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482. International Human Rights in an Environmental Horizon
- Author:
- Francesco Francioni
- Publication Date:
- 02-2010
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Abstract:
- This paper argues that, in spite of recent judicial practice contributing to the integration of environmental considerations in human rights adjudication, progress in this field remains limited. This is so because of the prevailing 'individualistic' perspective in which human rights courts place the environmental dimension of human rights. This results in a reductionist approach which is not consistent with the inherent nature of the environment as a public good indispensable for the life and welfare of society as a whole. The article, rather than advocating the recognition of an independent right to a clean environment, presents a plea for a more imaginative approach based on the consideration of the collective-social dimension of human rights affected by environmental degradation.
- Topic:
- Environment and Human Rights
483. South-east European Surplus Arms: State Policies and Practices,
- Publication Date:
- 11-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Small Arms Survey
- Abstract:
- Ensuring the physical security and proper management of national inventories and surplus stocks is key to minimizing potential hazardous effects on populations and environments surrounding depots.
- Topic:
- Arms Control and Proliferation, Environment, and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Political Geography:
- Europe
484. Providing Energy Services in a Changing Industry
- Author:
- James E. Rogers
- Publication Date:
- 10-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Aspen Institute
- Abstract:
- July 1, 2010. Anyone following the path of an electron today could be excused for thinking he or she was in the wrong millennium. “Dinosaurs” still rule the world. Large, central power stations produce the vast majority of electricity. Coal, natural gas, some oil, or uranium enters on one end. Electrons and various other byproducts—some innocuous, most not—leave on the other, pushed over long distances across aging transmission lines. Many get lost along the way.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Energy Policy, Environment, Globalization, Oil, and Law
485. The New World of Natural Gas
- Author:
- John M. Deutch
- Publication Date:
- 10-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Aspen Institute
- Abstract:
- The development of natural gas from shale is providing new possibilities for gas use in the United States and throughout the world. The largest conventional natural gas deposits are concentrated in the Middle East and Russia, but unconventional natural gas, including shale, is spread throughout the world, potentially permitting development in many different countries.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Energy Policy, Environment, and Globalization
- Political Geography:
- Russia, United States, and Middle East
486. Juggling the New Triad--Energy, Environment and Security: A Case Study of the Canadian Oil Sands
- Author:
- Hendrik Spruyt
- Publication Date:
- 10-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Centre for International Peace and Security Studies
- Abstract:
- The desire to acquire reliable and cheap sources of energy has long been linked to security objectives. When the British fleet transferred from coal to oil, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill saw to it that the British government acquired a controlling interest in the Anglo-Persian oil company (the forerunner of today's BP). In more recent years President Nixon argued for energy independence in the face of the Arab oil embargo and skyrocketing oil prices that increased twenty fold in less than a decade. And if the U.S. Department of Defense today were considered as an independent energy consumer similar to sovereign states it would outrank more than 100 countries, including such states as Sweden. Among the great powers, China in particular has linked geostrategic calculations with acquiring secure and affordable energy sources. Acquiring such sources is thus for most states a desirable objective which enhances a state's autonomy and security. Similarly, further development of such supplies is expected to correlate with enhanced security. Both objectives, however, stand in uneasy tension with new environmental concerns. Pending dramatic advances in renewable energy production, fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, remain key sources of energy. Indeed, in the United States 95% of the energy used in the transportation sector derives from oil. Consequently, the desire to become more energy independent or acquire reliable supplies of such energy will for the foreseeable future lead to the continued use and even further exploitation of fossil fuels. Yet, the consumption and production of fossil fuels has been one of the key sources of greenhouse gases.And if, environmental degradation in turn leads to conflict, as, for example, the work of Homer Dixon has suggested, then environmental concerns must also enter into the agenda that is usually reserved for traditional security calculations (Homer Dixon 1999).
