Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper evaluates the outcomes of the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) regarding the intersection of climate and trade policy. The authors argue that while the conference was largely disappointing due to a lack of binding multilateral agreements and opposition from key members like India, there is still value in utilizing the WTO as a diplomatic forum to coordinate non-binding instruments and revitalize deliberative functions such as the Committee on Trade and Environment.

This report, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in March 2024, provides a comprehensive long-term energy planning framework for Colombia from 2022 to 2052. It outlines the evolution of National Energy Plans (PEN), analyzes the current public policy landscape, and models five distinct energy scenarios: Actualización, Modernización, Inflexión, Innovación, and Transición Energética. The document details the technical and economic assumptions for energy demand and supply across the residential, tertiary, industrial, and transport sectors, while evaluating the role of strategic minerals and the cost-benefit ratios of various energy efficiency and substitution measures.

This policy brief, produced by the South African Institute of International Affairs as part of the 'Youth and Social Justice Futures' project, advocates for the integration of Zambian youth into the nation's socio-economic development. Based on workshops using Futures Literacy Labs and the Three Horizon Framework, the document identifies critical gaps in youth employment, political representation, education, and technological access. It proposes four strategic priorities: increasing youth representation in civic and public institutions, enhancing climate-resilient agriculture through agri-tech, reforming education to prioritize practical skills and entrepreneurship, and ensuring equitable internet connectivity.

This report by FSD Africa evaluates the Africa Regulatory Support Programme (ARSP), which provided technical assistance to capital markets regulators across Africa from September 2018 to March 2023. The document outlines key lessons from interventions in eight countries and three regional blocs, emphasizing the need to balance international best practices with local context, the challenges of regulatory and market capacity, and the importance of sequencing and clustering interventions for maximum impact.

This training manual, developed by the Ministry of Planning and Development (MoPD) of Ethiopia with support from the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), provides a comprehensive guide for facilitators to integrate Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) into the design and implementation of national development and climate change initiatives. It outlines a structured eight-session training module covering basic GESI concepts, gender analysis tools, gender-responsive budgeting, and organizational transformation, with a specific focus on the intersection of gender and climate change resilience.

This report presents design recommendations from an Independent Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) for the development of a Sustainable Finance Taxonomy for Aotearoa New Zealand. The proposed framework aims to mobilise capital toward a low-emissions, Paris-aligned future while restoring nature and upholding indigenous rights, with a strong emphasis on interoperability with the Australian taxonomy and the integration of iwi/Māori knowledge.

The IAI Strategic Plan 2024-2030 outlines a framework to achieve scientific excellence and strengthen international cooperation regarding global environmental change in the Americas. The plan is organized around three strategic themes: addressing the needs of member Parties, developing science for sustainability, and ensuring the institutional sustainability of the IAI.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Strategic Plan 2024–2030 outlines a framework to address global environmental change in the Americas through three strategic themes: meeting the needs of Parties, developing science for sustainability, and ensuring the sustainability of the IAI.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) provides the scientific foundation and methodology for the "Time to Lead – science to accelerate the Global Goals" campaign. It synthesizes recommendations from five key scientific reports published between 2022 and 2023 to guide decision-makers in accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ahead of the September 2023 SDG Summit.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), managed by the USDA Farm Service Agency, pays agricultural producers to remove environmentally sensitive land from production to improve soil, water, and wildlife resources. The program has significant climate mitigation goals, with an estimated annual reduction of 12 million metric tons of CO2e as of April 2021. Enrollment is capped by the 2018 Farm Bill, reaching a limit of 27 million acres for FY 2023.

This research paper examines how implementing the actions in Zimbabwe's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) can simultaneously meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and achieve economic development goals, including improvements in public health, biodiversity, and energy security.

This report provides a technical comparison between the Colombian Green Taxonomy and the EU Taxonomy as of June 2023. It evaluates the alignment of Technical Screening Criteria (TSC), Do No Significant Harm (DNSH) principles, and Minimum Safeguards (MS) across various economic sectors to facilitate cross-border financial flows and reduce research costs for international investors.

This policy brief, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in March 2023, examines the role of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) in reducing poverty among smallholder farmers. Based on a 2021 study of 13 major agricultural standards, 12 meta-studies, and 57 interviews across six countries, the document argues that while VSS can support poverty reduction through improved crop prices and resource conservation, they are not a standalone solution and require supportive ecosystems, government intervention, and improved governance to be truly effective.

This briefing describes the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP), a USDA Forest Service initiative established in 2009 to fund science-based ecosystem restoration in priority forest landscapes to mitigate climate change and reduce wildfire risk.

This briefing by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) describes the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The program coordinates conservation activities with partners to address natural resource concerns on a regional or watershed scale, with a specific focus on implementing practices that mitigate climate change.

The Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network is a 3-year program supported by the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Led by the Stockholm Environment Institute - Asia Centre, the program aims to develop evidence-based solutions for water, energy, and development challenges in the Mekong Region to improve policy and practice for vulnerable and marginalized communities.

This policy brief examines climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts within ASEAN member states, specifically focusing on the agriculture, energy, and land-use, land-use change, and forestry sectors. It explores how international trade cooperation and trade-related policies can support these regional efforts and aims to provide a bottom-up, developing country perspective to counter the dominance of advanced economies in global trade and climate discussions at the WTO and other international settings.

The 2023 Mining Policy Framework (MPF), published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on behalf of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), provides a comprehensive set of international best practices for the governance of the mining sector. The framework is designed to help governments ensure that mining activities contribute to sustainable development across six key domains: laws and institutions, financial benefits, socio-economic benefits, environmental management, post-mining transition, and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).

This report presents the first research application of the AIIB – Amundi Climate Change Investment Framework (CCIF), a benchmark designed to assess investments against climate-related financial risks and opportunities based on the Paris Agreement. The research analyzes sectors, companies, and debt issuers, primarily focusing on corporates in EM Asia, to evaluate alignment with climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience, and low-carbon transition objectives.

The Kenya Green Bond Programme (2017-2021) aimed to accelerate the use of green bonds to finance climate mitigation and adaptation in Kenya. The project successfully mobilised GBP 64.95 million in private finance, supported three green finance transactions (including Kenya's first green bond), established regulatory guidelines and tax incentives, and trained over 20,000 bank employees and 16 verifiers.