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30 results
Clearing the Air on Reclaimed Refrigerant
RMI and OTS R&D conducted laboratory tests on residential split systems and packaged rooftop units to determine if reclaimed R-410A refrigerant, processed to AHRI 700 standards, performs differently than virgin refrigerant. The results showed no statistically significant differences in heating capacity, cooling capacity, or energy efficiency across all tested operating conditions. The report argues that scaling refrigerant recovery and reclamation is essential to bridge the structural gap between declining HFC production under the AIM Act and the ongoing servicing demand for existing equipment, particularly for R-410A, which served approximately 85% of US residential and 92% of light commercial cooling systems in 2022.
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Document type: Executive summary
5 Things We Learned from Analyzing More than 200 Utility Incentives
RMI's analysis of more than 200 utility PIMs reveals a strong preference for 'upside-only' reward structures over penalties, with Return on Equity (ROE) and shared savings being the most common and highest-paying designs. While utilities consistently achieve targets for percentage adder-based and equity-focused PIMs, the report suggests that targets may be set too low. Most PIMs are short-term experiments lasting two to three years, except for fuel cost-sharing and distributed energy resource mechanisms, which often lack end dates to provide regulatory certainty.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Türkiye can bypass grid constraints with hybrid solar power plants
Türkiye is facing significant grid connection bottlenecks, with 65% of unlicensed solar project applications rejected between February 2024 and April 2025. Hybrid solar plants, which share existing transmission lines with wind or hydroelectric facilities, offer a way to bypass these constraints without new grid investments. The report estimates a baseline hybrid solar potential of 8 GW, which could increase to 25.6 GW under more favorable economic conditions. Implementing these systems could raise total solar capacity to 30 GW and mitigate the impact of climate-induced droughts on hydroelectric generation.
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Document type: Report
Report on the activities of the Independent Evaluation Unit
The IEU report for May-August 2024 outlines the completion of evaluations on whistleblower protection, the GCF Investment Framework, and the energy sector portfolio. It details ongoing evaluations in Latin America and the Caribbean, health and food security, and Indigenous Peoples' approaches. The report also highlights the LORTA impact evaluation programme, evidence reviews on just transition and market-based approaches, and the progress of a Management Action Report on the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, where the Secretariat agreed to all 15 recommendations with varying levels of implementation progress.
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Document type: Report
Domestic coal is far from providing a baseload in Türkiye
The report finds that Türkiye's domestic coal power plants are incapable of providing baseload electricity, characterized by an average availability rate of 52% and significant annual production losses of 22 TWh due to malfunctions. Despite this poor performance, coal-fired generation reached a record 118 TWh in 2023, contributing 20% of the country's total carbon emissions. The analysis highlights that domestic lignite plants are particularly inefficient, with energy efficiency 15% below the EU average, and some wind farms now achieve higher capacity factors than these coal plants. The document argues that Türkiye lacks a coal phase-out strategy, with some licenses extending to 2069, and recommends transitioning to cheaper renewable energy to meet its 2053 net zero target and mitigate potential EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) costs.
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Document type: Report
MID-TERM REVIEW OF THE ESTABLISHING THE TASKFORCE ON NATURE-RELATED FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES (TNFD) PROJECT Final Report
The project has been rated as 'Highly Satisfactory' for its overall outcomes, having successfully established the TNFD Secretariat and released the TNFD Recommendations in September 2023. While the project demonstrated high cost-effectiveness by leveraging approximately USD 1.85 million in GEF funding to unlock nearly USD 12.5 million in total financing, it faced operational challenges regarding inconsistent funding tranches from WWF-GEF to UNEP FI. The review recommends developing a new Theory of Change to shift focus from framework creation to maximizing uptake, building capacity in the Global South, and supporting the fulfillment of CBD Target 15.
