COP17 in Durban revealed once again the general willingness to commit to the 2°-target and the difficulty to reach an international Post-Kyoto agreement until 2015. There is strong evidence from model-based analysis that economic costs of reaching the 2°-target will be below global GDP growth...

Technological change has been attributed an important role in reducing the costs associated to climate change mitigation through GHG emission reductions. The adoption and deployment of low-carbon and environmentally friendly technologies has been at the center stage of climate negotiations....

Corruption undermines economic development and therefore it is one of the major factors hindering economic growth and political stability, especially in the developing countries. Studies in recent years show that countries with rich natural resources have the potential to shape corruption....