Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) examines the failure of the South African government to fulfill its 1998 White Paper on Energy promise to provide affordable electricity to poor households, small businesses, and small-scale farmers. It highlights a significant gap between national budget allocations for free basic electricity and the actual delivery of these services by municipalities.

This executive summary from RMI outlines the investment landscape for China's transition to carbon neutrality, identifying seven priority technology areas and estimating the associated market and infrastructure investment needs through 2050.

This fact sheet outlines several federal and partner-led programs designed to transition military veterans into civilian careers within the low-carbon workforce, specifically focusing on land management, agriculture, conservation, and fisheries.

This research paper examines the economic viability of the natural gas industry in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, arguing that the region is vulnerable to low prices and a global shift toward low-carbon energy sources.

The Green Economy Coalition introduces the 'Triple B Framework' (Bottlenecks, Blind Spots, and Blended Finance) to address capital misallocation and sluggish growth in the transition to green and inclusive economies. The framework emphasizes the role of non-financial capital—such as social, cultural, and political capital—particularly in emerging markets where traditional financial engineering is less prevalent than in advanced markets.

This case study by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the Campoalegre river basin in Colombia to demonstrate the limitations of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) when based solely on geographic watershed boundaries. Using coffee production and hydroelectric power as examples, the document argues for a 'Water without Borders' approach that accounts for multiscalar tele-connections, such as global agricultural markets and cumulative downstream impacts, which operate beyond local basin limits.

The Report of the IAI Executive Council, prepared for its fifty-first meeting on 22 June 2021, outlines the council's activities during the 2020-2021 intersessional period. The report focuses on the review of financial documents, the development of new institutional policies regarding whistleblowing and gender, and the performance evaluation of the Executive Director.

This briefing from the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), dated March 18, 2021, outlines the council's activities between sessions and its recommendations for the 29th Conference of the Parties (CoP-29). The document focuses on financial approvals, the implementation of a whistleblower mechanism, the development of a gender policy, and the performance evaluation of the Executive Director.

This report, led by the Coalition for Urban Transitions and 36 partner organizations, argues that urban centers are critical for climate leadership and economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on six emerging economies.

This report presents the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Transport and Mobility Development Plan 2021-2035 (TLAK) in Estonia. The assessment evaluates how the plan's strategic goals—focused on reducing the environmental footprint of transport and improving mobility—align with national and international environmental targets and identifies potential environmental impacts across various sectors, including climate, air quality, and biodiversity.

Phaesun and partners implemented solar-powered milk cooling systems in Kenya to reduce post-harvest losses for smallholder dairy farmers. By deploying the 'Milky Way' and 'SelfChill' modular technologies, the project reduced milk losses by approximately 25% across 10 farms and cooperatives, increasing income for at least 50 people while eliminating operational CO2 emissions.

The CLEAN Future Act, introduced on March 2, 2021, by U.S. Representative Frank Pallone and other House Energy and Commerce Committee leadership, proposes a framework to achieve a 100% clean economy in the United States by 2050. The briefing outlines the bill's targets for emissions reduction, its approach to climate federalism, investments in transportation and power, and provisions for environmental justice and worker transitions.

A statement from Manish Bapna of the World Resources Institute analyzing China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), noting that while it confirms key climate pledges and sets specific energy targets, it lacks detailed implementation paths for achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

This document contains the Short Heads of Argument filed on 11 March 2021 by the First Respondent, Uthaka Energy (Pty) Ltd, in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria). Uthaka argues against an urgent application for an interim interdict brought by the Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa and others, which seeks to stop the commencement of the Yzermyn Underground Coal-mining Project. Uthaka contends that it possesses all necessary statutory authorisations and that the application lacks urgency, a prima facie right, and a reasonable apprehension of irreparable harm.

This research paper examines the struggle of Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states to meet the 2001 Abuja Declaration's pledge to allocate 15% of national budgets to healthcare. It argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted critical systemic gaps and provides an impetus for innovative financing strategies to overcome economic decline and aid dependency.

This working paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute, in partnership with Energy Unlocked and the Overseas Development Institute, examines how collaboration between national and city governments can accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy sector while maintaining affordable energy access.

This guide by RMI provides a framework for updating electricity resource procurement processes for vertically integrated utilities in the US. It advocates for 'all-source', 'objective-aligned', and 'least-regrets' procurement to optimize the deployment of clean energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) during a period of significant projected investment.

A statement by Trend Asia criticizing the commitments of PT PLN (Persero) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) regarding the cessation of coal-fired power plant (PLTU) funding in Indonesia, arguing that these measures are insufficient and lack transparency.

The Clean Energy Mini-Grid Policy Development Guide outlines models for public-private cooperation to scale mini-grid deployment for universal electricity access, highlighting critical trade-offs between government control, subsidies, and tariffs, while emphasizing the need for demand risk mitigation and termination risk considerations.

This briefing by RMI examines how several US states are using securitization—a financing tool that replaces high-cost utility capital with low-interest ratepayer-backed bonds—to facilitate the equitable retirement of coal-fired power plants. The document details how this mechanism can lower electricity rates for consumers, enable utility investment in clean energy, and provide funding for displaced workers and affected communities.