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This briefing document, prepared by the Executive Directorate of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), reports on a meeting held in São Paulo, Brazil, on November 7, 2017, regarding the 'Belmont Forum Americas Information Days'. The meeting focused on establishing a flexible, cooperative financing mechanism to support scientific projects on global change in the Americas to reduce the IAI's dependence on a single donor and ensure long-term sustainability.

This briefing from the Executive Directorate of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents a draft outreach brochure for adoption by the Conference of the Parties (CoP) during its 26th meeting in Antigua, Guatemala.

This briefing by RMI argues that revitalizing old industrial sites using net-zero energy (NZE) design can drive urban economic development, improve resident quality of life, and reduce citywide carbon emissions. It highlights the advantages of 'district scale' redevelopment and provides several US-based examples of NZE projects transforming former manufacturing and steel sites into sustainable mixed-use communities.

This industry brief describes the Pay As You Save (PAYS) financing model designed to accelerate the adoption of electric buses in South Africa by removing the barrier of high upfront capital costs.

This RMI briefing argues that renewable energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) are cost-effective, resilient, and rapidly deployable solutions for rebuilding Puerto Rico's electrical grid following the damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

This briefing by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute argues that the United States must proactively plan for climate-induced migration to avoid regional instability and humanitarian crises. It highlights the lack of legal protections for environmental migrants and the specific risks of agricultural decline in Mexico and Central and South America, while noting the potential strain on U.S. military resources tasked with humanitarian aid.

The 'Cooling for All' initiative, launched in 2017 by Sustainable Energy for All and supported by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program, aims to increase access to sustainable, affordable, and efficient cooling solutions. The initiative seeks to align the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to prevent countries from adopting high-carbon, energy-inefficient cooling pathways as global demand rises.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the 'Green FIDC,' a proposed asset-backed security designed to scale private finance for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Brazil. The instrument adapts the existing Fundo de Investimento em Direitos Creditórios (FIDC) framework to transition risky greenfield projects into bankable businesses by securitizing project receivables, thereby reducing reliance on the Brazilian National Development Bank (BNDES).

This briefing by RMI argues that health professionals should recognize the link between indoor air quality (IAQ) and specific home energy upgrades to improve patient health outcomes and drive demand for carbon-reducing home investments.

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that the mining industry represents a significant, untapped opportunity for gigaton-scale carbon emissions reductions. It highlights that while mining is inherently energy-intensive, the transition to renewable energy is now economically viable due to falling costs of solar PV and wind, which can replace expensive diesel generation at remote sites and reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-dominated grids.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative explains the structure and potential of Green Covered Bonds, highlighting their ability to provide low-cost, long-term financing for climate-friendly infrastructure and buildings through a 'Dual Recourse' mechanism.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the disproportionate negative impacts of large-scale development projects—such as dams and mines—on women's human rights to water, food, and a healthy environment. It highlights the gap between international legal instruments and their practical implementation, particularly in countries with weak governance, and provides recommendations for governments, companies, and civil society to protect women's land rights and ensure their participation in decision-making.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines strategies for increasing the climate resilience of the urban built environment, with a specific focus on the Canadian Prairies. It discusses the risks posed by climate variability, the impact of the urban heat island effect, and the application of design protocols and urban planning paradigms to mitigate these risks.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development explores economic and financial strategies for building climate-resilient cities, with a specific focus on Alberta, Canada. It advocates for moving beyond traditional financial accounting to 'multiple-bottom-line' approaches and the valuation of ecosystem services to prioritize cost-effective adaptation over reactive disaster response.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development outlines strategies for building climate-resilient urban transportation infrastructure, with a particular focus on Alberta's cities. It emphasizes the need for robustness, redundancy, and resourcefulness to mitigate the risks posed by rising temperatures and extreme weather events.

This briefing by RMI, authored by WattTime co-founder Gavin McCormick, argues that managing climate change requires shifting from average to marginal carbon emissions measurements for electricity. The author explains that because the grid's marginal resource changes every 5 to 15 minutes, timing and locating energy use and generation based on real-time marginal data can significantly reduce CO2 emissions without requiring new infrastructure investments.

This briefing by Friends of the Earth International argues that the pursuit of 'dirty energy'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, and megadams—is causing severe environmental and social harm across Africa while failing to resolve energy poverty. The document highlights specific case studies of destructive energy projects in South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, and Mozambique, and calls for a transition toward community-controlled renewable energy and 'energy sovereignty'.

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) proposes an integrative business model for developing net zero energy (NZE) or ultralow energy districts. The model aims to make NZE developments life-cycle cost neutral or better compared to business-as-usual (BAU) scenarios by utilizing an Integrated Energy Services Provider (IESP) to manage energy systems, financing, and performance requirements, thereby reducing upfront costs for parcel developers and lowering energy bills for tenants.

A briefing by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) discussing research on accelerated sea-level rise and the necessary emissions reductions for Canada to meet global climate targets.

This briefing outlines the Climate Policy Initiative's (CPI) framework for evaluating the efficiency of public financial interventions, such as green banks, in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. It focuses on identifying financial barriers and determining the most effective risk-bearing mechanisms and implementing institutions to address them.