Search Climate Insights Directory

This guide, a joint initiative by the Holy See and the Stockholm Environment Institute, synthesizes current data on the ecological crisis to stimulate action and debate. Inspired by Pope Francis's encyclical Laudato si’, it addresses the interconnectedness of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and social injustice, calling for a fundamental transformation of economic and social systems.

The report "Building Back Greener In the Post-COVID-19 Era" by the Green Economy Coalition argues that the global economic response to COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and the climate crisis must move beyond short-term stabilization toward systemic structural reform. It advocates for an "Inclusive Green Recovery" that integrates social protection with environmental restoration to build long-term resilience.

This report by the Global Center on Adaptation and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network documents 19 locally led adaptation (LLA) initiatives globally. It emphasizes the importance of devolving decision-making to the lowest appropriate level, addressing structural inequalities (particularly for women and Indigenous Peoples), and providing patient, predictable funding. The document highlights how communities use ecosystem restoration, circular economy practices, and intergenerational collaboration to build resilience, while calling for a shift in climate finance to better support holistic, community-defined priorities.

The 2023 Water Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape identifies significant investment opportunities in South Africa's public wastewater infrastructure, specifically focusing on metropolitan municipalities. The report highlights a critical state of existing infrastructure, the potential for circular economy solutions through sludge beneficiation, and the need for energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions to combat rising costs and energy insecurity.

This 2023 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute, conducted by the Estonian Academy of Arts and partners, explores practical solutions for recycling textile waste in Estonia. It maps textile waste volumes, tests mechanical recycling processes, and develops new materials (yarns and non-woven composites) and products (knitwear and small furniture) to support a circular textile system.

This policy brief by Transforma explores the potential for green jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as a driver for a just transition and community resilience. Based on 2023 community projects in Colombia, Chile, and Mexico, the document analyzes the challenges of labor informality and provides sector-specific opportunities and policy recommendations to formalize sustainable employment.

This report by WWF South Africa assesses the socio-economic and environmental impacts of banning and phasing out 10 high-risk plastic products in South Africa. Using a dynamic input-output model, the study compares a business-as-usual baseline against two scenarios: an immediate ban of four products by 2025 and a phased withdrawal of six products by 2030. The findings suggest that while plastic production jobs would decrease, overall GDP and employment would expand, and significant costs associated with environmental externalities would be saved.

This report analyzes household waste practices in Bangkok, finding that 75% of waste is thrown out as trash despite high reported attitudes in favor of sorting. Organic waste is the largest component (83% of total weight) and the most difficult to manage. The study highlights the critical role of informal waste workers and economic incentives in driving recycling, while recommending that the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority prioritize organic waste and integrate informal workers into holistic waste management models.

This policy brief provides an overview of the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution, a member-led initiative launched in November 2020 to foster trade cooperation to reduce plastic pollution. It details the Dialogue's evolution, its three primary workstreams—crosscutting issues, promoting trade to tackle pollution, and circularity/reduction—and explores various policy options for international cooperation within the WTO framework, while emphasizing complementarity with other global efforts like the UNEA negotiations for a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

This research paper details a social impact assessment of the circular economy (CE) transition in Umeå, Sweden, examining potential negative consequences across seven social impact categories, specifically focusing on employment, access to services, and participation.

This research paper assesses the environmental and societal impacts of three urine concentration technologies—alkaline dehydration, nitrification-distillation, and ion-exchange with struvite precipitation—within a planned residential area in Malmö, Sweden, to provide guidance for scaling up nutrient recovery for a circular economy.

This report examines the role of international finance institutions (IFIs) in supporting the transition to low-carbon steel production, particularly in emerging and developing economies. It finds that IFIs have historically had limited exposure to the steel sector and are only in the early stages of developing green industrial strategies. However, the report argues that IFIs can accelerate the transition by de-risking first movers, supporting the development of green hydrogen and circular economy strategies, and creating demand for green steel through sustainable procurement in infrastructure projects.

This research paper evaluates the environmental and economic impacts of two dredged sediment management scenarios—landfilling and soil conditioning—in Malmfjärd Bay, Sweden, as part of the EU LIFE SURE project.

This research paper introduces a framework for assessing the societal impacts of resource recovery from urban organic waste streams at a city scale, which was tested using a case study in Naivasha, Kenya.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the governance of the circular economy (CE) in urban settings. It identifies key barriers to implementation—such as administrative silos and a lack of holistic data—and provides four strategic recommendations for urban policymakers to accelerate the transition toward resource-efficient and resilient urban systems.

This policy brief by RMI provides recommendations for municipalities to increase material circularity in the buildings sector to reduce embodied greenhouse gas emissions. It focuses on two primary objectives: incentivizing the direct reuse of building structures and materials, and increasing the diversion of construction and demolition (C&D) waste from landfills to be used as recycled content in new manufacturing.

The Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS) highlights that international trade in plastics exceeds USD 1 trillion, with significant 'hidden' trade flows (est. 70 million MT/year) omitted from statistics. While over 140 WTO-notified measures have been used to tackle pollution, TESS argues these are uncoordinated. They call for a global treaty to end trade in hazardous plastic waste, promote sustainable substitutes, and synchronize efforts across the WTO, OECD, and the Basel Convention.

This position paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues for comprehensive, binding EU legislation to reduce microplastic pollution. It emphasizes upstream prevention, the reduction of virgin plastic production, and sector-specific mandatory measures over voluntary agreements to protect human health and the environment.

This policy brief, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in June 2022, analyzes the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the global construction and buildings value chain. It emphasizes that decisions made during the early stages of planning and finance heavily dictate the sustainability outcomes of the entire chain. The document advocates for a multi-stakeholder approach involving regulations, green public procurement, and urban planning to transition toward net-zero emissions and higher material efficiency.

This executive summary, published by the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, analyzes how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can be leveraged to support Africa's green transition. It argues that while the AfCFTA agreement contains minimal environmental references, it can be adjusted to eliminate trade barriers for environmental goods and services. The document emphasizes the need for a phased decarbonization approach for fossil-fuel-dependent nations and recommends that development partners increase climate financing and align initiatives like the European Green Deal with African realities to avoid duplicating existing continental climate strategies.