Search Climate Insights Directory

The report assesses gender-based vulnerabilities in northwest Bangladesh to support the ECCCP-Drought project, which aims to benefit 215,000 people through water infrastructure and resilient agriculture. It identifies systemic barriers for women, including limited land ownership, wage discrimination in agricultural labor, and restricted mobility. The assessment highlights how drought exacerbates these issues, increasing food insecurity and the prevalence of early marriage. To address this, the project mandates that 50% of beneficiaries and Climate Change Adaptation Group (CCAG) members be women, while integrating gender-responsive measures into water management and agricultural activities.

The report finds that despite having anti-money laundering and anti-smuggling laws, Senegal and Sierra Leone struggle to investigate the financial trails of migrant smugglers. This is due to a reliance on cash and informal payment systems like hawala, under-resourced financial intelligence units, and corruption within law enforcement. Smugglers often integrate their profits into the formal economy through real estate, travel agencies, and the hospitality sector.

Zambia has revised its monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework for its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to improve coherence across national policies and ensure inclusive, sub-national engagement. The framework aims to provide evidence-based reporting, promote accountability, and integrate gender-responsive measures across nine priority sectors. Key efforts include aligning indicators with the 8th National Development Plan and Nationally Determined Contributions, and establishing a data flow process from ward and district levels up to national ministries.

The document analyzes the historical 'lock-in' of SADC's infrastructure, which has been driven by colonial mercantile systems and extractive economic imperatives. It contends that current infrastructure is elitist and ecologically unsustainable, failing to meet the needs of the region's growing population. To counter this, the authors propose a 'regenerative' approach based on circular economies and human wellbeing. The paper presents three visionary scenarios—one driven by political response to climate migration, one by bottom-up civic innovation, and one by ESG-led market incentives—to illustrate potential pathways toward sustainable development. It concludes with recommendations for policy reform, including the creation of a Green Infrastructure Task Team and the adoption of community-based public-private partnerships (C-PPPs).

The proposal seeks USD 2,726,404 over 36 months to overcome five primary barriers to climate change adaptation (CCA) in Georgia: limited national and regional coordination, insufficient mainstreaming of CCA in policies, low awareness among decision-makers, limited funding, and the lack of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system. The project, implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA), will establish thematic working groups, conduct climate risk assessments in four representative regions, develop six sectoral adaptation plans, and create a private sector engagement strategy. A central goal is the formulation and submission of a costed National Adaptation Plan to the UNFCCC, supported by a new M&E framework and a targeted adaptation finance action plan.

Japan possesses vast offshore wind resources, with a technical potential exceeding 9,000 TWh/year, far surpassing its projected 2050 electricity demand. While current deployment is low, the government has set targets of 10 GW by 2030 and 45 GW by 2040. The document highlights that floating offshore wind is critical for Japan due to its deep coastal waters and could position the country as a global industry leader. Economic benefits include reduced dependency on imported fossil fuels, with a 30 GW target by 2030 potentially avoiding USD 27.8 billion in gas costs at 2022 prices. However, achieving these targets is hindered by lengthy environmental permitting processes and a fragmented electricity grid divided by different technical standards (50 Hz and 60 Hz).

The 2022 Hong Kong GSS+ market saw a decline in bond volumes from local issuers due to macroeconomic pressures, but significant growth in debt arranged within the territory, totaling USD 80.5bn. The HKSAR Government remains a regional leader in green bond issuance, while the city continues to serve as a primary offshore financing platform for Mainland China's decarbonisation efforts.

The report finds that while more countries mention fossil fuel production in their climate plans over time, most references relate to continued or increased production rather than a managed phase-out. Only a small number of countries have set specific targets or policies to wind down production, and many lack detailed plans for economic diversification or just transitions for workers.

The document explores the intersection of power, memory, and communication rights. It argues for 'archival justice' in the Caribbean to include oral traditions and non-traditional records previously excluded by colonial Eurocentric practices. It examines the systemic discrimination against Caribbean French Creole languages and advocates for their official recognition. Additionally, it discusses the 'Communication for All' framework as a human right, proposing its integration as a standalone UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 18) to support the African Union's Agenda 2063.

