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This report evaluates the agriculture and forestry standards of the African Organization for Standardisation (ARSO) against the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). It identifies strengths in ARSO's governance and traceability frameworks while highlighting critical gaps in geolocation data, forest conversion rules, and transparency that must be addressed to protect African exporters' market access to the EU.

This executive summary from the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the climate transition progress of 594 pension funds in OECD countries, representing USD 22.5 trillion in assets. Using the Net Zero Finance Tracker (NZFT), the report evaluates these funds across targets, implementation, and impact, highlighting a trend of increasing climate target adoption and improved risk management, while noting a persistent material exposure to fossil fuel expansion.

The 'Green Transition Assessment Armenia' report by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates Armenia's readiness for a green transition and its alignment with European Union environmental policies, specifically the European Green Deal and the Eighth European Environmental Action Programme (EAP).

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) outlines ambition benchmarks for the third generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) due in 2025. It argues that to align with the 1.5 °C target, countries must commit to tripling renewable energy capacity, phasing out fossil fuel production, and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, while ensuring a just and equitable transition.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and the Institute for Climate Economics (I4CE) examines how public development banks (PDBs) can align their operations with the Paris Agreement. It distinguishes between 'project-level alignment,' which focuses on consistency with national low-emission climate-resilient development pathways, and the 'portfolio-level net-zero' approach common in the private sector. The document evaluates 11 operational benchmarks—such as inclusion/exclusion lists and scenario modeling—and provides recommendations for PDBs to integrate these tools to maximize climate impact while maintaining their development mandates.

This report by Ember analyzes the alignment between the ten-year grid development plans of European Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and national energy policy targets for 2030. It highlights a risk that transmission grids may become physical barriers to the energy transition if infrastructure planning is based on under-ambitious renewable energy scenarios.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) explores how voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can assist governments in preparing Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) for the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The document argues that VSSs can fill data gaps, provide best-practice case studies, and foster multisectoral partnerships to track progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines how Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSSs) can mitigate financial risks for financial service providers (FSPs) investing in sustainable agriculture, particularly in developing countries. By benchmarking 12 VSSs against sustainable finance frameworks, the report identifies gaps in economic viability and climate adaptation criteria while highlighting strengths in legal compliance, soil and water conservation, and labour rights.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative evaluates the readiness of major commercial financial institutions in Indonesia to assess and disclose climate-related risks and opportunities. Based on a survey conducted between September 2021 and June 2022, the report finds that while banks show high compliance with national sustainability reporting mandates (POJK 51/2017), they lack the depth of disclosure required by international benchmarks like the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The report highlights a gap between the growth of green portfolios and the actual integration of climate risk into financial statements and risk management frameworks.

This report by the African Center for Economic Transformation evaluates the sustainability of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in Ghana. It finds that after 25 years, the EPZ model has failed to meet many of its original objectives and lacks integration with broader industrial policies, environmental standards, and anti-corruption measures. The report recommends a comprehensive policy overhaul, increased private sector involvement in infrastructure, and the adoption of climate-friendly investment strategies.

The WAEMU Green Bond Scoping Report, published by FSD Africa in September 2022, evaluates the feasibility of developing a Green Bond market within the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The report identifies significant potential for sovereign and corporate issuance, particularly in energy, agriculture, and transportation, but highlights critical barriers including underdeveloped regional financial markets, a lack of government focus on climate-resilient regulatory frameworks, and limited technical capacity among stakeholders to meet international green standards. It recommends targeted capacity building, the development of harmonized regional guidelines, and the use of technical assistance and risk-transfer instruments to attract investors and build a pipeline of bankable green projects.

This case study examines how Rwanda's domestic policy frameworks, tariff structures, and utility restructuring have increased electricity access, using the World Bank's Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) index as a benchmarking tool.

The 2018 Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) report provides a global inventory of policies and regulations supporting Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), focusing on electricity access, clean cooking, energy efficiency, and renewable energy across 133 economies from 2010 to 2017.

This report presents the results of a climate change study, a climate resilience assessment, and a palaeontological impact assessment for the proposed 1200MW Thabametsi coal-fired power station near Lephalale in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The document evaluates the project's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, its vulnerability to future climate scenarios, and the potential for fossil material destruction during construction.

This summary report, prepared by Savannah Environmental (Pty) Ltd for Thabametsi Power Company Proprietary Limited, details the climate change and palaeontological impact assessments for the proposed 1200MW Thabametsi coal-fired power station near Lephalale, Limpopo Province. The report was produced to satisfy conditions 10.5 and 10.6 of the project's Environmental Authorization following an appeal by the Centre for Environmental Rights. It evaluates greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, climate resilience risks, and potential impacts on fossil heritage, concluding that while GHG impacts are high, they are not a fatal flaw given South Africa's energy policy framework.

This research paper, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in 2008, provides an environmental scoping study of five key economic sectors in the South West region of England. Using the Triple Bottom Line (BL3) software tool, the study estimates the carbon and ecological footprints of these sectors, benchmarking their resource productivity against UK national averages to inform regional debates on environmental limits.

This document consists of a public notification and a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Assessment report for the proposed 1,200 MW Thabametsi Coal-Fired Power Station in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The report, prepared by Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in January 2017, evaluates the project's carbon footprint, benchmarks its efficiency against other plants, and assesses its alignment with South African climate policies. It concludes that while the project's GHG impact is 'Very Large' and 'High (Negative)', it is more efficient than some of the oldest coal plants it may displace.

This technical note describes a methodology for calculating urban indicators by combining global geospatial datasets with local jurisdictional boundaries to support urban decision-making and benchmarking.

This research paper benchmarks Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems in China against international standards using 30 of 38 BRT indicators. Based on data from 59 cities across 21 countries, the paper identifies 11 design areas where Chinese systems underperform and provides recommendations to help China reach its national goal of 5,000 kilometers of BRT by 2020.