The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme ('EU ETS') began on 1 January 2005. The implementation of the EU ETS has raised interest in market-based approaches to achieving environmental and related public policy goals in the EU, particularly those related to promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Indeed, national and regional markets in tradable green certificates ('TGCs') and (to a lesser extent) tradable white certificates ('TWCs') already exist. Green certificate schemes are established or proposed in a number of Member States (e.g., Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK) and form part of a growing portfolio of measures to achieve the renewable targets outlined in Directive 2001/77/EC. White certificate schemes are considerably less widespread, although schemes have been established in Italy and the UK and further activity may be stimulated by the Commission proposal on energy services (COM(2003)739). Both the renewables Directive and the energy services proposal envisage the possible evolution and harmonisation of these instruments into EU-wide certificate schemes. This study has two major objectives: -1. Analyse interactions among EU ETS and green/white certificate markets. The first major objective is to describe the interactions between green and white certificate programmes and the EU …

The document outlines UNDP's adaptation services and UNDP-GEF's adaptation portfolio that comprises 21 national, regional and global projects taking place in 45 countries.

The focus of climate change mitigation policy to date has been on "preventing dangerous anthropogenic interference with Earth's climate system". There is no global agreement or scientific consensus for delineating ‘dangerous’ from ‘acceptable’ climate change but limiting global average temperature rise to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels has emerged as a focus for international and national policymakers.

Report of the Governor’s Climate Change Advisory Committee, managed by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and facilitated by the Center for Climate Strategies. It provides 54 policy recommendations help reduce the state’s emissions of green house gases to 1990 levels by the year 2020. Most will have additional benefits, including reduced reliance on imported fossil fuels, reduction in air pollution, increased opportunity for Montana agriculture to provide renewable fuels, healthier forests, and the opportunity for the state to be a leader in developing new technologies.

The carbon labeling project presents methods to promote biodiesel use, disseminate information on the potential carbon efficiency of biofuels and promote the concept of carbon labeling. This guide is aimed at policy makers and interested industry groups. It aims to evaluate the suitability of the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Smart Way Transport Partnership as a model for the EU to promote more efficiency and low carbon shipping of goods to market. It includes: a thorough description of the US EPA scheme and its objectives; carbon labeling initiatives in the UK (independent and national); a review of the strengths and weaknesses of the US EPA scheme with regards to its suitability for EU transport policy; the different EU transport system and pilot programmes; and suggestions for freight and multi-sector low carbon transport programmes in the EU. This useful guide enables decision makers to develop a road map on how best to provide incentives for implementing a low carbon shipping program in Europe.

This is the result of a German study which underlines once more the urgent need for measures to reduce F-gas emissions. Global emissions of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) will increase to 4 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalents by 2050 if no political mitigation measures are taken. The contribution of F-gases to global warming is projected to grow from 1.3% (2004) to 7.9% of total direct CO2 emissions.

This report assesses the financial consequences of climate change policy for 14 leading global power companies.

A 2°C rise in temperature from pre-industrial levels has been widely regarded as a tipping point for planet earth. Major Tipping Points in Earth's Climate System and Consequences for the Insurance Sector argues instead that sudden volatile transformations in earth's climate will occur long before this 2°C threshold is reached.

This report provides findings and recommendations addressing 11 charges, framed by three principal energy challenges facing Florida: stimulate economic development, achieve energy security and address the effects of global climate change.

In response to the problem of inequalities in the distribution of land, this Policy Research Brief points toward a land reform model that could both satisfy legitimate and urgent demands for social justice and develop an agrarian system that is economically viable. It draws primarily on a UNDP-ISS supported set of country studies and analytical papers.

The brochure, part of UNDP/GEF's "Lessons for the Future" series, highlights examples of activities to combat land degradation. It focuses on "cross-cutting projects" that address land degradation but were primarily designed to deal with other environmental problems, and specific UNDP/GEF land degradation projects that seek to build capacity or foster SLM practices.

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The plan is considered a living document, and a first installment of what could become further refinements as additional initiatives are evaluated and new technologies unfold.

According the preface, this report represents the scientific understanding of salmon and salmon declines in the year 2000. The report provides an overview of salmon population trends, and ways to aid in and measure recovery.

This report describes issues regarding water use, conservation, and management. Many parts of the United States are expected to face water shortages in the near future.

This document is about hypoxia in aquatic ecosystems. Hypoxia is a depletion of oxygen caused by runoff, land cover change, and other factors associated with population growth and agriculture. The report discusses mitigation strategies and trends in managing this problem.

This report describes and recommends ways to improve alert systems in order to reduce loss of lives, property, and economic activity caused by natural and man-made disasters.

This law was passed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) in order to control marine pollution, protect public health, and sustainably use marine resources.

Chinese government published the White Paper on China’s Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change, stating the policies and actions that the country had adopted for addressing climate change as well as the progresses. To follow up, this report will briefly describe the latest progresses that China has achieved in addressing climate change since 2008.

Effective EU-China co-operation is critical to delivering a good deal at Copenhagen and to ensuring ongoing progress towards global decarbonisation. Europe and China are economically and politically interdependent, and have strikingly similar energy and climate change policies. As its largest investor, trade partner and provider of technology, Europe has a strong stake in China’s success.The EU and China should increase the status of energy and climate change in their bilateral relationship. This will require the progressive alignment of the EU’s and the individual member-states climate policies towards China, behind a common European strategy. The 2009 EU-China summit must deliver agreement on some key flagship co-operation projects in order to build China’s trust in the EU as an effective partner.

The white paper on comprehensive environmental policy describes the role of Japan's economy in a sound global environment. In the first part, the report describes current the environmental conditions of the Earth and of Japan, human activities in Japan and overseas, their environmental impacts, and the pathway to the environmental century. The second part of the white paper reports on various measures.

The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters. The basis of the CWA was enacted in 1948 and was called the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, but the Act was significantly reorganized and expanded in 1972. "Clean Water Act" became the Act's common name with amendments in 1977. Under the CWA, EPA has implemented pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. We have also set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. The CWA made it unlawful to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained. EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls discharges. Point sources are discrete conveyances such as pipes or man-made ditches. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit; however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters.

The purpose of this report is to compile and summarise the present knowledge on impacts of climate change as a basis for a consideration of what may constitute dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system under Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). An attempt will be made to associate projected global mean surface temperature and/or sea level changes with specific identified impacts and effects in order to assist a discussion on the operationalization of Article 2. The main emphasis will be on ecosystem effects, food production, water resources, and sustainable development.

The document argues that renewable energy policies have not been implemented in the developing world due to financial costs, and also that the Clean Developing Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol has been ineffective. The document proposes the use of Feed-In Tariff policies, and the use of a renewable energy policy fund.