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Across the OECD, farmers are voluntarily forming community-based associations to help achieve a more sustainable agriculture. What are the reasons behind this phenomenon? How can it be encouraged? To what extent can such group-based voluntary action substitute for, or complement, existing agri-environmental policy measures? In attempting to answer these questions the study looks at the recent development of landcare groups in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand. It also identifies the conditions under which such groups seem to work most effectively, and the types of issues for which they are best suited.
The analysis of the different national experiences leads to a number of general observations and specific policy recommendations. In so doing, the study provides a new perspective on the role of voluntary, collective action in finding local solutions to local environmental issues.
The future of rural areas is high on the domestic and international policy agenda. Restructuring of the agricultural sector, and accompanying reform of agricultural policies, and the challenge of meeting sustainable development objectives are key preoccupations in OECD countries. In the search for forward-looking and durable policy strategies, building on natural and cultural amenities is emerging as an important area of policy action, one which complements traditional, agriculture-oriented rural policies and places rural policy in the broader territorial development arena.
In most rural areas, the potential of many natural and cultural resources remains untapped. Harnessing such amenities, however, involves striking a balance between use and conservation. In many cases, maintenance of rural amenities depends on a degree of local economic activity -- without it there is a danger of degradation. At the same time, over-exploitation risks spoiling, often irreversibly, the essential value of the amenity. Because many natural and cultural features are public goods, with limited markets and hazy property rights, public policies are needed to strike the delicate balance between supply and demand.
This document offers advice to both test facility management and suppliers as to how they might meet GLP requirements through national accreditation schemes and/or working to formal national or international standards, or by adopting other measures which may be appropriate to a particular product.
This annual publication provides data on CO2 emissions from fuel combustion for over 140 countries broken down by fuel and by sector. Emissions were calculated using IEA energy databases and the default methods and emission factors from the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
This volume is a comprehensive reference book on current trends in the world coal market and long-term prospects to 2010. It contains an in-depth analysis of the 1999 international coal market covering prices, demand, trade, supply and production capacity, as well as over 475 pages of country specific statistics on OECD and key non-OECD coal producing and consuming countries. In addition to country specific statistics, Coal Information has up-to-date data on coal-fired power stations in coal consuming countries and coal ports in exporting and importing countries. The book also contains a summary of climate change policies, CO2 emission limitation proposals and other environmental policies as they affect coal consumption; including particulate, sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide emission limits for existing and new coal-fired boilers in OECD countries. Coal Information is one of a series of annual IEA statistical publications on major energy sources; other reports are Electricity Information, Oil Information and Natural Gas Information.
This annual publication provides data on CO2 emissions from fuel combustion for over 140 countries broken down by fuel and by sector. Emissions were calculated using IEA energy databases and the default methods and emission factors from the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
This annual publication provides data on CO2 emissions from fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions for over 140 countries broken down by fuel and by sector. Emissions were calculated using IEA energy databases and the default methods and emission factors from the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
This annual publication provides data on CO2 emissions from fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions for over 140 countries broken down by fuel and by sector. Emissions were calculated using IEA energy databases and the default methods and emission factors from the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
This report identifies policy options and makes recommendations on market-oriented actions to promote the purchase of the most environmentally friendly vehicles. It assesses the impact of a wider use of low-emission vehicles, drawing on experience to date, research results and the responses to a survey from 18 OECD countries. The main section – Policy Options – presents in non-technical language, the current and expected performance of conventional and innovative technologies. It is for policy makers worldwide, economists and the casual reader.
Progress towards Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) will require widespread acceptance of this need and a mix of measures designed to achieve the necessary changes to overcome these barriers. Some of the measures will be hard measures, which include taxes, emission standards, speed limits, and other fiscal and regulatory instruments. Others will be soft, such as the provision of information and the use of communication strategies and educational techniques. The book examines the measures needed.
This book presents the International Energy Agency's authoritative data on CO2 emissions from fuel combustion for more than 140 countries for the period 1971-2002. For each country, breakdowns are provided by sector and by fuel. For comparison, an annex extends coverage to greenhouse gas emissions generally. Emissions were calculated using IEA energy databases and the default methods and emissions factors from the Revised 1996 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories.
