Library

This technical document highlights key findings of the Health and Environment Linkages Initiative (HELI), and introduces a “tool-kit” to support integration of environment and health considerations into decision-making. This publication represents the culmination of a two-year process of working with stakeholders to identify: current gaps in knowledge and tools that preclude better decisions; strategies for addressing those gaps; a clearinghouse of linked health and environment knowledge and resources; linked health and environment guidance on assessment procedures; and pilot-testing of the approaches in the field.

This analytical report addresses the complex relation between human activity and the natural environment. It claims that socially and environmentally sustainable economic development can be realized by adopting an appropriate mix of technologies, policies, and practices that explicitly recognize the inextricable linkages among the environmental systems and the basic human needs. Furthermore, the report presents the means by which interlinked global environmental issues can be confronted in an integrated manner. 

This analytical report aims to summarize the latest knowledge and field experiences on the linkages between environment, conflict and peace-building, and to demonstrate the need for those linkages to be addressed in a more coherent and systematic way by the United Nations, Member States and other stakeholders.

This policy document presents the Global Green New Deal (GGND). This has three main objectives. Firstly, it should make a major contribution to reviving the world economy, saving and creating jobs, and protecting vulnerable groups. Secondly, it should promote sustainable and inclusive growth and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially ending extreme poverty by 2015. Finally, it must reduce carbon dependency and ecosystem degradation, key risks along a path to a sustainable world economy.

This analytical report is the outcome of collaborative research between the WTO Secretariat and UNEP. It reviews how trade and climate change policies interact and how they can be mutually supportive. The aim is to promote greater understanding of this interaction and to assist policy-makers in this complex policy area.

This story book is part of the Tunza Environmental Series for Children. In this publication young Ting uses the Possible Future Transporter to see the future 50 years from now. She can select different scenarios. Only the best one, where the current way of living is modified and climate change contrasted, shows a healthy environment in which humans can live safely. With this publication series United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) hopes to inspire caring for the Earth through creative literature that sparks the interest and awareness of children, their parents and teachers.

This booklet is a simplified guide to the IPCC’s “Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage”. UNEP has produced this short public information document with the aim of making the Report’s technical findings more accessible to the general reader.

The story book is part of the Tunza Environmental Series for Children, sponsored by UNEP. With this publication series UNEP hopes to inspire caring for the Earth through creative literature that sparks the interest and awareness of children, their parents and teachers.

This story book is part of the Tunza Environmental Series for Children. It tells the story of Tore, a boy who lives in a village in the Arctic and notices unusual changes in the surrounding natural environment. In particular, the temperature is higher and the ice is melting rapidly. After some adventures, Tore becomes aware of the problems caused by climate change and promotes the use of renewable energy in his village. With this publication series the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) hopes to inspire caring for the Earth through creative literature that sparks the interest and awareness of children, their parents and teachers.

This magazine is the December 2009 release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s quarterly that features authoritative articles on the theme of environment and development by world scientific and political leaders. This issue focuses on the COP15/MOP5 with articles from the Secretary General Ki-Moon, Lars Rasmussen, Yvo de Boer and Gordon Brown.

This technical document is a compendium that reviews some 400 major scientific contributions to the current understanding of Earth Systems and climate that have been released through peer-reviewed literature or from research institutions over the last three years, since the close of research for consideration by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report.

This activity report presents the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s strategy to assist countries best realize a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy for the 21st century. The strategy identifies three priority areas that match calls for international guidance, the urgent need for action at a national level on climate change and the organization’s skill set, experience and mandate. Those areas are: ecosystems-based adaptation, reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD and REDD+), clean technology readiness.

This activity report on climate neutrality draws upon the experiences of nearly 200 participants of the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net) led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which includes countries, regions, cities, companies and organizations that are moving towards low-carbon economies and societies. The 10 case studies presented examine the areas of transport, building and construction, food, banking and finance, media and advertising, event management, energy, and information and communication technologies.

This analytical report aims to assess the realistic potential and the major constraints of combining carbon sink and bioenergy use projects in the CDM. The report starts with an overview of the current state of biomass use in developing countries. These days, energy from biomass is considered a new and modern option in the industrialized world. In developing countries bio-fuels is still largely viewed as a traditional practice. CDM could help changing this and this report shows the technological options available.

This analytical report finds that Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, while reducing emissions, too often do not contribute to sustainable development. It therefore proposes an international standard for CDM sustainability assessment – additional to national definitions – to counter weaknesses in the existing system of sustainability approval by Designated National Authorities in host countries.

This analytical report analyzes the decision made at the first Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol to include programs in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the June 2007 guidance provided by the Executive Board of the CDM. The paper identifies the potential and the niche for end-use energy efficiency projects under the new programmatic approach of the CDM. Furthermore it presents the basic understanding of the emission reduction potential in EE and gives insights into how to handle the dispersed nature of most EE efforts.

This analytical report argues that the structure of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has reduced the effectiveness of the resources spent on carbon reduction and attempts to measure the cost of the ineffectiveness analysing the projects registered under the CDM by measuring their cost of abatement against the price paid for doing the abatement.

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to answer the question of what role the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) plays in relation to transfer of technology and knowledge. It focuses on companies involved in the implementation of specific technologies in CDM projects and channels that can facilitate the transfer process.

This analytical report looks at the no-lose targets in the electricity sector as a way to overcome weaknesses of the current Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and to encourage structural changes and significant reduction of CO2 emissions in carbon-intensive sectors in developing countries.

This analytical report proposes and investigates a project-based crediting mechanism which is based on a national CO2 emission intensity standard for new power plants to be added in the electricity sector from 2013-2020 in several developing countries.