MSc in Environmental Governance at UNU-IAS

The United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) is now accepting online applications to its Master of Science in Environmental Governance with Specialization in Biodiversity programme for the 2012 academic year.

The programme draws on UNU-IAS's long-standing reputation for excellence in policy-oriented research for sustainable development. UNU-IAS provides students with the intellectual foundation and practical field experience necessary for understanding environmental governance regimes. Graduates of the programme will receive a Master of Science degree from the United Nations University and the skills necessary to forge new frontiers as researchers and practitioners with an interdisciplinary and systemic understanding of biodiversity, ecosystems and sustainable development.

For more information on course offerings, fees, duration and application procedure, please visit www.ias.unu.edu/masters. Deadline for applicants seeking financial support is 28 February 2012. General deadline for all applications is 30 May 2012. Classes are scheduled to commence in September 2012.

Best regards,

Makiko Arima

Jobs Available at ITIF

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) is looking to hire two positions for its *Clean Energy Innovation Policy* platform: a full-time *Clean Energy Policy Analyst* and a 1-year contracted *Clean Energy Research Assistant*.  Both position descriptions can be found here.

As many of you know, ITIF is a non-profit, non-partisan policy think tank in Washington, D.C. committed to advancing a pro-innovation agenda as we believe innovation is central to boosting productivity, spurring economic growth, and addressing key societal challenges. Our Clean Energy Policy program is no different as it aims to make innovation central to climate and energy policymaking in order to address global energy issues and anthropogenic climate change. ITIF’s work ranges widely and includes convening high-level stakeholder meetings, producing high-impact policy reports and recommendations, holding public events like the annual Energy Innovation Conference series, curating public energy innovation data and analysis through the Energy Innovation Tracker project, and advising decision makers on implementing innovation-oriented policies.

The 1-year *Research Assistant *position would be perfect for new college graduates looking to get their foot in the door to D.C. policymaking.  Not only will this position directly support clean energy policy research and reports, it will staff the further development of the Energy Innovation Tracker project. 

The *Policy Analyst* position best fits folks with more experience (BA/BS + Experience or MA/MS) and a deeper knowledge of energy and climate policy. In particular, this position will directly support key report projects and stakeholder meetings planned for 2012.

ITIF is looking to fill both positions by the beginning of 2012. Please pass this information along to anyone that may be interested and also contact me with any questions regarding the job openings.

Matthew Stepp

Clean Energy Policy Analyst

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

1101 K Street, NW Suite 610

Washington, DC 20005

AU’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking on the Chesapeake Bay!

AU’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking is excited to offer a one-week program on the Chesapeake Bay March 11-17.

Registration is beginning now and is open to AU students as well as the public. The course is limited to 12 people.

This week-long, non-credit class is for both first-time and experienced filmmakers and photographers who have an interest in the environment, natural history, and the outdoors. 

Led by award-winning filmmaker and AU MFA alum Danny Ledonne, students learn how to prepare for and organize a shoot, how to shoot the footage necessary to tell a compelling story, how to edit a polished project, and how to use tapeless HD cameras and supporting sound gear.

The program serves as an enjoyable educational experience for aspiring filmmakers, photographers, and anyone interested in communicating environmental issues through media.

For more information and for a copy of the syllabus, please write to Professor Chris Palmer at palmer@american.edu.

Rotary International and UNESCO-IHE team up to offer Masters scholarships

The global humanitarian organization Rotary and the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education are teaming up to tackle the world's water and sanitation crisis by increasing the ranks of trained professionals critically needed to devise, plan, and implement solutions in developing countries that bear the brunt of the problem.

Through this new strategic partnership, The Rotary Foundation will provide grants to Rotary clubs and districts to select and sponsor eight students each year for scholarships to any of three Master of Science degree programs at UNESCO-IHE, a United Nations institute in Delft, The Netherlands, that is the world's largest postgraduate water education facility. The school's scholarship-eligible programs are Municipal Water and Infrastructure; Water Management; and Water Science and Engineering.

