Key Resources for Climate Change

There are so many resource materials available related to climate change that one is often overwhelmed with too much information. The goal of the following links is to enable employers and their organizations to identify specific resources that might meet their particular interest and needs. Many of the reports are far too large and detailed and it is recommended that one first examine the Executive Summary, if available, to assess if it is indeed relevant to your needs. Nevertheless, the following list highlights some of the most important and useful documents presently available for Employers' organizations and their members. It is divided into the following sections:

1.	ILO Climate Change Resources
2.	Relevant Employers' and Business Organizations      IOE | ICC | UN Global Compact | WBCSD | IPIECA
3.	Other Relevant International Organizations      UNFCCC | UNDP | OECD | UNEP | World Bank | IISD | IPCC
4.	Key Climate Themes      Carbon Trading and Carbon Taxes      Technology      National Adaptation Programmes of Action      Financial Opportunities, Mechanisms and Funds      Employment and Skills

1. ILO Climate Change Resources

• A Technical Brief: The social and decent work dimension of a new Agreement on Climate Change - (pdf 236 KB)
  This document provides a brief overview of climate change science issues, links between climate change and the world of work, a description of the current international climate change regime and the on-going Copenhagen negotiation process. (June 2009)
• Employment and labour market implications of climate change - (pdf 271 KB)
  This document focuses on the search for ways to combine growth, the reduction of poverty and inclusive development with policies aimed at reduced emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and measures to adapt to climate change. (2008)
• Decent Work for sustainable development - The Challenge of climate change - (pdf 80 KB)
  It focuses on a socially just transition to green jobs. It recalls salient facts about climate change, explores the interrelationships between climate change and decent work and briefly examines the present policy debate on climate change. Suggested policy conclusions are drawn from this analysis and items for a possible ILO programme of work are outlined. (2007)
• Green Jobs: Towards decent work in a sustainable, low-carbon world, Policy Messages and main finding for decision makers - (pdf 1,24 MB)
  This document provides an overview of the extensive Green Jobs report prepared by the UNP/ILO/IOE/ITUC Green Jobs Initiative. (2008)
• Conclusions concerning the promotion of sustainable enterprises, International Labour Conference - (pdf 194 KB)
  This document, approved by the ILO's tripartite constituency of governments, employers' and workers' organizations, provides guidance on how to promote enterprise development in a manner that aligns enterprise growth with sustainable development objectives and the creation of productive employment and decent work. It sets out 17 conditions for an enabling environment for sustainable enterprises, 6 enterprise-level principles for sustainable enterprises, 13 roles of government in the promotion of sustainable enterprises, and 4 roles of the social partners. It is a useful framework for Employers' organizations to integrate their activities related to climate change within their broader sustainable enterprise objectives. (June 2007)

2. Relevant Employers' and Business Organizations

IOE - International Organization of Employers

• Climate Change
• Climate Change COP 15 Copenhagen December 2009: IOE Information Paper - (pdf 206 KB)
  This document provides an overview of issues being dealt with at the Copenhagen Conference that are of special relevance to Employers' organizations. (July 2009)

ICC - International Chamber of Commerce

• Key Issues on Adaptation for Business, Discussion Paper - (pdf 432 KB)
  This discussion paper prepared by the ICC Commission on Environment and Energy draws attention to the importance adaptation and the fact that business and industry already has this issue on its agenda. (2007)
• Technology Development and Deployment to address Climate Change, Discussion Paper - (pdf 2,04 MB)
  This paper highlights several key factors and fundamental conditions necessary to facilitate the development and deployment of technologies to address climate change. (2008)
• Energy today and options for tomorrow, Policy Statement - (pdf 425 KB)
  This Policy Statement draws attention to the importance of access to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy to achieve economic growth and sustainable development. The statement identifies a number of key issues necessary to facilitate and encourage new energy development in line with climate change challenges. (2009)
• Climate Change and Intellectual Property, Discussion Paper - (pdf 346 KB)
  This discussion paper prepared by the ICC Commissions on Environment and Energy and Intellectual Property strongly supports IPR protection as indispensable in supporting growth in technological innovation, development and dissemination envisioned by proposals for post-2012 action. (2009)

UN Global Compact

• Caring for Climate (C4C)
  This site provides access to the work of the Global Compact's significant and extensive programme of research and information dissemination related to enterprises and climate change.
• Caring For Climate Statement: The Business Leadership Platform - (pdf 54 KB)
  This statement on climate change has been endorsed by a large number of Global Compact partners and participants.
• Caring For Climate Series: Summary: Transformation is possible - (pdf 782 KB)
  This document provides a useful summary of several of the Global Compact C4C reports: Best Practices and Policy Frameworks; Energy Efficiency and Low-Carbon Intensity; Building a Green Recovery; Change is coming: A Framework for Climate Change; Investor Leadership on Climate Change; Carbon Markets: The Simple Facts. (2009)
• Connecting the Dots: How climate Change Transforms Market Risks and Opportunities - (pdf 395 KB)
  This document stresses the importance of governments and international agencies developing "a new level of policy coherence" as climate change interacts with other key issues on the global agenda. It states: "The livelihood of literally every single person in every single country will be affected by a changing climate". (2009)

