ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Nikit Abbyankar

July 2007

"Tariff-Based Incentives for Improving Coal-Power-Plant Efficiencies in India"

Journal Article, Energy Policy, issue 7, volume 35

By Ambuj D. Sagar, Former Visiting Scholar, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group (ETIP), June 2009; Former Research Fellow, ETIP, 1996-2002; Former Senior Research Associate, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, 2007-2008, Ananth Chikkatur, Associate, Energy Technology Innovation Policy, Nikit Abbyankar and N. Sreekumar

Energy Policy article assessing the efficiency of coal-based power plants and its role in the performance of India's power sector.

Ramgopal Agarwala

December 2008

"Towards a Global Compact for Managing Climate Change"

Discussion Paper

By Ramgopal Agarwala

Despite an enormous amount of work done to persuade the world of the dangers of climate change and the need for quick corrective action, there is little progress toward a global compact for managing climate change. In fact, there are some basic differences of perspectives on climate change policies between developed and developing countries which may bedevil future global agreements on climate change for quite some time. Among the reasons for these differences are the issues of historical responsibility for carbon emission by the developed countries, the need for lifestyle changes in both the developed and developing countries, suspicion in the developing countries about the motives of developed countries and too much focus of current discussions on the very long-term and global effects of climate change.

The Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements

November 2009

"Climate Finance"

Policy Brief

By The Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements

The finance of climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries represents a key challenge in the negotiations on a post-2012 international climate agreement. Finance mechanisms are important because stabilizing the climate will require significant emissions reductions in both the developed and the developing worlds, and therefore large-scale investments in energy infrastructure. The current state of climate finance has been criticized for its insufficient scale, relatively low share of private-sector investment, and insufficient institutional framework. This policy brief presents options for improving and expanding climate finance.

August 2009

"Options for Reforming the Clean Development Mechanism"

Policy Brief

By The Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)—established by the Kyoto Protocol of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change—is an emissions offset program that allows industrialized countries to receive credits for funding emissions reduction projects in developing countries. The program is intended to provide a cost-effective way for industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time supporting sustainable development in developing countries. However, the CDM has been criticized for its lengthy and expensive project approval procedures, its exclusion of many categories of potentially important mitigation activities, and its methodologies for calculating whether projects actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In response to these problems, this Issue Brief presents a variety of options for reforming the CDM.