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Bridging climate change financing and trade-related assistance: Relevant issues for vulnerable developing countries
Financing climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries poses a daunting challenge to the world, making an effective and equitable agreement in this area a top priority of the Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen this December. Development and climate change are considered by some to be the two greatest challenges of our era. They…
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The microcosm of climate change negotiations - What can the world learn from the European Union?
The relatively heterogeneous European Union has become a leader on climate change despite many odds. The mobilisation of the member states to move together provides insight into elements needed to ensure momentum also at the global level. These include leadership, burden-sharing, and financial support for weaker economies. While tools to address competitiveness concerns may be…
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Access to climate change technology by developing countries: A practical strategy
Enhancing developing countries access to climate change technologies is a key objective within the climate change negotiations. However, some of the proposed approaches are likely to fall short of delivering effective solutions that work in the real world. Instead, a fundamentally different approach, strategically focusing on the capacity of developing countries themselves to innovate and…
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Climate change, agriculture and international trade: Potential conflicts and opportunities
Examining the nexus between climate change, agriculture and international trade is not easy, but a necessary task. Understanding these linkages is a high priority for those who will be called on to shape policies and response measures to massive changes in the global economy and the global environment. Two factors complicate the analysis. First, while…
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Competitiveness and climate policies: Is there a case for unilateral trade measures?
Unless the world moves ahead on a global track to address climate change, countries acting to address the problem may opt to take measures to protect the competitiveness of their energy-intensive industries through unilateral trade measures. How such border carbon measures might work in practice - and especially, what their impacts would be on poorer…
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Trade flows, barriers and market drivers in renewable energy supply goods: The need to level the playing field
A switch to renewable energy is expected to provide a major part of the solution to climate change. In this regard, understanding the conditions that facilitate their production, trade and uptake is important. A number of renewable energy generation technologies are commercially available and many others under development. This article, based on a comprehensive trade…
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Events & Resources
ICTSD’s Events at the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen UNFCCC COP 15 Visit http://ictsd.org/i/events/dialogues/59085/ ICTSD Resources SECTORAL APPROACHES TO CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION: COMPETITIVENESS, TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES IN SMALL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. ICTSD Trade and Sustainable Energy Series Information Note 11. October 2009. To access this paper, visit http://ictsd. org/i/publications/57607/…