Sample Survey (NSS) data on consumer expenditure, Council on Energy, Environment and Water’s (CEEW’s) primary survey on energy access (ACCESS), and findings from field studies conducted in urban-poor sections of two cities, namely Kanpur and Bengaluru. It also analyzes the inefficiencies in the current delivery system and conducts an economic analysis of kerosene vis-à-vis alternatives.

The report finds that subsidizing kerosene fails to meet the objective of providing affordable cooking and lighting service to households. There is a clear case for alternatives to replace kerosene for its end services that could include any of the following: off-grid lighting, clean cooking provision or a direct benefit transfer for kerosene (DBT-K).

This paper provides a roadmap for China to scale up the issuance of green bonds in the domestic market and develop the overseas RMB-denominated market by identifying and addressing the current challenges that limit green bond issuance.

The roadmap sets out actions that can enable an increase in the issuance of green bonds in the near term, as well as actions that will ensure a steady stream of projects suitable for green bond financing will be available over time.

This is the second paper in a series of four discussion papers issued by IISD and the Climate Bonds Initiative on prospects for the Chinese green bond market. 

The four papers are:

• Roadmap for China: Green Bond Guidelines for the Next Stage of Market Growth (Paper 1)
• Roadmap for China: Scaling up Green Bond Market Issuance (Paper 2)
• Roadmap for China: Green securitisation, tax incentives and credit enhancements to scale green bonds (Paper 3)
• Roadmap for China: Extending the Joint Leadership on Green Finance (Paper 4)

本文通过明确和解决目前绿色债券发行面临的挑战，为中国扩大国内市场绿色债券发行规模，以及发展以人民币计价的绿色债券海外市场提供了路线图。

本文的路线图列明了能够在短期内扩大绿色债券发行规模的行动方案，也列出了在长期能确保适用绿色债券的项目源源不断的行动方案。

国际可持续发展研究院和气候债券倡议组织就中国绿色债券市场发展前景发布了四份讨论报告，本报告是其中的第二份。这四份报告分别如下：

• 中国绿色债券发展路线图：在下一市场发展阶段的绿色债券指引（报告一）
• 中国绿色债券市场路线图：扩大发行规模（报告二）
• 中国绿色债券市场路线图：利用绿色资产证券化、税收优惠和增信措施扩大绿色债券的规模（报告三）
• 中国绿色债券市场路线图：增强中英绿色金融联合领导力（报告四）

This paper sets out a roadmap for the next steps of the green bond guidelines in the Chinese domestic green bond market, with the aim of harmonizing these guidelines with international practice.

To develop a roadmap for China’s guidelines, the paper uses the following framework:

Step 1: Current green bond guidelines released by China: What do they say?

Step 2: What is the international practice in the area? How does this compare to China’s guidelines?

Step 3: Roadmap to achieving harmonization between China’s green bond guidelines and international practice.

This framework has been applied to each segment of China’s current green bond guidelines: Green Definitions, Management of Proceeds of green Bonds, External Reviews and Assurance, and Reporting and Disclosure requirements.

Findings: The current state of harmonization is good. The table overleaf outlines the current state of harmonization and clearly shows that there is strong alignment in most areas. In particular, full alignment already exists for Management of Proceeds and Reporting and Disclosure guidelines. External Reviews and Assurance guidelines are closely aligned, with China taking early steps to strongly encourage the use of independent verification. Further efforts to harmonize the green bond guidelines should focus primarily on Green Definitions, with particular emphasis on development of Sector-Specific Criteria and the Basis for Criteria.

This is the first paper in a series of four discussion papers issued by IISD and the Climate Bonds Initiative on prospects for the Chinese green bond market. 

The four papers are:

• Roadmap for China: Green Bond Guidelines for the Next Stage of Market Growth (Paper 1)
• Roadmap for China: Scaling up Green Bond Market Issuance (Paper 2)
• Roadmap for China: Green Securitisation, Tax Incentives and Credit Enhancements to Scale Green Bonds (Paper 3)
• Roadmap for China: Extending the Joint Leadership on Green Finance (Paper 4)

中国人民银行和国家发展和改革委员会分别于2015年12月和2016年1月发布了绿色债券相关的政策文件。本文阐述了绿色债券指引在中国国内绿色债券市场的未来发展路线图，旨在实现绿色债券国内外标准的协调。

在为中国绿色债券指引制定路线图时，本文采用了以下框架结构：

步骤1：中国发布的现行绿色债券指引的具体内容是什么？

步骤2：这一领域的国际实践如何？与中国的绿色债券指引相比有哪些不同之处？

步骤3：如何实现中国绿色债券指引与国际实践的协调一致

上述框架用于中国现行绿色债券指引的各组成部分：绿色定义、绿色债券募集资金的管理、外部评估和鉴证，及报告和披露要求。

本文发现，目前中国绿色债券指引的大部分内容与国际上是一致的。具体来说，中国对绿色债券募集资金的管理、报告和披露的要求与国际是完全一致的。对于外部评估和鉴证的要求和国际指引大部分是一致的。中国甚至领先一步，积极鼓励对绿色债券进行独立核查。为进一步推动与国际绿色指引的一致性，中国应主要关注绿色定义方面，特别是在建立分行业的标准及标准制定基础方面作出努力。

国际可持续发展研究院和气候债券倡议组织就中国绿色债券市场发展前景发布了四份讨论报告，本报告是其中的第二份。这四份报告分别如下：

• 中国绿色债券发展路线图：在下一市场发展阶段的绿色债券指引（报告一）
• 中国绿色债券市场路线图：扩大发行规模（报告二）
• 中国绿色债券市场路线图：利用绿色资产证券化、税收优惠和增信措施扩大绿色债券的规模（报告三）
• 中国绿色债券市场路线图：增强中英绿色金融联合领导力（报告四）

A tribute to the life of Dr. Mostafa Tolba, who passed away on March 28, 2016. 

