Search Climate Insights Directory

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.

The report examines the bioeconomy in Brazil and the Amazon through three conceptual lenses: biotechnology, bioresources, and bioecology. It finds that while Brazil possesses a broad set of regulations covering these areas, it lacks a unified national strategy and coordinated governance. The analysis highlights that the 'various Amazons'—conserved, deforested, under pressure, and urban—require different bioeconomy approaches. Key regulatory tensions exist within the Biodiversity Law, which is viewed as too bureaucratic by the biotechnology sector and insufficient in protecting traditional knowledge by bioecology advocates. The report concludes that effective governance must integrate multiple ministries and prioritize land tenure regularization to ensure sustainability and legal security.

Natural Justice and the Biodiversity Law Centre express strong support for the Draft White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa’s Biodiversity 2022. They commend the document for moving away from colonial and apartheid-era conservation models toward a vision of 'Living in Harmony with Nature' that integrates human well-being, animal welfare, and the intrinsic value of nature. The organizations highlight the need to address the lack of transformation in the biodiversity sector and the ongoing threats of habitat loss and invasive species in South Africa.

The voluntary carbon market, valued at $2 billion in 2021, faces significant challenges regarding trust and scarcity relative to global climate needs. RMI proposes three solutions to scale high-quality credits: reducing project development time and costs through upfront capital and technology, differentiating the credit supply via ratings and quality standards, and establishing a transparent data platform to ensure integrity.

The report provides a comprehensive strategic and programmatic framework for the Tupiza River Basin, focusing on improving water security, sanitation, and climate resilience. It identifies critical vulnerabilities, including mining-related water contamination, inadequate sanitation in rural areas, and high susceptibility to floods and frosts. The plan proposes specific infrastructure investments—such as rainwater harvesting tanks, deep wells, and decentralized wastewater treatment plants—alongside gender-focused empowerment programs and sustainable mining management to mitigate environmental degradation.

The report highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon—defined as the partial loss of vegetation—is a critical but neglected threat to climate goals. It asserts that degradation often exceeds deforestation in terms of annual area affected and carbon emissions, driven by selective logging, forest fires, and the edge effects of deforestation. The author argues that Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor this phenomenon but fails to include it in official environmental performance metrics or greenhouse gas inventories. The document calls for Brazil to integrate degradation measures into its policies and international reporting to reclaim a global leadership role in climate action.

The document critiques the draft National Land Policy of Mozambique for its limited scope, lack of clarity on land tenure, and failure to integrate climate change strategies and human rights protections. It advocates for the adoption of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), stronger protections for customary land rights, and a coordinated inter-sectoral approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the oil and gas industry. The authors emphasize the need for gender equality in land access and the establishment of clear mechanisms to combat corruption and land grabbing.

The document outlines a proposed constitutional framework for Chile that integrates ecological principles with human rights. It highlights specific articles that establish the rights of nature, the right to a healthy environment, and the state's obligation to mitigate climate risks. Additionally, it details the proposed creation of a National Water Agency and a Nature Defender's office to ensure sustainable resource management and environmental justice.

FSD Africa's Capital Markets team works to address financing gaps in Africa by developing enabling policies, market infrastructure, and innovative financial products. The report highlights the mobilization of approximately GBP 320 million through bond issuances, including pioneering green and gender bonds in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco. It details the Africa Regulatory Support Programme (ARSP) and the African Local Currency Bond Fund (ALCB Fund) as key mechanisms for reducing currency risk and increasing private sector investment. Moving forward, FSD Africa is concentrating its efforts on five priority countries—Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria—with a strong emphasis on green capital markets and natural capital finance.

The document outlines how corruption—defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain—can sabotage conservation projects. It analyzes three specific intervention types: Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES), carbon offset co-benefits, and benefit-sharing in Protected Areas (PA) and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM). For each, it identifies systemic risks such as elite capture, data manipulation, and the misappropriation of funds, while proposing responses including participatory planning, independent monitoring, and the establishment of grievance mechanisms.

The document outlines how corruption can sabotage conservation efforts by creating opportunities for illicit private gain. It provides a framework for addressing these risks across three main intervention types: payments for ecosystem services (PES), carbon offsets, and protected areas/Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM). For each, it identifies specific corruption risks—such as elite capture, data manipulation, and the undermining of land rights—and suggests corresponding anti-corruption responses, including participatory mechanisms, transparency requirements, and independent accountability systems.

