Search Climate Insights Directory

The document argues that the renegotiated NAFTA should move beyond the 'soft legal obligations' seen in agreements like CETA and the TPP to establish stronger, enforceable environmental protections. It specifically advocates for the legal recognition that water is not a commodity, the preservation and strengthening of the submissions on enforcement matters (SEM) process for civil society, and the expansion of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to include regulatory cooperation on climate change mitigation and carbon border adjustments.

The document argues that urban water and sanitation systems in Alberta face significant risks from increasing temperatures, precipitation shifts, and extreme weather events. To build resilience, it advocates for a 'multi-barrier' approach to robustness, the integration of redundancy through source water diversity and decentralized treatment, and the promotion of resourcefulness via low-impact development (LID) and green infrastructure. Specific recommendations for Calgary and Edmonton include conducting stochastic hydrology analysis on source watersheds, reviewing regulatory obstacles to decentralized water technologies, and exploring economic instruments like stormwater levies and water trading systems.

The report details an expert meeting on reforming investment-related dispute settlement, highlighting the lack of remedies for affected communities and proposing a 'dispute resolution plus' model that integrates accountability, mediation, and fact-finding into multilateral frameworks.

The report analyzes seven multilateral climate funds—the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Adaptation Fund (AF), Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and Strategic Climate Fund (SCF)—against five strategies for transformative change: achieving impact at scale, promoting country ownership, improving efficiency, supporting equitable allocation, and increasing accountability. It finds that the proliferation of funds has led to overlapping roles and inefficiencies. The authors recommend short-term reforms to clarify fund specialization and long-term architectural changes, including the potential consolidation or sunsetting of certain funds, such as the CIFs, SCCF, and LDCF, to streamline the climate finance landscape.

The report highlights that South Africa wastes approximately 10 million tonnes of food annually, representing a third of its total production. This waste results in significant economic losses of R61.5 billion and substantial environmental degradation, including the waste of 1.7 km3 of water and the emission of greenhouse gases from landfills. The document identifies that most waste occurs at the pre-consumer stage, particularly on farms, and calls for a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target of halving food waste by 2030.

The document advocates for a shift in federal environmental assessments (EA) in Canada to explicitly include Health Impact Assessments (HIAs). It argues that current processes focus too heavily on plant and animal species while neglecting the social, ecological, and physical determinants of human health. The authors propose a comprehensive HIA framework based on WHO definitions and the 'determinants of health' approach, emphasizing that health equity and the precautionary principle should guide development. Key recommendations include establishing baseline health data before proposals are made, integrating HIA into cabinet directives for all policies and programs, and involving health-focused federal agencies as central decision-makers.

The legal marijuana industry in the US creates significant electricity demand due to high-intensity lighting and climate control, with Colorado's industry consuming 300 GWh in 2015. To mitigate the impact on carbon goals and grid stability, the document recommends that utilities support LED adoption through rebates and on-bill financing to overcome capital limitations. It further suggests using time-varying rates to shift lighting schedules to periods of low net load—such as midday in California for solar or nighttime in Colorado for wind—to avoid peak demand and reduce reliance on fossil fuel generation.

The Union of Concerned Scientists calls for a coordinated federal food policy to replace a dysfunctional system that prioritizes commodity crop subsidies over public health and sustainable farming. The document advocates for shifting subsidies toward healthy foods, supporting mid-sized family farms, and adopting agroecological practices to mitigate climate change impacts and reduce healthcare costs.

Manish Bapna, representing the World Resources Institute and the Open Government Partnership (OGP), argues that while open government cannot solve all global crises alone, it is a necessary prerequisite for solving them. He identifies a failure of governance evidenced by the rise of populism, extreme poverty, and climate change. To combat this, he proposes five steps: protecting civic space, fostering citizen-centered governance, pursuing transformational rather than incremental change, improving tangible quality-of-life outcomes (such as clean air and water), and reinvigorating political leadership to deepen the impact of OGP commitments.

