Search Climate Insights Directory

The document is a petition addressed to Enviva leadership, alleging that the company's operations destroy 175,000 acres of Southern forests annually and release toxic pollution and wood dust into surrounding communities. The signatories demand immediate actions, including the installation of dust control plans, the cessation of nighttime operations, a halt to sourcing from bottomland hardwood forests, and the establishment of a 'Good Neighbor Fund' to provide air purifiers and health centers for impacted residents. Furthermore, the petition calls for Enviva to stop claiming wood pellets are clean energy, cease taking government subsidies, and halt production expansion.

The Asia Pacific Regional Biomass Working Group urges the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to cease support for wood bioenergy and the 'repurposing' of coal plants, arguing that biomass co-firing extends the life of coal infrastructure and causes severe ecological and social harm. The group highlights that in Indonesia, PT PLN's co-firing strategy could require 2.33 million hectares of energy plantations, potentially leading to 2.1 million hectares of deforestation annually. The letter demands that ADB recognize bioenergy as contradictory to coal phase-out goals, divest from wood biomass projects, and identify the sector as high-risk.

The document explains the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature goal, the risks associated with exceeding it, the necessary actions to achieve it, and how journalists should communicate these issues to the public.

The report analyzes the impact of the EU Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) on Brazil, highlighting the alignment between EU requirements and Brazilian policies like the Forest Code and CAR. While these tools offer opportunities for Brazil to certify its sustainable production, challenges remain regarding the short implementation deadline, the disproportionate cost burden on smallholders, and the lack of a national traceability system for commodity chains.

The Brazilian sustainable debt market reached USD 33.3bn by H1 2023, with green bonds dominating at 45.2%. Within the agriculture sector, forestry is the most financed land-use category, followed by agriculture and bioenergy. The report highlights the role of sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) for hard-to-abate sectors and recommends government guarantees and a national taxonomy to scale GSS+ financing.

The document analyzes the impact of the EUDR on Brazilian exports of commodities such as cattle, soy, and coffee. It argues that while Brazil possesses a sophisticated framework of environmental policies—including the Forest Code and satellite monitoring systems—that align with EU goals, significant challenges remain. These include the short implementation timeline, the high cost of due diligence for smallholders, and the lack of a comprehensive national traceability system. The authors suggest that the EUDR could serve as a catalyst for Brazil to achieve zero illegal deforestation by 2030 and enhance its market share in Europe by utilizing the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) as a sustainability certificate.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment finds the world is off track to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. In 2022, global gross deforestation reached 6.6 million hectares, a 4% increase from 2021. While some countries like Indonesia and Malaysia show progress, massive losses continue in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that 'gray' public finance (subsidies driving deforestation) vastly outweighs 'green' finance. It also emphasizes the ongoing violence against environmental defenders and the systemic lack of legal recognition for Indigenous Peoples' and local communities' land rights.

Indonesian and international CSOs are calling on global fashion brands to phase out both fossil fuels and biomass energy, arguing that biomass is a 'false solution' that drives deforestation and violates human rights. The letter highlights that brands like H&M, Puma, Adidas, and Inditex are promoting biomass in Southeast Asia despite its high emissions and negative impacts on biodiversity and local communities. The authors argue that woody biomass can generate more CO2 per kilowatt hour than coal and risk the loss of over 2 million hectares of natural forest in Indonesia.

Indonesian NGOs and international think tanks are calling on global fashion brands to stop using biomass as a 'low carbon' alternative to fossil fuels. They argue that biomass leads to deforestation, violates indigenous rights, and produces high emissions, specifically citing the risks to the Leuser ecosystem and the flaws in carbon accounting used by the Indonesian government and companies like H&M, Puma, Adidas, and Inditex.

The report argues that a carbon price exceeding US$ 20 per ton of CO2 captured would make forest restoration more profitable than cattle ranching across most of the Brazilian Amazon. This mechanism could capture 16 Gt CO2 through restoration and avoid 32 Gt CO2 from deforestation over 30 years, totaling 48 Gt CO2. The study uses a dynamic spatial model to show that such payments would generate US$ 320 billion in revenue, preventing the forest from reaching a tipping point and transforming the region from a net carbon emitter to a carbon sink.

