Lovelock: 'We can't save the planet'

Professor James Lovelock, the scientist who developed Gaia theory, has said it is too late to try and save the planet.

The man who achieved global fame for his theory that the whole earth is a single organism now believes that we can only hope that the earth will take care of itself in the face of completely unpredictable climate change.

Interviewed by Today presenter John Humphrys, videos of which you can see below, he said that while the earth's future was utterly uncertain, mankind was not aware it had "pulled the trigger" on global warming as it built its civilizations.

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Climate Investment Funds set to mobilize US$40 billion for country-led low carbon growth

One of the first international meetings to focus on climate finance since the Copenhagen summit last December ended here in Manila today with plans in place to mobilize some US$40 billion for country-led low carbon growth.

The week-long meetings of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) also made progress on support for developing country action on forests, renewable energies and building climate-resilient development.

The CIF Clean Technology Fund (CTF) endorsed investment plans for Colombia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. There are now 13 plans in place around the world (see below) and some US$4.3 billion of CTF co-financing allocated to projects ranging from solar power development to the greening of public transport systems. It is estimated that an additional US$36 billion will be leveraged in the coming years from other sources, including the private sector, bringing the total to be mobilized to US$40 billion.

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Business failing to close the corporate Gender Gap

* The World Economic Forum’s Corporate Gender Gap Report 2010 found that the world’s biggest employers are losing out on female talent
* A survey of 600 leading companies across 16 industries in 20 countries explored women’s participation in business and companies’ adherence to gender equality policies
* The survey dimensions are a tool for business to assess performance and implement gender equality policies

Leading companies are failing to capitalize on the talents of women in the workforce, according to the World Economic Forum’s Corporate Gender Gap Report 2010. It is the first study to cover the world’s largest employers in 20 countries and benchmark them against the gender equality policies that most companies should have in place but are, in fact, widely missing.

“The findings of The Corporate Gender Gap Report are an alarm bell on International Women’s Day that the corporate world is not doing enough to achieve gender equality. While a certain set of companies in Scandinavia, the US and the UK are indeed leaders in integrating women, the idea that most corporations have become gender-balanced or women-friendly is still a myth. With this study, we are giving businesses a one-stop guide on what they need to do to close the corporate gender gap,” said Saadia Zahidi, Co-author of the report and head of the Forum’s Women Leaders and Gender Parity Programme.

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The Big New Role Of The CFO

Chief financial officers need to be ready to take on greater responsibility for corporate decisionmaking than ever before.

The global economic downturn has put a bright spotlight on chief financial officers and the finance organizations they preside over. Amid all the world's volatility and uncertainty they have been drawn ever more often into the boardroom discussions where decisions are made. Their bosses, chief executive officers, no longer want mere number crunchers; they want them to provide forecasts, manage risks and provide insight into issues ranging from pricing to production. As a result, CFOs are emerging with far greater clout and responsibilities than before.

IBM's new 2010 Global CFO Study, based on input from more than 1,900 CFOs and senior finance leaders worldwide, attests to this shift. Although the importance of core finance tasks hasn't diminished in any way, CFOs have had to sharply increase their focus on company-wide concerns. The IBM study indicates that they are seriously struggling to come to terms with the dramatically altered economic landscape, and only half of those surveyed said they feel they're effective in giving their CEOs adequate business insight. An overwhelming majority are planning big changes.

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Financiación a largo plazo impulsa energía eólica en México

Crecimiento rápido del sector de energía eólica en México subraya la importancia de la financiación a largo plazo

Ya sea un nuevo tipo de panel solar o un proceso bioquímico que transforma las algas en los combustibles, los avances en las energías renovables son a menudo representados como un triunfo de la tecnología y la innovación.

Pero cuando llega el momento de construir a gran escala un proyecto de energía renovable, el ingrediente más importante es un servicio poco atractivo que ha existido en el mundo por siglos. Se trata de los préstamos o bonos con vencimientos a largo plazo —es decir, que pueden ser pagados en cinco años o más— y que son un componente crucial para garantizar el éxito de las empresas de reciente creación y para los proyectos de infraestructura en general.

