Research Projects / Policy Development Projects
CIERP is involved in research-based, practical projects dealing with environmental
and resource policy issues. The following are some examples of our ongoing research
and policy development projects.
Research Projects
- The Japan Foundation: Assessment of Waste Emissions
CIERP and the Global Development & Environment Institute (GDAE) research the role of green house gas emissions in waste management & opportunities for treatment of emissions as internationally traded goods. For more information, please visit The Japan Foundation. - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Professors Moomaw and Najam are involved in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC is a group of nearly 2000 scientists, economists, and technologists from around the world that review research relevant to climate change. Professor Moomaw has been the lead author or a coordinating lead author on four major IPCC reports, including the one being released this Spring. Professor Najam has been a lead author and a coordinating lead author on two reports. In particular, they are working on emissions reduction and implications for sustainable development as members of the Working Group III – Mitigation of Climate Change. For more information, please visit Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. - The Climate Talks Project
Dr. Tim Weiskel, Senior Research Associate at CIERP, is working in conjunction with Professor Moomaw to design and build an interactive website that will serve to share climate change science and policy with the national and international community. For more information, please visit Climate Talks. - International Nitrogen Initiative (INI)
CIERP students and faculty involved in nitrogen research make nutrient management policy recommendations for industry and agricultural sectors in the international arena. - Union of Concerned Scientists Climate Change Report
Professor William Moomaw co-authored a report by The Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA) called Climate Change Mitigation Strategies and Policies for the Northeast United States (2006). NECIA builds on a collaboration between the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and a team of independent experts using state-of-the-art tools to assess how global warming will affect the Northeast United States following two different paths: a higher emissions path with continued rapid growth in global warming pollution, and a lower emissions path with greatly reduced heat trapping emissions. For more information, please visit The Northeastern Report. Professor Moomaw’s paper on this topic will be published in the upcoming issue of Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change journal. - Environment and Sustainability in Southeast Europe
Professor William Moomaw is working with faculty at the University of Belgrade and has just published five articles in a special issue of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.
Read about past research and projects.
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Policy Development Projects
- Global Environmental Governance
Professor Adil Najam has been working in conjunction with Fletcher students Mihaela Papa and Nadaa Taiyab to assess the state of the current global environmental governance system. This project and report seek to identify a number of practical steps that can foster a more efficient and effective environmental regime, making better use of the resources available and designed in a way that will be more helpful to the implementation of international environmental agreements for developing as well as developed countries. The report has just been published by IISD. For more information, download the Global Environmental Governance Agenda here[PDF]. - Policy Study on Globalization and Environment for United Nations Environment Program
Professor Adil Najam lead, on behalf of the Center and IISD in Canada, a major study on the impacts of globalization on the environment and related policy options. The study was presented to the Global Council of Environmental Ministers in Nairobi in February 2007. Two Fletcher students assisted Professor Najam in this research. View Professor Najam's publication "Environment and Globalization: Five Propositions" here [PDF] - International Forestry Negotiation Simulation
Professors Moomaw and Najam, Mieke van der Wansem, and several Fletcher students designed and wrote a simulation exercise on forests which aims to expose participants to the real-world complexities and dynamics of environmental negotiations. The simulation is designed to enhance understanding of, and increase awareness about, the political and institutional dynamics at both intergovernmental and national levels regarding key issues and challenges on international forest policy. The point of the game is to see how to develop some sort of forward movement for sustainable forestry when there are rigid positions on several sides of a complex issue. This simulation will be used for university classes in the U.S. and in the Netherlands, as well as at international meetings on forest management. - International Forestry Funding Mechanism
Professors William Moomaw and Adil Najam, Mieke van der Wansem, and Fletcher alum Kate Harvey are conducting research for the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture on viable options for an international voluntary forest funding mechanism that will assist in the management of all types of forests with the UNFF context. - Distributed Energy Workshops
Professor William Moomaw, Mieke van der Wansem, and Fletcher MALD student Keya Benarjee are helping to organize policy review discussion forums regarding the future role of distributed energy (DE) in the development of a resilient, reliable and affordable energy supply and distribution system. These forums include members from utilities, regulators/state legislators, and the DE industry. The next Forum will be held at Tufts on Wednesday 25 April, 2007. Download the Distributed Energy white paper here [PDF]. Download the summary report from the June workshop here [PDF]. Download information on our December workshop here [PDF]. - Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS) Watershed Assessment
CIERP and Tufts’ Water: Systems, Science & Society Program provide expertise and student interns for a four-country (Mexico, Honduras, Belize and Guatemala) transboundary watershed assessment of water quality, threats, and water management. For more information, please visit the MesoAmerican Barrier Reef System website. - ISD/ICTSD/RING project on "A Southern Agenda for Trade and Environment’"
Professor Adil Najam acts as research director for this project. Phase I (2001-2002) of this project sought to gather and present Southern perspectives on the trade and environment, building on consultations with developing country trade policy representatives in Geneva. Phase II (2003-2006) sought to strengthen the capacity of trade negotiators, key national policymakers, and regional actors in developing countries to determine priorities for promoting and negotiating proactive positions which reflected their own 'Southern Agenda' on environment and trade in the multilateral trading system. Phase II centered on six regional consultations in Asia, Africa and Latin America that brought together trade-environment experts from government, civil society, the private sector, and Geneva-based negotiators. Two books presenting the findings will be published in spring 2007. For more information, please visit the ICTSD website.
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