The document examines the vulnerability of community-based conservation (CBC) to corruption, specifically highlighting risks in land tenure, administrative processes, and revenue sharing. It argues that power imbalances and insecure resource rights enable elite capture and bribery, which can lead to resource overexploitation and project failure. To counter this, the author recommends strengthening institutional capacities, implementing social accountability tools, and ensuring inclusive definitions of 'community' to protect marginalized groups.

The document highlights the interconnectedness of nature, society, and the economy, using the devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal as a catalyst for discussing climate risks. It outlines South Africa's efforts to transition from fossil fuels via a US$8.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership and its progress in expanding protected land and marine areas. The text emphasizes the role of innovative financing, such as the World Bank's US$150 million "Rhino Bond," and nature-based solutions in achieving sustainable development. Finally, it situates these efforts within global frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, as well as regional initiatives like the African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan.

The document examines four critical legal uncertainties hindering the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code: the conflict between the Forest Code and the Atlantic Forest Law, the temporal benchmarks for Legal Reserve requirements under Article 68, the validity of revising previous environmental commitment terms, and the contradictory criteria for Environmental Reserve Quotas (CRA). These controversies create a state of permanent legal insecurity, leading to the suspension of CAR validations in states like Paraná and Santa Catarina, and a reliance on bureaucratic donation mechanisms for Legal Reserve compensation due to the lack of a functional CRA market.

The document argues that the traditional separation of nature and culture limits how landscapes are managed and monitored, hindering the achievement of global biodiversity and well-being targets. It advocates for a multifunctional approach to reconcile social equity with environmental goals and improve adaptation to climate change.

The project aims to address the degradation of coastal marine ecosystems in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Old Providence, and Santa Catalina caused by unplanned mass tourism. It focuses on strengthening institutional capacities, generating reliable data on tourism impacts, and supporting small-scale local tourism businesses to adopt sustainable, biodiversity-friendly models. The intervention includes developing a Sustainable Tourism Plan, conducting carrying capacity assessments, and implementing monitoring programs for critical ecosystems and sensitive species.

The document proposes 'multifunctionality'—the simultaneous provision of multiple functions across natural and human traits—as a systemic approach to climate adaptation. It identifies roadblocks in current nature-based solutions (NbS), such as a lack of awareness regarding power relations, insufficient data on co-benefits and costs, and financing gaps. The authors advocate for 'hybrid solutions' that combine green, blue, and grey infrastructure and outline four leverage realms for action: defining beneficiaries, designing for interoperability, monitoring across scales, and governing for connectivity and justice.

The document examines the role of Indigenous Peoples as stewards of 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity and their historical struggle for recognition within the United Nations and multilateral environmental agreements. It highlights the tension between Western commodified views of nature and Indigenous holistic perspectives, noting that while instruments like the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol have made strides in recognizing traditional knowledge, climate frameworks like the UNFCCC and initiatives like REDD+ continue to marginalize Indigenous voices and rights. The brief concludes that achieving global sustainability requires moving beyond tokenism to respect Indigenous self-determination and leadership.

The proposal seeks USD 399,901 over 24 months to address climate vulnerabilities in Argentina's Patagonian grasslands, which cover 750,000 km2 and support 200,000 rural inhabitants. The project aims to minimize the vulnerability of rural groups—specifically women-led households, Mapuche and Tehuelche indigenous peoples, and subsistence producers—by promoting regenerative livestock and wildlife management to reverse desertification and increase carbon sequestration. Key activities include conducting socio-economic and climate risk assessments for 10 selected vulnerable groups, creating a low-emission production strategy, and developing a formal GCF concept note to unlock larger-scale climate financing. The project will be implemented by the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) with technical support from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MinCyT) and the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA).

The report evaluates the economic value of the Seal River Watershed, a pristine region in Northern Manitoba. It finds that the watershed provides at least CAD 214 million in annual ecosystem goods and services. The document argues that protecting such intact regions is critical for global biodiversity and climate goals, highlighting efforts to establish the area as an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) led by the Sayisi Dene First Nation.