Dr. Mostafa Tolba led the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for almost 20 years, and played a pivotal role in setting the global environmental agenda. 

Ever since the original Minamata Convention on Mercury in Kumamoto and Minamata, Japan, IISD's Reporting Services team has been at all the major follow-up events, to bring you the latest news and updates from those who are negotiating the reduction of mercury emissions around the world.

Take a look at the coverage and photos from the most recent meeting in Jordan, and then scroll to the bottom of the page to read all previous coverage, to explore the full journey towards ridding our atmospheres and waters of mercury.

The United Kingdom may soon be entering a new phase of development of nuclear power generation.

Currently the UK has 16 reactors that generate around one sixth of the country's power, but no new plant has been constructed for more than 20 years. Much of the nuclear fleet will be decommissioned over the next 20 years as maintenance costs increase and it becomes impossible to meet the costs of complying with safety standards.

In 2012 a license was granted to construct a new nuclear power station in Somerset, England—called Hinkley Point C. Hinkley Point C is the first of the new generation of plants to receive government endorsement.

A review of planned subsidies by the Global Subsidies Initiative to the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear project finds billions of pounds in committed subsidies and the government on the hook for billions more if the project fails to deliver. 

Read the story here.
Read the press release here.

Across Canada, different levels of government (federal, provincial, municipal, First Nations), non-governmental organizations, academics, citizen science groups and other stakeholders collect data related to watersheds and their health.

Not only are environmental data (e.g., water quality, biodiversity) relevant to watershed health, but so too are data on social and economic measurements (e.g., human health, economic activities).

While a significant amount of data exists, shaping it into indicator frameworks to help measure and guide watershed management poses particular challenges. Foremost among these challenges is the fact that watersheds often cross borders. Not only do many cross municipal, provincial or territorial boundaries, a large number are also international watersheds. With this fragmentation of jurisdictions and wide range of stakeholders collecting data, there are often differences in data types and collection methods. This variation poses a challenge in getting a coherent picture of the entire watershed. When using different indicator sets within the same watershed, how can watershed managers and decision-makers ensure they are getting an accurate picture and comparing “apples to apples”?

In 2014–2015, with support from Environment Canada, the Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network (CSIN) explored the question of watershed indicator consistency and coherency across Canada and between Canada and the United States.

The ultimate goal was to advance understanding of indicator consistency between and among regions of Canada and to create a strengthened umbrella forum for organizations working on sustainability indicators at the local, regional and national levels. It is anticipated that the lessons learned about consistency and coherency in indicators can be transposed to non-watershed topics, as fragmentation of jurisdictions and differences in data collection techniques are hardly unique to watersheds.

Outward direct investment (ODI) by the People’s Republic of China has grown very rapidly since 2004, and in 2014, China’s ODI flows attained USD 123.1 billion.

The past decade has witnessed remarkable growth in Chinese outward investments, and there is a growing number of academic studies, policy papers and media reports discussing the operations and impacts of Chinese companies overseas. This literature review aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the sustainable impact of Chinese outward investments. The specific objectives of this literature review are:

1. Providing a balanced view of the current state of knowledge of the sustainable development impact of Chinese ODI.
2. Providing an overview of the diverse perspectives and concerns relevant to Chinese policy-makers and companies “going out.”
3. Providing insights into the Chinese policy and business strategy measures that would improve outcomes and address concerns.
4. Providing direction on further avenues for research and possible future collaboration.

In this review exercise, 384 papers were collected, including 262 in English, 83 in Chinese and 39 in Spanish, based on an inventory of the available research drawing on academic databases, think tanks and international organizations, and a search of non-governmental organizations’ reports, private sector reports and newspaper articles.

With diesel and gasoline reforms implemented in early 2015, the Government of Indonesia is now turning its focus toward liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) subsidies. 

LPG subsidies in Indonesia today, as with other fossil fuel subsidies, are regressive in nature. Anyone can buy low-cost 3-kg LPG cylinders, so a larger share of benefits tends to be captured by higher-income households, who have more buying power. However, effectively designed and targeted LPG subsidies could significantly improve the performance of LPG subsidies, making them an effective policy tool for the promotion of clean cooking among low-income households.

This transition is similar to many other countries, where the close links between LPG subsidies and energy access have seen reform policies centre on better targeting of assistance, to ensure that low-income households can continue to access modern, clean forms of energy once LPG prices increase.

This report investigates international experience and best practices on how to reform LPG subsidies, with a focus on countries’ efforts to ensure that energy access is not compromised by higher LPG prices.