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Document type: Report
Midterm Review (MTR) for the WWF-supported, GEF-financed Full Size “Integrated Landscape Management to Secure Nepal’s Protected Areas and Critical Corridors” Project
The MTR rates the project's relevance as Highly Satisfactory and its overall effectiveness and efficiency as Moderately Satisfactory. While the project has successfully engaged local communities and established strong biodiversity baselines, it has faced significant delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, government restructuring, and legislative bottlenecks regarding the disbursement of grants and revolving funds. Financial disbursement is low, with only 48% of expected costs for the first two years spent. However, the project is rated as 'Likely' for sustainability due to its integration with the broader Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) Program and strong country ownership.
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Document type: Report
Indian States Electricity Transition
This executive summary describes the States’ Electricity Transition (SET) Scoring system developed by Ember to evaluate the electricity transition across 16 Indian states, which represent 90% of India's annual power requirement. The analysis focuses on four dimensions: decarbonisation, power system performance, power ecosystem readiness, and policies and political commitments. While some states like Karnataka show strong performance across all metrics, others, particularly Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, require significant improvements in decarbonisation and system performance to meet national targets.
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Document type: Executive summary
Consideration of accreditation proposals – Addendum III Re-accreditation assessment of RAPL018
The GCF Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for a second term with no conditions. The assessment confirms that IDB continues to meet GCF's basic and specialized fiduciary standards, environmental and social safeguards, and gender policies. IDB's portfolio includes eight approved GCF projects totaling USD 761.7 million, with a strong track record in mitigation and adaptation, particularly in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The report highlights IDB's commitment to Paris Agreement alignment and its capacity to support direct access entities through capacity-building initiatives.
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Document type: Report
Consideration of accreditation proposals – Addendum VII Re-accreditation assessment of RAPL049
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Secretariat and Accreditation Panel (AP) assessed World Wildlife Fund, Inc. (WWF-US) for re-accreditation. The AP recommends re-accreditation for a second term with a medium project size limit and medium environmental and social risk category (B/I-2). While WWF-US met most fiduciary and gender standards, it partially failed the GCF Revised Environmental and Social Policy due to its institutional grievance redress mechanism (GRM) lacking independence, legitimacy, transparency, and predictability. Re-accreditation is conditional upon the AE adopting and publishing a compliant GRM policy. The assessment highlights the success of the 'Bhutan for Life' project and WWF-US's broader climate strategy, which includes a target for renewable energy to provide 50 per cent of global energy supply by 2025.
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Document type: Report
Global comparison IMERG CFSR surface precipitation stations
The study compares the Integrated MultisatellitE Retrievals for- Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG) and Climate Forecast and System Reanalysis (CFSR) products against approximately 50,000 in-situ surface stations globally. The results indicate that IMERG generally outperforms CFSR in simulating monthly rainfall across most regions, continents, and countries. Specifically, IMERG showed significantly better mean Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) in 64 countries. While CFSR provided satisfactory simulations for Europe, North America, and Australia, it was unsatisfactory for other continents. To facilitate the use of high-quality data for hydrologic modelling, the authors introduced the Worldwide Weather Service (W3S) for the preprocessing and dissemination of IMERG precipitation data.
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Document type: Research paper
Consideration of accreditation proposals – Addendum I Re-accreditation assessments
The document details the re-accreditation reviews for three international entities: the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). All three entities are recommended for re-accreditation without conditions. ADB and EBRD are recommended for 'large' project sizes and 'high risk' (Category A/I-1) environmental and social (E&S) risk categories. UNEP is recommended for an upgrade to 'medium' project size and maintains a 'medium risk' (Category B/I-2) E&S category. The assessments cover fiduciary standards, E&S safeguards, gender policies, and the entities' overall climate portfolios, noting that all three have aligned their strategies with the Paris Agreement and GCF's 2020–2023 Strategic Plan.
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Document type: Report
Under wraps? What Europe’s supermarkets aren’t telling us about plastic
The report finds that European supermarkets generally exhibit low transparency and ambition regarding plastic reduction, with an overall average score of 13.1%. Most retailers rely on voluntary commitments and recyclability rather than waste prevention and reuse systems. While some UK retailers show higher performance, there is significant inconsistency in policies across international retail groups, and some companies are accused of greenwashing through ineffective recycling schemes that result in waste being exported and dumped in third countries like Turkey.
