Search Climate Insights Directory

The report identifies a systemic failure in the financial sector's climate governance chain, noting that despite net-zero pledges, USD 3.7 trillion still flows annually into fossil fuels. It proposes an "impact levers" framework to move financial institutions, regulators, and cooperative initiatives from voluntary commitments to enforceable, Paris-aligned actions.

This executive summary from RMI outlines how financial institutions can enhance corporate transition assessments—evaluations of how clients or investees respond to the energy transition—to better inform financial decision-making regarding climate-related risks and opportunities.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) examines the structural inertia preventing a transition away from coal in China's power system. Despite a record decline in coal's share of power generation and the rapid expansion of renewables, coal capacity continues to grow due to high commissioning rates, strong project approvals, and institutional protections such as capacity payments and inflexible dispatch rules. The report highlights a significant gap between official retirement targets and actual progress, urging the development of a national roadmap for coal phase-down in the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan.

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) arguing that the US government is dismantling critical disaster protections and weather forecasting capabilities while the petrochemical industry continues to expand in hurricane-prone regions, leaving vulnerable communities exposed to escalating climate risks and financial instability.

This report by Ember examines how distributed solar energy and flexibility solutions can address the increasing electricity demand for cooling in Türkiye. It highlights the alignment between solar peak output and midday cooling peaks, the need for a comprehensive air conditioner database to improve demand forecasting, and the role of energy storage and demand-side management in maintaining grid stability.

This report by Ember analyzes the increasing demand for space cooling electricity in Türkiye, noting that cooling-related consumption reached 10 TWh in 2024 and is growing significantly faster than overall electricity demand due to rising temperatures driven by climate change.

This report by Ember analyzes the increasing electricity demand for space cooling in Türkiye, driven by rising temperatures and air conditioner ownership. It highlights that cooling-related consumption reached 10 TWh in 2024 and is projected to grow significantly by 2035. The study argues that solar energy, which peaks during the hottest hours, is a critical solution for meeting this demand and maintaining grid stability.

The Africa Policy Research Institute argues that climate finance in Africa must shift from a narrow focus on large-scale infrastructure to a 'dual mandate' that equally supports decentralized, consumer-led energy transitions. The document asserts that while utility-scale projects are foundational, the most dynamic energy growth is occurring through off-grid systems and MSMEs, which currently lack the structured local-currency credit and trade finance necessary to scale.

This report analyzes the risks associated with oil and gas expansion in the Colombian Amazon, arguing that the economic and energy security justifications for such expansion are poorly substantiated. It advocates for the permanent removal of unassigned hydrocarbon blocks and a managed decline of the fossil fuel industry to protect biodiversity and Indigenous rights.

This statement argues that current global trade frameworks often hinder the ability of developing nations, particularly in Africa, to pursue low-carbon transitions and climate justice. It highlights the negative impacts of protectionist policies and the breakdown of multilateralism, while proposing that regional initiatives like the AfCFTA and strategic leadership during South Africa's G20 Presidency can create a new trade agenda focused on green industrialization, adaptation, and economic diversification.

This report, co-published by the African Development Bank and the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), examines how Africa can leverage its critical minerals to drive inclusive growth, industrialization, and regional integration by shifting from raw material exports to value-added production.

This briefing by RMI argues for the creation of regional financing ecosystems to bridge the gap between available clean energy capital and local project implementation. It posits that localized strategies, which coordinate regional banks, community lenders, and economic development organizations, can overcome systemic barriers such as misaligned risk appetites and deal fragmentation to ensure an inclusive energy transition.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted comments on the Draft Mineral Resources Development Bill, 2025, arguing that the Bill fails to adequately protect communities and the environment. The CER criticizes the 'One Environmental System' for creating a conflict of mandate within the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, advocates for the adoption of 'free, prior and informed consent' for communities, and warns that shortened timelines for environmental authorizations and consultations risk reducing public participation to a 'tick-box exercise'.

This RMI briefing argues that aging coal-fired power plants are an unreliable and inflexible solution for meeting the rising electricity demand driven by the data center boom in the United States. The document asserts that clean, scalable resources such as battery storage and demand flexibility are better suited to the real-time operational needs of data centers and can meet over 95 percent of future demand.

This case study describes the installation of a 6.48 kWp off-grid solar system at Lekule Secondary School in Arusha, Tanzania, by GadgetroniX and the Little Sun Foundation to replace unreliable grid electricity and costly fossil fuel generators.

A case study detailing the installation of a 9.72 kWp off-grid solar system by GadgetroniX at Matale Secondary School in Tarime, Tanzania, to resolve frequent power outages and reduce energy costs.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines trade-related considerations within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process to develop a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution. It analyzes how proposed treaty obligations—such as restrictions on certain plastics and waste trade controls—intersect with international trade law, the risk of protectionism, and the implementation capacities of developing nations.

This policy brief by RMI provides four recommendations for Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) to improve the evaluation of Performance Incentive Mechanisms (PIMs). The document emphasizes the need for recurring evaluations, transparency through public dashboards, portfolio-wide assessments to avoid duplication, and the use of design guidelines to measure net benefits to customers.

The report describes a 'Futures Dialogue' held in April 2025 between South Africa and the Netherlands to integrate strategic foresight into climate and energy diplomacy. The event aimed to move beyond traditional, transactional diplomatic frameworks to address systemic crises through methods like scenario planning and Causal Layered Analysis, focusing on green industrialisation, transformative finance, and shifting narratives of African agency.

Merchant Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in India have become financially viable as of 2024, with potential IRRs of up to 24%. This shift is driven by an 80% decline in battery costs since 2015 and increased price volatility in the Day Ahead Market, where solar oversupply crashes midday prices and high evening demand spikes them. BESS can recover full lifecycle costs through energy arbitrage alone and can further enhance returns by providing fast-acting grid balancing services via the Secondary Reserve Ancillary Services (SRAS) market.