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This briefing by Friends of the Earth International argues that the biodiversity crisis is driven by systemic financial failures and calls for a fundamental reform of the financial system ahead of the COP16.2 negotiations in Rome. It criticizes the current reliance on private finance, biodiversity offsets, and the failure of developed nations to meet funding pledges, while advocating for direct financial support for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice argues that South Africa must adopt a more assertive domestic fiscal policy to address the climate crisis, rather than relying primarily on blended finance models. The author proposes a suite of domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) measures to generate approximately R100bn annually for climate priorities, focusing on state-led infrastructure, carbon pricing, and the creation of a dedicated climate response fund to ensure equity for workers and vulnerable households.

The Climate Bonds Initiative fact sheet identifies five key drivers expected to increase the flow of green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked bonds and loans (GSS+) in 2025, while providing provisional market volume data for 2024.

The Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) outlines the methodology for its Social and Sustainability Bond Dataset (SSBD), detailing the criteria, screening processes, and classification systems used to evaluate debt instruments. The framework focuses on ensuring that bonds provide substantive social and environmental benefits to target populations while adhering to strict minimum safeguards to prevent 'greenwashing'.

The Climate Bonds Social and Sustainability Bond Dataset Methodology (2025) outlines the criteria and screening processes used by the Climate Bonds Initiative to identify and classify credible social and sustainability (S&S) bonds. The methodology focuses on ensuring that the use of proceeds (UoP) provides substantial benefits to defined target populations and aligns with global sustainability goals while avoiding absolute exclusions such as fossil fuel exploration.

The 'Sustainable Debt Global State of the Market H1 2025' report by the Climate Bonds Initiative provides a comprehensive analysis of aligned green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked (GSS+) debt. As of the end of H1 2025, the cumulative aligned volume reached USD 6.2 trillion, with H1 2025 alone contributing USD 555.8 billion. The report details the dominance of green bonds, the resurgence of social debt, the stability of sustainability-labelled debt, and the specific alignment trends of sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs). It also highlights the introduction of the European Green Bond Standard, the rise of data-centre focused asset-backed securities, and the strategic priorities for COP30, including methane abatement and the Tropical Forest Forever Fund.

The International Platform Sustainable Finance (IPSF) Common Ground Taxonomy (CGT) Instruction Report (November 2024) provides a technical comparison between the sustainable finance taxonomies of the European Union (EU) and China. The report identifies areas of commonality and divergence to enhance the interoperability of green finance standards, aiming to reduce trans-boundary costs for green investments and scale up international green capital mobilization.

This progress report by FSD Africa details the organization's efforts to deepen African capital markets to mobilize long-term, local currency finance for sustainable development. The report outlines a four-pronged strategy focusing on policy and regulatory development, market infrastructure, capital market product innovation, and convening and advocacy. FSD Africa highlights its role as a neutral facilitator, leveraging technical assistance and grants to address systemic barriers such as risk-averse institutional investors and underdeveloped regulatory frameworks, with a specific emphasis on green, social, and gender-themed financing.

This guidance document outlines the framework, professional standards, and methodological requirements for Approved Verifiers and External Review Providers conducting certifications under the Climate Bonds Standard v4.2. It details the specific verification processes for Use of Proceeds (UoP), Asset, Entity, and Sustainability-Linked Debt (SLD) certifications, emphasizing independence, science-based criteria, and the role of the Climate Bonds Standard Secretariat in making final certification decisions.

The 'Guidelines for the issuance of thematic labelled financial instruments' is a guide developed by the Climate Bonds Initiative and Latinex, with support from IDB Invest. It provides a comprehensive framework for issuers in Panama and the wider Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region to issue Green, Social, Sustainable, and Sustainability-linked (GSS+) financial instruments. The document outlines the criteria for various labels, the necessary components for issuance—such as the use of proceeds and external reviews—and the reporting requirements to ensure market integrity and avoid greenwashing. It also details the role of Panama's Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and international standards like the ICMA Principles and the Climate Bonds Standard in guiding sustainable investment.

