Bibliothèque

This fact sheet presents data on the presence of green technologies for climate change mitigation in the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), presents several opportunities for green technology development in the area and provides an overview of what is already currently done by the agency region to promote green technologies.

This activity report presents the results of the a workshop which took place in Warsaw, Poland, on 12 November 2013, during the 39th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 39). Presentations from representatives of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) set the scene for the discussions by highlighting the scientific aspects of adaptation and adaptation co-benefits from a global perspective. They also outlined the challenges, opportunities and success stories regarding the practical implementation of adaptation and identification of co-benefits.

This analytical report considers sustainability impacts of scaling up production of biofuels for transport in contexts of varied industrial development in Mozambique, Argentina and Ukraine. It investigates land availability as well as environmental, social and economic impacts of biofuels projects, and offers best practice recommendations in over a dozen areas.

This toolkit have been developed to complement the products and results of the research project “Global assessment and guidelines for sustainable liquid biofuel production in developing countries”. The project was funded by the GEF and carried out by three UN agencies (UNEP/DTIE, FAO, UNIDO) in collaboration with several research institutes. The aim was to enable the GEF and other institutions to set clear policies and identify priorities for future work and investments in biofuel-related projects.

This case study presents how Brasil has tackle the issue of renwable energies. Many biomass cogeneration plants and small hydropower plants are already in operation in Brazil, and more are under construction. Brazil met the challenge of connecting those plants to the grid by devising a shared transmission system that allocates transmission costs among providers of renewable energy and allows providers to incorporate those costs into their bids for supply contracts. The process has built the confidence of renewable energy developers by providing certainty about the interconnection and the energy contracting processes.

This analytical report presents strategies to connect renewable energy generating site to the grid. Connecting generating sites to the grid is an obstacle to the scale-up of renewable energy. Investments in transmission are often made in response to individual requests for interconnection from project developers. But isolated efforts to connect dispersed resources usually turn out to be more expensive than if the full set of planned sites had been considered up front. Only proactive planning, undertaken with a view to maximizing the efficiency of the overall network, can keep costs and connection delays to a minimum.

This case study presents how Mexico has tackled the issue of renewable energy. Mexico’s la Ventosa region has ample wind resources but is remote. The national electric utility would not build the lines needed to transmit la Ventosa’s electricity to the grid without assurances that developers would follow through on their generating plans. But developers could not obtain needed financing in the absence of a guaranteed transmissionnetwork. To break the deadlock, the country conceived a planning process that yields a shared transmission network funded jointly by developers.

This analytical report prsents the evolution of the CO2 emissions of the energy sector. The energy sector contributes about 40 percent of global emissions of CO2. Three-quarters of those emissions come from six major economies. Although coal-fired plants account for just 40 percent of world energy production, they were responsible for more than 70 percent of energy-sector emissions in 2010. Despite improvements in some countries, the global CO2 emission factor for energy generation has hardly changed over the last 20 years.

This case studiy presents how Texas tackles the issue of renwable energy. Texas leads the United states with 9,528 mw of installed wind power capacity—a level exceeded by only four countries. The state needed more infrastructure to transmit electricity generated from renewable sources, but the regulator could not approve transmission expansion projects in the absence of financially committed generators. To solve the problem, Texas devised a planning process that quickly connects energy systems to the transmission system. The system is based on the designation of “competitive renewable energy zones.”

This manual is targeted to agricultural development professionals who need better information on the ways in which men and women adapt to and mitigate climate change and how best to address their needs when supporting the development of climate-resilient rural communities.

This is the second edition of the document.

This guidance document illustrates IFAD’s experience in closing the gender gap and mobilizing the « gender advantage » in climate change adaptation through ten case studies from accross the world. The case studies show that gender-sensitive adaptation results in better livelihood options and incomes, improved yields, more food security and reduced workloads for women an d their families. They also show that women and men are better able to make informed decisions about their lives, thus balancing their human development priorities when giving attention to sustainable resource management.