This book presents an in-depth assessment of the most recent conceptual and methodological developments in cost-benefit analysis and the environment. It examines how costs and benefits are evaluated and given monetary value, how to take into account impacts on future generations and impacts of irreversible losses, and how to deal with equity and sustainability issues.
This document describes the main statistical methods used for analysis of data from ecotoxicological studies .
Despite significant efforts on the part of some countries, transport CO2 emissions have increased steadily over the last ten years. This report reviews the progress OECD and ECMT countries have made in reducing transport sector CO2 emissions and makes recommendations for the focus of future policies. It includes detailed country-by country information on measures adopted and transport sector emissions for the period 1990 - 2003.
This report assesses the implications of climate change on winter tourism and natural hazards management in the European Alps, with a particular focus on how these activities can adapt to climate change. The report presents the first systematic cross-country analysis of the effects of climate change on snow-reliability in the European Alps. It also examines the implications of climate change for a range of natural hazards prevalent in the Alps, with a particular focus on frameworks and financial mechanisms to manage natural hazards in three countries: France, Switzerland and Austria. Technological and behavioural adaptation measures, together with institutional structures and risk transfer mechanisms, are also reviewed.
This volume reviews the state of the art in conducting sustainability assessments, including the range of methodologies and tools available. It describes current practice in OECD countries, as well as the continuing debate on quantifying and comparing diverse types of short- and long-term policy impacts.
Countries today face numerous environmental policy challenges, such as climate change, air and water pollution, natural-resource management, natural disasters and environment-related hazards. The costs of not responding to them can be considerable, in some cases representing a significant drag on OECD economies. Estimation of these costs can be an important part of identifying areas in which policy interventions are required, as well as of establishing priorities for future action. There is, however, considerable uncertainty associated with all stages of “costing” the impacts of environmental and resource degradation. Even when the costs of inaction are deemed important, identifying the areas where environmental policies need to be strengthened still requires careful comparison between the marginal costs of inaction versus action. This report provides introductory perspectives on the costs of inaction and discusses some of the future problems likely to be encountered in this very complex area.
Climate change is a fact of life. We need to act urgently if we are to avoid an irreversible build-up of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and global warming at a potentially huge cost to the economy and society worldwide. OECD analysis suggests that if we act now, we have 10 to 15 years’ “breathing space” during which action is possible at a relatively modest cost. But every year of delay reduces this breathing space, while requiring ever more stringent measures to make a difference. Current financial turmoil is not a reason to delay. Indeed, its macroeconomic consequences will be resolved in a relatively short time, after which growth will resume, while the consequences of inaction on global warming will continue to grow more and more costly over time...
Many combinations of policies have been employed to stimulate local renewable energy development. These policies include: local governance by authority; providing resources; enabling private actors; leading by example; allowing self-governance. Mega-city mayors, down to small-town officials, have successfully introduced such policies, although these vary with location, local resources and population. Cities, Towns and Renewable Energy – “ Yes In My Front Yard “ includes several case studies chosen to illustrate how enhanced deployment of renewable energy projects can result, regardless of a community’s size or location.
The goals of this report are to inspire city stakeholders by showing how renewable energy systems can benefit citizens and businesses, assist national governments to better appreciate the role that local municipalities might play in meeting national and international objectives, and help accelerate the necessary transition to a sustainable energy future.
The chemicals industry - including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, food and feed additives and cosmetics - is one of the world’s largest industrial sectors. Many chemical products are traded internationally. Varying national requirements can mean duplication of efforts and significant costs for the chemicals industry, as well as posing barriers to trade. By agreeing on test methods and data quality and sharing the workload of chemical safety testing and assessments, countries together achieve environmentally sustainable and cost-effective results.
For non-clinical health and safety testing, for example, the results of such studies carried out on a chemical product in one OECD country must be accepted by the others as long as it was carried out in accordance with the OECD Test Guidelines and Principles of Good Laboratory Practice. This saves the chemicals industry the expense of duplicative testing for products that are marketed in more than one country.
This report analyses the rigorous and comprehensive system for assessing and managing chemicals that helps governments and industry save about EUR 150 million each year, through “work sharing” facilitated by the OECD.