2011 Research Program

The Climate Strategies research programme for 2011-12 seeks to build an integrated programme of projects around a common theme: how to build a more powerful top-down structure based on bottom-up realities. Specifically in the area of mitigation, it will look at key components of a building a ‘low carbon coalition’: whether and how countries and regions that want to make serious efforts towards a low carbon economy, can develop cooperation that supports their domestic actions and gives renewed impetus and focus to international efforts. We also aim to address the role of international finance and its interactions with such an emergent low carbon coalition.

There are three basic pillars to effective domestic mitigation:

• Public investment for long-term decarbonisation through innovation and infrastructure choices
• Carbon pricing, for both incentive and fiscal purposes
• Shorter-term financial and regulatory interventions to improve energy efficiency and engage consumers and businesses around a low carbon agenda, including raising awareness and creating the political environment that could support the other measures required.

These define the three structural pillars that would need to be supported through international collaboration to strengthen and broaden their impact. This defines the structuring of Climate Strategies research for 2011-12.