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This guide from the Climate Policy Initiative defines carbon finance as the policies, instruments, and markets used to reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions through pricing or trading systems, including carbon taxes, credits, and border adjustments.

This report by the African Center for Economic Transformation evaluates the sustainability of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in Ghana. It finds that after 25 years, the EPZ model has failed to meet many of its original objectives and lacks integration with broader industrial policies, environmental standards, and anti-corruption measures. The report recommends a comprehensive policy overhaul, increased private sector involvement in infrastructure, and the adoption of climate-friendly investment strategies.

The report 'Killed by Breathing' analyzes the global crisis of cooking poverty, where 3.83 billion people in 71 countries rely on solid fuels and low-quality stoves. It argues that the current 'clean cooking' sector is not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) due to fragmented governance, insufficient funding, and a lack of focus on end-user behavior. The authors propose a shift toward the term 'cooking poverty' to reflect the scale of the problem and recommend integrating cooking solutions into existing electrification infrastructure to leverage its finance and technical support systems.

This research paper examines how carbon finance, specifically through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and voluntary markets, influences the scale-up and market transformation of improved cookstove projects in Kenya.

This research paper examines the challenges of implementing the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for household energy projects in low-income areas of South Africa, specifically evaluating the potential of Programmes of Activities (PoA) to overcome the limitations of single-site project approaches.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the role of carbon finance in scaling up improved cookstove projects in India and Kenya. Based on a review of 75 project design documents and 49 stakeholder interviews, the study explores how carbon revenues are used to overcome barriers to adoption and implementation, while highlighting the risks associated with relying on volatile carbon markets.

This research paper examines the methodological challenges in quantifying greenhouse gas emission reductions from cookstove projects, specifically focusing on biomass fuel consumption, the fraction of non-renewable biomass, and emission factors.

This research synthesis brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) outlines strategies for transitioning biomass-dependent energy economies toward cleaner cooking stoves and fuels. It emphasizes the need for market transformation over isolated project installations, advocating for user-centered design and a deeper understanding of the social, cultural, and economic drivers of household energy decisions.

This research paper examines the use of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Programmes of Activities (PoA) to scale up energy access projects for low-income households in South Africa, highlighting the necessity of supportive institutional frameworks and stakeholder coordination.

This report surveys the diverse methodologies used to calculate and report 'leverage ratios' in climate finance, highlighting the lack of a universal definition. It examines how various institutions—including the World Bank, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF)—measure the ability of public funds to catalyze private and other public investments, and proposes a more rigorous framework for assessing financial effectiveness.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the application of CDM Methodology ACM0013 for coal power projects, arguing that systemic flaws in the methodology and its application lead to significant over-crediting of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) and a failure to ensure project additionality.

This 2009 research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute maps the climate change finance portfolios of five institutions: three bilateral finance institutions (AFD, KfW, and JICA) and two multilateral institutions (EIB and NEFCO). The report analyzes the scale, regional and sectoral distribution, and financial instruments used for climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, while identifying barriers to effectiveness and opportunities for future coordination among bilateral finance institutions (BFIs).

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative defines carbon finance and details the various instruments, markets, and regulatory frameworks used to price greenhouse gas emissions to incentivize reductions and fund climate mitigation.

This research paper evaluates the extent to which Readiness Plan Idea Notes (R-PINs) approved by the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) address forest governance issues to identify gaps for future readiness programs.