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The SEC At A Crossroads

The recharged regulatory agency under Mary L. Schapiro faces multiple mandates as she enters her second year as chairman.

The sharpened focus of the Securities and Exchange Commission under Chairman Mary L. Schapiro may well be the single most important shift in the corporate governance landscape this year. The SEC is, in effect, asking board directors not just what they can do for their company, but what they can do for their country. It's clear that board directors now need to fully understand the implications of their performance and their responsibilities to shareholders. In tackling this issue, NACD Directorship sought to find if there is a consensus around Schapiro's performance in carrying out the agency's renewed aggressive, activist mission.

The result is a profile of the federal agency most visibly aligned with markets and risk--a story both inspiring and impressive but daunting in its implications for boards of directors and their companies. As Schapiro embarks on her second year in office, the SEC's 29th chairman commands a laundry list of initiatives that include crucial legislative proposals, with proxy access prominent among them.

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Poverty in Africa and elsewhere

Poor people are poor because markets fail them and governments fail them. That markets fail them is well-known. Failures in capital markets mean that young people cannot get loans to finance their education; imperfect or nonexistent insurance markets mean that poor people will not get decent health care if left to unfettered markets; economies of scale as well as the simple fact that basic services such as water are necessities mean that markets will not ensure that poor people will get the services they need to survive. As Roy Radner, a former professor of mine once put it, “When you allocate resources by market prices, you discriminate against poor people.”

To overcome these failures—that is, to protect the poor—governments step in. They finance and provide primary education and basic health care; they subsidize water and electricity so poor people can afford these services. Unfortunately, these well-intentioned government interventions lead to failures of their own.

See full Press Release.

Report Identifies Efficiency as Key Factor to Address Global Energy Demand

* Efficiency can contribute the most energy “supply” while reducing costs and greenhouse gases and increasing energy security
* Report discusses the role of investment-grade energy efficiency, consumer behaviour and technological innovation as key elements to develop an appropriate infrastructure for energy efficiency

The World Economic Forum today launched the Energy Vision Update 2010 – Towards a More Energy Efficient World report. The report explores the importance of energy efficiency to meet the world’s energy demands. Written in partnership with IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, the report argues that, of all the energy options available, efficiency can contribute the most energy “supply” while reducing costs and greenhouse gases and, at the same time, increasing energy security.

“Efficiency is at the core of a number of energy-related issues,” said Roberto Bocca, Senior Director, Head of Energy Industries, World Economic Forum. “Faced with multiple challenges like growing energy demand, climate change and energy security, efficiency has moved to the top of the energy agendas of both government and business.” (Click on the image to view the 3-minute video interview with Roberto Bocca)

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Accounting tricks investigated by SEC

The US financial regulator has launched an investigation into accounting tricks by Wall Street firms designed to mask heavy losses.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has written to financial firms to see how widespread the use of accounting tools such as Repo 105 is.

A recent report accused collapsed bank Lehman Brothers of using this device to hide the true extent of its losses.

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Biocultura Barcelona

Fechas: 29 / 04 / 2010 - 02 / 05 / 2010
Lugar: Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, España

Descripción:

La feria de productos ecológicos y consumo responsable más importante del estado español espera para esta ocasión, en su 17ª edición en Barcelona, a más de 700 expositores y 80.000 visitantes en el Palau Sant Jordi.

Más de 16.000 referencias de productos de alimentación ecológica forman el mayor sector de la feria. Estos stands, empresas y productos alimentarios, se sitúan en un único pabellón. Los demás sectores se reúnen en otro pabellón formando un amplio abanico de productos y servicios que le dan a la feria otra proyección y que atraen a ciudadanos interesados por infinidad de temas e inquietudes:

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En América Latina, el agua y el clima convergen

En América Latina el agua está más estrechamente ligada al potencial humano y a la competitividad económica que en cualquier otra parte del mundo. La región posee cerca del 31 por ciento de los recursos de agua dulce del planeta, aunque congrega solo al 8 por ciento de la población mundial. Esta enorme ventaja en relación con el agua total del planeta le permite a América Latina obtener un 68 por ciento de toda su electricidad a partir de fuentes hidroeléctricas, en comparación con un promedio mundial de menos del 16 por ciento.

