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The report finds that Germany has sufficient capital to meet its renewable energy targets, with an annual investment potential of €25-€35 billion, which is 60-170% more than required. However, achieving these goals cost-effectively requires a diverse mix of investors, including utilities, developers, financial institutions, and end users. The analysis highlights that while short-term finance and long-term debt are plentiful, long-term equity is spread unevenly across technologies. Key policy risks identified include the complexity of incentive auctions, which may exclude small investors, and the threat of economic curtailment due to negative electricity prices, which could increase onshore wind bid prices by 17% by 2020. The report argues that a coherent energy market design is the most critical long-term factor for maintaining investment and reducing costs.

The policy brief examines Article 10c of the EU ETS Directive, which allows lower-income Member States in Central and Eastern Europe to grant free emission allowances to the power sector provided they invest the equivalent value in energy system modernisation. The author argues that this mechanism has largely subsidised coal power and fossil fuel infrastructure rather than diversifying energy mixes, citing examples in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Romania. It highlights failures in transparency, public consultation, and additionality, specifically noting investments in the Belchatow power station. The brief recommends that the post-2020 revision implement a competitive bidding process for all investments, exclude coal from eligibility, and ensure open public consultation to align the mechanism with EU decarbonisation goals.

The report argues that India's kerosene subsidy program is highly inefficient due to significant leakages and poor service quality. It proposes replacing these subsidies with targeted support for solar-based lighting in rural areas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for urban-poor households, asserting that such a transition would be economically beneficial for both the government and the beneficiaries.

The paper estimates that Chinese financiers provided US$86.3 billion to African governments and state-owned enterprises between 2000 and 2014, a figure lower than many common beliefs. The authors argue that Chinese lending is driven by business interests—specifically generating construction contracts for Chinese firms—rather than a primary desire to secure natural resources. While transportation and energy are the largest sectors receiving funds, approximately one-third of the loans are secured by commodities or exports to mitigate risk in unstable environments. The authors warn that while a debt crisis has not yet occurred, rising debt levels and the unlikely nature of policy bank debt cancellation pose future risks.

The document examines Botswana's CBNRM policy, which aims to reduce poverty and promote biodiversity by involving local communities in wildlife management. It highlights the tension between centralised state control and local devolution, the financial impact of the 2014 hunting moratorium, and the role of joint venture partnerships with private operators. Through case studies of the Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust (CECT) and the Okavango Community Trust (OCT), the paper identifies issues with revenue transparency, human-wildlife conflict, and limited local capacity, ultimately recommending improved governance, diversified economic activities, and stronger legislative support.

The investigation reveals significant illegal harvest and trade of Nautilus pompilius in Indonesia and unregulated, potentially unsustainable harvest in the Philippines. Trade has shifted toward online platforms and processed products like furniture inlays to evade enforcement. The USA is a major consumer market, importing tens of thousands of items annually, while Europe's trade appears lower and less monitored. A critical gap is the lack of species-specific customs codes globally, which masks the true volume of trade.

The Carbon-CAP project evaluated consumption-based policy instruments across four acceptability criteria: economic distributional impact, legal viability, international political/trade concerns, and institutional capacity. The analysis suggests a tiered implementation strategy, prioritizing instruments that change the available product range or costs—such as approved technology lists and supply chain procurement requirements—over those that merely influence consumer choice. The brief emphasizes that these instruments are most effective when deployed in complementary portfolios to spread responsibility between producers and consumers and to mitigate individual policy weaknesses.

The report analyzes Estonia's energy transition from a system heavily dependent on oil shale to one based on low-carbon sources by 2050. Using LEAP, Balmorel, and EMPS models, it evaluates four scenarios: Baseline (BAU), Carbon Neutral (CN), 100% renewable (RES), and 100% renewable with increased demand (RES+). Key findings highlight that while wind and biomass have significant potential, achieving a carbon-neutral sector requires phasing out oil shale by 2040, expanding interconnections with the Nordic Power System (specifically Sweden and Finland), and implementing policy reforms such as removing fossil fuel subsidies and increasing investment support for small-scale renewables and energy efficiency.

