World Bank / by Erik Feyen, Rodney Lester, and Roberto Rocha http://tinyurl.com/4pd5z4f The insurance sector can play a critical role in financial and economic development. By reducing uncertainty and the impact of large losses, the sector can encourage new investments, innovation, and competition. As financial intermediaries with long investment horizons, insurance companies can contribute to … Continue reading »
Posted on March 1, 2011 …
Designing Climate Change Adaptation Policies: An Economic Framework
World Bank / by Stephane Hallegatte, Franck Lecocq, and Christian de Perthuis http://tinyurl.com/46pj6wo Adaptation has long been neglected in the debate and policies surrounding climate change. However, increasing awareness of climate change has led many stakeholders to look for the best way to limit its consequences and has resulted in a large number of initiatives … Continue reading »
How Do Governments Respond after Catastrophes? Natural-Disaster Shocks and the Fiscal Stance
World Bank / by Martin Melecky and Claudio Raddatz http://tinyurl.com/49dftxe Natural disasters could constitute a major shock to public finances and debt sustainability because of their impact on output and the need for reconstruction and relief expenses. This paper uses a panel vector autoregressive model to systematically estimate the impact of geological, climatic, and other … Continue reading »
How Business is Done and the ‘Doing Business’ Indicators: the Investment Climate When Firms Have Climate Control
World Bank / by Mary Hallward-Driemeier, Lant Pritchett http://tinyurl.com/4n9p9jr This paper examines de jure and de facto measures of regulations, finding the relationship between them is neither one for one, nor linear. “Doing Business” provides indicators of the formal time and costs associated with fully complying with regulations. Enterprise Surveys report the actual experiences of … Continue reading »
Mapping Vulnerability to Climate Change
World Bank / by Rasmus Heltberg and Misha Bonch-Osmolovskiy http://tinyurl.com/6he3se2 This paper develops a methodology for regional disaggregated estimation and mapping of the areas that are ex-ante the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and variability and applies it to Tajikistan, a mountainous country highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The … Continue reading »
Design and Implementation of Environmental Performance Rating and Public Disclosure Programs: A Summary of Issues and Recommendations Based on Experiences in East Asian Countries
World Bank / by Elisea G. Gozun, Benoit Laplante, and Hua Wang http://tinyurl.com/649cnzc A number of countries around the world have in recent years implemented environmental performance rating and public disclosure programs, and, where evidence is available, these programs have been shown to induce pollution reduction. Based on previous research and practical experiences from several … Continue reading »
The Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act from 1990 to 2020: Final Study
US EPA, Office of Air and Radiation http://www.epa.gov/air/sect812/prospective2.html [EPA site] In March 2011, EPA issued the Second Prospective Report which looked at the results of the Clean Air Act from 1990 to 2020. According to this study, the direct benefits from the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments are estimated to reach almost $2 trillion for … Continue reading »
Department of the Interior: Major Management Challenges
US Government Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11424t.pdf As GAO’s previous work has shown, Interior faces major management challenges in the following seven areas: Strengthening resource protection. Interior has not yet developed a cohesive strategy to address wildland fire issues as GAO has recommended in the past. Management of federal oil and gas resources. GAO designated Interior’s management … Continue reading »
Growing Influence: the Political Power of Agribusiness and the Fouling of America’s Waterways
Environment Maryland / by Travis Madsen and Benjamin Davis, Brad Heavner and John Rumpler http://tinyurl.com/4qam7ey [From a Greenwire story by Amanda Peterka, sub. req'd] Big agribusiness shelled out millions of dollars lobbying Congress to block efforts to restore Clean Water Act protections, clean up the Chesapeake Bay and regulate pesticide discharges to waterways, according to … Continue reading »
Estimating the Global Public Health Implications of Electricity and Coal Consumption
Environmental Health Perspectives (online edition: 21 February 2011) Julia M. Gohlke, Reuben Thomas, Alistair Woodward, Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, A. Prüss-Ustün, Simon Hales, Christopher J. Portier http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1002241 Background: The growing health risks associated with greenhouse gas emissions highlight the need for new energy policies emphasizing efficiency and low-carbon energy intensity. Objectives: Here we assess the relationship between … Continue reading »
