International Climate Change Mitigation Research Articles

Harmonizing the Tenth Malaysia Plan Priorities with the New Economic Model and the Green World Order

The New Economic Model (NEM) is a need-based concept intended to integrate innovative ideas in chartering the path of socio-economic development of Malaysia. NEM is timely for building resilience into the economic systems through the participation of all, and for the benefit of all sections of the society. In a high income society, there will have to be value for money and money for value, reduction in subsidies, efficient fiscal management to reduce unnecessary expenditure, management of value-added and market-driven products and services, revamping of the education system, reviewing of R&D priorities, enhancing staff efficiency, less discussion for more action, less paper work for more output, and realistic targets for delivery. The sustainability dimension of NEM should envisage sustainable management of natural resources. This is achievable by aligning our activities with the new concept of ‘Green World Order’ which expands the existing peace and stability mottos of the World Order to include environment and sustainability. Under this concept there is a need for making changes in our activities. For example, short-term economic gains at the expense of long-term benefits that produce footprints of irreversible damage have to be addressed. Our development planning requires resetting in the light of environmental limitations to achieve the goals of NEM. With the valuation of the ecosystem services becoming increasingly important, we should pursue this matter aggressively to seek best deals for the natural resources we are blessed with. We can claim a substantial amount of international climate change mitigation funds because some of our resources (forests, mangroves and coral reefs) are carbon sinks which international agencies are seeking for investment. This not only generates resources for conservation but also brings dividends to the custodians of the carbon sinks. With an effective action plan, Malaysia can take advantage of the growing carbon market and green economy. The main elements of the proposed action plan are discussed in this paper. Keywords: Development plan, green perspectives, economic model.

Opinion: An energy policy approach to climate change

We briefly consider the trend towards relying on the tools, systems and resources of national energy policy to meet international climate change mitigation goals. Within this paradigm, the myriad energy-related aspects of climate change policy should be explicitly addressed as a sub-set of energy policy rather than the reverse, with the positive goal of building a low-carbon economy rather than the negative task of reducing emissions. While international signals on global targets for climate change mitigation are valuable, they will only be realised if “grounded” into specific policy sectors that address core objectives of society (like security of energy service delivery). Various facets of energy policy from the geo-politics of the global trade in fossil fuels, to development of renewable energy technologies, to national power system planning and operation lend themselves to this approach. It remains the case that modifying the goals of energy policy to encompass delivery of climate goals will require a change in focus of energy decision-makers and institutions.

Proposals on Carbon-related Border Adjustments: Prospects for WTO Compliance

Recently the practice of border adjustment in international trade has attracted much interest in the context of climate change. The risk of carbon leakage, the competitive disadvantage of industries in countries introducing a cap on emissions and the desire to induce large greenhouse gases emitting countries to join international climate change mitigation actions are the main reasons for considering import restrictions on products with high carbon footprint originating from uncapped nations. The aim of this paper is to examine current proposals on emissions-related border adjustments measures - tabled in the EU and the US - using the WTO legal framework on border adjustment and detect possible legal flaws which could lead to conflict with WTO law in the future. Special scrutiny is given to the proposals on the requirement for importers to submit emission allowances at the border and allowance rebates on exportation. The key questions are whether regulatory distinction between products based on their carbon content is permissible under the national treatment obligation of Article III of the GATT and whether an emission allowance requirement can qualify as an indirect tax acceptable for adjustment. The test on WTO compliance presented in this paper shows that proposals to include reports in national cap-and-trade systems and suggestions on emissions allowance rebates on exports are vulnerable to WTO challenge. The weaknesses of an emission allowance requirement for importers lie in the peculiarities of an emission allowance requirement as a quasi-tax linked to non-incorporated Processes and Procuction Methods (PPMs), in the criteria chosen for import coverage or exclusions and in the implementation details. Proposals on allowance rebates contradict environmental objectives and risk getting in conflict with WTO rules on subsidies.

REDDy or not? The Effects on Indigenous Peoples in Brazil of a Global Mechanism for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation

Deforestation in the tropics accounts for one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, the preservation of remaining tropical forests is an integral component of any international climate change mitigation policy. Indigenous peoples are crucial actors for the success of such a policy given the large amount of forestland in indigenous hands, their historical and cultural role in the management of forests, and their relative success at sustainable forest stewardship.The aim of this research is to contribute to the academic literature and to the ongoing international debate over a mechanism for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), scheduled to culminate in December 2009 at the Copenhagen Climate Conference. This article aims to answer the question: What will be the effects on indigenous peoples in Brazil of an international policy mechanism for REDD? It draws upon research conducted using a qualitative prospective policy evaluation method to describe the possible risks and opportunities to indigenous peoples and to make recommendations for improving REDD on the variables of scope, financing, and the process of negotiation and governance.Although the article concentrates on the effects of a REDD policy on indigenous peoples in Brazil given its status as a leading-edge case on this issue, it aspires to offer lessons for the other countries of the Amazon basin.