Las exportaciones de los productos básicos clave de la región —tanto en agricultura como en minería— dependen del uso de cantidades extraordinarias de agua. Aproximadamente la mitad de las exportaciones mundiales de carne de vacuno y casi dos tercios de todas las de soja provienen ahora de América Latina, cuya producción es más barata gracias a la abundante lluvia.

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Biometa 2010

Fechas: 19 / 04 / 2010 - Fecha Fin: 20 / 04 / 2010
Lugar: Barcelona, España

Descripción:

Los próximos 19 y 20 de abril se celebra en Barcelona la novena edición de Biometa, bajo el título de Jornadas sobre biometanización de RSU organizada por la Universidad de Barcelona y la Entitat del Medi Ambient. Con motivo de esta jornada, entrevistamos a Joan Mata, catedrático de Ingeniería Química en la Universidad de Barcelona.

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Cities Get Common Standard for Measuring Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The world’s cities now have a common method for calculating the amount of greenhouse gases produced within their boundaries. UNEP, UN-HABITAT, and the World Bank jointly launched an International Standard for Determining Greenhouse Gas Emissions for Cities at the 5th World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro today.

City mayors, other urban leaders, businessmen, and civil society all recognize the need to act to reduce the impacts of climate change on cities. While measurement should not delay action, a critical requirement to support policy and access to finance is the establishment of an open, global and harmonized protocol for quantifying the GHG emissions attributable to cities and local regions.

"The common standard is a critical first step for cities to better understand their greenhouse gas emissions, with this knowledge cities can better target policies and inform their citizens," said Zoubida Allaoua, World Bank Director for Finance, Economics, and Urban Development.

See full Press Release.

Decrecimiento, el movimiento que apoya que los países ricos no deben crecer más

* Esta corriente política dice que hay que aprender a vivir con menos.
* El II Encuentro sobre decrecimiento, este fin de semana en Barcelona.
* Los ejes del pensamiento: redefinir las necesidades, producirlas y asegurarnos una mejor calidad de vida y un planeta mejor conservado.

La sala de conferencias de la biblioteca de Guadalajara está abarrotada. Los ponentes se miran y comentan, "Ha vuelto a ocurrir. Es convocar una conferencia sobre decrecimiento y tener el auditorio lleno". Pero ¿qué es el decrecimiento?

En los países ricos ya no hace falta crecer más El decrecimiento es una línea de pensamiento político que, aunque surgida en los años 70, alcanza ahora vigor, atizada por el fuego de la crisis económica mundial.

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Las 'ciudades en transición', una iniciativa mundial por una economía más ecológica

* Una decena de localidades españolas se suma a la red internacional de ciudades que se plantean un futuro sin dependencia del petróleo.
* Entrevista con Rob Hopkins, el ideólogo de este movimiento social.
* Las ciudades de transición, un ejemplo de políticas de decrecimiento.

Mallorca desperta es la iniciativa de un grupo de vecinos de Palma de Mallorca que se han unido para imaginar una isla diferente: una Mallorca que no se encienda sólo para el turista, que no importe el 80% de los alimentos que consume, que utilice menos el vehículo privado y, en definitiva, que reduzca su dependencia del exterior y del petróleo.

Alberto Fraile es miembro de Mallorca desperta. Cuenta que el grupo se gestó hace dos años "en tiempos de bonanza, excesos y corrupción galopante, tras constatar la absoluta dependencia del petróleo de la isla".

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Informe anual 2009 de la Oficina de Integridad Institucional del BID

Publicación muestra el trabajo de la Oficina de Integridad Institucional del Banco

CANCÚN – El Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo aplicó 52 sanciones —36 a personas y 16 a empresas— como resultado de 152 investigaciones de denuncias de fraude y corrupción realizadas durante 2009, según un informe publicado hoy.

