Search Climate Insights Directory

This report examines the adoption of new mining technologies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and their impact on local procurement. While large-scale industrial mines like Kibali and Kamoa-Kakula utilize advanced automation and green energy, local suppliers struggle to access high-value contracts due to gaps in capital, specialized skills, and a weak manufacturing base. The document analyzes the effectiveness of the 2018 Mining Code and the 2017 Subcontracting Law in promoting local content, concluding that a more supportive regulatory and economic environment is necessary to translate technological advancement into sustainable local economic growth.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the application of the principle of subsidiarity within the African Union (AU) and its relationship with regional mechanisms (RMs). It argues that the lack of a clear operational definition of subsidiarity has led to contradictions, competition, and inconsistent decision-making within the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). The authors recommend establishing a comprehensive legal, policy, and financial framework to shift the relationship from competition to collaboration, clearly distinguishing between the region as a 'first responder' and the AU as the 'primary actor'.

This case study describes a decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on April 15, 2021, which upheld a Punjab provincial government notification banning the construction or expansion of cement plants in environmentally fragile "Negative Areas."

This case study details a legal challenge brought by Greenpeace Spain, Oxfam Intermón, and Ecologistas en Acción against the Government of Spain, alleging that the state's climate actions and its National Energy and Climate Plan were inadequate and violated EU regulations and the Paris Agreement.

A case study on the legal challenge Neubauer et al. v. Germany, in which the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that parts of the Federal Climate Protection Act were incompatible with fundamental rights because they failed to specify sufficient emission cuts beyond 2030.

The 'Klimaataksie Handboek' is a guide published by Natural Justice in December 2021 to help South African communities build climate resilience through legal empowerment. It explains the science of climate change, identifies vulnerabilities, and provides a comprehensive toolkit for using legal mechanisms, public participation, and community organizing to protect environmental and human rights.

The Climate Action Handbook is a guide published by Natural Justice in December 2021 designed to help communities in South Africa build climate resilience through legal empowerment. It provides educational material on the causes and impacts of climate change, outlines the legal framework of South Africa, and offers a ten-step practical toolkit for communities to advocate for their rights and hold governments and corporations accountable.

A case study detailing the legal action brought by four NGOs against the French government for failing to implement sufficient measures to address climate change, resulting in a court order for immediate corrective action.

This RMI briefing argues that new gas-fired power plants in the United States are becoming increasingly uneconomic compared to Clean Energy Portfolios (CEPs). The document highlights a trend of gas plant cancellations and warns of significant stranded cost risks due to falling renewable energy prices and evolving policy priorities regarding health, jobs, and community impacts.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the G20/OECD Inclusive Framework's 'Two-Pillar Solution' to address tax avoidance and the digitalisation of the economy. It argues that the current global taxation framework is fragmented, allowing multinational corporations to avoid taxes, and highlights how developing countries, particularly in Africa, suffer disproportionate revenue losses. The document criticizes the Inclusive Framework for the underrepresentation of African nations and the potential for the agreement to favor wealthy nations, recommending a shift toward more inclusive, transparent, and equitable negotiations, possibly under the UN.

The 'Plan Director de la Cuenca del Río Tupiza' (PDCRT) is an executive summary of a strategic planning instrument designed to guide the integrated and sustainable management of the Tupiza River basin in Potosí, Bolivia. Developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) under the Bolivia WATCH program and in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Water, the plan updates a 2018 version to incorporate climate change projections, robust decision-making tools, and a stronger focus on sustainable sanitation. The PDCRT establishes eight strategic lines to address vulnerabilities in water access, gender equity, ecosystem preservation, sustainable production, environmental education, hydroclimatic risk management, sustainable mining, and inter-institutional governance, with a total estimated investment of BOB 160,472,859 over a five-year horizon.

This report argues that World Bank Development Policy Finance (DPF) in Indonesia and Pakistan has locked these countries into carbon-intensive energy paths. In Indonesia, DPF conditionalities promoted natural gas as a 'bridging fuel' and supported state energy company PLN, which continues to plan coal expansion. In Pakistan, the report claims World Bank pressure to meet 'prior actions' for the PACE loan led to the adoption of a flawed energy plan (IGCEP) that significantly reduced renewable energy targets in favor of coal, gas, and large-scale hydropower.

This guide by the Center for International Environmental Law outlines the challenges of global chemicals governance and proposes a ten-pillar framework for states to manage the lifecycle of industrial chemicals, from market entry to end-of-life disposal.

This draft working paper, prepared by the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) with support from the Partners for Inclusive Green Economies (PIGE) initiative, outlines a structural agenda for a green economic recovery following COVID-19. The document serves as an iterative, provisional analysis subject to further peer-review.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute aims to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of residential energy efficiency interventions (REEIs), including those combined with behavioural interventions, to inform policy and financing decisions.

This briefing from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the European Union's upcoming methane regulation must encompass the petrochemical sector and the entire supply chain of fossil fuel imports. The document highlights a growing trade in natural gas liquids (NGLs), specifically ethane and propane, from the United States to Europe to fuel plastics production, which the author contends undermines EU climate goals and bypasses domestic fracking bans.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the increasing import of fracked natural gas liquids (NGLs)—specifically ethane and propane—from the United States to Europe is undermining the European Union's climate and plastics reduction goals. The document details the supply chain from US fracking basins to European petrochemical plants and contends that current EU regulations, such as the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), contain loopholes that allow the plastics industry to offshore emissions and avoid carbon pricing.

This research paper explores the intersection of trade policy and the transition to a low-carbon circular economy, arguing that circular solutions are indispensable for achieving global decarbonization goals. The authors advocate for government incentives to prioritize secondary materials over primary resources, the scaling of business models focused on product longevity and reuse, and the use of bilateral and regional trade agreements to eliminate barriers to circular goods and services.

An analysis by Carolyn Deere Birkbeck of the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs regarding opportunities for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address environmental crises and sustainable development during its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).

This report examines the policy landscape required to enable a transition to net zero emissions in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru, focusing on the factors that influence international climate finance and the necessity of long-term policy frameworks to mobilize private capital.