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The report finds that international and domestic public finance for forests is significantly lower than the sector's climate mitigation potential. It highlights a gap where 'grey' finance for agriculture far outweighs 'green' finance for forest protection. Additionally, the document notes that most major financial institutions lack deforestation policies, and private investment in sustainable commodity production remains difficult to quantify and insufficient in scale.

The document identifies six key areas where technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) are needed to implement a future WTO instrument on fisheries subsidies: identifying and notifying subsidies, ensuring compliance with prohibitions, establishing domestic rules, re-purposing subsidy schemes, identifying IUU fishing and overfished stocks, and strengthening management regimes. Analysis of OECD and Pew Charitable Trusts data from 2012–2017 reveals that while fisheries-related official development assistance (ODA) has grown, it remains a small fraction (0.3%) of total sector-allocable ODA. The brief finds a significant gap in support for subsidy reform and IUU monitoring, while a large portion of funding is directed toward general fisheries management and development projects that may inadvertently increase fishing capacity in regions like Africa.

The document critiques the EU's introduction of the Paris Aligned Benchmark (PAB) and Climate Transition Benchmark (CTB), stating they fail to require absolute greenhouse gas emission reductions or exclude companies developing new fossil fuel projects. It highlights the risk of greenwashing in passive index management, where over 20% of global assets are managed, and proposes four sets of stricter criteria for financial institutions to achieve genuine climate alignment.

An analysis of 442 savings funds marketed in France reveals that 86.2% are exposed to companies with critical environmental or social risks, including major greenhouse gas emitters, arms manufacturers, and coal companies. The report highlights a significant gap between French citizens' desire for sustainable investments and the reality of current financial products, noting that 94% of studied ISR-labeled funds still finance these problematic companies. Reclaim Finance calls for mandatory climate requirements for all financial products in France, stricter standards for 'green' or 'sustainable' labels, and the implementation of a 'nutri-score' for financial products to increase transparency.

This briefing analyzes international finance commitments and disbursements to Sierra Leone following the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, noting a sharp decline in energy sector investments despite the sector's importance for healthcare resilience during pandemics.

The document highlights a severe financial crisis at PLN, characterized by a 38 trillion rupiah loss in Q1 2020 and 500 trillion rupiah in debt linked to the 35,000 MW infrastructure project. It argues that the Java-Bali system is suffering from oversupply due to overestimated economic growth and electricity demand projections. The text calls for the government to stop new coal-fired power plant projects, such as PLTU Jawa 9 & 10, to prevent further losses and environmental damage.

The document analyzes the crisis facing Eskom, South Africa's state-owned energy monopoly, attributing it to a combination of historical reliance on the 'minerals-energy complex', financial mismanagement, and costly, corruption-mired power station projects. It evaluates the proposal to 'unbundle' the utility into generation, transmission, and distribution entities, drawing on cautionary examples from Kenya and Uganda. The paper argues for a 'Just Transition' that protects workers and communities while transitioning to renewables, suggesting the use of international climate finance or public pension funds to alleviate Eskom's unsustainable debt.

The report analyzes green finance in India for FY 2017-2018, finding that average annual flows of USD 19 billion are insufficient to meet national climate goals, representing only about 10% of the total requirement. Domestic private investors are the largest contributors, primarily funding renewable energy, while international public finance focuses heavily on sustainable transportation and solar projects. The study highlights a critical need for a harmonized green finance taxonomy and an integrated measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system to address significant data gaps and transparency issues.

The report evaluates a 28.7 MW onshore wind portfolio in Germany against a gas-fired power plant of equivalent annual generation. Using the SAVi methodology, it integrates externalities (environmental, social, and economic) and climate change risks (physical and transitional) into a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and financial analysis. The findings indicate that while both assets are viable under conventional metrics, the wind portfolio is significantly more resilient to climate risks and societal costs. The gas-fired plant's financial viability collapses if a carbon tax is introduced or if social costs of carbon are internalized, whereas the wind portfolio maintains positive internal rates of return (IRR) and lower societal LCOE.

The report examines the growth of private equity (PE) in the behavioral health sector, specifically focusing on autism, eating disorders, and addiction treatment. It argues that PE's demand for outsized returns in an underfunded sector creates risks such as inadequate staffing, reliance on unlicensed personnel, and the potential for patient abuse. The document provides detailed case studies of Sequel Youth and Family Services and Community Intervention Services to illustrate these risks, including allegations of fraud, neglect, and systemic abuse across multiple US states.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is accused of fueling a 'fossil gas frenzy' through its asset purchase programs. Reclaim Finance identifies 24 companies benefiting from ECB quantitative easing that are actively operating or planning gas infrastructure globally and in Europe. The document highlights that 11 of these companies plan 62 new fossil gas projects, with Total, Shell, Engie, and Enel being major developers. It argues that natural gas is not a low-carbon alternative due to high life-cycle emissions and methane leaks, and is more expensive than wind or solar energy. The briefing calls for the ECB to immediately exclude corporations developing new fossil fuel projects from its asset purchases.

