'The soil is our greatest single sink for atmospheric carbon. Farmers hold the pivotal key to managing soil resources, mitigating climate change, and ensuring a secure future. Rich countries are paying poor countries to fight climate change on their behalf, and one way they are doing it is through carbon sinks. These are reservoirs of organic carbon tied up in plants and in the earth, rather than being in the atmosphere as greenhouse gases. Topics include: 1) the scientific, economic, and ethical basis for this type of mitigation; 2) the potential for carbon sinks in agriculture, crop plants, and the soil; 3) how north-south climate mitigation trading works, or does not, and what the pitfalls are; 4) the complex relationship between agriculture and mitigation of climate change.

(SOIL RESOURCES * CLIMATE CHANGE * CARBON SINKS IN AGRICULTURE)

This IPCC-SRREN Report assesses the potential role of renewable energy in the mitigation of climate change; discusses the six most important renewable energy sources - bioenergy, solar, geothermal, hydropower, ocean,and wind energy - as well as their integration into present and future energy systems; considers the environmental and social consequences associated with the deployment of these technologies; and presents strategies to overcome technical as well as non-technical obstacles to their application and diffusion. SRREN brings a broad spectrum of technology-specific experts together with scientists studying energy systems as a whole, and assesses the potential role of renewable energy for the mitigation of climate change for policymakers, the private sector, and academic researchers.

(ENERGY * RENEWABLE ENERGY * CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION * IPCC SPECIAL REPORT)

How will we meet rising energy demands? What are our options? Are there viable long-term solutions for the future? Covers the fundamental physical, chemical and materials science at the heart of renewable/non-renewable energy sources, future transportation systems, energy efficiency, and energy storage. Experts reveal critical relationships between the environment, energy and sustainability and bring together diverse subject matter by integrating theory with insights. Each chapter includes a historical overview to provide context, suggested further reading, and questions for discussion. Every subject is illustrated and brought to life with full color images and color-coded sections for easy browsing. Contents include: 1) a primer on climate change (with chapters on the global energy landscape and energy security; sustainability and energy conversions; energy cost of materials: materials for thin-film photovoltaics as an example; economics of materials; global energy flows; global materials flows; carbon dioxide capture and sequestration); 2) nonrenewable energy sources ( including petroleum and natural gas, coal conversion technologies; oil shale and tar sands; unconventional energy sources such as gas hydrates; nuclear energy; nuclear non-proliferation; nuclear-waste management and disposal; material requirements for controlled nuclear fusion); 3) renewable energy sources ( which also cover solar energy, photovoltaic energy conversion, concentrating solar thermal power; solar-thermoelectrics: direct solar thermal energy conversion; off-grid solar in the developing world; biofuels and biomaterials from microbes; biofuels from cellulosic biomass via aqueous processing; artificial photosynthesis for solar energy conversion; geothermal and ocean energy; wind energy); 4) transportation (motor vehicles, aviation, shipping, fully autonomous vehicles); and 5) energy efficiency (lighting, energy efficient buildings, insulation science, green processing: catalysis, materials availability and recycling, life-cycle assessment); and 6) energy storage, high-penetration renewables and grid stabilization (smart grids, consequences of high-penetration renewables, electrochemical energy storage: batteries and capacitors, mechanical energy storage: pumped hydro, CAES, flywheels, fuel cells, solar fuels).

(ENERGY * CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY * MATERIALS FOR ENERGY)

“Climate change is arguably the greatest governance challenge the world has ever faced.” It requires urgency, trust, and cooperation, and a robust system of climate governance. We must invest significantly in a low-carbon future, and we must make sure this investment is effective. Corruption (defined by TI as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain”) is a risk in addressing climate change because efforts will have an enormous price tag of hundreds of billions of dollars, flowing through new and relatively uncoordinated channels. Pressure already exists to “fast-track” solutions, further enhancing the risk of corruption. The lobbying landscape is diversifying, and the associated risk of undue influence is higher than ever (e.g., in the US, “oil and gas interests outspent the clean energy sector by a factor of eight in lobbying in 2009.”) Yet mandatory lobbying registries are still not required in the majority of OECD countries. The overarching message of this Report: “a dramatic strengthening of governance mechanisms can reduce corruption risk and make climate change policy more effective and more successful.” Proposals: 1) a robust system for measuring, reporting, and verification of emissions is crucial to transparency, and ultimately to the success of mitigation strategies (accurate MRV is critical in all countries); 2) carbon markets, a critical mechanism for mitigation, need safeguards to reduce the risk of corruption (the value of leading carbon markets has now reached some $144 billion); 3) strengthening citizen participation is essential to adaptation governance; 4) forests play a pivotal role in climate policy, but there is entrenched corruption in this sector ($10-23 billion of timber is illegally felled or produced from suspicious origins each year, aided by legal loopholes and deeply engrained corruption schemes); 5) governments must design key climate policy instruments to reduce conflict of interest, and ensure transparency in flows of funding for mitigation and adaptation; 6) business can be a powerful voice in climate policy through open engagement and disclosure (“an essential plank of corporate citizenship”), and must commit ample resources to green climate action and transparency; 7) civil society should undertake independent oversight and monitoring of governance and corruption risk in climate change issues, build broader coalitions for integrity, and ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are considered. (download full report or executive summary at www.transparency.org/publications)

(CORRUPTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE * CLIMATE CHANGE AND CORRUPTION)

Explores the intersection of climate extremes and their social impacts. Topics include global distribution of daily temperature and precipitation extremes, distribution of severe convective storms, regional storm climate and related marine hazards in the Northeast Atlantic, extensive summer hot and cold extremes under current and possible future climatic conditions in Europe and North America, tropical cyclones and climate change; extreme climatic events and their impacts in the European Alps; impact of weather and climate extremes on coral growth, US insured hurricane losses, weather-related catastrophe losses, the impact of climate change on the insurance industry, loss inventory of weather and climate hazards, the Catastrophe Modeling response to Hurricane Katrina, and the Risk Prediction Initiative for analyzing natural hazard risk.

(CLIMATE EXTREMES: SOCIAL IMPACTS * CLIMATE CHANGE)

Brings together both case studies and syntheses from different parts of the world and critically discusses empirical evidence, methodological challenges, conceptual gaps, policy responses, and normative issues. Also brings together experts from a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, climatology, demography, geography, law, political science and sociology. Focuses on 1) the migration-climate change relationship and 2) policy responses, normative issues and critical perspectives. Chapters discuss climate change, migration and health in Brazil; environmental degradation and out-migration in Nepal; climate-induced displacement in the Pacific; sea level rise, local vulnerability and involuntary migration; past forced resettlement for climate change migration; climate change and internal displacement; displacement, climate change and gender; drought, desertification and migration, etc.

(MIGRATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE * CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATION)

Re-examines the case for action in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and recent developments by major countries to reduce emissions and prepare for a low-carbon future. Guides the reader through the climate change debate, and explains why Australia's contribution is vital to the national interest and matters to the global effort. Also outlines a set of policies through which Australia can contribute its fair share without damaging its prosperity. Chapters discuss: carbon after the crash; better climate, better tax; adapting efficiently, and transforming land.

(CLIMATE CHANGE * AUSTRALIA AND CLIMATE CHANGE)

Rich countries are paying poor countries to fight climate change on their behalf – and one way they are doing it is through carbon sinks – reservoirs of organic carbon tied up in plants and in the earth, rather than being in the atmosphere as greenhouse gases. Looks critically at this mode of climate change mitigation, considers the scientific, economic and ethical basis for this type of mitigation, and examines the potential for carbon sinks in agriculture in crop plants and the soil. Robbins examines exactly how North-South climate mitigation trading works, or does not work, and what the pitfalls are and highlights the complex relationship between agriculture, particularly different forms of farming systems, and the mitigation of climate change.

(CLIMATE CHANGE * FOOD/AGRICULTURE * CARBON SINKS)

Deals with the various economic effects from climate change policies introduced at national and international levels. Includes chapters on public policies and climate change impacts, adaptation, mitigation, effects on competitiveness, new technologies, distributional concerns, and the international dimension.

(CLIMATE CHANGE * CLIMATE CHANGE POLICIES)

The study led by the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Chinese Economists 50 Forum brings together leading international thinkers in economics, climate change, and development, to tackle some of the most challenging issues relating to China’s low-carbon development. Maps out a deep carbon reduction scenario and analyzes economic policies that shift carbon use. Shows how China can take strong and decisive action to make deep reductions in carbon emission over the next 40 years while maintaining high economic growth and minimizing adverse effects of a low-carbon transition.

(CLIMATE CHANGE * DEVELOPMENT * ECONOMY * CHINA: LOW-CARBON DEVELOPMENT)