Since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1997, the negotiation of policy responses to climate change has become an area of major research. This authoritative volume sets out the main debates and processes of joint implementation - bilateral or multilateral investments in greenhouse gas emission reduction or sequestration - and explores the issues involved in constructing an appropriate institutional framework. It examines the key economic, environmental, social and ethical impacts, and assesses the operational design of the flexibility mechanisms of joint implementation, including emissions trading and the Clean Development Mechanism. An approach is developed in which streamlined assessment procedures are combined with institutional safeguards in order to balance the demand for practical mechanisms with the environmental objectives of the Protocol. The book provides detailed case studies of energy sector investment in Eastern European host countries.

Large contemporary organizations seem to be in an almost continual state of change. Whether in public or private organizations, managers are trying to implement new organizational forms, introduce new procedures or systems, or change the attitudes of employees. Such reforms often yield disappointing results, and so new reforms are deemed necessary.In this book, Nils Brunsson considers why reform takes place. He looks at why reforms occur when they do, why they propagate certain ideas to the exclusion of others, and what their consequences are. He emphasizes the role of social institutions, fashions, and hope. He argues that reform represents not only change but also stability, and that a failure to implement reforms is sometimes a solution rather than a problem for organizations.Nils Brunsson has long been one of the most probing analysts of organizational life, often taking unorthodox approaches. He draws on both European and American traditions to develop a distinctive voice and stance of his own. Based on extensive empirical studies in private and public organizations, Brunsson's new book will be of interest to academics and advanced students of organizational change, organizational theory, and public management.

The central idea underlying this work is to convert the Walrasian general equilibrium structure (formalized in the 1950s by Kenneth Arrow, Gerard Debreu and others) from an abstract representation of an economy into realistic models of actual economies.

A perfect introduction to climate change law, this textbook offers students and scholars an overview of the international law governing this fundamental issue. It demonstrates how to interpret the language used in the applicable instruments and conventions, and sets climate change law in its broader international legal context.

In the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, industrialized countries agreed on binding absolute targets for greenhouse gas emissions and on the admission of flexible market-economy instruments - such as emissions trading, joint implementation and the clean development mechanism - used for reaching the targets. The contributions in this volume reveal that flexible instruments can lower the costs of climate protection considerably - not only in theory, but also in practice. Concerning implementation, it will be necessary to take care of possible loopholes, uncertainties and transaction costs which may be too high if no proper design is chosen.

Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.

The warming of the Earth has been the subject of intense debate and concern for many scientists, policy-makers, and citizens for at least the past decade. Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions, a new report by a committee of the National Research Council, characterizes the global warming trend over the last 100 years, and examines what may be in store for the 21st century and the extent to which warming may be attributable to human activity.