The briefing asserts that the European Central Bank (ECB) is fueling a 'gas frenzy' by purchasing assets from companies heavily invested in fossil fuel infrastructure. It highlights that 24 companies benefiting from ECB asset purchases are active in gas expansion, with 11 companies developing 6,215 new gas projects. The document challenges the narrative of natural gas as a 'transition energy,' citing its carbon emissions, methane leaks, and higher costs compared to renewables. It specifically names Total, Shell, Engie, and Enel as major developers of gas projects, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and urges the ECB to integrate ethical and environmental criteria into its asset purchases to align with the Paris Agreement.

The briefing argues that India's rooftop solar sector faces significant investment barriers, including a lack of scale for debt financing and limited investor entry/exit options. It proposes Solar Investment Trusts (SEITs) as a vehicle to pool projects, diversify risk, and ensure transparency through SEBI regulation. The author estimates that SEITs could mobilize over USD 1 billion for rooftop solar within five years and reduce the cost of equity by 350-400 basis points, ultimately lowering the levelized cost of energy and increasing solar adoption.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the development of green banking in China, highlighting the role of the 'Big Four' state-owned banks and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). It analyzes the growth of green credit portfolios, the effectiveness of top-down policy incentives from the People's Bank of China (PBoC), and the financial performance of green loans compared to traditional loans. The document also identifies systemic barriers to scaling green finance, including insufficient risk modeling and the perceived trade-off between green investment and short-term profitability.

This research paper, developed under the Leadership for Urban Climate investment (LUCI) initiative, examines how National Development Banks (NDBs) can accelerate investment in climate-smart urban infrastructure to avoid unsustainable infrastructure lock-in and enhance city resilience.

The report examines the top-down evolution of China's green banking system, highlighting the role of the 'Big Four' state-owned banks. It finds that green loans generally exhibit lower non-performing loan (NPL) ratios than traditional portfolios, though significant barriers such as insufficient risk modeling and weak financial incentives persist. The ICBC case study illustrates the integration of green governance and the use of offshore green bonds, while noting that green finance still represents a small fraction of the bank's total balance sheet compared to its continued fossil fuel financing.

The SAVi assessment concludes that the Poçem and Kalivaç hydropower projects are not preferable electricity solutions for Albania, as their lifetime costs, societal burdens, and tax losses outweigh their benefits. The analysis shows negative cost-benefit results of EUR 233 million for Poçem and EUR 321 million for Kalivaç, driven by adverse effects on ecosystems, agriculture, and tourism along the Vjosa River. Financial analysis indicates that these projects are not financially attractive based on domestic market offtake prices, with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 9.32% falling below the 13.5% hurdle rate. The report suggests that solar photovoltaic energy represents a more beneficial and viable alternative for generating comparable electricity in Albania.

The document examines how credit cooperatives in Brazil serve as an efficient tool for financial inclusion, particularly for small rural producers. It highlights that while overall rural credit declined by 14% between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019, cooperative credit grew by 51.3%, increasing its market share from 11% to 17.5%. The brief explains that cooperatives reduce transaction costs and information asymmetry due to their proximity to producers. Geographically, cooperative presence is strongest in the South, Midwest, and Southeast regions, while it remains scarce in the North and Northeast. The analysis also details the interbank relationship where commercial banks use cooperatives to meet mandatory rural credit application requirements. Finally, it outlines the tax and regulatory advantages cooperatives hold over traditional banks, such as exemptions from Income Tax and CSLL on cooperative acts.

The document explores 'solar for coal swaps,' where third-party investors and developers purchase and retire a utility's coal assets in exchange for contracts to provide new solar power. This model aims to bypass utility inertia and high costs, particularly for municipal and cooperative utilities. The brief highlights that by 2025, 22.5 GW of such plants will be uneconomic compared to local solar. Case studies from New Mexico and Colorado, involving Kit Carson Cooperative, Holy Cross Energy, and Delta Montrose Electric Association, demonstrate how these swaps can reduce consumer rates and promote local economic development despite resistance from wholesale providers like Tri State Generation and Transmission Cooperative.

The document criticizes the May 30, 2020, opening of the Datteln 4 coal power plant in Germany, alleging that Uniper and its parent company Fortum received significant financial support from BNP Paribas and the European Central Bank (ECB). It claims BNP Paribas provided USD 215 million to Uniper and USD 2.9 billion to Fortum between 2017 and 2019, and that the ECB continues to support Fortum through quantitative easing without considering climate impact.