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The report identifies nine key drivers—including energy cost savings, stakeholder demand, and smart building technology—that enable corporations to move beyond incremental sustainability gains toward higher energy performance and net-zero buildings.

The report evaluates the fiscal responses of six African nations to the COVID-19 pandemic through a climate lens, categorising policies as green, red (unfriendly), or grey (neutral). It finds that most stimulus packages were climate neutral, with Nigeria being the only country to implement an overall green package. In contrast, Uganda's response was deemed 'red' due to investments in carbon-intensive industrial parks, and South Africa's package was neutral despite its high emissions profile. The author argues that green spending is more effective for job creation than fossil fuel investments and recommends that African governments utilise Pigouvian taxes and green financing to achieve a sustainable economic recovery.

The document evaluates Nigeria's macroeconomic recovery strategies following the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing their compatibility with the nation's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. While the National Development Plan (NDP) and Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) include green initiatives—such as solar electrification and climate-smart agriculture—the author notes a lack of clear implementation tracking and a persistent reliance on oil-led growth. The brief recommends removing fossil fuel subsidies, expanding blended finance, and prioritizing gender-responsive climate-smart agriculture to ensure a sustainable green recovery.

South Africa has increased its climate ambition by lowering its 2030 emission target upper limit from 614 Mt CO2-eq to 420 Mt CO2-eq. While the country leads Africa in green finance and has established a carbon tax, implementation of climate strategies remains slow. The COVID-19 pandemic initially diverted focus toward immediate socioeconomic needs, but later spurred the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. Conversely, the Ukraine war has increased global demand for South African coal, potentially incentivizing a rollback of decarbonization. The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) provides critical financial support, but the transition is hindered by ongoing power shortages, reliance on new coal plants like Medupi and Kusile, and political sensitivity regarding job losses in the coal sector.

The report identifies significant cooling access gaps in Ghana, with 12.9 million people at high risk due to poverty and lack of electricity. It argues for a transition to sustainable cooling by integrating passive design, higher energy efficiency standards, and the phase-out of HFC refrigerants. Key focus areas include developing cold chains for agriculture and healthcare to reduce food loss and improve vaccine distribution, while addressing the urban heat island effect in cities like Accra and Kumasi.

The report outlines a strategic framework for Kenya to achieve sustainable cooling through the integration of cooling needs into national energy and climate policies, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and the National Climate Action Plan (NCAP). It proposes the creation of a cross-ministerial coordinating committee and the development of 'Cool Cities' through urban heat mitigation and green spaces. Key regulatory recommendations include updating the National Building Code for passive cooling and aligning Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) with United for Efficiency (U4E) model regulations by 2025. To support the agricultural and healthcare sectors, the document advocates for modernized cold chain infrastructure and the use of catalytic financing instruments like green bonds and blended finance to attract private investment.

The policy brief outlines a framework for Ghana to achieve sustainable cooling through the integration of cooling needs into national energy and climate plans, the establishment of a National Cooling Plan Committee, and the adoption of passive cooling and energy efficiency standards. It emphasizes the need for 'Cool Cities' initiatives in urban centers like Accra and Kumasi, the modernization of cold chains for agriculture and healthcare via renewable energy, and the use of innovative financing like green bonds to attract private investment.

The report assesses Kenya's cooling landscape, highlighting that 9.6 million people are at high risk due to lack of cooling access. It identifies critical needs in agriculture, where 40% of food is lost annually, and healthcare, where electricity gaps hinder vaccine cold chains. To mitigate these issues and align with the Energy Transition and Investment Plan (ETIP) 2023-2050, the document recommends eight policy interventions, including the adoption of passive cooling, stricter Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPs), and the phase-out of HFC refrigerants. It also proposes financial strategies such as green bonds and blended finance to overcome high upfront costs for sustainable cooling technologies.

The ICCAP project (2024-2029) seeks to enhance resilience in Asia-Pacific by scaling green financial products for rural smallholders and marginalised groups. It focuses on policy analysis, capacity building for financial service providers, and the creation of a Regional Adaptation Investment Facility (RAIF) to mobilise private capital. The project targets 14,000 direct beneficiaries across Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal, and Fiji, with a goal of catalysing 250 million EUR for climate adaptation.

The document warns that post-pandemic recovery efforts risk entrenching carbon-intensive pathways through technological, political, and societal lock-in if governments prioritize a return to the pre-pandemic status quo. It identifies a narrow window of opportunity in 2020 to align economic stimulus with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve a sustainable transition, the authors propose five policy levers: conditional bailouts, environmental tax reform, green public procurement and finance, expanded social welfare, and just transition measures to support workers. The briefing highlights that while some regions like South Korea and the EU are pursuing green recovery plans, others, such as the US and China, are implementing measures that may reinforce fossil fuel dependency.