El Informe Anual 2009 de la Oficina de Integridad Institucional (OII) describe los esfuerzos del BID para prevenir e investigar los casos de prácticas prohibidas en las actividades financiadas por el grupo BID. El estudio analiza en detalle algunas de las 309 consultas y denuncias recibidas por la OII en el año, número que constituye un récord.

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Coal Glo: GE Scientists Use Hair Product Ingredients to Capture Carbon

The next time you wash your hair, think about this: the same ingredients that make your hair super-shiny can also scrub carbon dioxide from the air. Scientists at GE Global Research have discovered that aminosilicones--active ingredients in hair conditioners, fabric softeners, and flexible high-temperature plastics--can be used to capture CO2 from the flues of coal-powered plants.

There are already plenty of other CO2-capturing ingredients being used for carbon capture and storage tests (human blood, anyone?) but GE claims that aminosilicones can remove an impressive 90% of CO2 from simulated flue gas at a more efficient and cheaper rate than current materials.

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Informe de Comercio Justo en España 2009

Las ventas de Comercio Justo en España crecen desde el año 2000 pero descienden ligeramente el último año. Este es uno de los datos que destaca el Informe “El Comercio Justo en España 2009. Cuestión de género”, que fue presentado este martes 26 de marzo en Madrid y próximamente en Donosti. El informe ha sido elaborado por SETEM y la Coordinadora Estatal de Comercio Justo (CECJ), con financiación de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID).

Un 2,9% es el descenso que experimentó el Comercio Justo en el último ejercicio cerrado -el de 2008- con respecto al año anterior. Este dato se calcula en relación al 2007, año que registró el máximo volumen de facturación en productos de Comercio Justo. Desde el año 2000, los ingresos han pasado de los 7 millones de euros a los 16,8 millones en 2008. De media, cada año se ha producido un incremento interanual del 12,1%.

Por comunidades autónomas, algo más de la mitad de las ventas de toda España se producen entre Cataluña (29,7%) y Madrid (21,8%). Éstas, junto con Andalucía (8,9%), País Vasco (8%) y Comunidad Valenciana (6,1%) representan el 75% del total.

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Sustaining Solar: How Entrepreneurs Must Change the Game Plan

Solar is certainly “in” all across the United States. Many organizations are looking for ways to implement it for a host of reasons: to embrace the “green” movement, be more energy independent, to save money or even just for marketing purposes. Regardless of the driving force behind the interest in solar, cost continues to be an obstacle.

Despite the fact that we are talking about a 50-plus year old technology, solar adoption in the U.S. is almost negligible. The cost of components and overall system cost has dropped dramatically, but still companies are slow to embrace the power of the sun. This is largely because most companies are either unable or unwilling to make the necessary investment – an investment, by the way, that “pays off” in many ways on and off the balance sheet. No matter how “green” our ambitions may be, it is difficult to make a strong case for going green when doing so means financial statements turn red.

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Strategic Philanthropy: How and why to go about it

Since I started Red Door Interactive, I’ve made it a policy to devote a certain amount of company resources each quarter to pro bono work for worthy nonprofits. I had discovered this trait long ago within our educational system, as well as through other companies and leaders who’ve been an example to me.

Until this year, such efforts usually took the form of having the team create a new Web site or develop a very basic and brief email or Internet campaign. While we were happy to do it, we discovered that any benefit we provided was short lived and soon forgotten, by both our team and the charity organization, because most of the efforts we undertook weren’t within our normal, results-oriented, long-term construct.

We changed that this year when we announced our strategic and exclusive partnership with New Leaders for New Schools, a nationwide organization that recruits and trains aspiring urban public school principals.

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Degrowth Conference Barcelona 2010

When: Friday 26 - Monday 29 March 2010
Where: Barcelona, Spain

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Masdar: Abu Dhabi's carbon-neutral city

The world's first zero-carbon city is being built in Abu Dhabi and is designed to be not only free of cars and skyscrapers but also powered by the sun.

