Search Climate Insights Directory

The Institute for Economic Justice evaluates the draft South African Climate Change Bill against the 2022 IPCC WGII report. While the Bill aligns with IPCC definitions of adaptation and vulnerability and acknowledges the risks of extreme weather, the author finds it insufficient in several areas. Key gaps include the lack of a formal climate emergency declaration, missing definitions for 'resilience' and 'exposure', insufficient transparency and accountability mechanisms, and a lack of specific timeframes and responsible parties for implementation. The document argues that the Bill must better integrate socio-economic rights and traditional knowledge to effectively protect vulnerable groups, including women, youth, and rural communities.

The document defines the conceptual landscape of nature-based climate solutions, distinguishing between the broad umbrella of NbS and the adaptation-specific focus of EbA. It argues that for these measures to be legitimate and effective, they must be grounded in risk assessments and robust social and environmental safeguards to prevent rights violations and biodiversity loss. The text provides practical examples of EbA across various ecosystems and outlines a framework for future implementation based on gender responsiveness, social inclusion, and biodiversity benefits.

The document outlines the establishment of a working group to implement the 'Initiative for Conducting a National Climate Assessment in Support of Adaptation and Mitigation: Training and Capacity Building in Latin America and the Caribbean'. Supported by the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), AmeriGEO, and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), the initiative aims to strengthen climate risk assessments for local and regional decision-making. Current progress includes the formation of a working group with members from eight countries and the administration of a knowledge-level questionnaire with a 71% response rate. The next phase involves defining the program's scope and creating a work plan and timeline.

ClientEarth asserts that a proposed climate resolution at Credit Suisse is a legally appropriate use of shareholder rights under Swiss law, countering the bank's recommendation to vote against it. The resolution seeks to amend the articles of association to require annual reporting on progress toward the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement and plans to reduce fossil fuel asset exposure. ClientEarth argues that while the Board manages day-to-day affairs, shareholders can set the general framework via the articles of association, providing a binding legal requirement that exceeds the bank's non-binding promises in sustainability reports.

The report provides an update on the 'Initiative for conducting a national climate assessment in support of adaptation and mitigation: Training and capacity building in Latin America and the Caribbean', a project supported by USGCRP, AmeriGEO, and the IAI to strengthen climate risk assessments for local and regional decision-making.

This report provides an update on the 'Initiative for conducting a national climate assessment in support of adaptation and mitigation: Training and capacity development in Latin America and the Caribbean,' established by Decision XXIX/9 of the Conference of the Parties of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI).

The document provides a framework for financial institutions to assess whether a counterparty's transition plan is credible, emphasizing quantitative targets, whole-institution integration, and sustainability. It argues that financial institutions should move beyond risk assessment to 'double materiality'—considering a company's impact on the climate. The brief also addresses the need for capacity building in developing economies and the advocacy for global, standardized climate disclosure frameworks to reduce greenwashing and ensure a just transition.

The report evaluates the Biden Administration's efforts to prioritize climate security across four pillars: leadership, risk assessment, international partnerships, and resilience/prevention. While it notes significant progress in high-level leadership and the publication of risk analyses, it argues that the U.S. must move from planning to execution, specifically by increasing funding for resilient infrastructure, improving climate forecasting, and mainstreaming climate security within the State Department and military engagements.

The GCF is developing its own Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) to replace the interim IFC Performance Standards. The proposed framework expands from eight to ten standards, adding dedicated standards for Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure (ESS 9) and Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation (ESS 10). Key updates across all standards include a shift from a 'do-no-harm' to a 'do-good' approach, emphasizing the generation of positive co-benefits, the integration of circular economy principles, and a stronger focus on human rights, gender equality, and intersectionality. The document outlines specific structural and content changes for each standard, including new requirements for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosure, the use of a precautionary approach, and enhanced protections for Indigenous Peoples and vulnerable groups.

The document examines India's power sector financing between 2013 and 2019, noting that while utility-scale renewables dominate tracked commitments, continued investment in coal-fired power creates significant misalignment with Paris Agreement temperature goals. It highlights the risk of stranded assets in the thermal sector and proposes innovative financial mechanisms, such as green bonds and foreign exchange hedges, to accelerate the energy transition.

