IEA Executive Director Calls for Clean Energy New Deal [viewed]
8 December 2008: In a press conference held during the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, taking place in Poznan, Poland, Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), noted that the financial crisis presents an opportunity to tackle climate change by investing in energy efficiency and clean technologies. He added that this ‘Clean Energy New Deal' will not only generate economic growth, but also enhance energy security.
3 December 2008: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released an advance copy of “Public Finance Mechanisms to Mobilise Investment in Climate Change Mitigation.” UNEP's Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, under its Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative, commissioned the report as a contribution to the UNFCCC Secretariat Technical Paper “Investment and Financial Flows to Address Climate Change: An Update.”
December 2008: The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), published a policy brief entitled “Water Implications of Biofuel Crops: Understanding Tradeoffs and Identifying Options.” The Brief outlines impacts of biofuel production on water supply and food production, and seeks to provide options for policy makers in addressing resulting tradeoffs. 
2 December 2008: During the annual session of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), which took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19-21 November 2008, its Committee on Sustainable Energy welcomed the announcement of the award of three contracts for work on energy efficiency. 
1 December 2008: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has convened economists, academics and leaders of private and public institutions at an “International Workshop to take forward the Global Initiative on the Green Economy.” The workshop, which is meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, is considering the US$4 million UN Green Economy Initiative, which was launched on 22 October 2008, and seeks to respond to the global economic downturn by focusing policymakers on the promise of economic growth and job creation in environmental industries. 
