'Green growth' may work well in creating new growth impulses with reduced environmental load and facilitating related technological and structural change, but can it also mitigate climate change at the required scale (i.e. significant, absolute and permanent decline of GHG emissions at global level) and pace? This paper argues that growth, technological, population-expansion and governance constraints as well as some key systemic issues cast a very long shadow on the 'green growth' hopes.

Year 2011 saw existing forest carbon standards across the world launch new or revised methodologies, contract new projects and issue verified credits. Given the breadth and scope of issues covered by REDD+, links between forest carbon standards and other existing standards such as FSC and commodity roundtables’ standards are being explored and complementary socio-environmental standards continue to be initiated. This brief provides an update on these standards and an updated consolidated comparison table of key features of all standards. Please see FCA Brief No. 3 for an earlier standards review up to March 2011. We only focus on standards that are applicable for forest carbon activities in Asia.

Climate change is the single greatest factor that must be taken into consideration when planning for future development in the Caribbean. Given the inherent vulnerability of the many small island/low lying states climate change must therefore be at the forefront of all policy making with an emphasis on adaptation. This paper gives an overview of some of the impacts already felt around the region as well as the regional responses and projects. It ends by listing some of the obstacles and systemic challenges to further adaptation in the region.

This paper explores opportunities for developing linkages between disaster reduction and disaster response and examines ways in which efforts at disaster management and climate change adaptation can be mutually reinforcing and beneficial.