At first glance, the parched landscape of Abu Dhabi looks like the craziest place to build any city, let alone a sustainable one.

The inhospitable terrain suggests that the only way to survive here is with the maximum of technological support, a bit like living on the moon.

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El estado brasileño de Bahía mejorará su sistema de gestión ambiental con asistencia del BID

Un préstamo de US$10 millones ayudará a preservar el agua y otros recursos naturales en áreas protegidas priorizadas

El Estado brasileño de Bahía hará más eficiente y efectivo su sistema de manejo ambiental, contribuyendo a la conservación y el uso sostenible del agua y otros recursos naturales, con ayuda de un préstamo de US$10 millones aprobado por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo.

El préstamo del BID financiará un programa al que el gobierno local aportará US$6,7 millones en fondos de contraparte local. El programa tiene dos componentes: el primero reforzará la capacidad de planificación y gestión de la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente del Estado de Bahía, y el segundo contribuirá a hacer más efectiva la conservación en áreas protegidas priorizadas, revirtiendo la degradación de los recursos hídricos que abastecen a la región metropolitana de Salvador, e intensificando las medidas destinadas a preservar la cuenca este del estado.

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In Latin America, water and climate converge

In Latin America, water is more tightly linked to human potential and economic competitiveness than in any other part of the world. The region has roughly 31 percent of the planet´s freshwater resources, while holding only 8 percent of its population. This huge water advantage enables Latin America to get a 68 percent of all its electricity from hydroelectric sources, compared to a global average of less than 16 percent.

The region’s key commodity exports—in agriculture and mining—depend on extraordinary quantities of water. Around half the world´s beef exports, and nearly two thirds of all soya, now come Latin America, where they are produced cheaply thanks to abundant rain.

But in recent years severe droughts have turned this water advantage into a stark vulnerability. In 2008 Argentina lost 1.5 million head of cattle and nearly half its wheat crop to drought, while hydroelectric output in the most populous part of Chile plunged by 34 percent.

See full Press Reelase.

IFAES - Liderazgo para mujeres directivas

Fecha: 27 y 28 de Abril
Lugar: Hotel Holiday Inn, Madrid, España

En el mundo empresarial del siglo XXI, la representación femenina en puestos de relevancia social, política, económica y empresarial ha pasado a ocupar un lugar fundamental.

La presencia de la mujer al frente de ciertos departamentos estratégicos de las empresas se ha traducido en una mayor eficacia y en un aumento de la productividad y los beneficios para las compañías en las que prestan sus servicios.

Pero queda mucho por recorrer y mucho por aprender de todas las partes implicadas en el organigrama empresarial. Desde IFAES queremos emprender un camino junto a ustedes para que el aprendizaje sea lo más fructífero posible.

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Access to drinking water: Wishing well

More people are getting improved access to drinking water

THE glass is more than half full: according to the World Health Organisation, some 5.9 billion people, or 87% of the world’s population, enjoyed access to drinking water from an “improved” source in 2008. In other words, those people had water piped to a dwelling, or got it from a public tap or a protected well. Back in 1990 only 77% of the world's population enjoyed such a luxury.

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Novedades en prevención del blanquéo de capitales y financiación del terrorismo

Fecha: 31 de mayo de 2010
Lugar: Madrid, España

España va a transponer a nuestra normativa la 3ª Directiva contra el Blanqueo de Capitales y la financiación del terrorismo, que incluye una serie de novedades en el sistema de prevención del blanqueo de capitales, en la gestión de riesgos, en los sujetos implicados y la protección de datos personales. Para conocer todas estas novedades y mejorar el sistema antiblanqueo de su entidad, IFAES organiza el próximo 25 de mayo un seminario con reconocidos expertos en la materia sobre "Novedades en prevención del blanqueo de capitales y financiación del terrorismo"

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APB publishes Exposure Draft of revisions to its Practice Note on UK Anti-Money Laundering Legislation

APB PN 122

The Auditing Practices Board (APB) today issued an exposure draft of an update to Practice Note 12 (Revised), ‘Money Laundering – Guidance for auditors in the United Kingdom’. This draft guidance has been approved under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 by HM Treasury and has been updated for the new ISAs (UK and Ireland). The APB is issuing this guidance as an exposure draft to meet its due process. APB does not believe that there are any substantial changes made as a result of the update for ISAs (UK and Ireland) and therefore HM Treasury will not be asked to reapprove the document following the exposure period, assuming there are no substantial changes made as a result of this consultation.

