Filter by...
Reset all
Publications (82)
– The last 25 years
Ever since the British Industrial Revolution, energy has been a key factor of production. Recent history has proved no exception. The pattern of primary commercial energy consumption since 1965 is presented in Figure 1. What is also clear is that, since the start of this century, energy consumption...
Blog
– What Prospects for Global Development?
Wim Naudé In the run-up to the Group of 20 (G-20) Summit that was held in London on 2 April 2009, many institutions (including governments, development organizations, NGOs and academics) identified issues and made recommendations for consideration. In this article I examine a selection of these...
Blog
4 July 2013 Roger Williamson On 4 June 2013 I attended an interesting effort on the part of UNU-WIDER to communicate research results to development policy makers and practitioners. Top academics and researchers from around the world (see event site here) took to the stage, followed by the Swedish...
Blog
– What did we Learn?
24 June 2013 Tony Addison The Stockholm ReCom results meeting at Sida on 4 June was a lively exchange on all aspects of foreign aid and climate change finance (including the role of private finance). Roger Williamson provides his perspective on the day, elsewhere in this issue of Angle. For myself...
Blog
17 April 2013 Carl-Gustav Lindén In recent weeks there have been several large gatherings of experts dealing with how to tackle the complex climate change and environmental problems which our world faces. The Climate Change Expert Group (CCXG) Global Forum convened in Paris, there was another large...
Development aid by itself cannot ‘save the planet’. Yet, development aid and institutions have the potential to remain important catalytic actors in achieving developmental and global environmental objectives. Developing countries must be crucial players in successful climate change mitigation as...
Blog
– The Carbon Tax
by Nitin Desai With official development assistance falling short of needs, there has long been a search for ‘innovative’ means for financing development. Over the years, a wide range of proposals has been made, but few have been put into practice. Carbon taxes are one of the leading ideas that have...
Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) have become a symbol of national success and a means for global, commercial and geopolitical influence. But how well do they contribute to national development goals? Furthermore, global decarbonization threatens the future of many fossil fuel-financed SWFs. Here, we...
Blog
With COP21 currently taking place in Paris, the thoughts of UNU-WIDER Research Fellow Channing Arndt on the past and future of the climate change research and policy are particularly relevant. Our climate is changing - but how much? Over the last 30 years the existence of manmade climate change has...
Blog
Imed Drine The climate change threat North Africa is going through a turbulent year. With much of the focus on political transition, there is a danger that attention to the threat posed by climate change to the region’s prosperity (and stability) will be missed. Furthermore, to design and implement...
Blog
James Thurlow UNU-WIDER recently hosted an international conference on ‘Climate Change and Development Policy’. We were motivated by the apparent disconnect between research and policy on this issue. On the one hand, we see growing evidence, and some would argue consensus, that climate change poses...
Blog
– Competing Aims?
Yongfu Huang The climate change crisis and development needs of the world's poor require us to acknowledge the necessity and urgency for both continued growth at the current pace, and rapid greening of this growth strategy. But are the aims of growth and environmental protection irredeemably...
Research Brief
pdf
The demand for irrigation is likely to increase in South Africa as a result of increased temperatures and evaporation rates. Rain-fed agricultural crops are likely to experience a decline in average annual yields. This is particularly the case for maize and wheat, which are staple foods. Soybean and...
Blog
Climate change adaptation funding is frequently characterized as reparations or compensation for costs imposed by historical emissions. This characterization derives from the ‘polluter pays’ principle. The flows associated with climate finance are thus frequently conceived of as payments owed that...
Blog
There are a series of questions to which we need answers if we are to implement climate change policies that help avoid negative effects. Three key questions are: What are the implications of climate change for economic growth and development? What benefits are obtained from mitigation policies...
Research Brief
pdf
– The Role of Land
Land-based services will become increasingly important as global public goods in the context of changing climate, particularly in terms of mitigation and adaptation. Carbon sequestration, irrigation, infrastructure and local environmental services will all need significant investment in order to...
Displaying 16 of 82 results