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FISHSUBSIDY.ORG. The Pew Environment Group and EU Transparency, June 2009. This web site, which presents detailed data on European fisheries subsidies paid between 1994 and 2006, launched this week to provide decision makers and the public a detailed view on how and where EU fishing subsidies have been spent. Drawing upon data from the European Commission by the Pew Environment Group, EU Transparency has created fishsubsidy.org to provide this data in an accessible and searchable format making it a key tool towards reforming the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The development of this resource is timely given WTO Director-General, Pascal Lamy, remarks at the first World Oceans day on 8 June calling for reform of the US$16 billion paid worldwide in fisheries subsides. This resource can be accessed here: http://www.fishsubsidy.org/
THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF NATIONS: A GLOBAL TRADE-LINKED ANALYSIS. Edgar Hertwich and Glen Peters, Environmental Science and Technology, June 2009. This paper explores the linkages between consumption patterns and the carbon footprint of different countries using a single, trade-linked model of the global economy. The study finds footprints to be strongly correlated with per capita consumption expenditure. In analysing emissions contributions across eight categories (construction, shelter, food, clothing, mobility, manufactured products, services, and trade), food and services are found to be more important in developing countries, while mobility and manufactured goods dominate in developed countries. In linking standard emission inventories to consumption, Hertwich and Peters seek to provide a more relevant policy perspective on the global drivers of GHG emissions to benefit mitigation policy design. A copy of the report can be accessed here: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es803496a
CLIMATE CHANGE: GLOBAL RISKS, CHALLENGES AND DECISIONS. The International Alliance of Research Universities, March 2009. This synthesis report presents an up-to-date overview of a broad range of research relevant to climate change that emerged from an international scientific congress, which was held in Copenhagen from the 10-12 March. Its goal is to help identify the causes, impacts, and possible solutions to the climate change problem. Six key messages with supporting data appear in the report. Examples, such as the exponential decrease in ice and snow surface area in the arctic plains and the disruption of the carbon cycle, are used to give insight into the stage climate change has reached. Researchers highlight the damage human activity has caused on the planet and suggest a stringent plan for helping to secure the preservation of the planet. The authors hope that global recognition and collaboration are two key factors that will help reach a consensus at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties this December in Copenhagen. The report can be accessed here: http://climatecongress.ku.dk/pdf/synthesisreport/
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