Search Climate Insights Directory

This Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) assessment evaluates the economic, social, and environmental performance of nature-based solutions (NbS) implemented under the SUNCASA project in Kigali, focusing on cost-benefit analysis and climate resilience.

The Nature-Based Infrastructure Global Resource Centre conducted a cost-benefit analysis of nature-based infrastructure (NBI) for waterway rehabilitation in Cape Town, South Africa, specifically within the Diep/Sand River and Zeekoe catchments. The analysis demonstrates that NBI interventions—such as creating retention ponds, extending wetlands, and removing invasive species—provide significant economic returns, reduce long-term maintenance costs compared to grey infrastructure, and increase urban resilience against climate-driven flooding.

This research paper introduces the Adaptation Triple Dividend of Resilience (AdapTDR) database, evaluating 320 adaptation investments across 12 countries to demonstrate that climate adaptation yields high economic, social, and environmental returns beyond simple loss avoidance.

This methodology report describes the development and piloting of an integrated cost-benefit analysis model designed to estimate the direct and indirect benefits of nature-based solutions (NbS) for enhancing road resilience against natural hazards in Indonesia.

This methodology report describes the development and piloting of an integrated cost-benefit analysis (CBA) model designed to estimate the direct and indirect benefits of nature-based infrastructure (NBI)—such as conservation and reforestation—for road resilience in Indonesia. The model expands traditional CBA by incorporating 'non-road' benefits, including socio-economic and environmental externalities, to provide a more holistic view of the value of investing in climate-resilient infrastructure.

This report by the Nature-Based Infrastructure Global Resource Centre evaluates the cost-benefit ratio of implementing nature-based infrastructure (NBI) to mitigate flood risks in the Drakenstein Municipality of South Africa, specifically focusing on river restoration in the Berg River catchment.

This report presents a sustainable asset valuation (SAVi) assessment of mangrove restoration in the Mallorquín Swamp in Barranquilla, Colombia, comparing nature-based infrastructure (NBI) against grey infrastructure alternatives over a 20-year period.

This research paper argues that traditional cost-benefit analyses (CBAs) for transport infrastructure are typically gender-blind and fail to account for the different ways genders use and experience transportation. Using a case study of a Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) plan in Coimbatore, India, the author demonstrates how integrating gender-disaggregated data and qualitative systems mapping can reveal specific benefits—such as reducing women's time poverty and increasing access to education—that are otherwise overlooked in standard economic assessments.

This report describes an Excel-based cost-benefit analysis (CBA) model developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA). The model is designed to evaluate 'betterment' road infrastructure projects in Queensland, Australia, by quantifying not only direct avoided reconstruction costs but also indirect social, economic, and environmental 'non-road' benefits to determine the total societal value of resilience investments.

This guide provides a series of modular training exercises for the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) 2020 software. Using a fictional country called "Freedonia" and a hypothetical region called "Transportia," the document instructs users on how to model energy demand, transformation processes, emissions, cost-benefit analyses, and least-cost optimization for energy systems.

This report presents a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of the Poçem and Kalivaç hydropower projects on the Vjosa River in Albania, concluding that these assets generate higher costs to the state, environment, and communities than they provide in benefits.

This document is an independent review by Dr Michael Holland and Dr Joseph Spadaro of a health impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis (CBA) conducted for the South African power utility, Eskom. The reviewers conclude that the Eskom report contains significant methodological errors and biases that lead to a substantial underestimation of the health benefits of pollution controls. They calculate that the benefits of action would actually exceed costs by a factor of 5 or more, which reverses the conclusions of the original Eskom CBA.

This research paper analyzes the adoption, costs, and benefits of sustainable land management (SLM) practices among farmers in western Kenya, concluding that simple practices like manuring and intercropping offer the highest immediate economic returns, while high-cost practices like agroforestry require longer time horizons and policy support to be viable.

This research paper introduces the Participatory Social Return on Investment (PSROI) framework, a bottom-up approach designed to cost and plan community-based adaptation (CBA) strategies in agriculture to ensure local needs align with institutional funding.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute critiques the UK Department for Transport's (DfT) cost-benefit analysis regarding the expansion of Heathrow Airport. The authors argue that the DfT's projection of positive net benefits relies heavily on 'generated user benefits'—a theoretical construct of consumer surplus—which they claim is based on speculative and biased assumptions about future airfares, fuel costs, and passenger demand.

This guide describes the Cost-Benefit Reports feature within the LEAP software, explaining how it provides a comparative overview of incremental cumulative costs and benefits across different scenarios relative to a reference baseline.

This guide explains how the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) performs integrated social cost-benefit analysis to compare energy system scenarios, focusing on social opportunity costs rather than financial viability or consumer prices.

This guide explains how the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) performs societal cost-benefit calculations by aggregating various energy system costs and comparing scenarios using Net Present Value (NPV).

This guide describes the 'Basic Parameters Screen' in the Low Emissions Analysis Platform (LEAP) software, detailing the settings used to configure the scope, scale, timeframes, and calculation methodologies for energy system modeling.

This policy brief examines the calculation and application of the social cost of carbon (SCC) within the U.S. federal government's regulatory process, highlighting the role of economic assumptions and the impact of different SCC values on the stringency of climate regulations.