Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing summarizes a high-level meeting convened by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and NatureFinance focused on catalyzing Africa's bioeconomy through improved program design, investment, and partnerships.

This briefing from RMI and the New Energy Industrial Strategy (NEIS) Center analyzes the global energy crisis triggered by the US-Iran war. It argues that while governments are currently relying on short-term fixes like strategic reserves and subsidies, the crisis provides an opportunity to accelerate the transition to clean energy, electrification, and efficiency to reduce long-term vulnerability to volatile global fuel markets.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines three strategic opportunities for Japan in 2025 to enhance energy security, establish global leadership in transition solutions, and position Tokyo as a hub for transition finance. It emphasizes the need for grid upgrades to unlock renewable energy, the adoption of science-based transition pathways for ASEAN partners, and the mitigation of methane leakage from LNG imports.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the priorities and challenges for African nations leading up to COP27 in Egypt. It highlights the continent's push for climate justice, increased financial support for adaptation and loss and damage, and a 'just transition' that allows for the temporary use of natural gas to ensure energy security.

This briefing from RMI advises US local leaders to utilize existing federal funding opportunities to advance decarbonization, resilience, and environmental justice rather than waiting for new legislation. It outlines strategies for navigating over 100 existing programs, integrating equity via the Justice40 initiative, and seeking funds from non-traditional agencies.

This briefing by RMI argues that reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States is essential for meeting climate goals, as transportation is the country's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The document outlines how systemic changes in land use, transportation pricing, and roadway design can reduce reliance on personal vehicles and mitigate the societal harms of urban sprawl.

This briefing by RMI outlines the requirements for the United States to meet its commitment to reduce carbon pollution by at least 50-52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. It argues that immediate action is necessary to limit cumulative emissions and stay within a remaining "carbon budget" to restrict warming to 1.5°C. The document identifies renewables, electrification, and efficiency as the primary cost-effective levers for this transition, while highlighting co-benefits such as job creation, improved public health, and the redress of historical land-use inequities.

This briefing, produced by the South African Institute of International Affairs and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, outlines strategic priorities for a green transition and energy access partnership between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU). It emphasizes the need to maintain momentum on climate goals despite the COVID-19 pandemic, advocating for a transition that supports Africa's developmental objectives, including industrialization and employment growth.

This briefing by RMI examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public transit, arguing that the crisis provides a unique opportunity to modernize transit systems through data-driven redesign, the prioritization of bus lanes over single-occupancy vehicles, and the continued pursuit of bus electrification to improve health and climate outcomes.

This policy briefing describes the 2016 World Conservation Congress (WCC) convened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Honolulu, Hawai’i. It outlines the congress's role in shaping the global conservation agenda through a motions process, its alignment with 2015 global sustainability frameworks, and the specific strategic interests and challenges facing African and South African member organisations.

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines the challenges and opportunities for expanding sustainable electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa. It advocates for an integrated approach that combines on-grid and off-grid resources to meet growing energy demands while mitigating future carbon emissions.

This briefing, produced by the European Capacity Building Initiative (ecbi) for the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, analyzes strategies for the LDC Group to increase global ambition for climate mitigation within the negotiations for a new climate agreement intended to enter into force in 2020.

This policy briefing examines South Africa's role as the host and president of the 17th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 17) to the UNFCCC in November and December 2011. It analyzes the geopolitical challenges of the climate negotiations, South Africa's efforts to coordinate a common African voice, its participation in the BASIC alliance, and the necessity of aligning its domestic climate policies with its international leadership ambitions.

Speaking notes from Walid Badawi, Country Director of UNDP in Pretoria, detailing the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the G20 in advancing the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their application within the African context.