Rio Environment Meeting Focuses on 'Energy for All' http://www.npr.org/2012/06/19/155294726/rio-environment-meeting-focuses-on-energy-for-all Rio+20 Summit Overshadowed by Global Economy http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/19/world/americas/rio20-summit-overshadowed-by-global-economy.html Major cities tackle climate change while Rio summit's outcome remains...

Experts Jason Shogren and Michael Toman wrote this discussion paper (00-22) on the economics of climate change policy, recently posted on the Resources for the Future (RFF) Website. The paper (.pdf format) examines the risks of climate change, the benefits of protection from climate change, and the costs of alternative protection policies. Also included is a summary of key policy lessons and...

The Compendium of Sustainable Development Indicator Initiatives and Publications site is jointly developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Environment Canada, Redefining Progress, and the World Bank. It provides an "information base of indicator initiatives being carried out at the international, national and provincial/territorial/state levels in the context of...

Corporate Watch is an online magazine and resource center affiliated with the Institute for Global Communications (discussed in the November 15, 1996 Scout Report) and the Transnational Resource and Action Center (TRAC), among others. An array of full text news articles, photo galleries, and useful links to activist groups and government data keep users abreast of corporate activity. All articles...

ENTRI is an international, collaborative effort hosted by the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) charged with providing "information about environmental treaties and national resource indicators." These treaties are organized into nine issue areas which cover land use change and desertification, transboundary air pollution, and trade and the environment, among...

Differences in terminology and language can be major barriers to effective international collaborations -- such as in the development of (often delicate) environmental protection agreements. To reduce these barriers, several European and US environmental agencies have joined forces to develop a common terminology system, called GEMET. This General Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus (GEMET) is "a...

A service of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), Linkages is a clearinghouse for information on "past and upcoming international meetings related to environment and development policy." Breaking news headlines and text describe current important events, such as COP-4 (see In The News). Additional real-time information on "the activities of governments, NGOs, and the...

Next week, the twelfth Meeting Of The Parties To "The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer" will take place in Burkina Faso to negotiate multi-governmental cooperation in the protection of the earth's ozone layer. Given the recent collapse of the United Nations climate talks in the Hague, at which the US refused to agree to reduce global warming through stricter pollution...

Ruth Greenspan Bell wrote this discussion paper (01-05) for Resources for the Future. The paper examines several (quasi) case studies to explore "how communication across differing traditions, legal systems, cultures, history, and language has impacted joint efforts to develop stronger environmental regimes." The paper (165 Kb) may be downloaded as a .pdf document.

The very productive Earth Institute at Columbia University has a number of centers within its ambit, including The Center for International Earth Science. Their specialty happens to be on-line data and information management, along with spatial data integration and training and interdisciplinary research related to human interactions in the environment. From their homepage, visitors can learn more...