The document analyzes how corruption facilitates environmental damage by bypassing laws and influencing resource management. Through case studies in Madagascar, Peru, and Vietnam, it finds that anti-corruption efforts often fail when they are treated as secondary project goals, rely on purely technical solutions, or ignore the complex political dynamics and power imbalances inherent in resource governance. The report recommends strengthening risk analysis, improving donor coordination, supporting civil society and indigenous defenders, and enhancing transnational data availability to combat environmental corruption.

The paper explores the operationalisation of 'just resilience' in European climate adaptation, emphasizing the need to protect vulnerable populations who are disproportionately at risk and often excluded from adaptation processes. It identifies three core dimensions of justice—distributive, procedural, and recognition—alongside additional perspectives like intergenerational justice and intersectionality, to inform the development of goals and indicators for monitoring progress in line with EU policies such as the European Green Deal.

The document examines the scale and transparency of global plastics trade, noting that the 2021 trade value reached at least $1.2 trillion. It argues that current statistical classification methods hinder the transparency needed for effective policymaking to end plastic pollution.

The authors challenge a 2021 Natural England update to the 'Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Habitat' review, arguing that it lacks transparency in its review protocols and misrepresents evidence regarding prescribed fire in blanket bog ecosystems.

The document outlines the EV battery supply chain—divided into upstream (mining), midstream (processing/refining), downstream (assembly), and end-of-life—highlighting China's current dominance. It discusses the environmental and human rights risks associated with mining critical minerals like lithium and cobalt, and details US legislative tools such as the Inflation Reduction Act designed to 'de-risk' the supply chain and foster domestic economic growth.

The ASEAN sustainable finance market contracted by 32% in 2022 to USD 36bn due to rising inflation and interest rates, though volumes remained double those of 2020. Singapore continues to lead the region, accounting for 60% of 2022 issuance. While green bonds and loans showed the most resilience, sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) saw a nearly 90% plunge. Sovereign issuance remained robust, with Singapore and the Philippines entering as new sovereign issuers. The report highlights a shift toward local currency denomination in green debt and a critical need for mandatory, science-based corporate transition plans to avoid greenwashing and support hard-to-abate sectors.

The report details the growth and composition of China's GSS+ debt market, highlighting that China was the largest global source of green bonds in 2022. It examines the shift toward 100% use-of-proceeds alignment, the emergence of transition finance for hard-to-abate sectors, and the dominance of rural revitalisation in the social bond segment.

As of the end of 2022, Colombia's GSS+ debt market totaled USD 2.4 billion, with green bonds being the most prominent segment at USD 1.3 billion. The market is characterized by a strong sovereign presence and a growing regulatory framework, including the pioneering Colombian Green Taxonomy. While the market is primarily domestic, there is significant potential for growth in hard-to-abate sectors through sustainability-linked bonds and in nature-based solutions for climate adaptation. The report recommends scaling sovereign issuance, establishing green securitization facilities, and expanding the taxonomy to include biodiversity and circular economy objectives.

The report finds that despite having anti-money laundering laws, Senegal and Sierra Leone struggle to investigate the financial trails of migrant smugglers due to a reliance on cash and informal transfer systems like hawala. Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) in both countries are underfunded and lack the specialized expertise to implement 'follow the money' strategies. Smugglers frequently integrate illicit gains into the formal economy through real estate, travel agencies, and the hospitality sector. The document recommends prioritizing financial investigations, increasing FIU budgets, and improving inter-agency and international cooperation to disrupt these financial flows.

The document assesses the state of marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in Southern Africa, finding that while there is growing political commitment and various local success stories, marine concerns are frequently overshadowed by terrestrial issues in national climate policies. It identifies significant hurdles to implementation, including capacity gaps, siloed government coordination, insufficient financing, and unequal resource rights. The author recommends establishing enabling bodies to support NDCs, adopting a 'seascape' approach to integrate land-sea interfaces, and scaling innovative financing like blue carbon and debt-for-nature swaps.

The report assesses community involvement in marine and coastal EbA within SADC countries, finding that while robust legal frameworks exist, practical implementation is often hindered by a lack of technical capacity, financial resources, and clear mechanisms for engagement. It highlights the importance of autonomous community adaptation, the disproportionate vulnerability of women, and the critical role of NGOs in bridging gaps between governments and local populations.