The Climate Bonds Standard version 4.2 (CBS v4.2) is a voluntary labelling scheme designed to certify debt instruments, assets, and non-financial legal entities to ensure they are consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. It provides a science-based framework and sector-specific criteria to mobilise global capital for climate action through four primary certification pathways: Use of Proceeds (UoP), Asset, Entity, and Sustainability-Linked Debt (SLD).

The Hong Kong Green Market Briefing 2023, published by the Climate Bonds Initiative, provides a comprehensive analysis of the sustainable debt market in Hong Kong as of December 31, 2023. The report highlights a significant surge in aligned GSS+ debt originating from the HKSAR, driven primarily by government green bond issuance, and examines the role of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) and the Common Ground Taxonomy (CGT) in connecting Chinese and international capital.

The Lagos State Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP), published in June 2024 by FSD Africa and the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, is a strategic roadmap to protect Lagos from climate-driven risks. The plan identifies sea-level rise, extreme rainfall, and extreme heat as the primary climate impact drivers, with a projected cost of inaction reaching nearly $40 billion by 2050. To mitigate these risks, LCARP proposes a $9 billion project portfolio consisting of 33 adaptation projects, aiming to mobilize between $700 million and $1.3 billion in annual climate finance by 2035. The plan emphasizes a shift from an overreliance on concessional debt toward a balanced mix of blended finance, grants, and nature-based solutions, supported by new governance structures and sector-specific policy reforms.

This guide outlines the capacity building and technical assistance services provided by the Climate Bonds Initiative to help governments, municipalities, national development banks, and corporate entities issue climate-related labelled bonds and other sustainable debt instruments.

The Electrical Utilities Criteria, published by the Climate Bonds Initiative in March 2024, provide a framework for certifying electrical utilities and related debt instruments. The criteria are aligned with a 1.5-degree science-based decarbonisation pathway to net zero by 2050, focusing on reducing emission intensity and phasing out fossil fuel generation.

The 'Electrical Utility Criteria' (March 2024) by the Climate Bonds Initiative provides a framework for certifying electrical utilities, sustainability-linked debt (SLD), and use-of-proceeds (UoP) bonds. It establishes a transition pathway for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity, aiming for net-zero by 2040 to align with a 1.5C goal. The criteria set specific thresholds for existing and new power generation capacities, including strict limits on non-combustion emissions for low-carbon sources and a phase-out schedule for unabated fossil fuel plants.

The Climate Bonds Standard Version 4.1 is a voluntary labelling scheme developed by the Climate Bonds Initiative to certify debt instruments, assets, and non-financial legal entities that align with the Paris Climate Agreement. It provides a science-based framework for certifying Use of Proceeds (UoP) instruments, specific physical assets, non-financial entities, and Sustainability-Linked Debt (SLD), ensuring they meet rigorous climate mitigation and transition criteria.

This report by FSD Africa evaluates the Africa Regulatory Support Programme (ARSP), which provided technical assistance to capital markets regulators across Africa from September 2018 to March 2023. The document outlines key lessons from interventions in eight countries and three regional blocs, emphasizing the need to balance international best practices with local context, the challenges of regulatory and market capacity, and the importance of sequencing and clustering interventions for maximum impact.

The Climate Bonds Resilience Taxonomy (CBRT) Methodology provides a science-based classification system and interim screening criteria to identify and scale investments that contribute to climate adaptation and resilience. It establishes a framework to distinguish between different types of resilience investments and ensures they provide a measurable reduction in vulnerability without causing maladaptation or significant harm to other sustainability goals.

This research paper evaluates the cost-efficiency of carbon reduction measures funded by municipal green bonds in Sweden using marginal abatement cost curves (MACCs). The study finds that clean energy production, particularly wind energy, is more economically competitive and efficient at reducing emissions than other emerging technologies like carbon capture storage, noting that the Swedish carbon tax serves as an effective incentive for these investments.