Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the policies and decision-making processes surrounding the thermal efficiency retrofit of residential buildings in Germany. It outlines the government's goal to reduce primary energy demand in buildings by 80% by 2050 and examines the barriers and levers—including information tools, financial incentives, and contractor certification—needed to increase both the rate and depth of retrofits.

This discussion note, prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for the Pan African Parliament, examines the surge of foreign investment in African agricultural land and water. It highlights the risks to food security, land rights, and the environment, while outlining the legal frameworks governing these deals and the critical oversight role parliamentarians should play to ensure sustainable development.

This briefing note, prepared for a July 2011 seminar organized by the Pan-African Parliament and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), examines the surge of foreign investment in African agricultural land and water. It highlights the risks to local food security, gender equality, and environmental standards, while outlining the legal frameworks governing these deals and the critical oversight role that parliamentarians should play to ensure sustainable development.

A statement by R. Andreas Kraemer arguing that Germany's transition away from nuclear power has been characterized by long-term policy continuity rather than sudden shocks, contradicting claims that recent policy decisions caused industry instability.

This factsheet by Friends of the Earth International describes the 2010 UNEP pollution research project in Ogoniland, Nigeria. It details the region's history of oil pollution, the political tensions between the Ogoni people, the Nigerian government, and Shell, and the objectives of the UNEP study to map polluted sites for future clean-up.

This policy brief by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) examines the intersection of climate change and poverty reduction, arguing that climate instability hinders the achievement of development goals. It advocates for integrating adaptation strategies into national poverty reduction policies and calls for more robust evidence to understand how climate impacts interact with other drivers of poverty.

This policy brief analyzes the potential economic risks to South African exporters if the United States and European Union implement Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs). Using 2009 trade data and a hypothetical carbon price of US$20/tonne, the report estimates significant annual charges for South African exports, particularly in the non-ferrous metals and iron and steel sectors.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) reviews information instruments designed to promote energy efficiency retrofits in the residential building stock, with a primary focus on Germany and supporting evidence from international case studies. The document categorizes these tools based on the stage of the homeowner's decision-making process: moving uninterested households toward consideration, assisting those in the planning phase, and training the professionals who implement the retrofits.

This research paper examines the unsustainability of linear phosphorus (P) fertilizer use and proposes strategies to improve phosphorus use efficiency in agriculture to preserve finite fossil reserves and reduce environmental pollution.

This policy brief examines the potential impact of Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs) on exports from China, emphasizing that the level of exposure depends heavily on design details such as the products included, the applied CO2 price, and the method used to assess carbon content.

This policy brief from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines the potential for high-performance manufactured housing to provide sustainable, affordable housing in the United States. It highlights the energy inefficiency of older mobile homes, the advantages of factory-built construction, and recommends federal actions to update energy standards and improve financing options.

This policy briefing examines the governance challenges facing the forestry sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a review of logging titles between 2006 and 2010. It highlights systemic issues including corruption, institutional incapacity, and a significant gap between legal policy and practical implementation, particularly regarding the involvement of local communities.

This policy briefing examines the conflicts between land tenure and gold mining in Tanzania, highlighting how contradictory legal frameworks between land and mineral laws lead to land degradation, community displacement, and social tension. It argues that while gold production is a significant economic driver, the benefits are not reaching local communities, and recommends harmonizing the land and mining cadastres and improving compensation frameworks.

This executive summary from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute discusses the nature and scale of fossil fuel subsidies in the United States, distinguishing between direct spending and indirect tax expenditures, and calls for a re-examination of these policies in light of industry maturity and environmental externalities.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the potential role of tax incentives in helping the German government achieve its goal of reducing primary energy demand in the building sector by 80% by 2050. The document compares international experiences with tax credits in Italy, the Netherlands, and the USA against the existing grant and loan programs provided by the KfW banking group.

This research paper examines the challenges of using vulnerability as a criterion for allocating adaptation finance, noting that science alone cannot provide a single objective ranking. It analyzes the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA), the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), and the Adaptation Fund, finding that while all three use vulnerability for prioritization, their criteria vary and are influenced by political factors, presenting a continuing challenge for the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

This research paper explores the technical and institutional challenges of establishing Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems for REDD+ in developing countries. It emphasizes the need for clear definitions of 'forest' and 'reference levels' (RL/REL), the utility of nested approaches to scale subnational efforts to national levels, and the critical role of capacity building and stakeholder involvement to ensure the credibility of carbon credits.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the governance of climate finance in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It analyzes the imbalance between mitigation and adaptation funding, the dominance of private finance over public funds, and the role of regional development banks in shaping climate policy and investment in these regions.

This briefing from the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) outlines a study initiated in late 2010 to analyze how national and international policies impact the development and cost reduction of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology. The document describes the motivations for the study, the primary policy questions being addressed, and the analytical framework used to evaluate policy effectiveness across the PV value chain.

This research paper examines the practical realities of sectoral approaches (SAs) to climate action, arguing that effective measures must be built from the bottom up, starting with domestic policies rather than top-down international agreements.