Search | IGES

Policy Report

January 2011

Waste-based ethanol production and a sound material-cycle society -Case studies on construction and food wastes in Japan-

This paper examines whether waste-based ethanol production can contribute to the realisation of a sound material-cycle society and what facilitates and hinders the implementation, based on two case studies conducted in Japan. Each of the selected projects is recognised as being the first projects of its kind in the world: ethanol production from...

Policy Report

March 2013

Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) for low carbon development: Learning from Experience in Asia

MRV – Measurement/Monitoring, Reporting and Verification - is commonly understood as a series of processes to quantify GHG emission and their change over time. It is a key instrument to understand the level of emissions and the impact of actions aimed at changing emission levels. For this reason, MRV became a keyword as many developed and...

Policy Report

March 2013

Monitoring and Evaluation of Education for Sustainable Development: A framework of factors and leverage points in the implementation of ESD in the Asia-Pacific Region

This report was developed as part of a series of three research publications on the research project led by UNU-IAS and IGES on monitoring and evaluation of education for sustainable development, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. This report specifically focuses on the development of an appropriate framework for structuring the approach on...

Policy Report

March 2013

Towards the CDM 2.0:Lessons from the capacity building in Asia

While the form of new framework including new market mechanisms with participation from all the Parties under the UNFCCC will be further discussed and elaborated in order to be agreed upon by 2015 and implemented by 2020, CDM still has a significant role in terms of the foundation of market-based mechanisms and supporting tools especially for the...

Policy Brief

October 2005

Information Access as a Vehicle for Sustainable Development in Asia: Establishing Regional Agreement in Asia

Access to environmental information is vital for promoting policies and measures conducive to sustainable development. It influences people's behaviour and promotes environmental responsibility and ensures that public decision-making is more environmentally sound. In Asia, however, the disclosure of information on the environment is limited...

Policy Brief

March 2006

Rationalisation of Industrial Sector Water Use is the Key to Sound Groundwater Management

Many Asian cities have greatly relied on groundwater in the course of their development. Large populations and concentrations of industrial activity in urban areas intensified the stress on groundwater. Such stress has resulted in environmental problems, such as the drawdown of water tables, land subsidence and saltwater intrusion, which interfered...

Policy Brief

October 2010

Customs Collaboration to Combat the International Trade in Illegal Timber

In tropical developing countries, illegal logging is a significant cause of forest degradation and can lead to permanent forest loss. This policy brief presents the findings from an IGES-The Nature Conservancy (TNC) study that investigated the potential for customs authorities to contribute to combating the international trade in illegal timber...

Policy Brief

July 2011

Promoting Japanese Leadership through a Multi-Stakeholder Platform on International Environmental CSR: Linking Japanese Business-Industry, Civil Society, and Governmental Sectors to Strengthen Green Markets in East Asia

This policy brief explores opportunities to improve Japan’s strategy for promoting and strengthening green markets across East Asia by addressing both Japan’s domestic strengths as an environmental leader and also the emerging needs for green market development in other East Asian countries. Responding to a diversity of factors, this brief proposes...

Policy Brief

September 2011

EPR Policies for Electronics in Developing Asia: A Phase-in Approach

In the last two decades policies based on extended producer responsibility (EPR) have been implemented for a wide range of products, especially in industrialised economies. Now, an increasing number of Asian economies similarly find themselves facing increasing amounts of difficult-to-treat waste and associated health, social and environmental...

Policy Brief

June 2005

Combatting Forest Degradation - Certification as a driving force for amelioration: Challenges for small forest enterprises

The natural forests of many Asia-Pacific countries are rapidly degrading or disappearing, threatened by a complex array of forces and appropriate measures for sustainable forest management are urgently required. Japan, as a major importer of tropical timber, has considered revising the basic principle for the promotion of eco-friendly products in...