Nigeria's Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) establishes a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060. The strategy analyzes four decarbonization scenarios—Business As Usual (BAU), Current Policy Scenario (CPS), Gas Economy Scenario (GES), and Renewable Energy Scenario (RES)—concluding that the RES, supported by international aid (RES+), offers the most promising balance of low emissions and economic growth. The report details sectoral mitigation measures for power, AFOLU, industry, transport, and waste, alongside a comprehensive adaptation framework to protect the economy, particularly the agriculture sector, from climate-induced GDP losses. Implementation relies on policy, financial, and technological innovations, including carbon pricing and the establishment of a National Climate Change Fund.

The Strategic Collaborative Fund Phase 2 (SCF2), implemented by SEI Asia and funded by Sida, operated from 2018 to 2023 to advance the 2030 Agenda in Asia. The programme focused on four components: inter-regional cooperation (ASEAN, China, and Europe), regional cooperation in Asia on transboundary issues, learning and capacity development via MOOCs, and programme management. Key achievements include the support of the China-ASEAN Environment Cooperation Forum and the Asia-Europe Environment Forum, the development of courses on human rights and gender equality, and the promotion of inclusive climate finance and nature-based solutions in South and Southeast Asian cities.

The policy brief argues that Colombia's current climate-financial governance is limited to acute physical risks and the redirection of capital, leaving a gap in the management of chronic physical and transition risks. It proposes a roadmap based on the Helsinki Principles and international best practices from countries like China and Chile to integrate climate risks into the mandates of the Ministry of Finance and Credit and the Financial Superintendence of Colombia. The proposed roadmap consists of four components: institutional coordination, climate risk management, financial instruments and markets, and monitoring mechanisms.

The document argues that Colombia's forestry sector, despite its resilience to COVID-19, faces systemic challenges including high informality, lack of unified institutional vision, and inadequate financing. It highlights that 42% of produced timber is estimated to be illegal and that deforestation persisted during the pandemic, with over 75,000 hectares lost in the Colombian Amazon in early 2020. The brief recommends strengthening the Forest Monitoring and Carbon System (SMByC), creating a national forestry observatory, reforming the Forest Incentive Certificate (CIF), and promoting community forestry concessions to integrate small producers into the formal economy and meet 2030 GDP targets for the forestry economy.

The document examines the risk of 'stranded assets'—assets that lose economic value before the end of their useful life—driven by climate regulations and the global transition to low-carbon economies. It highlights that Latin America, despite low emissions, holds significant fossil fuel reserves that may become unexploitable to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target. For Colombia, the risk is acute due to a high economic dependence on oil, gas, and coal exports. The report provides a qualitative framework for investors to identify these risks and points toward renewable energy, specifically solar photovoltaics and wind, as profitable alternatives.

The document identifies six pathways to scale up the inclusion of ecosystem values in decision-making: mainstreaming values in national economic accounts, improving ecosystem assessments, investing in natural infrastructure, reducing risk in the food and beverage sector, using financial tools like bonds for agricultural landscapes, and using communication tools for community resilience. It argues that current efforts to value ecosystem services—such as pollination and climate regulation—are insufficient to stop ecosystem degradation because these assets are often managed for short-term gain.

The document examines the role of local financial institutions (LFIs) in East Africa in financing the productive use of renewable energy (PURE), particularly for SMEs and the agricultural sector. While there is strong interest in expanding PURE lending, LFIs face constraints such as limited staff capacity, credit risks, and insufficient funding. The paper suggests that 17 surveyed LFIs require $174 million to expand their lending and recommends a shift toward more direct lending from balance sheets, the use of green bonds, and collaboration with development partners for de-risking instruments.

The document details mechanisms for raising public finance for climate action, focusing on the roles of international funding, debt instruments, and national vehicles. It examines the benefits and challenges of international public finance, the growth of the climate bond market, the utility of debt-for-climate swaps in reducing debt burdens, and the operational structure of national climate funds. The guide provides specific examples of these instruments in practice across various developing and middle-income countries.

The document outlines the urgent need for increased financial flows to meet Paris Agreement goals, noting that global mitigation investments must increase by a factor of 36 by 2030 to limit warming to 2°C. It identifies a three-stage process for financing NDCs—planning, implementation, and monitoring—and suggests that governments utilize a mix of financial, fiscal, and policy instruments to mobilize both public and private finance. The report highlights that developing countries face significant gaps, with reported financial needs reaching $4.3 trillion, far exceeding existing pledges.

The report argues that combining natural systems—such as forests, wetlands, and mangroves—with built infrastructure can lower costs and increase resilience against climate change. It provides a technical, social, and economic framework for project appraisal and highlights the need for enabling policies and innovative financing to mainstream these 'next generation' infrastructure solutions.