Environmental stories to watch in 2009 talk about four stories: Will the economic stimulus be green?; What are the prospects of Congress passing climate legislation?; How will the U.S. work with China?; and Will see a new weapon for protecting global forests and stopping illegal logging?.

Carbon offset programs require the application of rigorous quantifi cation, verifi cation, and enforcement criteria in order to ensure that the integrity of greenhouse gas (GHG) caps is not compromised. Some types of climate change mitigation activities

Coastal and marine ecosystems provide vitally important goods and services to countries in the Caribbean. This study looks at only three out of the many culturally and economically valuable services provided by these ecosystems in Belize. Even within this
narrowed scope, this study finds that the country

EMBARQ

This paper seeks to provide some answers, and to lay out the
state of play in the fledgling field of climate adaptation finance. It provides a conceptual model for the relationship
between adaptation and development. It reviews estimates
of adaptation costs and the funding chasm with existing
sources of adaptation finance. It also assesses existing and

Local democracy is a process whereby local leaders become accountable to citizens and responsive to their needs and aspirations. Environmental laws and interventions can support or undermine local democracy.

The Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Guidelines effort was initiated to develop a set of preliminary guidelines and recommendations for the deployment of CCS technologies in the

In many regions around the world, demand for fresh water now outstrips renewable supplies. Water scarcity is projected to worsen considerably due to a combination of factors such as population increase, higher incomes and changing lifestyles, pollution, and climate change. Agriculture is by far the biggest water user, accounting for more than 70% of global withdrawals.

World Resources 2008 explores what is necessary to allow such nature-based enterprises to scale up so as to have greater impact

Climate policy debates often feature discussions about the role of a carbon tax, either as an alternative or a supplement to a cap-and-trade program. This fact sheet describes the similarities and differences between the two policy approaches and answers other
common questions about a tax on carbon.