WBCSD - World Business Council and Sustainable Development

• Energy and Climate Home Page
  The WBCSD has been very actively involved in bringing together major companies to assess and promote research and discussion of energy and climate issues related to climate change and sustainable development.
• Establishing a Global Carbon Market: A discussion on linking various approaches to create a global market - (pdf 2,57 MB)
  This brief document provides a review of the different emissions management approaches being proposed, including "cap-and-trade" systems, low-carbon fuel standards, national renewable energy obligations, energy efficiency targets, carbon taxes, and technology standards and discusses linking these various approaches to create a global market.
• Pathways to 2050: Energy & climate Change - (pdf 2,45 MB)
  This brochure provides an overview of energy-related challenges of climate change and provides insights on ways and means to meet those challenges in both developed and developing countries.
• Power to Change: Summary of key elements and policy messages - (pdf 748 KB)
  This brochure describes the key features of a framework for the electricity sector at national and international levels to deal with climate change. (2008)

IPIECA - International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association

• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol: A Guide to the Climate Change Negotiations - (pdf 412 KB)
  This rather detailed Guide was prepared in 2008 and much of the information remains useful and relevant for the on-going Copenhagen process. (2008)
• Climate Change: A Glossary of Terms (4th Edition) - (pdf 410 KB)
  This is one of the most comprehensive glossary of climate change terms available.

3. Other Relevant International Organizations

UNFCCC - UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

• UNFCCC Home Page
• Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) on Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change
  The Nairobi Work Programme is a 5-year programme (2005-2010) implemented by Parties, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, communities and other stakeholders. This site provides information on the NWP many initiatives and projects in nine work areas related to climate change impacts and adaptation.
• National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA)
  This site provides access to the 43 LDC NAPA reports that have been submitted.
• National Reports: Communications from Annes 1 (Parties-Developed Countries) and Non-Annex 1 (Parties-Developing Countries)

UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

• Climate Change
• UNDP Adaptation Learning Mechanism
  This is an extremely powerful and useful tool that assembles information on what and where adaptation activities are underway, assesses good practices and promotes networking and exchanges on adaptation activities.
• Adaptation policy Frameworks for Climate Change: Developing Strategies, policies and measures (Developed by UNDP on behalf of the GEF)
  This link provides a very useful framework and additional guidance for formulating and implementing adaptation strategies, policies and measures.
• Adaptation to Climate Change
• Africa Adaptation Programme
  Under this programme, the UNDP, with funding from Japan, will assist 21 African countries to implement adaptation actions and resilience plans.
• National Capacity Self-Assessment (Global Support Programme)
  This site provides information on the UNDP's programme of support for country capacity development linked to the GEF.
• National Communications Support Programme (NCSP)
  This initiative, funded by GEF, provides technical and policy support to Non-Annex I Parties to the UNFCCC for preparing their National Communications.

OECD

• Climate Change, Energy and Transport
• Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Development Co-operation; Policy Guidance
  This report provides detailed analysis of the issues related to integrating climate change within development programmes and provides guidance on how donors and recipient countries might work to improve that process in future. (2009)

UNEP

• Climate Change
• Negotiating Adaptation: International Issues of Equity and Finance
  This brief note provides a unique overview of the special equity issues involved between developed and developing countries. (2009)
• The Green Economy Initiative web site
  This project is designed to assist governments in "greening" their economies and reshaping and refocusing policies, investments and spending towards a range of sectors. It refers to the process of reconfiguring businesses and infrastructure to deliver better results on natural, human and economic capital investments, while reducing GHG emissions, extracting and using less natural resources, creating less waste and reducing social disparities.

World Bank

• Climate Change
• Executive Summary: The Cost to Developing Countries of Adapting to Climate Change: new Methods and Estimates (Consultative Draft) - (pdf 331 KB)
  This is a brief summary of a very extensive report that provides estimates of the expected costs to developing countries of adapting to climate change.

IISD - International Institute on Sustainable development

• Earth Negotiations Bulletin
  This free reporting service provides brief updated daily and summary reports on the negotiating processes related to not only the Copenhagen process, but as well a broad range of other related environmental issues. It is an essential and practical tool for monitoring negotiating processes. Anyone can register to receive the bulletins on a regular basis.

IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

• IPCC Home Page
  The IPCC is the major source of scientific assessments of the full-range of climate change issues.
• Synthesis Report - (pdf 4,01 MB)
  This Synthesis Report provides an excellent and readable summary of the very extensive IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report in 2007.

4. Key Climate Themes

This section provides information according to Climate Change themes to facilitate a more detailed examination of these important areas: Carbon Trading and Carbon Taxes; Technology; National Adaptation Programmes of Action; Financial Opportunities, Mechanisms and Funds; Employment and Skills.