The New Climate Economy report 'Better Cities, Better Growth: India’s Urban Opportunity' finds that compact cities in India experienced faster economic growth from 2002-2012 than sprawled cities. Smart urban growth could save India between $330 billion and $1.8 trillion annually by mid-century, representing up to 6 percent of GDP. The document identifies three target areas for reform: land regulations, sustainable urban infrastructure (such as bus rapid transit), and the strengthening of urban local governments. It highlights the high costs of car-driven growth, citing Delhi as an example where traffic congestion and air pollution create significant economic and livability crises.

India requires $189 billion in additional investment to meet its 2022 renewable energy targets, with a specific need for $57 billion in equity and $132 billion in debt. While the total investment potential is $411 billion, expected investment is only $166 billion, leaving a gap of $23 billion. Foreign institutional investors have the capacity to fill 100% of the equity gap, and domestic institutional investors can meet 54% of the debt gap. However, significant barriers persist, including off-taker risk, currency volatility, and a lack of liquid investment instruments. The report proposes financial solutions such as payment security mechanisms, foreign exchange hedging facilities, and infrastructure debt funds, alongside policy reforms in land acquisition and transmission capacity.

ClientEarth advocates for the 'Efficiency First' (E1st) principle to be a foundational element of the EU's new energy laws, proposing a target increase for 2030 energy efficiency from 27% to 40% and the embedding of efficiency into funding, market design, and national planning.

ClientEarth argues that the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has the jurisdiction to investigate the Carbon Majors because climate change threatens fundamental civil and political rights. The brief asserts that there is a linear causal relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, and that the Carbon Majors' emissions have contributed significantly to this process. It recommends that the Philippine government ratify the Paris Agreement and that the Carbon Majors publish business plans aligned with a warming limit of well below 2 degrees Celsius, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

A coalition of 31 environmental organisations calls for a meaningful carbon price and reformed funding mechanisms within the EU ETS revision to phase out fossil fuels and support a just transition in Europe.

We Mean Business calls for the fulfillment of the $100 billion annual climate finance pledge by developed countries and the implementation of the 'Road Map to $100 billion'. The organization emphasizes that while public finance is crucial for trust and predictability, the transition to a low-carbon economy requires trillions in investment, necessitating a shift in the financial system to leverage private capital through green bonds, Green Investment Banks, and enhanced corporate reporting.

The document argues that EU climate tools must be reformed to support a low-carbon transition in Central and Eastern Europe, specifically calling for a 55% emission reduction target by 2030 and the phase-out of fossil fuel and nuclear energy subsidies.

This policy brief advocates for the empowerment of the Agency for Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) to provide independent oversight of the EU energy market. It specifically recommends transferring the development of EU Network Codes from ENTSO-E to ACER, granting ACER oversight powers over a proposed EU-level body for distribution system operators (DSOs), and expanding ACER's role in monitoring adequacy assessments and cross-border transmission system operator (TSO) activities to prevent fossil fuel lock-in and ensure market competition.

The document argues that for the EU's 2030 climate and energy targets to be credible, governance must be embedded in legislation and based on transparency, accountability, and investor certainty. It recommends a mandatory system for Member States to set national contributions toward collective EU-level targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency, supported by 'ambition gap-filler' processes. The brief advocates for the creation of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) that are coherent with 2050 decarbonisation goals and updated every two to three years. To ensure accountability, it proposes binding annual and biennial reporting, the empowerment of the Commission to issue Country-specific recommendations (CSRs) and require corrective action plans, and the establishment of a new independent EU-level expert body to support planning and evaluation.

The document addresses the 'Missing 60%'—the discrepancy where asset managers support climate disclosure resolutions at companies like BP and Shell but oppose similar resolutions at US companies like Exxon and Chevron. It argues that trustees can use contractual mandates, the UK Stewardship Code, and the UNPRI to secure greater transparency and control over how their shares are voted. Specific recommendations include adding clauses to mandates for advance disclosure of voting intentions, utilizing Statements of Investment Principles (SIP) for segregated accounts, and challenging managers on conflicts of interest related to their own pension business.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the ICAO's CORSIA scheme must be integrated into the Paris Agreement's transparency and reporting mechanisms. The author recommends that NDCs include sections on contributions outside the UNFCCC, that national inventories be adjusted to prevent double counting of offsets, and that aviation emissions and CORSIA progress be included in the global stocktake and synthesis reports.