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, under its new Future Vision plan, seeks to forge strategic partnerships with established organizations with expertise in Rotary's six areas of focus, one of which is water and sanitation. The other focus areas are peace and conflict prevention/resolution; disease prevention and treatment; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; and economic and community development. UNESCO-IHE scholarship grants are available only to clubs in the 100 Rotary districts piloting Future Vision until the plan is fully implemented July 1, 2013.

UNESCO-IHE is owned by the member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Its mandate is to help meet the water-related capacity-building needs of developing countries and countries in transition.

Go to the website for more information: www.rotary.org or www.unesco-ihe.org.

RFF Event - Dec 7: Greenhouse Gas Regulation for Power Plants under the Clean Air Act

Greenhouse Gas Regulation for Power Plants under the Clean Air ActAn RFF First Wednesday Seminar
December 7, 2011
12:45 - 2:00 p.m.A light lunch will be available at 12:30 p.m.
Resources for the Future
First Floor Conference Center
1616 P Street NW
Washington, D.C.

This seminar will also be webcast live beginning at 12:45 p.m.
Have a question for the panel while watching the live webcast? Simply tweet your question of fewer than 140 characters and include the hashtag #AskRFF. Watch the Q&A at the end of the event to see if it is selected.

Registration is required. To RSVP for this event, please visit RFF's event registration page.

PLEASE NOTE: Registration is intended for guests attending this event in person. If you plan to watch the webcast of this event, there is no need to register.
About the Event
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may soon propose Clean Air Act rules regulating the largest class of greenhouse gas emitters: coal-fired power plants. With climate policy off the congressional agenda, these and other rules under the act have taken center stage in the formulation of U.S. policy for limiting carbon emissions. But what will the rules for coal plants look like? Will they include market-based mechanisms? How expensive will they be, and on whom will those costs fall most heavily? How will they work with existing state-level programs like those in California and the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic? These questions have been the focus of research at RFF and elsewhere over the past year that has aimed to both understand what EPA may do and provide input into the agency’s decisionmaking process.
This RFF First Wednesday seminar will present some of the results of this research, along with a broader discussion of the Clean Air Act as a pathway for climate policy.

moderator:
Nathan Richardson, Resident Scholar, Resources for the Future

Panelists:

Joshua Linn, Fellow, Resources for the Future
Art Fraas, Visiting Scholar, Resources for the Future
Dallas Burtraw, Darius Gaskins Senior Fellow, Resources for the Future
Discussants:
William L. Wehrum, Partner, Hunton and Williams, LLP

Brian McLean, former Director, EPA Office of Atmospheric Programs

Wilson Center Event - Dec. 14

Government Leadership in Sustainability

December 14, 2011 // 3:00pm — 5:00pm

As the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Martha Johnson is responsible for annual government purchases of over $65 billion and more than 360 million square feet of federal real estate. She will discuss GSA’s initiative to aggressively pursue a zero environmental footprint (ZEF) that will reduce waste, support innovation, and boost efficiency across federal buildings, operations, and acquisition.
Administrator Johnson will explore the opportunities for partnership among government, business, and academia to support sustainable design and efficiencies with the goal of supporting a clean, green 21st Century American economy.
Please RSVP with your name and affiliation to ecsp@wilsoncenter.org.

 

Location: 6th Floor, Woodrow Wilson Center

FAO Report: State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation recently published its first State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture report, which can be found here.

Managing systems at risk 

By 2050, food production is projected to increase by about 70 percent globally and nearly 100 percent in developing countries. This incremental demand for food, together with demand from other competing uses, will place unprecedented pressure on many agricultural production systems across the world. These 'systems at risk' are facing growing competition for land and water resources and they are often constrained by unsustainable agricultural practices. They therefore require particular attention and specific remedial action. 

 

The State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW) analyses a variety of options for overcoming constraints and improving resource management in these areas of heightened risk. In each location, a mix of changes in institutional and policy measures will have to be combined with greater access to technologies for better management of land and water resources. Increased investments; access to novel financing mechanisms; and international cooperation and development assistance will also help overcome these constraints.

 

This first issue of SOLAW, which complements other "State of the world" reports published regularly by FAO, is intended to inform public debate and policy-making at national and international levels.