Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief examines the evolution, effectiveness, and challenges of science-policy interfaces (SPIs) in global environmental governance since 1972. It analyzes existing models like the IPCC and IPBES, evaluates proposals for new SPIs focused on chemicals, waste, and food systems, and provides a three-pronged design framework to ensure future interfaces are credible, inclusive, and policy-relevant.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the evolution of international land governance, focusing on the transition from top-down desertification efforts to the concept of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN). It details the drivers of land degradation, the role of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the socio-economic barriers—such as land tenure and gender inequality—that hinder restoration efforts.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines how climate change acts as a threat multiplier in Africa, exacerbating food insecurity, resource competition, and displacement, which in turn increase the risk of violent conflict.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) synthesizes the activities of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regarding climate change during 2020 and 2021. It details the CRC's increasing focus on state obligations to mitigate climate change, the role of financial and business actors in environmental harm, and the development of a forthcoming General Comment on children's rights and the environment.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) synthesizes the activities of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) regarding climate change during 2020 and 2021. It details the Committee's use of the State reporting procedure to address mitigation, adaptation, extractive activities, and climate finance, while also reviewing the Committee's General Comments on science and land rights.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights reviews the activities of the UN Human Rights Committee (CCPR) regarding climate change during 2020 and 2021. It details the Committee's increasing focus on climate-related recommendations, its inquiries into fossil fuel extraction and public participation, and the implications of specific individual communications on state obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

This report section discusses the complexities of financing sustainable cooling, emphasizing that diverse cooling needs across health, agriculture, and human comfort require a corresponding variety of financial instruments and sources.

This report by WWF South Africa examines the role of the informal waste sector in African cities, advocating for an "inclusive circular economy" that integrates reclaimers into formal waste management systems. It analyzes the operational status, socio-economic challenges, and policy landscapes of reclaimers in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda, arguing that their inclusion is essential for sustainable urban waste management and poverty alleviation.

This policy brief reviews fifty years of international efforts to regulate ocean dumping, focusing on the evolution from the 1972 London Convention to the more restrictive 1996 London Protocol. It examines the challenges of managing radioactive waste, the regulation of climate mitigation technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the role of regional treaties in protecting marine ecosystems.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the environmental and climate impacts of the global livestock sector, arguing that a shift toward plant-based diets and alternative proteins is essential to meeting climate targets. It details the growth of meat production, the role of government subsidies in supporting industrial agriculture, and the emerging market for alternative proteins, while highlighting the need for systemic policy changes and a reduction in meat consumption, particularly in high-income regions.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines how voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can alleviate poverty for the estimated 500 million smallholder farmer families globally, focusing on access to resources, opportunities, and power.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the barriers facing energy efficiency business models in Indonesia and proposes three improved models to scale up Energy Service Companies (ESCOs). It identifies financial risk, lack of awareness, and regulatory instability as primary hurdles to achieving Indonesia's target of 17% energy savings by 2025.

This report by Ember analyzes the progress of European Union member states in phasing out coal-fired electricity generation by 2030. It highlights that while the EU is rapidly reducing coal use—driven significantly by Germany's commitment to exit coal by 2030—three countries (Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria) remain heavily reliant on coal and are lagging behind the rest of the bloc.

This report by Ember analyzes the progress of European Union member states in phasing out coal-fired power generation by 2030. It highlights a significant divergence between most EU countries, which are rapidly reducing coal use, and a small group of countries—specifically Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria—that are projected to account for the vast majority of the EU's remaining coal power production by 2030.

This case study, part of the IISD 'Stories of Change' series, details Liberia's efforts to renegotiate large-scale agricultural concession agreements following its civil war. Through an interview with Ciata Bishop, the document explains how the government transitioned from outdated 'scoop and ship' contracts to a transparent, regulated framework designed to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) while ensuring community benefits, food security, and job creation.

This document provides updates as of October 29, 2021, to the 2018 'Towards Paris Alignment' report, focusing on the climate tools and policies of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). It details specific institutional approaches to carbon emissions mitigation, shadow carbon pricing, and climate finance targets, noting responses from the AfDB, WBG, IDB, and EBRD.

The NewClimate Institute report argues that current financial investments in the gas value chain underestimate climate risks and are incompatible with the 1.5°C temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. It calls for tighter lending restrictions on gas, asserting that gas should not be viewed as a bridge or transition fuel due to lifecycle assessments and the falling cost of renewable alternatives.

This briefing describes the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) strategy to integrate nature-based solutions (NBS) into infrastructure investments across Latin America and the Caribbean to address investment gaps in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement contributions.

This report by Ember, E3G, and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) analyzes the global pipeline of proposed coal power plants as of July 2021. It identifies economies that have already committed to no new coal, those that could readily do so because they have no active pipeline, and those that still have projects proposed, with a particular focus on the role of Chinese financing and the impact of the Paris Agreement.

This executive summary of the 2021 NYDF Progress Assessment report evaluates government efforts to utilize forests for climate mitigation, focusing on the ambition of climate pledges, investment levels, and implementation strategies. While it notes that the Paris Agreement has confirmed the pivotal role of forests, the report finds that current national targets and financial investments are significantly insufficient to meet the global mitigation potential of forests.