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ALL EYES ON BALI
ALL EYES ON BALI The first two weeks of December are critical for the global climate, as negotiators meet in Bali, Indonesia, to flesh out a blueprint for a new legal instrument to protect the global climate. Getting all major players - and especially the largest emitters of carbon dioxide - onboard, will be key to…
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WORLD BANK: TRADE LIBERALISATION COULD BOLSTER EFFORTS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE
WORLD BANK: TRADE LIBERALISATION COULD BOLSTER EFFORTS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE Trade policies, especially trade liberalisation in low-carbon goods and technologies, can contribute to efforts to combat climate change, according to a new book from the World Bank. Entitled "International Trade and Climate Change: Economic, Legal and Institutional Perspectives," the newly-released study found…
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WTO Negotiating Chair Releases Draft Text On Fisheries Subsidies
A new draft text on fisheries subsidies has been released within the WTO Doha Round. Members are now aiming to wrap up talks at the end of 2008, pushing forward the deadline once again. On 30 November, Guillermo Valles Galmes (Uruguay) — the Chair of the WTO negotiations on rules, covering anti-dumping and subsidies, including fishery…
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EU BIOTECH APPROVAL PROCEDURES UNDER SCRUTINY
EU BIOTECH APPROVAL PROCEDURES UNDER SCRUTINY The EU has been granted more time to come into compliance with a WTO ruling related to approvals and national bans on genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). Meanwhile, some EU countries are looking to modify the approval system and the European Commission remains divided in its approach to GMOs, with Environment Commissioner…
- In Brief
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Palm Oil Certification Launched; Green Groups Weary
Meeting at the Fifth Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the palm oil industry launched a certification process to guarantees the sustainability of its production. This step follows weeks of intense criticism by environmental groups that worry about the palm oil industry’s practices. The RSPO is a multi-stakeholder process that aims to advance the production, procurement…
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Pay Farmers for Providing Environmental Services, Says FAO
Farmers provide the world with essential ecosystem services, such as carbon storage, flood control, clean water provision and biodiversity conservation. These services are undervalued by the market, and providing targeted economic incentives to farmers could safeguard the environment as well as fight global poverty, according to the 2007 edition of the State of Food and…
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Meeting Seeks Global Action on Mercury
A meeting sponsored by the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) has taken the first steps to develop a global plan to address mercury pollution. While many developed countries have diminished their usage of the heavy metal, usage in developing countries has increased, in part due to the rising price of gold. Convening in Bangkok from 12-16 November,…
- Events
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Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar, http://www.trade-environment.org/page/calendar.htm. ICTSD events 3-5 December, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: TROPICAL PRODUCTS, TRADE, NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND POVERTY. This objective of this dialogue — which is co-organised by ICTSD and the Institute for International…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch. INTEGRATING DEVELOPMENT IN CLIMATE CHANGE. By the South Centre, November 2007. This publication is intended to provide readers, especially developing country policymakers…