A World Weather Attribution study found that human-induced climate change significantly increased the likelihood and intensity of extreme rainfall events in the Mediterranean region in September 2023. In Libya, a 1-in-300 to 600 year event became up to 50 times more likely and 50% more intense compared to a 1.2C cooler climate. In a region encompassing Greece, Bulgaria, and Türkiye, similar events became up to 10 times more likely and 40% more intense. The study highlights that while climate change exacerbated the weather, the scale of the disaster—particularly in Libya—was compounded by state fragility, lack of dam maintenance, and inadequate emergency communication.

Between 2015 and 2020, climate finance for land use in Brazil averaged US$ 6.6 billion per year, dominated by domestic private finance and rural credit. While the crop sector was the primary recipient, the report highlights a significant gap in the proportion of total rural credit that is climate-aligned and notes a decline in public budget allocations for the forest sector.

The briefing asserts that current Nationally Determined Contributions are collectively insufficient to meet Paris Agreement temperature goals, necessitating that the Global Stocktake provide clear, sector-specific mitigation actions and targets. It proposes a comprehensive list of actions—including phasing out fossil fuels and subsidies, boosting renewables, and decarbonizing industry—to inform the 2030 and 2035 time horizons. The author suggests these outputs be integrated into the CMA cover decision or technical annexes and provide a structured guidance framework for Parties to update their NDCs with achievable targets aligned with IPCC emission reduction goals.

The document outlines the interconnectedness of the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, pollution, and social injustice. It argues that current economic and social systems based on fossil fuels and overconsumption are unsustainable, leading to severe impacts such as rising sea levels, water scarcity, and air pollution. The guide advocates for a fundamental shift toward circular economies, sustainable agriculture, and a 'just transition' that prioritizes the rights of the poor, women, and indigenous populations to ensure the planet's regeneration.

The document argues that the current climate and ecological crisis is driven by economic and social systems reliant on fossil fuels and overconsumption. It calls for a fundamental shift toward renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and circular economic practices to protect biodiversity and ensure social justice. The guide emphasizes that the poorest populations suffer most from environmental degradation despite being the least responsible, advocating for a 'just transition' and the protection of human rights to clean air and water. It urges governments and individuals to move from a relationship of exploitation to one of care for the planet.

The report identifies systemic failures in Verra's REDD+ methodologies, specifically regarding baseline inflation, underestimated leakage, exaggerated carbon accounting, and underestimated reversal risks. It argues that these flaws allow project developers to maximize credit issuance through 'convenience' selections rather than scientific accuracy. The document concludes that REDD+ credits do not represent real emission reductions and should not be used to offset fossil fuel emissions, recommending a shift toward 'contribution' claims and stricter, independent oversight.

The report finds that REDD+ projects under Verra's methodologies systematically over-credit their climate benefits due to inflated baselines, underestimated leakage, and exaggerated forest carbon stocks. It further argues that social safeguards are often treated as a 'check-box activity,' failing to protect vulnerable forest communities from displacement and rights violations. The authors conclude that REDD+ is ill-suited for generating carbon offsets and recommend a shift toward a contributions-based approach and rights-based safeguards.

The report details a scenario exercise where experts simulated the collapse of ecosystems in a fictional Southeast Asian state to explore the resulting security risks. The exercise demonstrated a feedback loop where ecological failure—specifically the collapse of fisheries and agriculture—triggered food insecurity, mass migration, and internal conflict. This instability led to a political shift from a semi-democratic system to an authoritarian state, as ruling elites prioritized self-preservation and stability over ecological restoration. The findings suggest that preventing ecological disruption is significantly more effective than attempting restoration during a security crisis, and the report recommends integrating ecological security into global security frameworks and investing in early governance stability.

This report analyzes international cooperation and development finance for land use in Brazil from 2015 to 2020, detailing the sources, instruments, and beneficiaries of these climate-aligned financial flows.

The Nairobi Declaration asserts that Africa is disproportionately affected by climate change despite minimal historical responsibility. It calls for the global community to honor the $100 billion annual climate finance promise, operationalize the Loss & Damage fund, and reform the multilateral financial system to reduce the 'great financial divide' in borrowing costs. The declaration commits Africa to green industrialization, increasing renewable energy capacity to 300 GW by 2030, and valuing its natural capital. It specifically requests the re-channeling of $100 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) to Africa and the reduction of corporate tax losses from profit shifting.