Search Climate Insights Directory

A case study by the World Resources Institute detailing how the use of Global Forest Watch satellite-based alerts by 36 Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon led to a 52% reduction in deforestation during the first year of a randomized control trial.

This research paper from the Stockholm Environment Institute discusses the development of a post-2025 climate finance target, arguing that simply increasing the current USD 100 billion annual target without addressing systemic difficulties and ambiguities would be ineffective.

This scoping report by FSD Africa evaluates the feasibility of developing a green bond market within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). It identifies significant barriers, including underdeveloped regional financial markets, a lack of government-led climate initiatives, and limited stakeholder familiarity with international green bond standards. The report provides recommendations for capacity building, regulatory harmonization, and the identification of bankable green projects to attract both public and private investment for climate mitigation and adaptation.

The WAEMU Green Bond Scoping Report, published by FSD Africa in September 2022, evaluates the feasibility of developing a Green Bond market within the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The report identifies significant potential for sovereign and corporate issuance, particularly in energy, agriculture, and transportation, but highlights critical barriers including underdeveloped regional financial markets, a lack of government focus on climate-resilient regulatory frameworks, and limited technical capacity among stakeholders to meet international green standards. It recommends targeted capacity building, the development of harmonized regional guidelines, and the use of technical assistance and risk-transfer instruments to attract investors and build a pipeline of bankable green projects.

A statement from the Life after Coal Campaign (LAC) and Fair Finance Southern Africa (FFSA) addressed to the South African government and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) Secretariat. The document demands greater transparency, civil society inclusion, and strict conditions on climate finance to ensure a just transition that prioritizes community needs over corporate or fossil-fuel interests.

This report by the NewClimate Institute examines how the Global Stocktake (GST) can be used to assess progress on climate mitigation and adaptation across five countries, with a specific focus on aligning finance flows and international cooperation to meet Paris Agreement goals.

This guide by RMI examines the voluntary carbon market, detailing the six-stage lifecycle of a carbon credit and proposing three 'unlocks'—reducing development costs, differentiating supply, and increasing transparency—to address scarcity and widespread mistrust in the market.

The Green Guarantee Company (GGC) is a specialist guarantor designed to help public and private sector borrowers in emerging and frontier markets access long-term hard currency debt from global institutional investors for climate adaptation and mitigation projects. Managed by the Development Guarantee Group (DGG), the GGC provides full guarantees for bonds and loans of 5-20 years, aligned with the Climate Bond Standard (CBS), to mitigate sovereign and currency risks. The instrument includes a Technical Assistance (TA) facility to build issuer capabilities and market readiness. The GGC aims to catalyze approximately USD 10 billion in commercial term debt over its first decade, targeting sectors such as energy, transport, water, buildings, and waste, with an initial pilot phase in South Africa.

This report analyzes the potential for subnational pension funds to increase investments in climate-smart urban infrastructure. It defines subnational pension funds as those limiting membership by location (province, region, state, city) or occupation. The document identifies structural and external barriers to these investments, evaluates the landscape across seven countries, and proposes financial instruments and policy recommendations to mobilize this untapped capital for the climate transition.

The 'Landscape of Climate Finance in Africa' report by the Climate Policy Initiative provides a baseline assessment of climate finance flows into and within African countries for 2019 and 2020. It highlights a massive gap between the annual USD 277 billion required to implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the actual annual flows of USD 29.5 billion. The report analyzes the sources, instruments, and sectoral allocations of this finance, noting a heavy reliance on international public funding and a significant under-investment in adaptation and the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sectors compared to their needs.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), commissioned by FSD Africa, provides a comprehensive baseline of climate finance flows in Africa for 2019 and 2020. It highlights a massive financing gap, noting that annual flows of USD 29.5 billion meet only about 11% of the USD 277 billion needed annually to implement Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030. The analysis details the sources, instruments, and sectoral allocations of these funds, emphasizing the dominance of international public finance and the need for increased private sector engagement and better data tracking.

This research paper examines the governance of international public climate finance, arguing that structural differences between climate and development finance allow for alternative governance approaches that shift decision-making authority toward recipient countries.

This research paper describes a review of 24 financing strategies for adaptation in developing countries, conducted as part of a four-year project to scale up development finance. The authors analyze the diversity of these strategies—ranging from high-level support documents to detailed costing frameworks—and provide emerging insights and established good practices to help governments better secure and manage funding for climate adaptation.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the alignment between climate-related official development assistance (ODA), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of recipient countries.

This discussion paper by the African Climate Foundation examines the tension between utilizing Africa's significant natural gas resources for economic development and the risks posed by the global transition to low-carbon energy. It argues that while gas provides short-term revenue and energy security, long-term investments in gas infrastructure are increasingly risky due to falling renewable energy costs and international climate targets. The paper advocates for a shift toward renewable energy (RE) to support industrialization and electrification, provided that climate finance is scaled up.

This case study examines the process and impact of an economic assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation options in Uganda conducted between 2013 and 2015. The study, supported by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and owned by the Ministry of Water and Environment, aimed to provide monetary evidence of the 'cost of inaction' to influence high-level policy-makers and secure investment for climate adaptation.

This briefing by the Global Climate and Health Alliance outlines principles to ensure COP27 prioritizes African health and climate needs. It advocates for a transition where 'net zero' equates to 'zero poverty,' emphasizing the integration of health professionals into climate decision-making, the promotion of indigenous food systems over Western-style diets, and the urgent need for targeted finance and renewable energy access to build community resilience.

This submission to the UNFCCC First Global Stocktake, prepared by the World Health Organization and the Global Climate and Health Alliance, advocates for the systematic integration of public health and the healthcare sector into climate policymaking. It emphasizes that climate action can yield significant health co-benefits, while the healthcare sector itself is a major emitter that must transition to low-carbon, resilient systems.

The Capital Markets Impact Report by FSD Africa details the organization's efforts to develop African capital markets to address financing gaps in infrastructure, housing, and climate resilience. The report outlines FSD Africa's strategic shift toward five priority countries—Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Nigeria—while maintaining a regional footprint. It highlights the use of technical assistance, grants, and direct investments to foster green and gender bonds, improve regulatory frameworks, and enhance market infrastructure to reduce dependency on bank-dominated financial sectors.

This research paper examines the influence of political and technical factors on climate finance coordination in Kenya and Zambia, arguing that power dynamics and vested interests hinder coordination efforts.