- Topic:
- Security, Climate Change, Energy Policy, and Environment
- Political Geography:
- United States, Canada, Arabia, Sweden, and Persia
487. Madagascar : sortir du cycle de crises
- Publication Date:
- 03-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- Madagascar est en crise depuis les troubles sanglants qui l'ont secoué début 2009. Plusieurs mois de médiation sous l'égide de l'Union africaine (UA), entre autres, n'ont pas permis de débloquer la situation. Malgré la signature de plusieurs documents, et l'annonce de l'Union africaine de sanctions individuelles contre les membres du regime le 17 mars, les négociations n'ont pas abouti, principalement à cause du refus du gouvernement Rajoelina de mettre en oeuvre le partage du pouvoir accepté à Maputo en août. Bien que la violence ait été contenue depuis qu'il a pris le pouvoir en mars 2009, la légitimité du régime est remise en question tant à l'intérieur du pays qu'à l'extérieur, alors qu'une situation économique difficile pèse lourdement sur une population déjà appauvrie. Pour éviter toute escalade, la médiation devrait cesser d'essayer de mettre en place une transition fondée sur un partage du pouvoir, et tenter plutôt d'obtenir un accord sur la rédaction consensuelle d'une nouvelle constitution et l'organisation rapide d'élections sous supervision internationale
- Topic:
- Political Violence, Economics, Environment, and Armed Struggle
- Political Geography:
- Africa
488. Decarbonization Strategies: How Much, How, Where and Who Pays for Δ ≤ 2 ̊ C?
- Author:
- Urjit R. Patel
- Publication Date:
- 03-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- At a panel discussion at the London School of Economics (LSE) in early October, I said in my concluding remarks that while I was not optimistic about the likelihood of a robust global climate deal at Copenhagen, “there seemed to be a strong consensus in world capitals for a weak agreement.” Well, I was more or less right. We ended up with something rather ineffectual: a less than unanimous declaratory announcement (of feeble aims), although they call it an accord; and, in any case, it is neither a treaty nor even a binding commitment underpinned in law. In fact, domestic politics and the recession have probably put paid to hopes for a precise emissions quota-focused treaty in the near term. At any rate, a legally binding multilateral document is hardly sufficient: emission outcomes even under the formally binding Kyoto Protocol with a built-in enforcement mechanism are widely perceived to have been inadequate.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, Globalization, International Cooperation, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- London
489. Less Smoke, More Mirrors: Where India Really Stands on Solar Power and Other Renewables
- Author:
- David Wheelter and Saurabh Shome
- Publication Date:
- 03-2010
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Center for Global Development
- Abstract:
- Until recently, India's intransigent negotiating posture has conveyed the impression that it will not accept any carbon emissions limits without full compensation and more stringent carbon limitation from rich countries. However, our assessment of India's proposed renewable energy standard (RES) indicates that this impression is simply wrong. India is seriously considering a goal of 15 percent renewable energy in its power mix by 2020, despite the absence of any meaningful international pressure to cut emissions, no guarantees of compensatory financing, and a continuing American failure to adopt stringent emissions limits. If India moves ahead with this plan, it will promote a massive shift of new power capacity toward renewables within a decade. We estimate the incremental cost of this change from coal-fired to renewable power to be about $50 billion-an enormous sum for a society that must still cope with widespread extreme poverty. If India moves ahead with its current plan, it should give serious pause to those who have resisted U.S. carbon regulation on the grounds on that it will confer a cost advantage on "intransigent" countries such as India.
- Topic:
- Energy Policy and Environment
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, and India
490. Copenhagen, the Accord, and the Way Forward
- Author:
- Trevor Houser
- Publication Date:
- 03-2010
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Peterson Institute for International Economics
- Abstract:
- Now that the dust has settled from the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen last December and countries have chosen whether or not to sign up to the Copenhagen Accord that resulted, it's a good time to step back and take stock.
- Topic:
- Climate Change, Environment, International Cooperation, Treaties and Agreements, and United Nations