PREFACE Assessment of options to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions has become increasingly important as policymakers consider strategies to slow the anticipated adverse effects of climate change, as required by the UN Framework Convention on Climatic Change. Sound data and methods of analysis are critical in understanding the relative costs and benefits of various mitigation actions available to countries around the world. A series of regional workshops, organized by the U.S. Country Studies Program, was held in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia during 1995. The main goal of these workshops was to facilitate the assessment and development of country-specific greenhouse gas mitigation options. The workshops provided an international forum for the exchange of information among representatives of countries preparing mitigation strategies, researchers and experts on greenhouse gas mitigation options, and policymakers. At the workshops, participants presented results of their mitigation assessments and discussed issues related to analysis and implementation of mitigation options. Separate working groups focused on macroeconomic analysis, energy sector analysis, and forest and agriculture sector assessment. The workshops also addressed strategies for implementing mitigation technologies, policies, and programs. During 13-16June 1995, a workshop on methods for assessing greenhouse gas mitigation options for countries with economies in transition was held in Warsaw, Poland. The workshop was hosted by the Polish Ministry of Environmental Protection, Natural Resources, and Forestry. It was organized and funded jointly by the U.S. Country Studies Program, the OECD (under the joint OECD/IEA project on Na-

Environmental Management Vol, 20, Supplement 1, p, $1

tional Communications), and the U.S. EPA. The primary objective of this workshop was to exchange experience among experts from countries with economies in transition (EIT) and OECD countries on analytical methods to assess greenhouse gas mitigation options. The main emphasis was on the analytical needs of countries with economies in transition. The first three days of the workshop covered country experiences in mitigation assessment, technical presentations on analytical methods, and in-depth discussion in small working groups of the methods used for assessment of mitigation options in macro modeling, the energy sector and the non-energy sector. The final day of the workshop focused on implementation of mitigation options, with particular emphasis on the Climate Technology Initiative and financial mechanisms. Approximately 100 participants attended the workshop from 12 countries with economies in transition and from eight OECD countries. Over 30 presentations were made. The 12 papers in this supplement represent a selection from those presentations. The Workshop Summary, which provides a brief overview of the key conclusions and recommendations that were produced during the workshop, is included as the first article.

Maciej Sadowski Stephen Meyers Fiona Mullins Jayant Sathaye Joe Wisniewski Guest Editors

© 1996 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.