Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing paper by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes human rights issues addressed during the COP19 negotiations in Warsaw, Poland, focusing on ambition, the Clean Development Mechanism, gender, the Green Climate Fund, public participation, and REDD+.

This briefing consists of testimonies presented to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) on October 25, 2010, by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and environmental defenders from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama. The testimonies denounce a regional pattern of violence, criminalization, and systemic impunity targeting individuals who oppose the impacts of the mining industry in Mesoamerica.

This briefing from the World Resources Institute poses a central policy question for the 2010 World Resources Report: whether the additional stress of climate change requires a fundamentally different approach to ecosystem conservation or if existing practices, pursued with greater urgency, are sufficient.

This briefing from the World Resources Institute introduces a series of expert papers focused on innovative methods for collecting and distributing climate adaptation information. It emphasizes that the mere existence of data is insufficient; information must be analyzed and disseminated in formats that are accessible and relevant to both government decision-makers and affected local communities to effectively integrate climate risks into policies.

This 2004 briefing from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides guidance on reducing the energy and environmental impacts of kitchen appliances and food consumption. It details the efficiency gains in refrigerators and freezers, compares various cooking technologies and habits, and addresses the reduction of food-related waste in landfills.

This briefing outlines the Terms of Reference, composition, and scope of the International Advisory Group (IAG) established to monitor the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project. The IAG is an independent body designed to advise the World Bank Group (WBG) and the governments of Chad and Cameroon on the project's progress toward social, environmental, and poverty alleviation goals.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) provides a critical analysis of the UNEP 'Options for Elements' Paper prepared for the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2). The document evaluates the proposed core obligations and control measures for a new legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, highlighting gaps where the Options Paper fails to reflect the ambition of Member State submissions, particularly regarding upstream production limits, chemical safety, and the protection of human health.

The briefing describes FAST-Infra (Finance to Accelerate the Sustainable Transition – Infrastructure), a public-private partnership designed to increase private investment in sustainable infrastructure within developing countries. The initiative focuses on creating a sustainable infrastructure labeling system and developing four specific market mechanisms to mobilize capital.

This briefing by Ember analyzes the implications of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) 'Net Zero by 2050' report for the 2021 P4G Seoul Summit, arguing that achieving 100% clean power is a necessary precursor to broader carbon neutrality.

This briefing by Friends of the Earth International argues that 'No Net Loss' (NNL) of biodiversity is a false solution that facilitates the continued destruction of nature by treating biodiversity as interchangeable units through offsetting mechanisms.

The Green Economy Coalition and the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) are seeking a UK-based professional to lead an initiative to create a public narrative for economic transformation. The project aims to move beyond the crisis-focused language of NGOs and scientists by convening high-profile communicators from the advertising, marketing, and cultural sectors to make a sustainable and just economy feel "real, relevant and desirable to the average citizen."

This briefing document from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Directorate lists four seed projects utilizing transdisciplinary approaches to address socio-economic environmental themes through networks of scientists, policy makers, and decision makers.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the agricultural negotiation priorities for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It emphasizes that while food security is a central goal, success depends on moving beyond non-binding declarations toward binding commitments, particularly regarding export restrictions for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), domestic support, and public stockholding.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) outlines the global and regional normative and financial responses to the increase in foreign investment in agricultural land and water, often termed 'land grabbing', following the 2008 food crisis. It evaluates various guidelines, principles, and funding mechanisms designed to ensure that agricultural investments are transparent, respect land rights, and contribute to rural development and food security.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies argues that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) represents a critical opportunity to reform international climate finance by addressing systemic biases toward large-scale mitigation and a lack of gender-responsiveness. The authors emphasize that poor rural women, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, are disproportionately affected by climate change but remain underfunded due to structural discrimination and a preference for high-tech projects over community-level initiatives.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the establishment and operational design of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), focusing on the tensions between developed and developing nations regarding governance, the role of the World Bank, and the influence of the private sector in climate finance for Africa.

This document contains the Terms of Reference (TOR) for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the construction of salt works by Al-Sherman Limited in Kilifi County, Kenya. The proposed facility will use solar technology to produce salt from seawater and will occupy approximately 753.8 hectares of land.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a narrow policy window to steer economic recovery toward a sustainable, net-zero emissions path. It warns against 'carbon lock-in'—where recovery measures entrench fossil fuel dependency—and proposes specific policy levers, such as conditional bailouts and just transition measures, to catalyse industrial transformation.

This informal briefing note from the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs provides recommendations for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to ensure the protection of human health is integrated into a future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. It argues that plastic pollution constitutes a public health crisis affecting every stage of the plastic life cycle and proposes three structural options for the treaty: an integrated approach, a standalone article on health, or a combination of both. The document details specific opportunities to embed health protections across various treaty articles, focusing on the elimination of harmful chemicals, sustainable product design, and the establishment of a science-policy interface to allow the treaty to evolve with emerging evidence.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs outlines strategies for integrating human health protection into the development of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. It proposes a cross-cutting approach involving product design, information availability, implementation support, and a dedicated article on health to address adverse health impacts across the full plastic life cycle.