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The Forest Finance 2023 report assesses the alignment of global public and private finance with forest goals, highlighting a significant gap between current funding and the investment required to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

This document consists of two annexes. Annex 2 lists sustainability schemes for the mining and processing sectors, such as the ICMM Mining Principles and the ResponsibleSteel Standard, focusing on their requirements for biodiversity and ecosystem services. Annex 3 analyzes forest finance, estimating global needs between USD 45 billion and 460 billion annually to meet Paris Agreement goals, while contrasting 'green finance' (e.g., REDD+ funding) with 'gray finance,' including agricultural subsidies estimated between USD 378 billion and 635 billion per year and private finance to forest-risk commodity supply chains totaling USD 343 billion from 2010-2022.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment argues that a radical transformation of development pathways and finance is necessary to stop forest loss. It calls for a shift from 'business-as-usual' extraction to rights-based governance, urging signatories of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration to increase transparency and data collection. Key recommendations include redirecting 'gray' finance toward 'green' finance, securing land tenure for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and implementing mandatory corporate disclosures to eliminate deforestation from supply chains.

The report finds that while global coal capacity is increasingly subject to carbon neutrality targets, a significant gap remains between current phase-out rates and Paris Agreement goals. China is the primary driver of new coal capacity, while the US leads in retirements. In Indonesia, the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) provides a $20 billion financial commitment to accelerate the electricity sector's emission peak to 2030, though 'captive' coal plants for industrial use remain a significant challenge.

The report examines Odysee, a video-hosting platform built on the LBRY protocol, as a case study for how blockchain technology enables the monetisation of far-right and conspiracy-related content. It identifies specific 'incentivised' affordances—such as LBRY Credits (LBC), rewards for activity, and tipping—that attract actors who have been demonetised on mainstream platforms. Through qualitative and financial analysis, the study finds that while the platform is not exclusively far-right, it serves as a 'safe haven' where established extreme-right figures can maintain their reach and generate income, though earnings are highly volatile due to the fluctuating price of LBC. The report argues that Odysee's claim of being 'censorship-resistant' is a fallacy, as the operators use geoblocking and delisting to manage content, and suggests that regulatory frameworks like the EU Digital Services Act should account for the specific risks of 'incentivised' business models and gamification.

The document examines the nexus between climate change, human mobility, and development in Africa, highlighting that while mobility can be a strategic adaptation tool, current funding and policy frameworks are inadequate. It identifies significant barriers, including a bias toward mitigation over adaptation, a lack of institutional knowledge, and the politicization of migration. The brief recommends that development actors and national governments mainstream climate-linked mobility across sectors and adopt a diverse range of financial instruments to support people who are staying, moving, or on the move.

In 2022, global coal emissions were poised to reach record highs due to energy disruptions, yet the year also saw record coal capacity retirements and cancellations. Over 95 percent of global coal consumption now occurs in markets committed to net-zero emissions or coal phaseouts. Finance has become a primary lever for this transition, with approximately $45.2 billion committed over two years, primarily through Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) in South Africa, Indonesia, and Vietnam. However, these funds are viewed as stepping stones, as the total investment needed for system-wide transitions—including clean energy infrastructure and just transition efforts—far exceeds current commitments. The document emphasizes the need for greater transparency in deal design and a balance between top-down country programs and bottom-up asset-level pilots to mobilize the necessary private and public capital.

The report highlights a planned US $245 billion expansion of gas infrastructure in Africa, primarily driven by European demand following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It argues that this focus on exports, particularly LNG and pipelines, undermines domestic energy needs and the transition to renewable energy. Significant funding gaps exist for proposed projects, and the report warns that these investments may become stranded assets as the global energy transition progresses.

Private equity firms have significantly enabled the U.S. to become the world's largest LNG exporter, with investment in 86% of operating terminals. The report argues that these investments drive climate change via methane emissions and pose safety risks to frontline communities, citing the 2022 Freeport LNG explosion as an example of operational failure linked to worker fatigue and mismanagement.

The report assesses the current state of climate target-setting among the world's largest financial institutions, arguing that portfolio-level net zero targets are insufficient for achieving 1.5°C. It highlights that 'universal owners'—large asset managers with global exposure—possess significant but underutilized leverage to influence the real economy. The document identifies three primary channels for influence: exclusion, divestment, and engagement, noting that current adoption of climate-relevant exclusion and divestment policies remains low among the top 50 asset managers and owners.