Richard Fleck, Chairman of APB commented:

“This Practice Note, which has now been approved by HM Treasury, provides guidance to auditors in a complex area by assisting them in meeting their anti-money laundering responsibilities when carrying out audit work. We anticipate issuing the guidance in final form soon after the end of the exposure period.”

See full Press Release.

IFAES organiza el encuentro "Liderazgo Mujeres Directivas"

Objetivos:

-Que l@s participantes conozcan cuáles son las cualidades innatas del liderazgo femenino a través de casos y experiencias prácticas.

- Conocer procesos de las organizaciones en las que el liderazgo femenino resulta especialmente crítico.

- Estudiar en profundidad el proceso y las estructura real del liderazgo femenino. -Interactuar con el panel de expertos para aclarar dudas en lo referente a las temáticas tratadas en las mesas redondas. Metodologías: -Experiencias prácticas donde se exponen conceptos claves de liderazgo en distintos sectores.

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Support for Alternative Energy and Offshore Drilling

The public continues to favor a wide range of government policies to address the nation’s energy supply. More than three-quarters of the public (78%) favors increasing federal funding for research on wind, solar and hydrogen technology. A large majority (70%) also favors spending more on subway, rail and bus systems. Both measures are little changed from recent years.

At the same time, the public continues to broadly support expanded offshore oil drilling: 63% say they favor allowing more offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. waters while 31% are opposed. These opinions also have changed little since 2008.

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Slum populations: Slumdog millions

More people than ever live in slums, but matters are improving

THE proportion of the world’s urban population living in slums has fallen from nearly 40% a decade ago to less than a third today. China and India have together lifted 125m people out of slum conditions in recent years. North Africa’s slum population has shrunk by a fifth. But the absolute number of slum dwellers around the world, estimated to be some 830m, is still rising.

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IDB Office of Institutional Integrity 2009 Annual Report

A report on the work of the Bank’s Office of Institutional Integrity in 2009

CANCUN, Mexico – The Inter-American Development Bank applied 52 sanctions—36 to individuals and 16 to firms—as a result of 152 investigations of alleged fraud and corruption cases carried out during 2009, according to a report released today.

The 2009 Annual Report of the IDB’s Office of Institutional Integrity (OII) describes the Bank’s efforts to prevent and investigate the occurrence of prohibited practices in the activities financed by the IDB Group. It offers a detailed account of a sample of the 309 inquiries and allegations—a record number—received by OII.

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Climate Change Mitigation Measures in the European Union

The European Union (EU) is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter after the United States and China, accounting for 13 percent of global emissions in 2005. Since 1990, EU emissions have declined about 10.7 percent as a result of structural changes, such as Germany’s reunification and the substitution of natural gas for coal in the United Kingdom, and new policies at both the EU and member state level. Reductions have occurred across most sectors of the EU economy, although in the transportation sector, emissions have increased significantly.

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Global deforestation: Wood through the trees

Global deforestation decreases, but still remains high

THE pace at which the world’s forests are vanishing has slackened over the past decade but it is still alarming, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, a UN agency. Between 2000 and 2010, the net loss of forest was 5.2m hectares per year, compared with 8.3m in the previous decade.

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Climate science: Spin, science and climate change

Action on climate is justified, not because the science is certain, but precisely because it is not

CLIMATE-change legislation, dormant for six months, is showing signs of life again in Washington, DC. This week senators and industrial groups have been discussing a compromise bill to introduce mandatory controls on carbon (see article). Yet although green activists around the world have been waiting for 20 years for American action, nobody is cheering. Even if discussion ever turns into legislation, it will be a pale shadow of what was once hoped for.