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Document type: Executive summary
EU ETS 101
The EU ETS is a 'cap and trade' system covering power, industry, and aviation across the EU and several other European nations. While it has successfully reduced emissions in the power sector, the document argues that free allocation of permits has led to stagnant industrial emissions and significant windfall profits for companies. The guide details the role of the Market Stability Reserve in managing oversupply and discusses the proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism as a potential replacement for carbon leakage protections.
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Document type: Guide
External Review of WRI
The External Review finds that WRI is 'Mostly on Track' with its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, achieving 71.3% of its targets by October 2021. While WRI remains a critical global player in environment and development, the review identifies significant risks related to rapid organizational growth, a potential tilt from research toward advocacy, and under-resourced core functions. The report highlights a need for a 'step-change' in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and a more systematic integration of poverty, gender, and social equity (PGSE) across its programs. WRI's Africa office is also 'mostly on track,' though it faces challenges in coordinating global programming with regional priorities.
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Document type: Report
FINAL EVALUATION OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE SUPPORT FOR THE NATIONAL ADAPTATION PLAN GLOBAL NETWORK
The evaluation concludes that the NAP GN has been a valuable contributor to the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, exceeding its grant targets for training and institutional capacity building. While highly effective in providing neutral knowledge brokering and tailored country support, the report identifies needs for improved impact measurement, better coordination with multilateral entities, and a strategic shift toward supporting the implementation phase of NAPs.
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Document type: Executive summary
Report of the twenty-third meeting of the Board, 6 – 8 July 2019
The GCF Board's 23rd meeting focused on operationalizing the fund's first formal replenishment (GCF-1) and improving governance. Key outcomes include the adoption of a new voting procedure to resolve deadlocks when consensus fails, the approval of a Policy on Ethics and Conflicts of Interest for Active Observers, and the adoption of a Policy on the Prevention and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse, and Sexual Harassment (SEAH). The Board also approved several funding proposals, including a high-leverage seawater pumped storage project in Chile and agricultural resilience projects in Bhutan, Pakistan, and Kenya. A Forward-Looking Performance Review (FPR) highlighted that while GCF has committed over USD 5.3 billion, it faces challenges with long disbursement times and a need for greater direct access for developing countries.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change Performance Index 2017: G20 Edition
The Climate Change Performance Index 2017: G20 Edition assesses the 20 largest economies, which collectively account for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Using a revised methodology that incorporates Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from the Paris Agreement, the index measures performance against benchmarks for 2030 and 2050, including nearly zero GHG emissions and 100% renewable energy. The report concludes that current efforts, even from top-performing countries, remain insufficient to prevent dangerous climate change.
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Document type: Report
2016 External Review of the World Resources Institute
The 2016 External Review concludes that the World Resources Institute (WRI) is making strong progress in implementing its 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, with 89 of 96 specific statements of intent rated as 'on track' or 'achieved'. The review highlights WRI's success as a global 'think and do' tank, particularly in its research excellence, the development of open-data platforms like Global Forest Watch and Aqueduct, and its influence on the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. While WRI has successfully expanded its global footprint with offices in Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia, the review identifies challenges in securing unrestricted funding, strengthening internal communications, and fully integrating poverty and gender perspectives into programmatic design. It also notes the effectiveness of WRI's matrix management structure, though it suggests further investment in management training to reduce transaction costs and improve coordination.
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Document type: Report
DBTL Performance Evaluation: Insights from the world’s largest subsidy benefit transfer scheme
The report assesses the modified DBTL (PAHAL) scheme in India, finding it largely successful in reducing the diversion of subsidized LPG and improving delivery regularity. While consumer enrolment was high and satisfaction generally positive, the study identifies critical gaps in financial inclusion for rural households and a lack of awareness regarding grievance redressal and subsidy transfer status. The authors highlight that while DBTL is a mechanism for disbursement rather than a conventional subsidy reform, it enables future targeted reforms by establishing a common market price.
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Document type: Report