The document examines the IEA's WEO 2022, specifically the Net-Zero by 2050 (NZE) scenario, to outline a transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. It argues that fossil fuel demand is peaking and that achieving the 1.5°C target requires a total transformation of energy investment, characterized by a '9 for 1' ratio of clean energy to fossil fuel spending by 2030.

This brief report by the Climate Policy Initiative presents preliminary findings from a study on global climate finance for agriculture, forestry, other land uses, and fisheries (AFOLU). It highlights a significant funding gap, noting that AFOLU receives only a small fraction of total climate finance despite the sectors' high emissions and economic importance, particularly in low-income countries.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) reports that between September 2020 and August 2022, five major oil companies—BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Aramco, and Chevron—spent $23.7 million on US Google Search ads, with $10.9 million dedicated to greenwashing. The report highlights a discrepancy between these companies' public sustainability claims and their internal documents, while also noting that Google continued to accept $421,000 from the Competitive Enterprise Institute for climate denial ads despite promising to stop doing so.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the climate finance landscape in Ethiopia for the 2019/2020 period, highlighting a significant gap between committed investments and estimated needs, as well as a heavy reliance on international public grants.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the climate finance landscape in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, detailing the mechanisms used to fund climate action. It analyzes the roles of multilateral funds (such as the GCF and GEF), bilateral aid, national budgets, and emerging private sector instruments like green bonds and blended finance. The document highlights significant funding gaps, particularly for adaptation, and recommends strengthening institutional frameworks, adopting climate budget tagging, and improving technical capacity to develop bankable projects.

The global steel sector, responsible for approximately 7% of worldwide energy-related CO2 emissions, faces a critical transition period as 71% of coal-based blast furnace capacity will require reinvestment by 2030. The report highlights the disparity between current production methods—specifically the high emissions of Blast Furnace-Basic Oxygen Furnace (BF-BOF) versus Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)—and the massive investment required for enabling infrastructure, such as green hydrogen and CO2 pipelines. It advocates for a combination of upstream, midstream, and downstream policies, including Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfDs) and Green Public Procurement (GPP), to avoid stranded assets and align the industry with a 1.5°C-compatible trajectory. Additionally, the Climate Bonds Initiative introduces sector-specific criteria to guide the certification of climate-aligned steel assets and companies.

In 2019/20, Ethiopia's tracked climate finance averaged USD 1.7 billion per year, representing only 7% of its estimated annual needs of USD 25.3 billion. The landscape is heavily dominated by international public finance (92%), with a strong preference for grants (70%) and a focus on adaptation (56%) over mitigation (38%). While the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector received the most sectoral finance (29%), it remains underfunded relative to its 83% contribution to national GHG emissions. Significant barriers to private investment include a highly regulated financial sector, lack of a stock market, and unfavorable collateral policies for SMEs and small-holder farmers.

The policy brief argues that the USD 8.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in South Africa relies on a 'de-risking' model that prioritises private finance and Independent Power Producers (IPPs), shifting commercial risks to the state and consumers. This approach is criticised for potentially worsening South Africa's debt profile, increasing energy poverty through higher tariffs, and undermining local renewable energy manufacturing. The authors suggest alternatives including the regulation of PPPs, debt cancellation of 'odious debt' (such as World Bank loans for the Medupi plant), climate reparations, and the implementation of allocative green credit policies to direct investment toward productive, labour-intensive green industries.

The report details how the North Carolina Retirement System (NCRS) has invested $3.25 billion in Landmark Partners, a firm that backs Progress Residential, the largest single-family rental company in the U.S. It argues that this investment supports a business model that squeezes profits from tenants through high rents, excessive fees, and neglected maintenance, while simultaneously reducing homeownership opportunities for working-class and Black residents in North Carolina.

The document argues that the Paris financial center continues to support oil and gas expansion despite commitments to the 1.5°C goal. It systematically dismantles ten 'received ideas' used by banks, insurers, and asset managers to justify this support, citing IEA and IPCC data to show that no new fossil fuel projects are compatible with net-zero pathways. The briefing highlights that 'transition' claims by oil majors are often unsupported by investment data and that engagement without the threat of exclusion is ineffective.