Woodfuels (firewood and charcoal) are
the dominant energy source and the leading forest product
for most developing countries. Representing 60 to 80 percent
of total wood consumption in these nations, woodfuels often
account for 50 to 90 percent of all energy used. Although
woodfuels are widely perceived as cheap and primitive
sources of energy, commercial woodfuel markets are
frequently very large, involve significant levels of

This paper investigates the optimal
timing of greenhouse gas abatement efforts in a
multi-sectoral model with economic inertia, each sector
having a limited abatement potential. It defines economic
inertia as the conjunction of technical inertia -- a social
planner chooses investment on persistent abating activities,
as opposed to choosing abatement at each time period
independently -- and increasing marginal investment costs in

Climate change is widely acknowledged as
foremost among the formidable challenges facing the
international community in the 21st century. It poses
challenges to fundamental elements of our understanding of
appropriate goals for social and economic policy, such as
the connection of prosperity, growth, equity, and
sustainable development. This volume seeks to establish an
agenda for research and action built on an enhanced

This paper examines the cost of
producing emission reduction credits under the Clean
Development Mechanism. Using project-specific data, cost
functions are estimated using alternative functional forms.
The results show that, in general, the distribution of
projects in the pipeline does not correspond exclusively to
the cost of generating anticipated credits. Rather,
investment choices appear to be influenced by location and

This paper reviews the challenges and
opportunities raised by international trade for developing
countries considering a green growth strategy. A key concern
is the effect of environmental policies on international
competitiveness. For production-generated pollution, there
is evidence that stringent environmental policy reduces some
indicators of competitiveness, but the effect is small in
most sectors. However, tightening up environmental standards

A Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) was
undertaken to assess the returns to land management
practices of major land use types, namely forests,
rangelands, and selected crops (rice, maize, cotton, and
millet). Also the public expenditure on SLM was reviewed
and an assessment carried out how the expenditure is aligned
to land policies and how it is targeted to land degradation
hotspots. The results show that, without some form of

This document provides an overview and
summary assessment of lessons and insights learned from
various existing and presented domestic cap and trade
schemes. For each scheme, a set of general characteristics
(or issues) is considered. The characteristics (or issues)
covered include the following: (i) coverage and scope; (ii)
setting a cap; (iii) setting the points of obligation; (iv)
allocation of allowances; (v) systems for domestic

A Country Environmental Analysis (CEA)
is a World Bank analytical tool used to integrate
environmental issues into development assistance strategies,
programs, and projects. To that end, the CEA synthesizes
environmental issues, highlights the environmental and
economic implications of development policies, and evaluates
the country's environmental management capacity. It is
composed of three analytical building blocks: the

Many experts believe that low-cost
mitigation opportunities in agriculture are abundant and
comparable in scale to those found in the energy sector.
They are mostly located in developing countries and have to
do with how land is used. By investing in projects under the
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), countries can tap these
opportunities to meet their own Kyoto Protocol obligations.
The CDM has been successful in financing some types of

Pakistan’s trade indicators reflect low
outward orientation, concentration on low value added
activities and an undiversified product mix which out of
line with the fastest growing areas of world demand. The
export share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has remained
low and falling—fro

The framework provided a road map for
climate action for the World Bank Group (WBG) over fiscal
years 2009-11, setting out the WBG's objectives,
principles, areas of focus, and major initiatives in the
field of climate change. The framework was organized around
six action areas: 1) supporting climate actions in
country-led development processes; 2) mobilizing additional
concessional and innovative finance; 3) facilitating the

This paper surveys the state of
knowledge about the trade-related environmental consequences
of a country's development strategy along three
channels: (i) direct trade-environment linkages
(overexploitation of natural resources and trade-related
transport costs); (ii) 'virtual trade' in
emissions resulting from production activities; and (iii)
the product mix attributes of a 'green-growth'