Trade-offs and synergies between carbon storage and livelihood benefits from forest commons

Forests provide multiple benefits at local to global scales. These include the global public good of carbon sequestration and local and national level contributions to livelihoods for more than half a billion users. Forest commons are a particularly important class of forests generating these multiple benefits. Institutional arrangements to govern forest commons are believed to substantially influence carbon storage and livelihood contributions, especially when they incorporate local knowledge and decentralized decision making. However, hypothesized relationships between institutional factors and multiple benefits have never been tested on data from multiple countries. By using original data on 80 forest commons in 10 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, we show that larger forest size and greater rule-making autonomy at the local level are associated with high carbon storage and livelihood benefits; differences in ownership of forest commons are associated with trade-offs between livelihood benefits and carbon storage. We argue that local communities restrict their consumption of forest products when they own forest commons, thereby increasing carbon storage. In showing rule-making autonomy and ownership as distinct and important institutional influences on forest outcomes, our results are directly relevant to international climate change mitigation initiatives such as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and avoided deforestation. Transfer of ownership over larger forest commons patches to local communities, coupled with payments for improved carbon storage can contribute to climate change mitigation without adversely affecting local livelihoods.

What Role for Public Finance in International Climate Change Mitigation

The level of investment required to finance carbon mitigation projects to stabilize carbon emissions at current levels is estimated to be in the order of USD 200-210 billion annually (UNFCCC 2007). The IEA estimate about around USD 150 billion needs to be invested annually between 2010 and 2050 in the early deployment of new technologies.This paper considers this challenge in the context of the investment needed in developing countries under a post-2012 global agreement. Firstly, we consider possibilities for raising this scale of finance amongst developed countries in a short time frame and offer insights on some innovative financing approaches. Secondly, we discuss what policy approaches are needed to ensure that public finance is used in the most efficient and cost-effective manner towards catalysing major technology change. We conclude that early stage deployment and R&D financing are significant gaps in the innovation chain which public institutions need to address to achieve the greatest impact for public financing in clean energy investment.

Mineral weathering in forest soils and its relevance to the preservation of the buried archaeological resource

There is more woodland in Britain now than for many centuries and considering many international climate change mitigation policies, woodland cover, both in Britain and internationally, is being promoted. However, neither the management of existing woodlands nor their expansion should be at the expense of important archaeological evidence. Due to the large number of known archaeological sites, the large areas of land with uninvestigated archaeological potential and the expanding woodland cover, suitable mitigation strategies need to be developed to allow preservation in situ of important sites. An understanding of how woodland soils and the buried archaeological resource interact is, therefore, essential. This paper utilises ongoing environmental research into the mineral weathering rates in forest soils and considers its application to artefact preservation. The study concludes that soil water pH, its movement, and the saturation of dissolved ions in the soil solution are major factors determining both mineral and artefact longevity. A simple guide to artefact longevity based on these properties is proposed and a geochemical model for predicting loss is tested. These tools could be applied to any soil or individual horizon irrespective of land-use.

Institutional Change in the Transfer of Climate-Friendly Technology

Institutional theory scholars have been successful at explaining how organizations strive to attain a stable framework for their patterns of interaction, but have, until recently, struggled to account for institutional renewal. Institutional change happens when new practices become accepted and interactions between organizations carry new meanings. This historical study of the international climate change mitigation regime (1992 - 1997) provides insight into the dynamic processes that take place during the early stage of institutionalization. More specifically, the thesis examines the following issues: How do power differentials shift during institutional change? How do institutions operate in the environmental field? How can entrepreneurs influence their institutional setting? How do certain groups of organizations bring about or support particular sets of ideological frames? The empirical study analyses the policy innovation of the Clean Development Mechanism, proposed in the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The thesis confirms that the proposed governance of climate-friendly technology transfer constitutes institutional change and the emergence of a proto-institution. It furthermore analyzes how the organizational actors brought about this innovation and how the change in meaning was introduced into the public sphere. The qualitative research methods that were employed include observation at climate negotiations, focus groups of climate policy professionals, semi-structured interviews of policy makers, and content analysis of archival data.

Climate Change Mitigation Policies in Lithuania

The Lithuanian climate change policy has to be considered in the framework of the Convention on Climate Change. The National Strategy for Implementation of Convention was the first step in evaluating the country's impact on climate change, adapting to the Convention and foreseeing the means and measures for climate change mitigation. The paper introduces main issues related to climate change mitigation policy in Lithuania. It presents an analysis of greenhouse gas emission trends in Lithuania and surveys institutional organizations as well as stakeholder associations related to climate change issues and their role in climate policy making. The main Lithuanian international environmental obligation and Lithuanian governmental climate change mitigation policy in the energy sector are presented as well.

Impacts on Canadian Competitiveness of International Climate Change Mitigation

Impacts on Canadian Competitiveness of International Climate Change Mitigation