Reforming Energy Subsidies (PDF - 289 Kb)

This booklet draws on recent work on energy-subsidy reform carried out by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). It summarizes in non-technical language the central issues related to energy subsidies and key messages for policy makers looking to reform subsidy programmes.

2002
31 pages
Languages: English
ISBN: 92-807-2208-5
More informationUNEP and the IEA conducted a series of regional workshops on energy-subsidy reform and sustainable development in late 2000 and early 2001. The workshops were financed by voluntary contributions from Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The primary aims of the workshops, at which the findings of UNEP's and IEA's analyses of energy-subsidy issues were presented, were to:
- further the dialogue between developed and developing countries on the opportunities for, and challenges in, reforming subsidies;
- provide a platform for dialogue at the regional level for representatives of governments, non-governmental organizations and industry to exchange ideas and policy experiences on specific regional issues; and
- review and develop methodologies for identifying and assessing quantitatively the effects of energy subsidies and their reform.

The IEA and UNEP subsequently prepared a synthesis report, Energy Subsidy Reform and Sustainable Development: Challenges for Policymakers, setting out the key issues discussed during the workshops and the main findings and conclusions. That report was submitted to the ninth session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development held in New York in April 2001.

Climate Change 2001: Mitigation

This brochure reproduces the Summary for Policymakers and Technical Summary of the Working Group III contribution to the Third Assessment Report. WMO, UNEP.

2001
82 pages
Languages: English
ISBN: 0-521-80770-0
Price: USD 52.95
More informationThis brochure reproduces the Summary for Policymakers and Technical Summary of the Working Group III contribution to the Third Assessment Report. The Working Group III contribution to the Third Assessment Report contains these summaries, 10 chapters, and supporting annexes that provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date scientific, technical and economic assessment of options to mitigate climate change and their costs.

Managing Technological Change (PDF - 298 KB)

An explanatory summary of the IPCC Working Group III Special Report 'Methodological and Technological Issues in Technology Transfer'. UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics publication

2001
20 pages in English.
Languages: English (PDF - 298 KB), Arabic (PDF - 334 KB), Chinese (PDF - 1,3 MB), French (PDF - 589 KB), Spanish (PDF - 616 KB), Russian (PDF - 245 KB)
ISBN: 92-807-2067-7
More informationThe SRTT is the most comprehensive recent examination of technology transfer, particularly as it relates to climate change. UNEP has prepared the summary in order to make the main findings and conclusions of the Special Report more accessible to non-technical audiences, and hence raise understanding of this complex issue. Such awareness is a critical first step in designing the necessary policies to tackle the threat of global climate change.

Technology without Borders: Case Studies of Technology Transfer (PDF - 784 KB)

It presents case studies of successful transfer of climate-friendly technology and practices. These terms used here refer to technologies, practices or techniques, which reduce greenhouse-gas emissions or assist countries in adapting to climate change. UNEP Publication in collaboration with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI)

2001
121 pages
Languages: English
More informationMuch has been written about the importance of technology in meeting the challenges posed by global climate change. Advocates of 'climate-friendly' technologies see great promise in new equipment, devices and approaches, including wind-energy systems, more efficient refrigerators and motors or improved cookstoves. But this promise will only be realised if technologies move out of the laboratory and onto the market.

The successful transfer of climate-friendly technologies is rarely an accident. Many factors contribute to effective technology transfer. Information about possible technology choices must be made available. Users must be trained to maintain, adapt and even improve the technology. Governments, private firms and universities can all play important roles. So can intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations. There is no single recipe for successful technology transfer. Each case requires a particular combination of various ingredients and the support of relevant constituencies.