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RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

KAIROS' actions are underpinned and directed by thorough research and analysis into both immediate and long-term issues of concern.

KAIROS' numerous Briefing Papers are essays which carefully and thoroughly analyze the background of the actions that KAIROS engages in, giving them context and solid foundations.

KAIROS' commentary and analysis illuminate and elucidate specific issues in a more brief 'article' format.

The 'Kairos Times' is a monthly synopsis of all the issues that KAIROS is engaged in.  View the past issues and articles, and sign up to receive it once a month in your inbox.





RESEARCH & ANALYSIS NEWS

Policy Briefing Paper #30: Coal and Shale Gas Obstacles to Climate Justice

December 14, 2011 By
SUS-RE-Fracking

While much attention has focused on the tar sands as the fastest growing source of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions, climate justice demands that we also curb emissions from coal and shale gas. The most recent KAIROS briefing paper examines these two carbon-intensive energy sources, the dangers they pose and movements to curtail their use. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Climate Justice, Feature 1, Resource Extraction, Sustainability

Arctic Melting Sounds the Alarm for Life on Earth

December 1, 2011 By
Ice Island

Accelerated melting of Arctic ice and permafrost is among the clearest signals that climate change is rapidly approaching a point of no return. This latest KAIROS Briefing Paper “Arctic Melting Sounds the Alarm for Life on Earth” summarizes several recent scientific studies. Like canaries in a coal mine, Arctic melting is a clear warning that we must curtail greenhouse gas emissions before it is too late. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, COP 17 - Durban 2011, Feature 2, Resource Extraction, Sustainability Tagged With: , ,

Policy Briefing Paper #28: Is Durban the world’s last, best hope to avoid climate disaster?

November 13, 2011 By
PBP-11-10-Durban

"Our Mother Earth is ill. The development model of unlimited economic growth and overconsumption has broken the balance between human beings and the envi-ronment. The current proposals on the table in the nego-tiations are not enough to stop climate change. We pro-pose the model of living well in harmony with Mother Earth as the way forward to re-establish the balance between humans and nature." … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Climate Justice, COP 17 - Durban 2011, Feature 1, Sustainability Tagged With:

Pumped Up: How Canada Subsidizes Fossil Fuels at the Expense of Green Alternatives

February 15, 2011 By
Pumped Up

KAIROS’ 60 page 2011 study “Pumped Up: How Canada Subsidizes Fossil Fuels at the Expense of Green of Green Alternatives” demonstrates that the fossil fuel industry receives subsidies amounting to 1billion dollars a year from the federal government — resources that could be used to offset the costs of transitioning to a green economy. ------- "The global economy is utterly dependent upon the use of oil and other fossil fuels. Paradoxically, the same resource that is vital to our economy is also killing us, sometimes quickly as a result of the intensified conflict over the control and use of fossil fuels, and sometimes slowly through the degradation of the air that we breathe … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Justice, Commentary & Analysis, Global Finance, Resource Extraction, Sustainability, The Tar Sands

KAIROS commentary on demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa

February 4, 2011 By

4 February 2011 Reverberations from street protests in Tunisia and Egypt continue to be felt around the Arab world, and unrest is spreading. The first spontaneous protests broke out in Tunisia, aimed at its autocratic government. They have since spread across the region. Demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yemen last week for a ''day of rage'' against their government. Syrian activists are planning to hold demonstrations in front of parliament in the capital, Damascus, and the Algerian government is trying to defuse tensions by saying it would lift its 19-year state of emergency. The King of Jordan dismissed his country's government in an attempt to fend off unrest there. Protests … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commentary & Analysis, Global Partners, Sudan

KAIROS Briefing Paper #27: Can Quantitative Easing Fund Green Jobs?

December 22, 2010 By

In our August 2010 Policy Briefing Paper, “G20 Surrenders to the Money Traders,” we discussed how central banks have the option of creating money out of nothing through what is known as“quantitative easing” or QE for short. In that paper, we note that the US Federal Reserve created US$1.2 trillion in 2008 through QE. It used that money to purchase toxic assets from private financial firms anxious to offload their holdings of subprime mortgage backed securities. At the time, we had no idea that a new round of quantitative easing, known as QE2, would meet with so much resistance. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Global Finance

KAIROS Briefing Paper #26: Decisive Action Vital at Cancún Climate Talk

November 22, 2010 By

Canadians have just sweltered through the hottest summer in more than 60 years. Heat and drought conditions contributed to a rash of forest fires in British Columbia, while excessive rain wiped out a fifth of the wheat crop in Manitoba and Saskatchewan... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Climate Justice, Corporate Accountability, Global Finance, Sustainability, The Tar Sands

KAIROS Briefing Paper #25: G20 Surrenders to the Money Traders

July 27, 2010 By

KAIROS latest Policy Briefing Paper provides an in-depth analysis of the G20 Meetings and Final Statement. The paper examines how the outcome represents a caving in to pressure from the same bond and derivative traders whose irresponsible actions caused the financial crisis in the first place. With its emphasis on deficit reduction the outcome will certainly mean added pressure on the poor and vulnerable to pay for the financial bailout of speculators. The paper concludes with a consideration of the future of both the G8 and G20 Summits and the prospects for important issues like the Financial Transfers Tax. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Global Finance

KAIROS Briefing Paper #24: An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Adopt a Financial Transactions Tax

May 1, 2010 By

A growing number of politicians, civil society organizations, economists and some financiers have become strong advocates of a global Financial Transactions Tax (FTT).  An FTT is a tiny tax on financial market transactions such as equity, bond, derivative or foreign exchange trades … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Global Finance

The Robin Hood Tax: KAIROS Calls for a Global Financial Transactions Tax

April 21, 2010 By

A Tiny Tax That Will Do A World of Good A Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) –a small levy on financial market transactions including equity, bond, derivative and foreign exchange trades– is one of the best ways to fund programs to fight climate change and world poverty, and make financial institutions pay their fair share of the costs of the global economic crisis. During the week of April 19th KAIROS joined with partners from across Canada to launch a campaign to persuade leaders from the G20 to endorse an FTT –also known as the Robin Hood Tax– at their Summit in Toronto in June. Check out KAIROS' online campaign for the Robin Hood Tax! >> _____________________ For … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Briefing Papers, Corporate Accountability, Global Finance
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