Search Climate Insights Directory

This resource kit for the 2014 UN Climate Summit in New York frames climate change as a critical public health crisis. It advocates for a global transition to clean energy and active transport to save lives and reduce costs, encourages health organizations to divest from fossil fuels, and highlights England's cross-system health approach as a model for action.

This case study describes a CDKN innovation project in Ghana that used ecosystems- and risk-based approaches to integrate climate resilience into development for coastal communities, emphasizing the necessity of bottom-up planning and multi-stakeholder engagement.

The New York Declaration on Forests Action Agenda (2014) outlines a comprehensive framework for governments, companies, indigenous peoples, and multilateral institutions to slow, halt, and reverse global forest loss. It details a 'menu of key actions' for various stakeholders and reports a surge in zero-deforestation commitments from global commodity traders and consumer goods companies, alongside national pledges for forest restoration and the protection of indigenous lands.

A letter from the Attorneys General of New York, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont to the EPA urging the agency to regulate methane leaks from the natural gas distribution sector.

This statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) calls for the business and insurance sectors to stop climate change denialism and support ambitious action ahead of the September 23, 2014, UN Climate Summit. The author highlights the role of fossil fuel companies in funding campaigns to subvert legislation and argues that the insurance industry should reconsider providing directors and officers (D&O) liability coverage for activities that undermine climate action.

This research paper reviews Myanmar's existing investment treaties, analyzing the legal and policy implications of their terms to inform potential reforms and future treaty negotiations.

This research paper evaluates the potential for the UK transport sector to reach a 'zero carbon' state by 2050, comparing a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario against a maximum impact (MI) scenario involving various behavioral, fiscal, spatial, and technological interventions.

This report identifies key climate-related impacts and issues facing Colombia's road sector, emphasizing the vulnerability of transportation infrastructure to floods and landslides and the need to integrate climate risks into future investments and institutional coordination.

An open letter from Friends of the Earth member Janet Thew to Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) CEO David Booth, detailing her decision to divest $100,000 from the firm due to its investments in companies linked to deforestation and human rights abuses.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) hosted a workshop on 3 September 2014 in São Paulo, Brazil, to discuss the role of public and private financial institutions in scaling up climate finance. The event focused on the opportunities provided by international funds like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Climate Investment Funds (CIFs), as well as the use of innovative financial instruments to mitigate risks and overcome barriers to low-carbon investments in Brazil.

This document consists of a formal submission by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) and an accompanying independent peer review by Carin Bosman Sustainable Solutions (CBSS). It critiques the Integrated Water Use Licence Application (IWULA) Report prepared by Jones and Wagner for KiPower's proposed 600 MW coal-fired power station in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The CER and CBSS conclude that the IWULA is 'Inadequate' due to significant procedural and substantive failures, including the absence of a practical Integrated Water and Waste Management Plan (IWWMP) Action Plan and a failure to adequately assess impacts on groundwater and other water users.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) submitted a statement to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) arguing that the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could undermine environmental and public health protections. CIEL expresses concern that 'regulatory coherence' mechanisms and the prioritization of trade impacts over public interest could create a 'chilling effect' on the development of new laws and the implementation of existing ones, particularly regarding toxic chemicals, endocrine disruptors, and nanomaterials.

A joint statement urging the United Nations Human Rights Council to increase its focus on the human rights impacts of international financial institutions (IFIs), including multilateral development banks like the World Bank.

This commentary analyzes the evolution of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports regarding sea-level rise, noting a shift from focusing on impacts toward integrated, flexible adaptation strategies and multidisciplinary systems approaches to risk reduction.

This 2014 working paper by CDKN evaluates the integration of climate change into the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on dialogues in Colombia, Indonesia, and Kenya, it argues that while a stand-alone climate goal is necessary for political visibility and funding, climate objectives must also be mainstreamed across all goals to avoid siloing. The paper identifies gaps in the draft SDGs—particularly regarding health, education, and gender—and emphasizes the need for nationally relevant indicators, robust governance, and a shift toward private sector investment and public-private partnerships to achieve climate-resilient development.

A policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzing a leaked 'chemicals annex' from the European Commission regarding the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The document argues that the proposed regulatory cooperation favors chemical industry interests over public health and environmental protections, potentially freezing the implementation of stronger laws and erasing the more protective standards currently found in the EU.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the 'Energy Efficiency Milan Covenant of Mayors' program, an initiative administered by the Province of Milan to retrofit public school buildings using 'pure' Energy Performance Contracts (EPC). The program aims to achieve energy savings of at least 20% and annual emission reductions of approximately 9,000 tCO2, utilizing third-party financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and technical assistance from the ELENA program. While the program successfully tested standard EPCs in the Italian market and moved investments off municipal balance sheets, it faced significant delays and barriers due to existing bundled ESCO business models and banking uncertainties regarding energy efficiency collateral.

This fact sheet provides a chronological timeline of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulatory actions and associated court rulings regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary and mobile sources between 2007 and 2014.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development compares the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impacts of electricity sector regulations in Canada and the United States, specifically focusing on coal-fired power plants. It analyzes how these policies contribute to each country's Copenhagen Accord pledge to reduce 2020 emissions to 17 per cent below 2005 levels.

This policy brief analyzes the security and political landscape surrounding Mozambique's fifth democratic presidential election scheduled for October 2014. It focuses on the tensions between the ruling Frelimo party and the opposition Renamo, emphasizing the need for a negotiated ceasefire and disarmament to ensure a peaceful transition and long-term stability.