'Chinadependence: the second UK Interdependence report, published in association with the Open University, released to mark the day that the world as a whole goes into ecological debt, reveals the many ways in which Britain is becoming increasingly dependent on the rest of the world to fuel our high-consuming lifestyles. In particular, Chinadependence reveals a striking rise in our dependence on a wide range of Chinese imports. And, because the greenhouse gas pollution that results from their m more...

'The global economy is facing a ‘triple crunch’: a combination of a credit-fuelled financial crisis, accelerating climate change and soaring energy prices underpinned by encroaching peak oil. It is increasingly clear that these three overlapping events threaten to develop into a perfect storm, the like of which has not been seen since the Great Depression, with potentially devastating consequences.
The Green New Deal Group, drawing inspiration from the tone of President Roosevelt’s compre more...

On April 25- 27, 2007,the Department of Environmental Resources Law and Service Center, the Chinese Politics and Law University hosted the 'Chinese Civil Society and Environmental Protection Administration Forum on how NGOs can use laws to push forward Environmental Protection.' A group of GVB representatives participated in this meeting, along with representatives from the British Royal International Affairs Research Institute, the British International Development Department, the NGO Managemen more...

With oil nearing $110 a barrel and gas prices creeping towards $4 a gallon, the federal government continues to prohibit U.S. farmers from growing hemp, which could be used to efficiently produce biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol. Hemp is also a cost-effective, environmentally-friendly substitute for polyester, cotton, fiberglass and concrete, according to a new Reason Foundation study that examines hemp's uses and the way other countries are benefitting from it. Industrial hemp production more...

In countries with weak governance such as the Solomon Islands, logging has numerous negative externalities. These include illegal and uncontrolled exploitation of the resource, smuggling, misclassification, transfer pricing, and corruption at different levels and scale. The consequences of these activities include environmental degradation, diminished livelihoods, loss of state revenues, an erosion of democratic principles, and a direct contribution to conflict. Many of these factors are present more...

Climate change poses a serious challenge to social and economic development. Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions need to move hand in hand with policies and incentives to adapt to the impacts of climate change. How much adaptation might cost, and how large its benefits might be, are issues that are increasingly relevant both for on-the-ground projects and in national and international contexts.

This report provides a critical assessment of adaptation costs and benefits in key climate s more...

West Coast Environmental Law is British Columbia's legal champion for the environment. Through legal advice, education and advocacy, West Coast provides citizens and organizations with the knowledge, tools and innovative solutions needed to protect our environment and build sustainability locally, nationally and internationally.

Humanity faces the challenge of halving global greenhouse gas emissions before 2050 to stave off potentially irreversible climate change. Nuclear power is a distruction. Its potential is too limited, it is too costly and it takes too long to deliver. It adds to problems of radioactive waste disposal and undermines international security by fuelling nuclear weapons proliferation. Forget talk of a “nuclear renaissance”: if there ever was a “nuclear era”, it has been consigned to the rubbis more...

As competition between food and fuel threatens to become a pressing constraint on the current biofuel industry, the biofuels world is starting the transition to next generation biofuels. Emerging powerful market drivers and strong political influences are moving ethanol to the next stage and there is huge interest in the next generation of biofuels from the oil majors. Could this be the beginning of a new branch of industry that could grow bigger than the existing 1st generation fuel ethanol i more...

The Pacific Institute is dedicated to protecting our natural world, encouraging sustainable development, and improving global security. It provides independent research and policy analysis on issues at the intersection of development, environment, and security to find real-world solutions to problems like water shortages, habitat destruction, global warming, and environmental terrorism. It conducts research, publishes reports, recommends solutions, and works with decision makers, advocacy group more...