Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) explores how voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can assist governments in preparing Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) for the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The document argues that VSSs can fill data gaps, provide best-practice case studies, and foster multisectoral partnerships to track progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This policy brief outlines how large multinational corporations can implement climate adaptation actions in a just and equitable manner to minimize risks to supply chains, workers, and communities.

This policy brief by the African Center for Economic Transformation outlines the significant climate finance gap facing Africa and proposes six priorities for the continent at COP27, including immediate technical assistance and long-term financial commitments.

This RMI research brief argues that prioritizing renewable energy over liquefied natural gas (LNG) for electricity system expansion in the Global South can reduce costs and risks, using South Africa and Vietnam as illustrative case studies.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative outlines seven key actions for national governments to scale financing for urban climate adaptation and resilience. It highlights a significant gap between urban climate mitigation and adaptation funding, arguing that while cities are critical economic hubs and highly vulnerable to climate risks, adaptation projects often lack the quantifiable financial returns and clear mandates needed to attract private and public investment.

This policy brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute examines how agroforestry can support the livelihoods of young farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, addressing challenges such as unemployment, food insecurity, and climate change to prevent forced urban migration.

This policy brief discusses the barriers cities face in accessing climate finance and proposes financial aggregation as a strategy to scale up investment for urban climate mitigation and adaptation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that expanding phone and high-speed internet services in the Legal Amazon can reduce regional isolation and boost the economy without the socio-environmental risks associated with traditional logistics infrastructure like roads.

This policy brief examines the limited participation of African nations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce. It analyzes the tension between the plurilateral JSI approach and the multilateral Work Programme on Electronic Commerce, highlighting the digital divide and capacity constraints facing African states. The author argues that African countries should engage with the JSI to protect their developmental interests and prepare for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) e-commerce protocol.

This briefing from the International Institute for Sustainable Development introduces the adaptation component of the Global Stocktake (GST), a mechanism under the Paris Agreement designed to assess collective progress toward climate goals and inform the updates of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years.

This issue brief by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines how U.S. ports are addressing climate change through mitigation strategies—such as electrification and renewable energy—and adaptation measures, including gray infrastructure and nature-based solutions, to protect operations and improve the health of near-port communities.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and violence negatively impact human development in South Africa. Drawing on the Birth to Thirty (Bt30) cohort study, it argues that childhood adversity creates a cumulative risk that undermines health, education, and economic productivity in adulthood, thereby hindering national development.

This policy brief describes a project commissioned by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) between January and March 2022 to develop theories of change (ToCs) for three community-based organisations (CBOs) focused on violence prevention in rural South Africa. The document examines how ToCs can link theory to practice, support impact tracking, and align community-led interventions with established violence prevention literature.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the role of women environmental defenders in Nepal and the Philippines during the Covid-19 pandemic. It argues that these actors are critical for transformative disaster risk reduction (DRR) because they address the root causes of vulnerability and provide essential resources to marginalized groups who are often overlooked by official disaster responses.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the development financing gap facing African countries during their COVID-19 recovery. It argues that African nations lack the fiscal space available to advanced economies, facing high debt burdens and unfair credit ratings. The document proposes that the G20 and other development partners implement coordinated debt relief, reallocate resources to de-risk private investment, and establish fairer credit rating mechanisms to support sustainable economic transformation.

This briefing from the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the structural decline of the coal mining sector in Colombia, using the 2020 crisis and the surrender of mining titles by Prodeco as evidence of the challenges facing a just transition toward a decarbonized economy.

This policy brief summarizes a March 24, 2021 webinar regarding the use of international trade policy, specifically voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) and free trade agreement provisions, to reduce deforestation and preserve forest ecosystems.

This fact sheet by Ember argues that new wind and solar power installations in Turkey are now more cost-effective than operating existing coal power plants that rely on imports. The document highlights the rising cost of international hard coal and the declining cost of renewables, suggesting that Turkey can reduce its multi-billion dollar import bill and mitigate potential EU carbon border levies by transitioning to green energy.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the rural credit market in the Brazilian Cerrado biome, highlighting a significant concentration of financial flows toward large-scale producers and soy production, contrasted with limited credit access for small and medium-sized family farmers.

This policy brief by RMI proposes five key objectives and associated tools to ensure the US energy transition is equitable and durable. It argues that current climate policies often deepen existing inequities and suggests shifting focus toward reducing energy burdens, rewarding carbon productivity, expanding federal financing for infrastructure transition, revitalizing fossil fuel communities, and prioritizing the retirement of the most harmful assets.