The mess at Copenhagen is one reason. So much effort went into the event, with so little result. The recession is another. However much bosses may care about the planet, they usually mind more about their bottom line, and when times are hard they are unwilling to incur new costs. The bilious argument over American health care has not helped: this is not a good time for any bill that needs bipartisan support.

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WWF - 'One awesome positive global blackout mexican wave!'

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Brazil's State of Bahia to improve environmental management system

A $10 million loan to help preserve water and other natural resources in priority protected areas

The Brazilian State of Bahia will make its environmental management system more efficient and effective, contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of water and other natural resources, with help from a US$10 million loan approved by the Inter-American Development Bank.
The local government will provide $6.7 million in local counterpart funds. The program has two components. The first will strengthen planning and management capacity of the State of Bahia Environment Secretariat. The second aims to make conservation more effective in priority protected areas, reversing the degradation of water resources that supply Salvador's metropolitan region, and enhancing measures to preserve the state’s eastern watersheds.

Results expected from the four-year program include:

See full Press Release.

Knowledge Sharing Fundamental to Increasing Economic Opportunity for Pacific Women, IFC Says

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today launched a series of reports indicating that Pacific business women need better access to information and knowledge-sharing opportunities on business formalities to realize their full economic potential and contribute to their countries’ national development.

The “Gender and Investment Climate Reform Assessments” show a dominant practice of women operating businesses informally. Countries studied include Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.

Evidence in the reports suggests that, while women’s level of economic opportunities varies across the region, common barriers do exist. The reports also find that many Pacific women are unable to access property, credit, and justice. As well, lack of knowledge and experience in dealing with business formalization processes, such as business and license registration, is a widespread problem.

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Coal Initiative Series: Coal in China: Resources, Uses, and Advanced Coal Technologies

China’s energy-development pathway has increasingly become a topic of international attention, particularly as China has become the largest national source of annual greenhouse gas emissions. At the forefront of this pathway is a reliance on coal that has spanned many decades. In a world faced with increasing environmental pressures, China must develop ways to utilize coal more efficiently and more cleanly. Its ability to do so will be crucial for its domestic energy security, for its local environment and the well-being of its population, and for the future of the global climate.

See full Report.

From Shop Floor to Top Floor: Best Business Practices in Energy Efficiency

The Pew Center on Global Climate Change invites you to join us on April 6-7, 2010 in Chicago for a major conference marking the release of our comprehensive report on best practices in corporate energy efficiency: From Shop Floor to Top Floor: Best Business Practices in Energy Efficiency.

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The science of climate change: The clouds of unknowing

There are lots of uncertainties in climate science. But that does not mean it is fundamentally wrong

FOR anyone who thinks that climate science must be unimpeachable to be useful, the past few months have been a depressing time. A large stash of e-mails from and to investigators at the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia provided more than enough evidence for concern about the way some climate science is done. That the picture they painted, when seen in the round—or as much of the round as the incomplete selection available allows—was not as alarming as the most damning quotes taken out of context is little comfort. They offered plenty of grounds for both shame and blame.

At about the same time, glaciologists pointed out that a statement concerning Himalayan glaciers in the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was wrong.

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China tops USA in spending on clean energy

China is emerging as the world's clean-energy powerhouse, according to a new study by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Last year, China spent more than any other major country on clean energy, including wind and solar, toppling the U.S. from the top spot for the first time in five years, the Pew report says. The U.S. is also on the verge of losing the top spot in terms of installed renewable energy to China.

Unless U.S. policies change to encourage more investment, the U.S. could miss its chance to lead the expanding clean-energy industry, says Phyllis Cuttino, project director at Pew. The USA's entrepreneurial tradition and strengths in innovation give it the potential to recoup leadership, the Pew report says.