Reclaim Finance argues that the Bank of England's (BoE) strategy to decarbonize its corporate sector purchases scheme (CBPS) is insufficient. While the BoE has implemented a Paris-aligned phase-out of coal, the organization claims the framework contains loopholes for oil and gas developers, relies on a slow 'escalation ladder' for divestment, and excludes scope 3 emissions from its targets and scorecard. The document also references quantitative research suggesting the BoE's 'market neutrality' approach may prevent a substantive reduction in the portfolio's carbon intensity.

ClientEarth asserts that compliance with the NFRD is extremely poor and that national competent authorities (NCAs) are failing to enforce reporting obligations. The document highlights data showing significant gaps in climate-related disclosures among large European companies and argues that without immediate enforcement action, the transition to the CSRD will be hindered by a lack of supervisory experience and lost time.

The report compares the Green Development Guidance (GDG) and the Green Investment Principles (GIP), finding them highly compatible and complementary tools for reducing environmental risks and accelerating green finance in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). While the GIP is an industry-led voluntary initiative focusing on corporate governance and high-level principles for financial institutions, the GDG provides detailed project-level evaluation criteria, including a 'green light system' for project classification. The document recommends deeper information sharing, joint development of risk assessment tools, and enhanced communication between regulators and financial institutions to further align these frameworks.

The proposal seeks to address barriers to climate action in the Caribbean, including outdated policy frameworks and limited access to climate science. It aims to revise the Regional Framework's Implementation Plan, update the CARIWIG data portal, support the revision of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and develop four bankable project concept notes for the Green Climate Fund.

The document defines adaptation and resilience professionals as those integrating future climate conditions into their daily work, noting that such roles span for-profit, academic, government, and nonprofit sectors. It highlights a lack of standardized Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) codes for these roles, which complicates accurate counting, though it notes the U.S. adaptation and resilience industry was valued at $2.4 billion in 2019. The text categorizes the workforce into five roles—practitioner, service or tool provider, funder, policy maker, and advocate—and calls for updated Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) systems to better track this growing workforce.

The Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), launched by the Ethiopian government in 2005, provides cash or food transfers to over 8 million households to address chronic food insecurity and climate shocks. Integrated into the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy, the program's fifth phase (Phase V), initiated in November 2020 via the Strengthen Ethiopia’s Adaptive Safety Net Project (SEASN), is supported by a diverse funding pool including the World Bank, USAID, UK FCDO, and the Government of Ethiopia. The program utilizes public works, such as building terraced hill slopes, to enhance water retention and climate adaptation.

The Abu Rawash Wastewater Treatment Plant project, costing USD 390 million, is funded through a combination of Egyptian government public budget (USD 237 million) and concessional debt from development finance institutions (USD 150 million from AfDB and AGTF). The project aims to enhance adaptive capacity and water supply through infrastructure expansion and institutional support. The document highlights that accessing such concessional finance requires robust climate data, strong sovereign credit ratings, and a supportive policy environment, noting that Egypt is one of six African countries receiving the majority of DFI water adaptation finance.

The report argues that insurance is an underutilized tool for urban climate resilience, providing not only financial recovery but also risk awareness and incentives for mitigation. It details various insurance mechanisms—micro, meso, and macro—and the roles municipal governments can play as consumers, stewards, and conveners. The document highlights a significant 'protection gap,' noting that 76% of natural catastrophe losses were uninsured in 2020. Key barriers to scaling include a lack of technical capacity in city governments, behavioral biases among urban dwellers, and the difficulty of incorporating long-term climate projections into short-term insurance products. It recommends increased investment in risk assessment, the development of integrated resilience plans with the insurance sector, and the use of concessional finance from development finance institutions to support vulnerable cities.

Reclaim Finance argues that the NGFS's June 2021 climate scenarios are unrealistic and risky because they rely too heavily on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and fail to mandate an end to fossil fuel investments. The document warns that these scenarios, which are used by European and British regulators, could lead financial institutions to fund stranded assets and non-sustainable biomass, ultimately pushing global warming beyond 1.5°C. It calls for the NGFS to align with IEA recommendations by requiring an immediate stop to new coal, oil, and gas projects.

Reclaim Finance criticizes the NGFS's June 2021 climate scenarios for failing to provide realistic 1.5°C pathways. The organization argues that the scenarios rely too heavily on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and fail to mandate an end to fossil fuel investments, which could lead to stranded assets and global warming overshoot. Reclaim Finance recommends that the NGFS align its forecasts with an immediate end to new fossil fuel projects and adopt a precautionary approach to biomass and carbon dioxide removal.