ZhongXiang Zhang (East-West Center, Honolulu) uses a global model based on marginal abatement cost curves for 12 world regions to estimate the contributions of the three flexibility mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, i. e. emissions trading, joint implementation, and the clean development mechanism. He shows how the reduction in compliance costs of industrialized regions depends on the extent to which the flexibility mechanisms will be available. Not surprisingly, the fewer the restrictions on the use of flexibility mechanisms will be, the greater the gains from their use. These gains are unevenly distributed, however, with industrialized regions that have the highest autarkic marginal abatement costs tending to benefit the most. Restrictions on the use of flexibility mechanisms not only reduce the potential of the industrialized regions' efficiency gains, but are also not beneficial to developing countries since they restrict the total financial flows to developing countries under the clean development mechanism. Christoph Bohringer (ZEW, Mannheim), Glenn W. Harrison (University of South Carolina, Columbia), and Thomas F. Rutherford (University of Colorado, Boulder) evaluate the welfare implications of alternative ways in which the EU could distribute its aggregate emission reduction commitment under the Kyoto Protocol across member states. Using a large-scale CGE model, they compare a uniform proportional cutback in emissions and the actual EU burden sharing agreement with an equitable allocation scheme derived from an endogenous burden sharing calculation. The latter equalizes the relative welfare cost across member states.

Cities are now home to nearly half of the world's population, and the issue of sustainable development is one of the most pressing challenges facing the international community in the 21st century. This publication is the first in-depth attempt to monitor and analyse the realities faced by urban populations around the world. It explores a range of issues, trends and policy responses in five major areas relating to: shelter, society, environment, economy and governance. It introduces the 'City Development Index', which has been developed by the UN Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). Over time, this should become a standard monitoring tool used to track regional, national and city level progress towards implementing the Habitat Agenda. The report concludes that local democracy is a key factor for the future of all cities.

This publication brings together an international group of researchers and presents work from different countries dealing with issues related to transport policy, attitudes and mode choice, car sharing and alternative modes of transport, and discusses the future of non-motorized modes of transport.

Focusing on pro-poor growth and income poverty, Promoting Pro-Poor Growth: Policy Guidance for Donors identifies binding constraints and offers policies and strategies to address them.

The ITF Transport Outlook provides an overview of recent trends and near-term prospects for the transport sector at a global level, as well as long-term prospects for transport demand to 2050, for freight (maritime, air and surface), passenger transport (car, rail and air) and CO2 emissions.

This book argues that the issues surrounding sustainable transport constitute a new - post-modern - phase in transport policy and management

The ITF Transport Outlook 2023 examines the impacts of different policy measures on global transport demand and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to 2050.

This review of Denmark's environmental conditions and policies evaluates progress in reducing the pollution burden, improving natural resource management, integrating environmental and economic policies, and strengthening international co-operation.

Climate Change, Human Systems and Policy is a component of Encyclopedia of Natural Resources Policy and Management in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. The Theme on Climate Change, Human Systems and Policy presented in three volumes, deals with the interaction between climate and human systems for policy development. These volumes discuss History, Status, and Prediction of Global Climate Change; Potential Large-scale Effects of Global Warming; Public Perceptions Toward Global Climate Change; Effects of Potential Sea-Level Rises; Economics of Potential Climate Change; Response Strategies for Stabilization of Atmospheric Composition; Policy Framework and Systems Management of Global Climate Change. These three volumes are aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College students Educators, Professional practitioners, Research personnel and Policy analysts, managers, and decision makers and NGOs.