Search Climate Insights Directory

The document claims that the steel sector is projected to receive €49 billion in pollution subsidies between 2021 and 2030, based on an average carbon price of €25/tCO2, and notes a further claim by the industry for €4 billion for waste gases.

The State Revolving Loan Funds (SRFs) operate as finance programs where federal grants are converted into loans for local utilities, which are then repaid and reinvested. The Clean Water SRF (CWSRF) and Drinking Water SRF (DWSRF) provide below-market interest rates (averaging 1.5%) and prioritize projects based on state-specific needs, including green infrastructure and disadvantaged communities. Since 1988, the CWSRF has facilitated over $172 billion in investment across 65,000 projects. The document highlights a critical funding gap, noting that the national need to maintain clean water infrastructure is at least $630.1 billion over the next twenty years.

The report analyzes the influence of fossil fuel funding on political decision-making, arguing that the industry uses financial leverage to obstruct climate action and maintain the dominance of carbon-intensive energy sources. It details the mechanisms of this influence, including direct funding to political parties and the role of industry-backed lobbying, and calls for greater transparency and a shift toward sustainable energy investments.

In 2014, global investment in low-carbon technology and climate resilience reached $391 billion, an 18% increase from 2013. Renewable energy attracted $292 billion, with private capital accounting for 75% of this investment. China, the U.S., and Japan were the top three investors. The document also notes that nearly 50% of all new power installed globally in 2014 was renewable, with solar and wind making up 95 GW of the 103 GW added. In the U.S., declining costs are evident in solar PV bids and LED light bulb prices, with Lazard's LCOE data showing utility-scale solar and wind are cost-competitive with natural gas and coal.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global infrastructure and economic cooperation framework led by China, focusing on energy and transport connectivity across Asia, Europe, and Africa. While marketed as a 'win-win' development strategy, the document argues it often serves Chinese domestic interests, such as exporting industrial overcapacity and asserting geopolitical influence. The briefing highlights significant environmental risks, particularly the funding of coal-fired power plants and large hydropower projects, and a lack of transparent environmental, social, and governance (ESG) safeguards. It identifies a 'debt trap' risk for recipient countries and calls for a shift toward a 'Green BRI' aligned with international sustainability standards.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), describing it as a strategic framework for Chinese foreign investment and global influence. It highlights a systemic lack of environmental and social safeguards, the dominance of Chinese state-owned enterprises, and the tendency of BRI financing to favor fossil fuel projects over renewables. The briefing also details the 'debt trap' risks for recipient nations and the efforts of civil society organizations to advocate for a 'Green BRI' and greater corporate accountability.

The document analyzes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a strategic tool for China to export industrial overcapacity and expand global influence. It highlights a systemic lack of transparency, the dominance of state-owned enterprises, and significant environmental risks, particularly through the financing of coal and hydropower projects. While China promotes a 'Green BRI' and 'ecological civilization,' the report argues that actual implementation often lacks rigorous safeguards, leading to 'debt traps' and biodiversity loss. It calls for international civil society to push for binding treaties on multinationals and the adoption of higher environmental and social standards.

The document asserts that wood biomass power in Japan and South Korea is not carbon neutral and often emits more CO2 than coal. It criticizes the use of subsidies—such as Japan's FIT system and South Korea's REC system—to support these facilities, arguing that such policies prolong the operation of coal plants and divert investment from wind and solar energy. The report highlights safety risks, including fires and explosions, and notes that the carbon debt of wood biomass can take 44 to 104 years to repay.

The report analyzes India's steel industry, which accounts for 12% of the country's CO2 emissions, and argues that transitioning to green hydrogen-based steelmaking is the most viable path to net zero by 2070. It identifies significant barriers, including the high cost of green hydrogen, the lack of a legal definition for 'green steel', and the young age of existing blast furnace fleets. The authors recommend government intervention through carbon pricing, mandatory green steel procurement in public projects, and the implementation of green hydrogen purchase obligations to make low-carbon technologies commercially competitive.

The report identifies a 'business of harm' in Germany where content creators use a cross-platform chain—Telegram for traffic, X for audience growth and revenue sharing, and websites for stable income via programmatic ads and merchandise—to profit from adversarial narratives. It argues that the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) fails to address these financial flows, leaving a regulatory blind spot that allows brands to inadvertently fund harmful content.

