Search Climate Insights Directory

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of irrigation and water stress in Canadian agriculture, highlighting the scale of water use and the risks posed by climate change.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the financial and environmental impact of butane gas subsidies in Morocco and proposes a 'swap' reform. This strategy involves reducing fossil fuel subsidies and reinvesting the savings into clean energy technologies, specifically solar pumping for agriculture and solar water heaters for households, to facilitate a socially acceptable energy transition.

The document describes the methodology for the Tariff Analysis and Cost-Benefit Tool for Solarizing Irrigation (TACTS), designed to support the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme. The tool provides a framework for calculating solar tariffs using the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) method, analyzing risk reduction financing instruments, and conducting cost-benefit analyses from the perspective of distribution companies (DISCOMs).

This briefing, submitted as written evidence to an International Development Committee Inquiry, outlines the findings of the 'Trade, Aid and Security' initiative. The document argues that while trade and aid are intended to support security and sustainable development, they can instead undermine stability if not designed with conflict sensitivity. It proposes six key policy objectives to ensure that international trade and development assistance contribute to peacebuilding rather than fueling violent conflict, particularly in fragile states dependent on natural resources.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development argues that international security in the 21st century has shifted from state-on-state military conflict to 'human security', where threats include terrorism, climate change, and resource conflict. The author contends that current international trade and aid policies, often designed by wealthy nations, can systematically undermine peace and development in poor states by reinforcing power disparities and creating economic instability.

This infographic from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) outlines ten key points regarding electricity subsidies in Indonesia, highlighting inefficiencies in targeting, the financial burden of subsidies, and the challenges of implementing reform.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a comprehensive analysis of how states can terminate old-generation bilateral investment treaties (BITs). It examines the legal frameworks under public international law, analyzes common termination and survival clause models, and reviews recent state practices. The document offers strategic recommendations for states on whether to terminate BITs unilaterally or by consent, how to handle survival clauses to reduce investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) risks, and provides drafting suggestions for new treaties to avoid the pitfalls of older models.

The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) is an initiative of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) launched in 1997 to integrate sustainable development into trade policy and practice across national, bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.

This report analyzes the environmental impacts of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) on the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), with a specific focus on Cambodia. It examines how tariff reductions have driven trade flows and the resulting pollution intensity, noting that while some countries experience 'pollution gains' by importing dirty goods, this often shifts environmental degradation to the producer, primarily China. The report also highlights the risk of natural resource depletion, particularly deforestation and overfishing in Cambodia, driven by increased demand for wood, rubber, and fish.

This case study examines market access barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bangladesh across four key export industries: leather and leather goods, knitwear, pharmaceuticals, and shrimp processing, specifically focusing on trade with the European Union (EU). While the EU's 'Everything But Arms' (EBA) policy has removed most tariffs and quotas, the study finds that non-tariff barriers (NTBs)—particularly technical regulations, standards, and certification requirements—remain significant obstacles to trade expansion.

This report examines the potential, challenges, and opportunities of expanding tiger shrimp aquaculture on sandy land in Vietnam's central provinces. It highlights a shift toward utilizing previously unproductive coastal sandy areas to alleviate poverty and diversify livelihoods, while warning against unplanned expansion that could lead to environmental degradation and groundwater depletion.

This research paper examines the challenges developing countries face in implementing Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) standards and technical regulations. It argues that these requirements, while intended to promote sustainable development, often act as technical barriers to trade due to a lack of institutional infrastructure in rule making, conformity assessment, and accreditation. The author highlights how the gap in technical capacity and the high cost of certification disproportionately affect small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and calls for increased technical assistance under the WTO's Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement).

This fact sheet from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) describes the work of the NAP Global Network in supporting developing countries to create and implement National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to build resilience against climate change.

This June 2014 consultation background paper, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), outlines the framework for updating Manitoba's climate change and green economy plans. It focuses specifically on the built environment and energy sectors, detailing the province's current emissions profile, the role of clean energy exports, and the need to integrate adaptation and mitigation strategies to enhance resilience against extreme weather events.

This draft concept paper, developed by the Hemispheric Working Group on Trade and Environment, proposes the creation of an Americas Environmental Accord (AEA) to coordinate environmental sustainability and trade policies across the Western Hemisphere. It analyzes existing sub-regional models—including Mercosur, CARICOM, the Andean Community, the Central American Common Market, and NAFTA—to identify best practices for transparency, civil society participation, and the integration of environmental standards into economic agreements. The document argues that the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) process should be supported by a coherent ecological cooperation agenda to ensure long-term sustainable development.

This policy brief examines China's strategic pursuit of natural resources and its expanding investment footprint in the Mekong region, specifically in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It details China's shift toward securing raw materials through direct investment and state-backed financing, while highlighting the resulting environmental and social risks for host countries.

This policy brief examines China's expanding economic role in the Mekong region, specifically its investments in natural resources, energy, and infrastructure in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It highlights China's strategic shift toward securing foreign resources to fuel its domestic industrial growth and the resulting environmental and social challenges in host countries.

This document is an introductory announcement and table of contents for the Great Transition Initiative (GTI) paper series, a collective project by scholars and activists aimed at imagining a global future characterized by human solidarity, enriched lives, and a healthy planet.

This briefing analyzes an August 5, 2002, interim ruling by a NAFTA Chapter 11 Tribunal in the case of Methanex vs. the United States of America. The Tribunal ruled that it lacked jurisdiction over Methanex's original claims because the California environmental measures banning MTBE did not have a "legally significant connection" to Methanex, which supplied a component (methanol) rather than the regulated product (MTBE). The Tribunal left open a narrow path for jurisdiction if Methanex can prove a specific discriminatory intent to harm the company, giving the claimant 90 days to provide evidence for this argument.

This policy brief, released in April 2001, proposes a 'triple-win strategy' to integrate trade liberalisation, environmental protection, and social development within the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) process. It argues for moving away from a sanctions-based approach toward a cooperation-driven model to overcome protectionist fears and civil society opposition.