This analytical report argues for a bold re-imagining of prevailing models in order to steer the ongoing city transitions towards greater sustainability based on a thorough review of all available options, including a close look on climate change challenges and opportunities. That is especially the case since the already daunting urban challenges in Africa are now being exacerbated by the new vulnerabilities and threats associated with climate and environmental change.

This analytical report indicates that the emissions gap (the difference between emissions reductions pledged and those required to keep warming below 2°C) and the adaptation gap (the difference between funding and capacity levels required for adaptation and the amount committed) are both increasing. Bridging these gaps requires making progress on funding, knowledge, technology, capacity and trust among countries. The paper underlines that as governments work toward a universal climate agreement, staying below 2°C warming requires global emissions peaking before 2020 and sharply declining after 2020. It is stressed out in the report that achieving this depends on, inter alia, limiting growth in energy demand, improving energy efficiency, increasing renewable energy use, and minimizing emissions from land-use change.

This booklet sets out a vision of the 21st century city, recommends nine principles for achieving sustainable urban development, and proposes a policy and legislative framework for a new urban paradigm. It also aims to raise awareness about links between urbanization and global development challenges such as poverty and climate change.

This manual aims to assist customs and enforcement officials in their daily work, and through building capacity in environmental issues, seeks to encourage them to integrate environmental protection into their role as guardians of borders. The latest edition, which is titled ‘Saving the Ozone Layer: Phasing Out Ozone Depleting Substances in Developing Countries,’ includes a focus on hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), which are being phased out under the Protocol but are commonly used as both refrigerants and foam blowing agents. HCFCs, like many ozone depleting substances, are also potent greenhouse gases (GHGs), and the publication includes new scientific findings on the links between ozone depletion and global warming.

This investor briefing makes the business case for efficiency investments and presents best practices from leading real estate investors. It notes that buildings account for approximately a third of the world’s energy consumption and are a high-impact sector for urgent climate change mitigation action. The briefing begins by noting that financially attractive efficiency investment options exist for all types of properties, and that in the US, commercial buildings account for nearly 20% of energy consumption and 12% of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It goes on to summarize financial arguments for investments in energy efficiency, including that: they can repay themselves quickly, depreciate slowly and deliver decades-long returns; efficient buildings, higher rents and higher sale price are correlated; considering energy performance is an important component of risk management and an investor’s fiduciary duty; and at a time when energy prices are becoming more and more volatile, efficiency investments represent a good hedging strategy.

This technical document provides supplementary methods and good practice guidance for estimating anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks resulting from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities under Article 3, paragraphs 3 and 4, of the Kyoto Protocol for the second commitment period. It revises and updates Chapter 4 of the Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (GPG-LULUCF) which provides supplementary methods and good practice guidance related to LULUCF activities based on the general greenhouse gas inventory guidance provided in its other chapters and the rules governing the treatment of LULUCF activities in the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

This technical document provides supplementary methods and good practice guidance for estimating anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks resulting from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities under Article 3, paragraphs 3 and 4, of the Kyoto Protocol for the second commitment period. It revises and updates Chapter 4 of the Good Practice Guidance for Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (GPG-LULUCF) which provides supplementary methods and good practice guidance related to LULUCF activities based on the general greenhouse gas inventory guidance provided in its other chapters and the rules governing the treatment of LULUCF activities in the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

This technical document extends the content of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories and provides updated information reflecting scientific advances, including updating of emission factors for wetlands. It covers inland organic soils and wetlands on mineral soils, coastal wetlands including mangrove forests, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows and constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. The coverage of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines on wetlands was restricted to peatlands drained and managed for peat extraction, conversion to flooded lands, and limited guidance for drained organic soils.

This analytical report intends to contribute to a broader knowledge of the benefits associated with the use of non-traditional renewable energy technologies (NRETs) in the power matrix of Latin America and the Caribbean. To this end, it examines to what extent societal benefits − defined as those that accrue to the national economies when shifting away from fossil fuels − are large enough to justify the eventual wholesale entry of NRETs including solar, geothermal and wind. For this purpose, the analysis first makes a comparison of fossil fuel and NRETs on the basis of the levelized costs of electricity (LCOEs), and then proceeds to identify and quantify potential societal benefits of NRET deployment in LAC.