Linking biodiversity conservation and climate change: Embedding biodiversity-sensitive forest preservation incentives in the post-Kyoto climate regime

The international regime for climate change is embodied in the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol sets the mandatory quantified emissions limitation and reduction (QELAR) targets of greenhouse gases (GHGs) for Annexure I developed countries. However, it excludes the maritime transport sector from its purview and mandates the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to address the issue of the mitigation of marine GHG emissions. Inter-governmental negotiations are underway in this regard, within the framework of the IMO's Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC). Presently, there is an impasse in the negotiations as nations have failed to arrive at a consensus on the contents of the regulatory framework for the mitigation of marine GHG emissions. This paper seeks to identify the legal issues and challenges in mitigating marine GHG emissions in post-Kyoto policy and to contribute to the ongoing debate on the challenges before the Conference of Parties (COP15)/Meeting of Parties (MOP5) of the Kyoto Protocol in addressing the issue of mitigation of marine bunker emissions. It provides an overview of the ongoing inter-governmental negotiations on post-Kyoto climate regime from the maritime transport perspective and reviews IMO's work on mitigating GHG emissions. It analyses the legal issues that add to the intricacies of bunker fuel negotiations due to limited jurisdiction of the countries in controlling emissions from maritime transport activities occurring outside their national borders. It looks at a number of legal issues, like “common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR),” “flag of convenience” etc., that need to be resolved for evolving a mandatory regulatory framework for mitigation of marine GHG emissions.

Linking biodiversity conservation and climate change: Embedding biodiversity-sensitive forest preservation incentives in the post-Kyoto climate regime

A growing number of GHG emissions trading schemes are being implemented at regional or national levels. However, even as the number of different schemes grows, few linkages exist between them. Major cap-and-trade proposals are currently at important stages in their development, especially in the United States, Japan and Australia, some of which explicitly emphasize the aim of linking with other schemes. One of the strategic goals of European climate policy is linking the EU ETS with other comparable schemes. The research presented in this volume is on actual economic, political and institutional constraints and implications. It examines the role of linking trading schemes for the development of the post-Kyoto climate architecture and for increasing linkage between schemes. This essential research will be relevant to both the scientific community and for policymakers who are involved in the design of emerging trading schemes and offset mechanisms, as well as in designing the post Kyoto climate regime. This volume focuses specifically on: o Economic, institutional/regulatory and legal dimensions of linking o Implications of linking on the design of emerging trading schemes o The role of linking trading schemes for the development of the post-Kyoto climate regime

Climate change is projected to bring a range of changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, and sea level. As a result, widespread occurrence of floods, cyclones, droughts, cold and heat waves, etc. are projected with uneven distribution in time and spatial scales (Rosenzweig et al., 2007). These changes can manifest in the form of long-term slow changes in the mean state of the climate and sudden changes in the extremes of the climate (Carter et al., 2007). The sudden severe changes can have high impacts with widespread devastation, severely impacting years of developmental efforts in many vulnerable countries.

One of the key issues in the post-Kyoto climate regime is to reach consensus on how to finance actions needed in fast-growing economies that will enable altering their business-as-usual emission pathways. Specifically, cities in developing countries will play a significant role in climate mitigation and adaption given their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and inherent vulnerability to induced global change (e.g., sea-level rise, increased water scarcity and drought, forced migration, etc.). Changing their pathways and increasing climate resilience in these countries requires significant incremental investments in urban infrastructures today. However, financial and institutional capacities are much lower as compared to the developed world. International financial and technology transfer are bound to bridge the gap under a well-designed institutional framework. This chapter discusses different climate finance mechanisms, possible improvement and instrumentalization in light of enhancing urban infrastructure governance in developing cities, in conjunction with their policy relevance, implementability, and economic and environmental effectiveness. Also, we posit institutional implications for using carbon finance to facilitate the development of climate-resilient urban infrastructure in fast-growing cities in developing countries.KeywordsGreenhouse gasCitiesUrban infrastructureClimate financeNAMA

PM production and properties of porous titanium : M. Bram et al. (Forschungzentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany)

This article discusses various aspects of international technology collaboration and transfer before discussing technology in the climate negotiations themselves. While ‘technology agreements’ alone could not be expected to deliver the fundamental changes in energy production and use necessary in order to achieve the Convention's objective, they could help in goading developing countries into mitigation action. Other options to speed the diffusion of climate-friendly technologies are considered, although it is unclear whether international climate negotiations offer the best forum. Finally, technology issues should not divert attention from the value of establishing a global emissions trading regime through various options, as this might be a powerful carrier for climate-friendly technologies.

Interpreting bargaining strategies of developing countries in climate negotiations. A quantitative approach

Climate Change and the Health of the Public

Accelerating towards net zero emissions: the most important global health intervention

The world of smoke, mirrors and climate change.

Climate Change, Connectivity, and Conservation Success

Climate Change and Health: Strengthening the Evidence Base for Policy

Trophy Hunting Does and Will Support Biodiversity: A Reply to Ripple et al.

The 2021 China report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: seizing the window of opportunity