Climate Change
Debt, Sustainability and the Long Con
"Imagine being asked to invest in an enterprise whose balance sheet omits a wide range of assets and liabilities that are likely to change in value enormously over the coming years," writes CIGI Senior Visiting Fellow Simon Zadek in arguing that rating agencies should pay as much attention to environmental debt as they do financial debt.
Experts lay out energy game plan
"A year from now, the next metric is, how many of these steps have we taken?" CIGI Senior Fellow Jason Blackstock asks upon the release of the closing communique of the Equinox Summit. In it, experts from around the world unveiled a six-point game plan for "decarbonizing" the world's sources of electric power over the next 20 years.
The Way We Share
As the world's population inches towards the eight billion mark, how will energy supply and demand affect global economics and politics? From peak oil fears to problems of bringing developing countries into the energy grid, how will we manage our resources to meet global demand? CIGI Senior Fellow of Environment and Energy Jason J. Blackstock is a panellist for TVO's The Agenda at the Equinox Summit.
Summit plots route to clean electricity
"This is about demonstrating how science and policy can blend to generate and spark ideas," CIGI Senior Fellow Jason Blackstock says of the Equinox Summit. The interdisciplinary conference is being hosted by Waterloo's Perimeter Institute.
What did the G8 deliver for Africa in Deauville?
Ahead of the G8 Summit, the prospects for a solid discussion on the partnership with Africa on development issues seemed promising.
New World, New CIGI Ideas
Along with our many experts, CIGI produces a range of policy-oriented publications that are connected to French Presidency’s G8 agenda and priorities. A few of these publications by CIGI's distinguished and senior fellows and researchers deserve special attention because of the particularly relevant way in which they relate to this week’s summit agenda in Deauville.
Climate Governance and the G8: New Framing, New Forum
To ecological economists and many ardent environmentalists, ‘green growth’ is an oxymoron. However, there is an increasing trend towards the use of terms like ‘green growth’, ‘green jobs’, and ‘green economy’ in environmental policy debates. This stems from recognition that the political-crafting of arguments for progressive environmental policies is critically important.
Climate Controlled
CIGI Senior Fellow Jason J. Baclstock comments on how we should regulate the weather-changing technologies of geoengineering. In describing the polarized debate on the topic, Blackstock concedes “There’s nothing to say this conflict doesn’t turn into a hot war over climate issues."
The politics of uncertainty
Intervening to deliberately change the climate throws up a number of complex governance challenges. Writing in a special edition Forum for the Future's Green Futures magazine, CIGI Senior Fellow Jason J. Blackstock explores how we might meet these challenges, and what that would mean for diplomacy and democracy.
The Politics and Science of Climate Change
In episode five, CIGI Senior Fellow Jason Blackstock discusses the state of international climate negotiations, why they have stagnated, and ideas for revitalizing global talks. He also addresses the prospect of geoengineering, and the governance challenges that surround deliberately manipulating the Earth's climate to counteract the effects of global warming.