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This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) explores how Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) can assist governments in preparing Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to report progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The document argues that VSS can bridge data gaps, provide best-practice case studies, and foster multi-stakeholder partnerships to enhance the transparency and inclusivity of national reporting.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyses the evolution of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by comparing 63 first and updated submissions across 89 countries. Using the NDC-SDG Connections tool, the authors examine how climate action plans align with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, noting an increase in the volume of activities and a growing focus on social dimensions, alongside a concerning decrease in activities related to food, water, and land use.

This report by Ember analyzes global electricity source trends in 2022, detailing the growth of renewables like solar and wind, the continued dominance and record highs of coal, and the fluctuations in hydro, nuclear, gas, and bioenergy generation. It compares current trends against the IEA Net Zero Emissions scenario to highlight the growth rates required to limit global warming to 1.5C.

This report by Ember provides a detailed analysis of global electricity generation, demand, and emissions for 2022, evaluating progress toward net-zero targets. It highlights a record growth in wind and solar power, offset by a continued reliance on fossil fuels and a historic decline in nuclear generation. The report notes that while emissions intensity is at its lowest level, absolute power sector emissions reached an all-time high in 2022.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines how Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) can mitigate financial risks for financial service providers (FSPs) investing in sustainable agriculture, particularly in developing economies. By analyzing 12 VSS against sustainable finance frameworks and consulting 51 FSPs, the document identifies gaps in economic viability and climate adaptation criteria while highlighting the strengths of VSS in environmental and social governance.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines how Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) can mitigate financial risks for financial service providers (FSPs) investing in agriculture in developing countries. By analyzing 12 VSS across economic, environmental, and social dimensions, the document identifies gaps in current standards—particularly regarding economic viability and climate adaptation—and provides recommendations for FSPs, VSS developers, and governments to catalyze investment in sustainable agriculture.

An analysis by Ember argues that the approval of the Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria jeopardises the United Kingdom's international climate commitments, specifically the Global Methane Pledge. The report claims that the developer, West Cumbria Mining Limited (WCML), significantly understated expected methane emissions and overstated the potential for mitigation, leading to a total methane impact that could be 15 times greater than estimated.

Ember analysis suggests that the approved Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria will emit significantly more methane than estimated by the developer, West Cumbria Mining Limited (WCML), potentially jeopardising the UK's international climate commitments.

The NewClimate Institute analyzed sectoral greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per capita across 180 countries from 2000 to 2019 to inform the Global Stocktake (GST). The analysis reveals divergent trends across sectors, with energy supply, buildings, and agriculture showing declines in per capita emissions for most countries, while transport and industry emissions per capita increased in over half of the studied nations.

This research note by Energy Innovation compares its own modeling of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) with the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) 2023. The authors argue that the AEO underestimates the IRA's impact on emissions reductions and clean energy deployment, particularly in the electricity and transportation sectors, due to differences in model scope, tax credit inclusion, and economic assumptions.

The 'Progressing National SDGs Implementation' report provides an independent analysis of 44 Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) submitted to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in 2022, comparing them with 21 civil society shadow reports to assess the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Tallinn assesses the national Long-Term Strategies (LTS) of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. It evaluates how these documents align with the EU's Governance Regulation (2018/1999), which requires member states to outline decarbonisation pathways to 2050. The analysis finds that while all three Baltic states commit to climate neutrality by 2050, their strategies are characterized by significant heterogeneity in structure, a lack of detailed sectoral modelling, and insufficient analysis of investment needs and socio-economic impacts.

This report by Ember analyzes global electricity data from the first half of 2022 (H1-2022) compared to H1-2021, focusing on the role of renewable energy in meeting growing electricity demand and its impact on fossil fuel generation and carbon emissions.

This report by Ember analyzes global electricity data from 75 countries to assess the energy transition in the first half of 2022 (H1-2022). It finds that renewable energy growth fully met the increase in global electricity demand during this period, preventing a rise in fossil fuel generation and associated CO2 emissions.

This research paper compares the Integrated MultisatellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) and Climate Forecast and System Reanalysis (CFSR) precipitation products against in-situ data from NOAA surface stations between 2001 and 2020 to guide the selection of satellite rainfall products for hydro-climatic applications in data-limited regions.

This research paper by the NewClimate Institute compares 2021 greenhouse gas emission projections for G20 countries up to 2030 against projections made in 2015. While absolute projected emissions have decreased and growth rates have slowed, the G20 collectively remains off track to meet the Paris Agreement temperature goals, with emissions still expected to increase slightly by 2030.

This policy brief analyzes two public rural insurance programs in Brazil: the Agricultural Activity Guarantee Program (PROAGRO) and the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR). The authors find that PROAGRO's design, where the government bears the risk while financial institutions operate the program, creates severe information asymmetries and moral hazard, leading to higher claim rates and increasing costs for the National Treasury. In contrast, the PSR, where private insurers bear the risk, shows greater efficiency and growth, though it struggles to reach small producers. The report recommends migrating resources from PROAGRO to the PSR, improving the training of claims adjusters, and adopting parametric insurance to reduce fraud and monitoring costs.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the implementation of Green Public Procurement (GPP) in the road transport and construction sectors of Sweden and the Netherlands. It analyzes the governance structures, tools, and barriers that influence the adoption of low-carbon procurement practices in these two EU Member States.

This document provides a detailed comparison between the draft Rules of Procedure for the intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC) tasked with creating a global legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution (RoPsEPP) and the Rules of Procedure used for the Minamata Convention on mercury (RoPsM). It highlights key modifications in the draft, including expanded membership definitions, provisions for online participation, and changes to the accreditation and participation of non-governmental organizations.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes how various international courts and tribunals determine compensation in private property cases to provide a comparative framework for reforming investor-state arbitration. It examines standards of reparation, types of available remedies, valuation techniques for material and non-material loss, and the requirements for awarding interest and compensation.