The reform of environmentally harmful subsidies is a high priority for OECD countries. But is there agreement on a common definition of subsidies and on methods to measure them? Are enough reliable data and methods available to identify, measure and analyse environmentally harmful subsidies?...

Climate change is one of the key challenges facing the international community. The world’s industrial countries and those with economies in transition have, under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, collectively agreed sharp limitations of their greenhouse gas emissions. Innovative provisions in this...

Subsidies are pervasive throughout OECD countries and much of this support is potentially harmful environmentally. This report presents sectoral analyses on agriculture, fisheries, water, energy and transport, proposing a checklist approach to identifying and assessing environmentally harmful...

Making consumption patterns sustainable is a prerequisite to achieve the goal of sustainable development. Ten years after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, it is time to ask: are OECD countries moving towards sustainable consumption? What are the best policy options to effectively promote...

Building is an important but poorly explored part of sustainable development. The building sector has major impacts not only on economic and social life, but also on the natural and built environment. Various building activities, such as the design, construction, use, refurbishment and...

Trade and investment in natural mineral resources hold great potential for generating income, growth and prosperity, sustaining livelihoods and fostering local development. However, a large share of these resources is located in conflict affected and high-risk areas. In these areas, exploitation...