Search Climate Insights Directory
477 results
Municipal Snapshot
This fact sheet provides a municipal snapshot of Cape Town's water usage, economic contribution, and projected water supply deficits through 2040, emphasizing the city's role as the primary economic driver and water user in the region.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
Ride-Hailing Drivers Are Ideal Candidates for Electric Vehicles
This guide by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that ride-hailing drivers for transportation network companies (TNCs) are ideal candidates for electric vehicle (EV) adoption due to high vehicle utilization, which maximizes savings on fuel and maintenance and increases potential carbon offsets.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide
Stormwater Markets: Concepts and applications
This research paper examines technology and financing options for urban stormwater management, specifically focusing on the use of stormwater markets to incentivize private investment in decentralized green infrastructure.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Research paper
LIFE AFTER COAL CAMPAIGN - ESKOM’S NON-COMPLIANCE WITH OBLIGATIONS TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT REMAINS A MATERIAL LIABILITY
A letter from the Life After Coal Campaign to the Chairman of Eskom's Board of Directors, arguing that Eskom's reliance on coal-fired power is economically unsustainable and creates severe liabilities regarding human health, water, and the environment.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
We are ready to do our bit
This document is a speech delivered by a representative of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) regarding the domestic governance and economic priorities necessary to restore South Africa's international influence and internal stability.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
Making Customer Battery Storage Work for a Cleaner, Less Expensive Grid
This briefing by RMI argues that current commercial electricity rate designs, specifically noncoincident demand charges, encourage inefficient battery storage use that can conflict with the needs of renewable-heavy power grids. The document advocates for a transition to time-varying rates and compensation for grid services to better align customer incentives with system-wide operational requirements.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
SENEGAL GREEN ECONOMY BAROMETER 2018
The Senegal Green Economy Barometer 2018, produced by IED Afrique and IUCN Senegal, assesses the country's progress toward a fair and green economy. It highlights a tension between strong GDP growth and rising absolute poverty, while detailing efforts to integrate renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green job creation into national development frameworks like the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE) 2035.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
SOUTH AFRICA GREEN ECONOMY BAROMETER 2018
The South Africa Green Economy Barometer 2018 evaluates the country's transition toward a fair, green economy, awarding it a score of 5 out of 10. While South Africa possesses strong policy foundations, such as the National Development Plan and the 2011 Green Economy Accord, the report finds that the economy remains locked into carbon-intensive 'brown' systems, particularly in energy and mining, and fails to adequately include marginalized populations and the informal sector in its transition.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
RELEVANT INFORMATION CONCERNING ESKOM – A STUDY BY MERIDIAN ECONOMICS
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, submitted a letter to the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs on 27 November 2017. The letter highlights findings from a study by Meridian Economics regarding Eskom's financial crisis and the viability of coal-fired power in South Africa, advocating for the accelerated decommissioning of specific power stations and the curtailment of new construction to save costs and improve air quality.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
ADDITIONAL WRITTEN COMMENTS ON THE INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN (IRP) UPDATE: ASSUMPTIONS, BASE CASE RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS, REVISION 1 AND ON THE DRAFT INTEGRATED ENERGY PLAN (IEP)
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle Campaign, submitted additional comments to the South African Department of Energy regarding the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and Integrated Energy Plan (IEP). The CER argues that these plans must incorporate missing cost calculations for coal and nuclear energy, as well as findings from recent studies suggesting that accelerating the decommissioning of coal plants and cancelling new coal and nuclear capacity is the most cost-effective path for Eskom and the national grid.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
BRICS: Stepping into the Breach
This research paper analyzes the internal dynamics and global positioning of the BRICS grouping amidst a shift in US foreign policy. It highlights the economic dominance of China within the group, the tension between the narrative of equality and actual power imbalances, and the group's commitment to maintaining an open global economy and climate agreements like the Paris accord despite internal rivalries.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Research paper
Markets for low carbon, low cost electricity systems
This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that existing electricity market designs, based on short-term marginal costs, are ill-suited for a low-carbon transition dominated by variable renewable energy (VRE). The authors propose a bifurcated market model—separating a long-term 'energy market' for commodity production from a short-term 'delivery market' for flexibility—to lower financing costs for capital-intensive assets and provide clearer incentives for flexibility resources like batteries and demand response.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Research paper
The Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act: Environmental, Health & Consumer Considerations
This fact sheet examines the environmental, health, and economic implications of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act (S.517, H.R. 1311), which proposes amending the Clean Air Act to allow the year-round sale of E15 fuel. It details how current Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standards inadvertently restrict E15 sales during summer months, the resulting costs to retailers and consumers, and the potential for higher ethanol blends to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
BUILDING RESILIENCE IN BRAZIL’S BIOFUEL MARKET
This briefing describes a study by the Climate Policy Initiative, PUC-Rio, and Fundação Getulio Vargas on the impact of flex-fuel vehicles on the retail fuel market in Brazil. It highlights how the adoption of flex-cars, which can run on any mix of gasoline or ethanol, has reduced fuel prices for both flex-car owners and those driving gasoline-only vehicles, supporting Brazil's goals to increase sustainable biofuel consumption under its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
Financing clean power: a risk-based approach to choosing ownership models and policy/finance instruments
This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) proposes a risk-based framework for selecting ownership models and finance instruments for clean power investments. The authors argue that minimizing the overall cost of the low-carbon energy transition requires allocating specific investment risks—such as construction, price, and curtailment—to the party (private investors, public entities, or consumers) best placed to manage, understand, and bear them.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Research paper
TOWARD SUSTAINABLE MINING
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.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
IISD Speech: President and CEO Scott Vaughan at the World Circular Economy Forum 2017, Helsinki
A speech delivered by IISD President and CEO Scott Vaughan at the World Circular Economy Forum 2017 in Helsinki, discussing the need for macroeconomic indicators beyond GDP to properly value the circular economy, the potential for job growth, and the necessity of reforming fiscal incentives.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
Reform or unravel? Prospects for Angola’s transition
This report analyzes the political and economic instability facing Angola during the transition from President José Eduardo dos Santos to his chosen successor, Joao Lourenco, ahead of the August 2017 elections. It identifies critical fault lines, including a severe liquidity crisis, systemic corruption, and a securitized state apparatus, arguing that genuine reform is necessary to prevent the country from unraveling.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Door-to-Downtown
The report 'Door-to-Downtown' details a public-private partnership pilot program in Boulder, Colorado, designed to test the viability of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) as an alternative to personal vehicle use for accessing the city center. By subsidizing rideshare trips to be cost-competitive with driving and parking, the city aimed to reduce parking demand and test the potential for a future transition to electric, autonomous vehicles (EAVs).
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Rate-Design Best Practices for Public Electric-Vehicle Chargers
This policy brief by RMI argues that traditional utility demand charges are a significant barrier to the viability of public direct current fast charger (DCFC) networks. Based on an analysis of EVgo stations in California, the document recommends shifting cost recovery from demand-based charges to time-varying volumetric rates to support the societal objective of vehicle electrification.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Policy brief