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Europe's Cap-and-Trade Lesson

Market-based environmentalism, or a boondoggle?

Having at last fixed America's health-care system once and for all—or maybe not—Congressional Democrats are promising to apply themselves to the task of imposing legislative curbs on carbon. So it's a good time to see how a prototype cap-and-trade scheme, the European Union's Emission Trading System, is faring. So far, not so good.

Last week, spot trading on the ETS ground to a complete halt for three days after a scandal erupted over players gaming the system. In this case, the government of Hungary admitted to reselling "certified emission reduction" credits that companies had already relinquished, or "spent."

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Women, Business and the Law 2010

Only 20 of 128 economies have equal legal rights for men and women in several important areas for entrepreneurs and workers, according to a new World Bank Group report.

Women, Business and the Law 2010 analyzes differences in formal laws and institutions affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees across six topics—accessing institutions, using property, getting a job, dealing with taxes, building credit, and going to court.

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French government backs down on carbon tax plan

The French government has signalled that it is dropping a plan for a tax on domestic carbon dioxide emissions.

Jean-Francois Cope, parliamentary leader of the governing UMP party, was quoted as saying the tax "would be Europe-wide or not (exist) at all".

Prime Minister Francois Fillon told parliament that the government should focus on policies that increased France's economic competitiveness.

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UK business leaders: “effective employee engagement is central to business success”

Business leaders today highlighted how an engaged workforce means increased productivity, innovation and competitiveness – as the Government launched new guidance to help bosses engage their employees.

Leaders from the public and private sector have contributed to the package of advice developed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to help employers put the principles of employee engagement into practice - and improve business performance as a result. They include:

Justin King, Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s, who said, “Our colleagues are key to the success of our business. Employee engagement is about making sure that the 150,000 people we have working at Sainsbury’s understand what it is we are trying to achieve for our customers and why we are trying to achieve it.”

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French Carbon Tax, RIP

Turning into an eco-warrior was not quite the "rupture" with the political past that Sarkozy had promised.

Only two days after a crushing defeat in regional elections, France's center-right government regained common sense and scrapped its carbon tax plans. Burdening already overtaxed households and businesses with yet another levy in the midst of an economic crisis is one reason why the ruling UMP lost all but three of 26 regions to the Socialists and Greens.

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Sarkozy entierra impuesto al CO2

En medio de protestas sindicales y dos días después de sufrir una gran derrota en las urnas, el gobierno del presidente francés, Nicolás Sarkozy, renunció a su idea de gravar en el país las emisiones de dióxido de carbono.

La tasa al CO2 era una insignia en la lucha contra el cambio climático de Sarkozy, que parece concentrarse cada vez más en reformar el sistema estatal de pensiones, "la madre de todas sus reformas", según analistas.

El flamante ministro francés de Trabajo, Eric Woerth, prometió este martes insistir con la renovación del régimen de jubilaciones, mientras los sindicatos prometen resistir su aprobación.

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Gender Dimensions of Investment Climate Reform

A guide by IFC and the World Bank will help policymakers and development practitioners design and implement reforms to increase women's private sector participation in developing countries.

The first guide of its kind, Gender Dimensions of Investment Climate Reform, looks at policy, legal, and regulatory reforms through a gender lens. It presents economic arguments and for countries to promote women in business, and innovative solutions and action tools for reform.

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Making Corporate Boards More Effective

When: April 7–10, 2010
Where: Four Seasons Hotel, San Francisco, California, USA

To emerge from the downturn stronger and more competitive, your board members must embrace new perspectives and bold strategies. Whether the issue is financial resilience, corporate strategy, executive compensation, or regulatory compliance, this program is designed to help you promote sound governance and strategy. You will acquire the frameworks needed to design an optimal board structure, lead your organization through periods of adversity and opportunity, and leverage the considerable talents of your board members.

What You Can Expect
Under the leadership of Harvard Business School faculty, you will see how boards of leading companies work successfully in unison with each other and their management teams on diverse fronts including strategic direction, financial reporting, and mergers and acquisitions.

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