Carbon Trading and Carbon Taxes

• UNFCCC Emission Trading site
• WBCSD, Establishing a Global Carbon Market: A discussion on linking various approaches to create a global market - (pdf 2,57 MB)
  This brief document provides a review of the different emissions management approaches being proposed, including "cap-and-trade" systems, low-carbon fuel standards, national renewable energy obligations, energy efficiency targets, carbon taxes, and technology standards and discusses linking these various approaches to create a global market.
• Carbon Taxes vs Carbon Trading: Pros, cons and the case for a hybrid approach, Executive Summary, PricewaterhouseCoopers, March 2009
  This Executive Summary of a rather extensive report provides an assessment of both carbon taxes and carbon trading policies and recommends a combination of the two approaches as the best way forward.

Technology

• UNFCCC Fact Sheet on Why Technology is so Important - (pdf 55 KB)
• ICC, Technology Development and Deployment to address Climate Change, Discussion Paper - (pdf 2,04 MB)
  This paper highlights several key factors and fundamental conditions necessary to facilitate the development and deployment of technologies to address climate change. (2008)
• ICC, Climate Change and Intellectual Property, Discussion Paper - (pdf 346 KB)
  This discussion paper prepared by the ICC Commissions on Environment and Energy and Intellectual Property strongly supports IPR protection as indispensable in supporting growth in technological innovation, development and dissemination envisioned by proposals for post-2012 action. (2009)

National Adaptation Programmes of Action

UNFCCC Site

• National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPA)
  Provides NAPA Plans Submitted by 43 LDC Countries.
• Nairobi Work Programme on Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change
  The Nairobi Work Programme is a 5-year programme (2005-2010) implemented by Parties, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, communities and other stakeholders. This site provides information on NWP projects and initiatives in nine work areas related to climate change impacts and adaptation.

UNDP Site

• UNDP, Adaptation policy Frameworks for Climate Change: Developing Strategies, policies and measures (Developed by UNDP on behalf of the GEF)
  This link provides a very useful framework and additional guidance for formulating and implementing adaptation strategies, policies and measures.
• UNDP Adaptation Learning Mechanism
  This is an extremely powerful and useful tool that assembles information on what and where adaptation activities are underway, assesses good practices and promotes networking and exchanges on adaptation activities.
• UNDP, Adaptation to Climate Change (Web pages)
• Africa Adaptation Programme
  Under this programme, the UNDP, with funding from Japan, will assist 21 African countries to implement adaptation actions and resilience plans.
• National Capacity Self-Assessment (Global Support Programme)
  This site provides information on the UNDP's programme of support for country capacity development linked to the GEF.
• The Netherlands Climate Assistance Programme
• Report: Poverty Reduction and Risk: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty Alleviation Activities; Based on country assessments in Bangladesh, Bolivia and Ethiopia - (pdf 610 KB)
  (2007)

Financial Opportunities, Mechanisms and Funds

• UNFCCC Fact Sheet on Financing Climate Change Action - (pdf 136 KB)
• UNFCCC Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) site
  This site provides background information on the Kyoto Protocol's CDM mechanism, including access to procedures and existing projects around the world. The CDM allows a country with an emission reduction or limitation commitment from the Kyoto Protocol to implement an emission reduction project in developing countries.
• UNFCCC Joint Implementation (JI) Mechanism
  The JI Mechanism allows a country with an emission reduction or limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol to earn emission reduction units (ERUs) from an emission reduction or emission removal project in another country. This offers parties a flexible and cost-efficient means of fulfilling a part of their Kyoto commitments, while the host party benefits from foreign investment and technology transfer.
• World Bank Climate Investment Funds
  This site provides access to information on the World Bank's various climate investment funds as well as access to the sites of other Multilateral Development Banks' activities linked to climate change.

Employment and Skills

ILO Site

• Employment and labour market implications of climate change - (pdf 271 KB)
  This document focuses on the search for ways to combine growth, the reduction of poverty and inclusive development with policies aimed at reduced emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and measures to adapt to climate change. (2008)
• The Green Jobs Programme of the ILO - (pdf 1,43 MB)

ILO/UNEP/IOE/ITUC, Green Jobs Initiative

• Green Jobs: Towards decent work in a sustainable, low-carbon world, OVERVIEW, (36 pp) - (pdf 1,24 MB)
  This document provides an overview of the extensive Green Jobs report prepared by the UNEP/ILO/IOE/ITUC Green Jobs Initiative.
• Green Jobs: Towards decent work in a sustainable, low-carbon world, FULL REPORT - (pdf 4,49 MB)

UNITAR Site

• UNITAR is engaged in supporting governments, organizations and stakeholders in developing capacity to respond to global climate change challenges.
• UNITAR is facilitating the development of a UN Training Service Platform on Climate Change that will bring together knowledge and learning resources from all across the UN system.

UNEP site

• The Green Economy Initiative
  This project is designed to assist governments in "greening" their economies and reshaping and refocusing policies, investments and spending towards a range of sectors. It refers to the process of reconfiguring businesses and infrastructure to deliver better results on natural, human and economic capital investments, while reducing GHG emissions, extracting and using less natural resources, creating less waste and reducing social disparities.