Search Climate Insights Directory

This executive summary analyzes the use of private financing to accelerate geothermal energy deployment in Indonesia, focusing on the Sarulla Geothermal Power Plant (PLTP Sarulla) as a case study. It highlights the role of public support in mitigating exploration risks and providing financial guarantees to attract private investment to meet national capacity targets.

This executive summary explores the potential for a government-sponsored foreign exchange (FX) hedging facility to reduce the cost of renewable energy in India. It argues that high market-based currency hedging costs currently make foreign debt nearly as expensive as domestic debt, hindering the achievement of 2022 renewable energy targets. The document analyzes a proposed facility that would cover debt payments for USD loans, estimating its expected cost and the potential reductions in government support and energy costs.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) examines the potential for deploying mid-level ethanol blends (E25 to E40) as high-octane fuels in the United States. It discusses the technical benefits for engine efficiency, the existing compatibility of the vehicle fleet and retail infrastructure, and the potential for significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions compared to conventional gasoline.

The June 2015 report from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) evaluates the progress of interdisciplinary research programs in the Americas. The SAC emphasizes the success of combining natural and social sciences to create policy-relevant solutions but identifies a critical lack of regional data infrastructure to distribute these findings to decision-makers and the public.

The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) provides a progress report to the Conference of the Parties (CoP) as of June 2015. The report emphasizes the IAI's unique interdisciplinary model combining social and natural sciences to create policy-relevant solutions, while highlighting a critical regional lack of data infrastructure and the need for better integration of social scientists from the start of research projects.

This document provides a side-by-side translation and comparison of two Cooperation and Investment Facilitation Agreements (CIFAs) signed in 2015 between Brazil and Mozambique, and Brazil and Angola. These agreements establish institutional frameworks to foster reciprocal investments through Joint Committees and Focal Points (Ombudsmen) while avoiding traditional investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms in favor of state-to-state cooperation and dispute prevention.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes Ontario's successful phase-out of coal-fired electricity generation, which was completed by the end of 2014. The study examines the factors that enabled this transition—categorized as context, champions, concerns, and complementary policies—and evaluates the resulting impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, public health, and the economy.

This commentary by Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), discusses the book 'On the Edge: The State and Fate of the World’s Tropical Rainforests' by Claude Martin. The text outlines the scientific history of tropical rainforest research, the primary drivers of deforestation—specifically agriculture and infrastructure—and the progress made through protected areas and remote sensing. It further examines the intersection of forest loss with climate change, carbon emissions, and the risks of species extinction.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) maps trade-related elements within the draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Financing for Development (FfD) outcome document. It proposes a three-level architecture for follow-up and review—national, regional, and global—to ensure that trade policies are coherent with sustainable development objectives. The authors argue that because trade's contribution to the post-2015 Agenda is diffuse, a coordinated review process involving existing multilateral and regional mechanisms is essential to facilitate learning and policy improvement.

This World Bank Group report provides a framework for using investment contracts to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of large-scale agricultural projects in developing countries. It identifies five key positive outcomes and five primary weaknesses associated with these investments, offering specific legal and contractual options to ensure sustainable development and the protection of local communities.

This research paper, published by the World Bank Group in June 2015, examines the role of investment contracts in large-scale agricultural projects in developing countries. It provides a framework for designing contracts that maximize positive socio-economic outcomes—such as job creation and food security—while minimizing risks like land loss and environmental degradation. The document integrates empirical evidence from UNCTAD and World Bank field studies with legal analysis from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

This report analyzes how the internal political and military crisis in South Sudan, which began in December 2013, has evolved into a regional competition for influence among Horn of Africa states. It details the conflicting strategic, economic, and security interests of Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, and Egypt, arguing that their proxy support and geopolitical maneuvering undermine mediation efforts led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The policy brief argues that the deadlock in global climate finance is caused by a lack of predictability. It suggests that Africa, through the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), can break this deadlock by demonstrating the credible and effective use of existing funds and by promoting 'win-win' solutions that combine climate adaptation with low-carbon development. The author recommends moving away from unreliable budget support toward off-budget and market-driven financial solutions to ensure sustained funding.

This policy briefing examines how Rwanda has successfully accessed and managed climate finance, highlighting the role of its national strategies, inclusive local needs assessments, and the establishment of a dedicated climate fund (FONERWA) to strengthen project development and institutional capacity.

The Climate Bonds Initiative reports that the global green bond market in Q1 2015 saw 44 issuances totaling $7.2 billion. While the quarter started slowly, the market showed signs of maturation through diversification in currencies and credit ratings, alongside significant growth in emerging markets and US municipal bonds.

A briefing by the World Resources Institute outlining three priority areas for climate negotiators meeting in Bonn, Germany, to prepare for the COP 21 summit in Paris.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing groundWork, Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, and the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance, filed an appeal on May 28, 2015, against the atmospheric emission licence (AEL) FDDM-MET-2011-08-P1 issued to Eskom's Lethabo Power Station. The appeal argues that the Fezile Dabi District Municipality failed to consider critical health impacts and ambient air quality standards when varying the AEL to incorporate the National Air Quality Officer's (NAQO) decisions to postpone compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES).

WRI responds to critiques from Argonne National Laboratory, reaffirming that dedicating land to bioenergy is highly inefficient compared to solar PV and poses significant risks to food security and carbon storage. WRI argues that 'marginal lands' are often misidentified and that bioenergy does not inherently provide greenhouse gas reductions unless it creates additional plant growth.

A statement from a coalition of civil society organizations to the World Bank requesting a meeting to discuss recommendations for the third and final consultation phase of the Safeguards Review for the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF).

This guide by the Climate Policy Initiative outlines an eight-step methodology for countries, cities, and organizations to map climate finance flows. The process is designed to establish investment baselines, reveal interactions between public and private finance, and identify opportunities to redirect funding toward low-carbon and climate-resilient activities.