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The Emissions Gap Report 2016 is a UNEP synthesis report designed to assess global progress toward emissions reductions necessary to meet UNFCCC goals, specifically focusing on the Paris Agreement's targets of limiting global temperature increases to well below 2°C and pursuing a limit of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

A research paper by the NewClimate Institute analyzing the gap between the Paris Agreement's global temperature goals and the current nationally determined contributions (INDCs), arguing that several factors provide a basis for optimism regarding future alignment.

The paper introduces EconWEAP, a model integrating the State Wide Economic Agricultural Production Model (SWAP) and the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system to analyze the economic and hydrological impacts of climate change on water resource allocations.

This guide from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) introduces the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the UNFCCC, focusing on the preparations for implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

This guidance document from the NewClimate Institute provides a framework for policymakers to design national mitigation strategies for the refrigeration, air conditioning and foam (RAC&F) sector. It emphasizes the need to align efforts between the UNFCCC and the Montreal Protocol to meet the temperature targets of the Paris Agreement.

This research paper proposes shifting local-scale greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, specifically the Global Protocol for Community-scale GHG emissions (GPC), away from national-scale principles of completeness and accuracy toward a focus on policy relevance for city governments.

This research paper analyzes the Global Goal for Adaptation (GGA) under the Paris Agreement, focusing on the proposals of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) to achieve parity between mitigation and adaptation. It argues that while the Paris Agreement establishes the GGA, its operationalisation requires clearer guidelines on minimum information for adaptation communications (a-NDCs) to allow for the aggregation of data and the assessment of adequacy during the global stocktake. The paper highlights the significant domestic investments made by developing countries like Ethiopia and Uganda and calls for a hybrid approach—combining bottom-up national needs with top-down scientific benchmarks from the IPCC—to determine and provide adequate adaptation support.

This briefing by Friends of the Earth International argues that the pursuit of 'dirty energy'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and megadams—is causing severe environmental and social harm across Africa while failing to resolve energy poverty. The document highlights specific case studies of destructive energy projects in South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, and Mozambique, and calls for a transition toward community-controlled renewable energy and 'energy sovereignty'.

This report by Friends of the Earth International examines the impacts of 'dirty energy'—including coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and mega-dams—across the African continent. It argues that these energy systems exacerbate climate change, cause severe health and environmental damage, and fail to provide universal energy access, while often benefiting corporate elites over local communities.

The report critiques the prevalence of polluting energy sources in Africa, highlighting the environmental and social costs of coal in South Africa, oil in Nigeria and Uganda, and large dams in Mozambique. It emphasizes the paradox of high energy production alongside extreme energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa and advocates for a systemic shift toward decentralized, renewable energy.

This report provides a 2016 progress update on the first ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It evaluates global trends in natural forest loss, private sector commitments to deforestation-free supply chains, restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge and UNFCCC, and the evolution of international climate finance and forest governance.

The 2016 Goal 2 Assessment Report evaluates progress toward eliminating deforestation from agricultural commodity supply chains, specifically palm oil, soy, cattle, and wood products. While corporate pledges are increasing, the report finds a significant gap between high-level commitments and operational implementation, particularly in the cattle and soy sectors. It emphasizes that while downstream companies in Europe and North America lead in pledging, the most critical impact comes from upstream producers in deforestation hotspots like Brazil and Indonesia. The report concludes that global data linking these corporate efforts to actual reductions in deforestation is currently unavailable.

This case study examines the development and scaling of M-Shwari, a mobile-based savings and loans product in Kenya created through a partnership between the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) and Safaricom. It details how FSD Kenya acted as a market facilitator, providing research and technical expertise to help CBA design a product tailored to low-income consumers, ultimately expanding formal financial access to millions of Kenyans.

This report presents the findings of a household survey of 1,000 consumers in Rajasthan, India, examining public attitudes toward electricity tariff reform. It highlights a significant lack of awareness regarding electricity subsidies, strong public opposition to price increases due to the high share of electricity in household budgets, and a limited but existing willingness to pay more for improved power reliability. The report suggests that reform should be gradual, demographically targeted (particularly in urban areas like Jaipur), and accompanied by mitigation measures and improved service quality.

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) outlines trends in climate change adaptation planning based on a standardized review of 15 African and Asian countries conducted for the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA). The review examines vulnerability profiles, national priorities, policy responses, and the nature of adaptation programming, highlighting a strong focus on agriculture but significant gaps in subnational planning and monitoring systems.

This research paper examines the rapid pace of urbanisation in Africa, forecasting population trends and identifying the structural challenges that hinder sustainable urban development. It focuses on the emergence of megacities and the disconnect between urban growth and economic structural transformation.

This research paper by Crispian Olver examines state capture and systemic corruption within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM), focusing on the Human Settlements Department and the Integrated Public Transport System (IPTS). The author, who served on a national intervention team, details how political factions and private syndicates captured municipal functions to extract rents, leading to administrative collapse, financial crisis, and the murder of a councillor. The paper analyzes the subsequent 2015 intervention led by Mayor Danny Jordaan and the broader political implications for the ANC in the 2016 local elections.

This policy briefing examines the vulnerability of the livestock sector in Southern Africa to climate change, highlighting the severe impact of the 2015/2016 drought. It argues that while regional strategies like the SADC Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan exist, implementation remains sporadic and donor-driven. The document advocates for the use of indigenous animal genetic resources, improved support for small-scale farmers, and enhanced regional collaboration to build a climate-resilient livestock industry.

This policy briefing examines climate adaptation readiness in the agricultural sector of South Africa's Western Cape province following the 2015/2016 El Niño-linked drought. It argues that while comprehensive policy frameworks for disaster risk reduction and management exist, implementation is hindered by bureaucratic bottlenecks, insufficient funding, and a persistent focus on short-term relief over long-term resilience. The document highlights the success of conservation agriculture among grain farmers and calls for strengthened intergovernmental cooperation and adaptive water resource planning.

This policy briefing argues that subnational governments and cities are essential for implementing international climate agreements but are often excluded from the formal negotiating tables of the UNFCCC. It highlights the role of transnational actors like ICLEI in bridging this gap and recommends a shift toward 'co-production' between national and local governments to ensure climate targets are implementable at the local scale.