Search Climate Insights Directory

The Europe Gas Tracker Report 2023 by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the rapid expansion of gas infrastructure in the European Union following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The report argues that a 'gas panic' has led to uncoordinated buildouts of LNG terminals and pipelines that risk creating massive overcapacity and locking the region into fossil fuel dependency, potentially undermining the EU's climate goals under the European Climate Law and the Fit for 55 package.

This briefing by Ember argues that the European Union's Fit-for-55 renewable energy target of 40% for 2030 is outdated due to the rapid acceleration of clean technology deployment. Based on industry forecasts for solar, heat pumps, and electric vehicles, the analysis suggests the EU is currently on course to reach a 45% renewable energy share by 2030, with the potential to reach 50% if policy and financial support are strengthened.

A February 2023 briefing by Global Energy Monitor reporting a dramatic acceleration in coal power plant permitting and construction in China during 2022, driven by peak load increases and regional energy security concerns, despite record clean energy additions.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights synthesizes the 2022 climate-related outputs of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). It details the Committee's focus on disaster risk reduction, adaptation, and the specific rights of Indigenous women and girls in the face of climate change and extractive industries.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights synthesizes the 2022 activities of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) regarding climate change. It details specific recommendations made to the United States, France, and Cameroon, and discusses the potential for the upcoming General Recommendation No. 37 on the right to health to address environmental racism and climate-related health disparities.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights synthesizes the 2022 activities of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regarding climate change. It details the CRC's review of State reporting, its focus on mitigation and adaptation, and the development of General Comment No. 26 on children's rights and the environment.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GIESCR) reviews the 2023 activities of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) regarding climate change. It details the Committee's focus on mitigation policies, adaptation strategies, and the transition away from fossil fuels across various State parties' Concluding Observations (COBs) and Lists of Issues (LOIs).

This 2023 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) provides a comprehensive diagnostic of the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012) across Brazilian states as of 2022. It focuses specifically on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), analyzing the progress of registration, data analysis, and the actual restoration of Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves.

This document consists of annexes to the 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment, detailing sustainability schemes in the mining sector, sources and estimates of forest-related finance, and the implementation of green budgeting and risk assessment tools in the public sector.

This document consists of three annexes to the 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment. It details sustainability schemes in the mining sector, provides estimates for green and 'gray' forest finance, and discusses the implementation of green budgeting and risk assessment tools in the public sector.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has seen a 57% increase in operational renewable energy capacity since May 2022, though it remains heavily dependent on oil and gas for over 90% of its electricity. While there is a massive pipeline of future projects totaling 361 GW, approximately 60% of this capacity is earmarked for green hydrogen production and export rather than domestic decarbonization.

This briefing by GreenCape provides a comprehensive guide for global manufacturers considering investment in South Africa's green economy, specifically focusing on renewable energy, water, and sustainable agriculture. It details the policy landscape, market attractiveness, operational costs, labour laws, tax systems, and physical infrastructure, while identifying critical bottlenecks such as load shedding and policy inconsistency.

This report analyzes whether Canada's international trade obligations, specifically under the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), act as barriers or opportunities for sustainable public procurement (SPP). It concludes that these agreements provide significant flexibility for implementing green, social, and strategic procurement, provided that requirements are not based on national origin.

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) legal frameworks in mining, focusing on California (USA), Kazakhstan, and Queensland (Australia). It identifies ten key components of a strong ESIA framework and analyzes how these three jurisdictions implement and improve their respective systems to meet sustainability goals.

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of consultation and engagement within Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for large-scale mining. It provides a framework for integrating stakeholder dialogue across the mine life cycle—from exploration to closure—and highlights specific legal mechanisms such as grievance processes, participatory monitoring, and the pursuit of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous Peoples. The document includes case studies from British Columbia, Canada, and Peru to illustrate the practical application of these frameworks.

This briefing by RMI analyzes the state of the global coal transition in 2022, highlighting a contradiction where coal emissions are poised to break records while retired and canceled coal capacity also hit record levels. The document focuses on the emergence of Coal Transition Mechanisms (CTMs) and Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) as critical financial levers to accelerate the shift from coal to clean energy, particularly in South Africa, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

A report by the Climate Bonds Initiative and the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) analyzing the state of the Japanese green finance market in 2021, covering green bond trends, unlabelled climate-aligned debt, and the evolving regulatory landscape for transition and sustainable finance.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon biome from 2012 to 2021, categorizing forest loss by land tenure to identify priority areas for federal and state government intervention.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the climate finance landscape in Ethiopia for the 2019/2020 period, highlighting a significant gap between committed investments and estimated needs, as well as a heavy reliance on international public grants.

This document is an annex to the 2022 Regional Assessment by the Forest Declaration Assessment, focusing on tracking progress toward forest goals in the Congo Basin. It details a monitoring framework consisting of 50 indicators across four themes—forest goals, sustainable production and development, forest financing, and forest governance—and provides a comparative summary of the laws, governing entities, and policies used to address deforestation in Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo.