Search Climate Insights Directory

The AES Corporation partnered with the World Resources Institute and CARE to fund a reforestation project in Guatemala to offset carbon dioxide emissions from its Thames power plant. The project aimed to plant 52 million trees over ten years to sequester 19 million tons of carbon, leveraging a $2 million AES grant into $14.5 million of total funding. While the initiative received mixed press and investor reactions, it aligned with the company's corporate value of social responsibility. Subsequently, AES established a Sustainability Task Force in 1991, which concluded that the company should hedge its portfolio by developing natural gas projects alongside coal to address long-term economic and environmental sustainability.

The paper asserts that most global warming can be abated at negative net cost by replacing inefficient resource use with advanced technologies in energy, farming, and forestry. It details specific potentials for saving electricity and oil, argues for a 'best buys first' investment strategy to avoid opportunity costs, and proposes market-based implementation techniques such as 'feebates' and 'negawatts'. The authors emphasize that these measures support global equity and development, particularly in the USSR and developing nations, while providing significant co-benefits in environmental protection and security.

The document details community-based adaptation strategies in Senegal across three sectors. In Daga Birame, a 'climate-smart village' model utilizes climate forecasts, photovoltaic-powered boreholes, and assisted natural regeneration to increase agricultural yields. In the island communities of Dionewar, the 'Epis Maltais Savard' system of stakes and palm fronds has gained 2.6 metres of beach to combat coastal erosion. In Widou Thiengoly, adaptation focuses on heatwave resilience through early warning systems, Nubian vault construction for heat protection, and reforestation supported by the Great Green Wall Agency. All three initiatives align with Senegal's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) but face common challenges including insufficient financing and limited technical capacity.

The document outlines the link between biodiversity and population health, positioning urban forests as a municipal tool to mitigate the 'triple planetary crisis' of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It highlights the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Canada's amended Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) as policy drivers. Evidence is provided on the physical, mental, and social health benefits of urban trees, with specific advantages for children, seniors, and pregnant women. The briefing concludes with seven policy recommendations for municipal governments, including the adoption of Urban Forest Management Plans and equity-focused planting strategies.

The Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) allocates $12.1 billion toward carbon management, representing the largest single investment in the sector since 1997. The funding is distributed across four primary areas: carbon capture, utilization & storage (CCUS) research, development, and demonstration (RD&D); carbon transport and storage infrastructure and permitting; carbon utilization market development; and carbon removal priorities. Key allocations include $3.5 billion for four regional direct air capture (DAC) hubs and $2.5 billion for the CO2 Storage Commercialization Program. The document notes that IIJA provides the necessary RD&D and infrastructure, while the proposed Build Back Better Act (BBBA) was intended to provide the market incentives via 45Q tax credit enhancements.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is working to advance the understanding of how forests mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration and other mechanisms, such as reducing urban heat and oxidizing methane. The program emphasizes sustainable forest management and provides specific guidance on the use of woody biomass in the northeastern US to reduce greenhouse gases over a 20-30 year horizon.

The document details the regulatory framework of the EPA's Underground Injection Control (UIC) program, specifically Class VI wells used for carbon capture and storage (CCS). It outlines stringent requirements for site characterization, construction, monitoring, and financial responsibility to protect underground sources of drinking water. As of December 2023, 12 Class VI wells have been permitted in the U.S., with 178 additional applications submitted. The text emphasizes the need for increased funding and state primacy to alleviate permitting bottlenecks and support the rapid expansion of the CCS market driven by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The document outlines a collaborative journalism initiative focused on the climate emergency, providing a list of republishable stories, social media strategies, and guidelines for partner outlets.

The document identifies five high-priority mitigation options for Pakistan's forestry sector: community-based forest management, preservation of conifer forest land, agroforestry practices, commercial plantations, and reforestation of degraded land. These options are characterized by low marginal abatement costs (mostly <$25/Tonne CO2e) and the potential to reduce emissions by a total of 21.7 MtCO2e by 2030. The sector faces significant challenges, including a net loss of over one million hectares of forest between 1990 and 2015, an entrenched illegal timber trade, and a lack of a national carbon monitoring system.

This document is a Pollution Prevention Plan submitted by ArcelorMittal South Africa Limited (AMSA) to the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs on 21 December 2017. The plan covers the period from 21 July 2017 to 31 December 2020 and outlines AMSA's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and potential mitigation measures in accordance with regulations promulgated on 21 July 2017.

The report details a bottom-up integrated model developed in Analytica to project greenhouse gas emissions in South Africa to 2050. It incorporates a Mitigation Potential Analysis (MPA), GHG emission pathways, and a socio-economic model linked via a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). The model assesses various sectors—including energy, industry, transport, waste, and AFOLU—applying specific mitigation measures and policies such as the Carbon Tax Act of 2019 and the IRP 2023. It provides a framework for evaluating the socio-economic impacts of decarbonisation pathways on employment, output, and household consumption across different income deciles.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) asserts that trade liberalization in forest products, specifically through WTO tariff reductions and APEC non-tariff measure reviews, can intensify forest loss, degradation, and the introduction of alien species. CIEL argues that current international and national forest protection frameworks are inadequate to ensure sustainable trade. The document criticizes the USTR/CEQ review process as inadequate in duration and scope, urging the U.S. government to adopt formal environmental assessment procedures based on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to promote forest protection measures in tandem with trade liberalization.

The document examines the rapid scaling of offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS), highlighting that at least 38 new proposals worldwide aim to store over 165 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030. It argues that the technology is unproven, citing issues with Norway's flagship projects, and warns of severe risks including groundwater contamination, induced earthquakes, and CO2 leaks. A primary concern is the use of legacy oil and gas wellbores in areas like the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea, which provide pathways for leakage. The brief further contends that offshore CCS relies on leak-prone infrastructure, creates monitoring challenges for regulators, and threatens marine ecosystems through acidification. Economically, it asserts that these projects depend on public subsidies, diverting funds from renewable energy. Finally, it claims CCS fails to deliver promised emissions reductions and often facilitates enhanced oil recovery (EOR), thereby prolonging fossil fuel reliance.

The report uses a case study of Costa Rica's JI pilot projects to identify challenges in quantifying and verifying carbon sequestration, such as baselines and leakage. It argues that the CDM must integrate strong environmental and social safeguards, including public participation and benefit-sharing with local communities, to ensure sustainable development. The author proposes a phased evolution for the CDM, moving from project-specific credits to national baselines, and suggests limiting the use of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) to 1% of Annex I Parties' assigned amounts initially to prioritize domestic reductions.

The guide provides a comprehensive analysis of the legal frameworks governing the trade of tangible and intangible biodiversity assets in the Andean Region. It examines the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Andean Community (CAN) Decision 391 regarding genetic resources, the CITES convention for endangered species, and WTO agreements (Agriculture, SPS, TBT, and GATS) for agricultural and intermediate products. It also addresses the protection of traditional knowledge, intellectual property rights, and the opportunities for Andean countries to participate in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol to mitigate climate change.

The policy brief outlines key principles for land-use mitigation, warning against using carbon sequestration to offset fossil fuel emissions and emphasizing the protection of food security and indigenous rights. It critiques current Kyoto Protocol LULUCF accounting as overly complex and prone to loopholes, recommending separate targets for industrial and land-use emissions due to the temporary nature of terrestrial carbon pools. The document advocates for policy-based measures, improved forest governance, and a focus on methane and nitrous oxide in agriculture to achieve permanent emission reductions.

The document advocates for a land-use framework in the post-2020 climate agreement based on four principles: rights, ambition, equity, and biodiversity. It warns that treating terrestrial carbon sequestration as fungible with fossil fuel emissions undermines climate ambition and risks human rights violations. The authors recommend separate targets for industrial and land-based emissions, the protection of tenure rights for indigenous peoples and local communities, and a per capita allocation of agricultural emissions to ensure global food security.

The report details how plastic production and incineration contribute significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions across four lifecycle stages: extraction and transport, refining and manufacture, waste management, and environmental degradation. It warns that by 2050, cumulative emissions from plastic could consume 10-13% of the remaining carbon budget, potentially making the 1.5°C climate target impossible to achieve. The document advocates for an immediate reduction in plastic production and the cessation of new petrochemical infrastructure to mitigate these impacts.

The document outlines the Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme to align livestock investments with the 1.5ºC global warming limit. It details a three-step process for certification—pre-issuance, issuance, and post-issuance—and defines eligible livestock projects across three routes: whole production units, on-farm interventions, and off-farm activities. The guide emphasizes the potential for green bonds to decarbonize the Brazilian livestock sector, which is one of the world's largest producers of beef, pork, and poultry.

The Agrifood Transition Plan Assessment Framework establishes a methodology for evaluating corporate transition strategies in the agrifood sector. It categorizes companies into 'committed' (early) and 'advanced' phases based on the maturity of their transition plans. The framework emphasizes a holistic approach that integrates greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction—specifically targeting methane and nitrous oxide—with nature-based goals such as eliminating deforestation and land conversion. It provides detailed requirements for Paris-aligned targets, action plans for producers and downstream actors, and accountability metrics, while aligning with international disclosure standards like TCFD, TNFD, and ICMA.