With the countdown to the crucial climate change summit in Copenhagen now well underway, prospects for a breakthrough appear limited. Behind the increasingly intensive negotiating activity, familiar divisions continue to hamper progress. The deadlock between developed countries and the major...

Countries today face numerous environmental policy challenges, such as climate change, air and water pollution, natural-resource management, natural disasters and environment-related hazards. The costs of not responding to them can be considerable, in some cases representing a significant drag...