Five years after the Fukushima disaster, the Union of Concerned Scientists argues that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has failed to implement critical safety upgrades, often favoring industry-led voluntary initiatives over enforceable regulations. The report highlights significant gaps in the 'FLEX' emergency equipment program, the rejection of a comprehensive new regulatory framework, and the failure to mandate filtered containment vents or expedited spent fuel transfer, leaving US nuclear plants vulnerable to beyond-design-basis events.

An analysis of the 156 INDCs submitted by December 2015 reveals that at least 78% contained conditions, with approximately one third consisting solely of conditional contributions.

The San Giorgio Group (SGG) met in February 2016 to discuss moving climate finance from diplomacy to implementation following the Paris Agreement. Key discussions focused on the need for better tracking methodologies for the USD 100 billion goal, the role of cities in climate action, the use of climate risk insurance in vulnerable countries, and the application of innovative financial instruments like green bonds and YieldCos to scale up Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The report finds significant misalignments and information asymmetries between India's corporate and government water reporting frameworks, concluding that existing mechanisms are ill-equipped to monitor progress toward water-related SDGs. While government reporting focuses on community risk and access, corporate reporting emphasizes business risk and non-consumptive impacts. The study highlights a critical lack of reporting on water infrastructure and compliance across both sectors. Furthermore, analysis of India's top 200 businesses reveals low overall sustainability disclosure, with a stark divide between private sector firms and state-owned enterprises, and a significant 'black box' of data due to the large informal economy.

The report analyzes the Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative (EIPC) study to demonstrate that aggressive carbon reductions in the U.S. electric sector are achievable with minimal additional cost. By re-evaluating EIPC data, Synapse Energy Economics found that a 'Carbon Reduction' scenario—featuring massive wind build-out and coal retirements—costs approximately the same as a 'Business as Usual' scenario when carbon revenues are recycled. The analysis shows that this path would allow the MISO and PJM regions to significantly over-comply with the Clean Power Plan's emissions targets while maintaining grid reliability.

The Paris agreement is characterized as a balance between ambitious emission reductions and the principle of differentiation between developed and developing nations. It emphasizes the mobilization of financial resources for decarbonization and creates space for sustainable, people-centered development for the poorest populations.

Missouri is required to reduce power sector emissions by 29 percent below 2012 levels by 2030 under the Clean Power Plan. WRI analysis indicates the state can achieve 90 percent of this target by implementing existing clean energy policies and improving the efficiency of existing natural gas and coal plants. By further expanding its renewable energy standard to 20 percent of electricity sales by 2030, Missouri could reduce emissions by 34 percent below 2012 levels, exceeding the target by 17 percent. These actions could provide economic benefits, including over $6 billion in energy bill savings and $20 million annually from selling surplus carbon credits between 2022 and 2030.

The report examines the precarious lives of FARDC army wives in the DRC, who often follow their husbands to insecure deployment zones due to a lack of family benefits and the high cost of travel. These women face severe housing shortages, irregular salaries, and social stigmatization, forcing them into diverse survival strategies ranging from petty trade and day labor to illicit activities. The document also highlights the extreme vulnerability of army widows and argues that military reform must address the social and service conditions of personnel and their families to be effective.

The document examines the interaction between the G-20 and Africa, noting that while South Africa is the only permanent African member, the G-20's agenda significantly impacts the continent. It evaluates the G-20 Development Working Group's (DWG) progress on priorities such as infrastructure, domestic resource mobilisation, and financial inclusion. The author argues that while there is overlap with the AU's Agenda 2063, momentum has been lost in supporting African regional economic integration, and further efforts are needed to leverage G-20 resources for sustainable infrastructure and local capital markets.

The document outlines a pathway for California to halve its oil use by 2030 by extending and enhancing existing policies on vehicle efficiency, electrification, and land use planning.

The document examines the decline of midsize family farms in the U.S., using Iowa as a primary case study, and proposes a national food policy to connect these farms with institutional buyers to create jobs and improve environmental sustainability.

The Paris Agreement represents a milestone in global climate policy by establishing a universal, hybrid framework for climate action. While it lacks binding implementation of national targets to ensure the participation of major emitters like the USA and China, it introduces a mandatory five-year cycle of review and increased ambition to close a 15-gigatonne emissions gap. The agreement aims to limit global temperature rise to 2°C, with an aspiration for 1.5°C, requiring net-zero emissions from 2050 onwards. It also reaffirms a collective goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually for developing countries from 2020, with a planned upward review by 2025.