Search Climate Insights Directory

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided a pre-plenary statement on September 21, 2023, regarding the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP). TESS offers feedback on the first draft of a proposed statement for the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), urging members to increase ambition in the annexes, ensure environmental credibility, and align the WTO's work with the ongoing plastics treaty process and the Basel Convention.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided a draft statement on November 23, 2023, regarding the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (DPP). TESS supports the revised draft Ministerial Statement for MC13, noting its evolution from identifying issues to agreeing on voluntary international cooperation to tackle plastic pollution.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided a statement at the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (DPP) pre-plenary meeting on 13 June 2024. TESS advocates for narrowing the DPP's scope to achieve concrete, actionable outcomes, specifically focusing on harmonizing definitions of single-use plastics, reforming HS nomenclature for better visibility of problematic plastics, and promoting trade in environmentally sound waste management technologies.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provided statements to the WTO Dialogue on Plastic Pollution (DPP) on 18 September 2024. TESS announced a forthcoming guide for World Bank client countries on trade policies for plastic reduction (December 2024) and a policy paper with QUNO on plastic waste management technologies. TESS proposed a WTO-hosted global repository for trade-related policy measures and emphasized the need for domestic inter-ministerial coordination. Finally, TESS urged members to submit proposals by 10 October 2024 for HS Amendments to improve transparency in the trade of single-use plastics.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) issued a statement on 25 January 2024 regarding the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD). TESS advocates for transitioning TESSD from a diagnostic phase of presentations to an 'inclusive incubator' focused on concrete outcomes, collective action, and recommendations to be delivered by the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14).

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines trade-related considerations within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process to develop a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution. It highlights the intrinsic link between transforming global supply chains and ending plastic pollution, while discussing the risks of trade discrimination, implementation costs for developing nations, and the treaty's relationship with existing multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and WTO law.

This policy brief by Transforma (CCADI) provides guidelines for creating a roadmap to develop a climate-smart financial sector in Colombia. It argues that while Colombia has addressed acute physical risks and the redirection of capital toward mitigation, it lacks a systemic governance framework to manage chronic physical risks and transition risks. The document proposes a four-component framework—institutional coordination, risk management, financial instruments, and monitoring—to align the financial sector with Colombia's 2050 carbon neutrality goal.

This fact sheet summarizes the results of a participatory workshop held in August 2023 in Barrancabermeja, Colombia. The initiative, led by Transforma, aimed to analyze the perspectives of local actors regarding the hydrocarbon value chain and identify the challenges and opportunities associated with a Just Energy Transition in a region heavily dependent on the oil industry.

This executive summary analyzes opportunities for Latin America to benefit from the restructuring of the international financial system, specifically through the lens of the Bridgetown Initiative and the goals of the Paris Agreement. It identifies five priority areas for reform—immediate liquidity, private capital access, sustainable debt, SDG stimulus, and governance—to address climate, social, and debt crises in the region.

This guide by Transforma explains the transition from the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations to the IFRS S2 (NIIF S2) standard. It details how IFRS S2 replaces and expands upon TCFD by requiring greater granularity in governance, the inclusion of transition plans in strategy, more detailed risk and opportunity management processes, and industry-specific metrics aligned with SASB standards.

A statement from 82 Latin American and Caribbean civil society organizations providing suggestions and requests to the COP30 Presidency to ensure concrete implementation results in Belém do Pará, Brazil, focusing on climate ambition, adaptation, finance, just transition, and biodiversity synergies.

A statement from 82 Latin American and Caribbean civil society organizations providing recommendations to the COP30 Presidency to ensure the conference delivers concrete implementation results for the Paris Agreement, focusing on climate ambition, adaptation, finance, just transition, and biodiversity synergies.

A statement from 82 civil society organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean providing strategic recommendations to the COP30 Presidency to ensure the conference delivers concrete implementation outcomes regarding climate ambition, finance, adaptation, and just transition.

This policy brief analyzes the economic dependence of Paipa, Colombia, on coal mining and coal-fired power generation. It evaluates the risks posed by the energy transition and proposes a productive reconversion strategy focused on tourism, traditional manufactures, and the agricultural sector to diversify the local economy.

This policy brief by Transforma analyzes the economic dependence of Barrancabermeja, Colombia, on the hydrocarbon sector, specifically the Ecopetrol refinery. Using an input-output model, the document evaluates the risks of the energy transition and proposes a diversification strategy focusing on agro-industry, bio-energy from oil palm, and ecotourism to avoid a structural crisis after 2035.

This report describes two complementary methodologies developed by Transforma and the Centro Insuco para la Innovación Social (ICSI) to monitor energy communities in Colombia. While Transforma's tool focuses on longitudinal national tracking across project lifecycles, ICSI's tool provides deep socioeconomic evaluations of specific territories. The document proposes integrating these tools to bridge the gap between normative models and territorial realities.

This fact sheet from Transforma provides a statistical overview of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by June 2026, detailing emission reduction targets for developed countries, G20 members, and Latin American nations relative to global emissions.

The report analyzes Colombia's Law 2099 of 2021, which promotes energy transition by expanding tax incentives and 'public utility' declarations for non-conventional renewable energy sources (FNCER), including geothermal and hydrogen. It highlights the creation of the FONENERGIA fund and the strategic role of combustible gas, while warning of risks such as reduced environmental rigor, potential land conflicts in paramo ecosystems, and the fiscal cost of expanded tax exemptions.

This briefing by Transforma examines the persistent gap between climate adaptation finance needs and actual flows, critiquing the lack of quantitative clarity in the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and proposing options for establishing a trackable adaptation finance target by COP30.

This policy brief examines the impact of COVID-19 on Colombia's agricultural supply chains, highlighting structural weaknesses in transport infrastructure, a lack of digitalization, and high food waste (34% annually). It recommends diversifying transport modes (rail and river), modernizing the cargo fleet with electric and biofuel vehicles, and implementing climate change adaptation measures in infrastructure. The brief also emphasizes the need for a national information system and the promotion of short supply circuits to enhance food security and rural development.