Global Witness reveals that the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), largely funded by UK aid, committed $749.8 million to fossil fuel projects between 2002 and 2018. The report highlights the use of highly polluting heavy fuel oil (HFO) in West Africa and the continued funding of gas plants in Togo and Cote D'Ivoire in 2019. It further criticizes PIDG's investments in diesel-powered telecommunications towers and high-carbon industrial projects, while noting that 43% of its renewable energy spending went to biomass and hydropower. The document calls for an immediate end to all UK overseas fossil fuel investments across all government departments and agencies.

Global Witness reports that between 2018 and 2025, banks provided $31 billion in sustainability-linked loans to palm oil companies facing deforestation allegations. The report highlights a systemic failure in the SLL model, where companies like Wilmar, Musim Mas, and Olam Group access 'green' funding while allegedly continuing deforestation through direct concessions or third-party 'shadow networks.' It criticizes the reliance on voluntary standards and the lack of public disclosure regarding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), arguing that these loans often serve as greenwashing tools rather than drivers of environmental improvement.

The report examines the relationship between ENTSOG, a body that influences EU gas infrastructure funding, and GIE, a gas industry lobby group. It highlights significant membership overlap and a lack of transparency regarding meetings and conflict-of-interest policies. Global Witness asserts that this relationship has led to billions in EU subsidies flowing to industry-favoured projects, some of which are failing, while contradicting the EU's climate targets.

Global Witness calls on the new UK government to address its role in global deforestation by making the 2030 target to halt biodiversity loss legally binding, expanding import laws to cover all deforestation regardless of legality, and stopping financial institutions from funding deforesting companies.

Between January 2013 and April 2020, Chinese financial institutions provided over $22.5 billion USD to companies producing and trading commodities at high risk of driving deforestation. The report highlights that a small number of major commercial banks dominate this financing, often with inadequate due diligence or safeguarding policies. Specific examples include financing for COFCO, which continues to use suppliers suspended by Unilever, and JBS, which has been linked to deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The report argues that China's banking regulator should revise commercial banking laws to mandate the exclusion of companies linked to environmental destruction to align with China's 2060 carbon neutrality goal.

The briefing argues that European and U.S. energy companies provided nearly USD 100 billion to the Russian government through oil and gas projects from 2014 to 2021. Using Rystad Energy data, the report identifies BP as the largest contributor, accounting for 80% of the total. The authors contend that these investments provided critical technological expertise and capital to Vladimir Putin's regime, persisting from the 2014 Crimea annexation until the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Global Witness estimates that financial institutions in the EU, UK, US, and China generated $1.74 billion in weighted revenues from $157 billion in deals with 20 major agro-industrial companies linked to deforestation between 2016 and 2020. The report highlights a systemic failure of voluntary commitments, noting that major banks like JPMorgan, HSBC, and BNP Paribas continue to fund companies involved in illegal land conversion and human rights abuses in the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It argues that these profits should be viewed as a 'forest debt' owed to affected communities and calls for mandatory government regulation to replace ineffective voluntary policies.

The document examines the growth of embedded solar generation in South Africa, which reached over 3.2 GW of installed capacity in 18 months. It compares four primary procurement models: outright purchase, commercial debt, solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and embedded generation leasing. While outright purchases offer the best long-term return on investment, PPAs and leasing are increasing in popularity—accounting for 20% to 30% of new commercial and industrial projects—due to their ability to reduce upfront costs and system performance risks. The brief also details specific financial incentives, including the 12B tax allowance and feed-in tariffs, and provides a decision framework for businesses to select the most appropriate financing model based on their capital availability and risk appetite.

The guideline outlines a three-step process for farmers to achieve energy resilience: conducting energy audits to identify efficiencies, evaluating alternative energy technologies based on specific production needs, and navigating the financial and quality assurance aspects of implementation. It highlights the critical role of energy efficiency as a prerequisite to reducing the capital requirements of renewable systems and provides detailed comparisons of technologies such as solar PV, biogas, and battery storage, alongside various South African financing mechanisms and tax incentives.

The document outlines the role of energy storage systems in improving the resilience and sustainability of South African municipal wastewater treatment works. It focuses on lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to their market dominance and a 90% cost reduction since 2010. While energy storage does not reduce overall energy consumption, it provides backup power and enables higher renewable energy penetration. The factsheet compares three financial scenarios: stand-alone storage, storage replacing diesel generation, and storage paired with solar PV, noting that the latter two offer better payback periods and internal rates of return. It also details various financing mechanisms available to municipalities, such as grants, concessional loans, and energy performance contracts.