Search Climate Insights Directory

A joint declaration by indigenous communities in Mexico, released during COP 13 in Cancún, argues that the 'green economy' and biodiversity conventions serve as fronts for corporate interests and the dispossession of indigenous lands. The document condemns the criminalization of environmental defenders and the use of deceptive conservation rhetoric to justify extractive projects, including wind and hydroelectric power. It specifically criticizes the REDD+ mechanism and the Nagoya and Cartagena protocols for favoring multinationals over indigenous sovereignty and biocultural heritage.

The document is a statement by indigenous groups in Mexico, issued during COP 13 in Cancun, condemning the 'green economy' and extractivist projects—including wind parks, hydroelectric projects, and mining—as drivers of human rights violations and territorial plundering. The signatories argue that international frameworks like the Nagoya and Cartagena Protocols and the REDD+ program prioritize corporate profit over biodiversity and indigenous sovereignty, calling for the protection of biocultural heritage and food sovereignty against the commodification of nature.

The proposal seeks US$12.222 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) as part of a total investment of US$34.148 million to establish a fund for green MSMEs in South Africa. The project utilizes supply chain finance (SCF), where credit decisions are based on the creditworthiness of the buyer rather than the MSME, to overcome chronic lack of access to finance due to insufficient collateral and track records. The fund targets sectors including renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and energy efficiency, aiming to reduce lifetime CO2 emissions by 33,001,833 tons and support over 30,000 jobs. The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) serves as the accredited entity, with SCF Capital Solutions as the fund manager.

A Swiss popular initiative for a 'Green Economy' was rejected by voters by a margin of nearly 2:1, with only the canton of Geneva voting in favor. The proposal sought a constitutional mandate for sustainable natural resource use by 2050 via a circular economy strategy, including product regulations and a new resource tax policy. The Swiss Government opposed the measure, arguing the 2050 goals were unrealistic and preferring voluntary provisions over coercive measures. The document identifies key lessons from the defeat, noting a lack of trust in left-of-center groups to manage economic reform, divided business support, and insufficient youth voter turnout.

The proposal seeks USD 20,546,756 in grant financing to implement Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) across 10,000 hectares in The Gambia. The project aims to restore degraded forests, savannas, and agricultural landscapes to increase the supply of climate-resilient natural resources and establish community-managed businesses. It targets 11,550 direct beneficiaries, with a focus on women, and intends to integrate EbA into national policies and local land-use planning to catalyze a paradigm shift toward a green economy.

The document details how GreenCape, a nonprofit sector development agency, acts as an independent bridge between the public and private sectors to drive green growth in South Africa's Western Cape. Established in 2010, it initially focused on renewable energy before expanding into energy efficiency, water, waste, and agriculture. The agency's success is attributed to its legal independence, strong government support, and a multidisciplinary approach to removing market barriers. Between 2010 and 2015, GreenCape facilitated ZAR 17 billion in renewable energy project investments and created over 2,000 associated jobs.

The document details the establishment and operation of GreenCape, a nonprofit sector development agency created by the Western Cape Government to bridge the public and private sectors. It outlines how GreenCape's independent structure, multidisciplinary team, and strategic alignment with government policies enabled it to facilitate significant private sector investment and job creation in renewable energy and other green sectors. The case study highlights key success factors, such as maintaining political neutrality and providing impartial market intelligence, and provides quantitative results of its impact between 2010 and 2015.

The document argues that European SMEs are critical for the green transition but are hindered by a lack of technical capacity and a poor legislative framework for private-to-private finance. Based on GreenEcoNet case studies, it finds that while SMEs prefer private financing, they lack the skills to exploit the full range of available instruments. The authors recommend a participatory policy approach, including an investors-SMEs round table and the promotion of crowdfunding, to bridge these gaps.

The report assesses Myanmar's natural capital, focusing on four key ecosystem services: sediment retention for water quality, dry-season water availability, flood risk reduction, and coastal protection. Using InVEST models and climate projections, it identifies critical areas where natural ecosystems support human populations and infrastructure. The findings indicate that while the volume of services (such as sediment retention) will likely change due to increased rainfall under climate change, the geographic 'hotspots' of these services are expected to remain stable. The report emphasizes the overlap between these service-providing areas and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), arguing that protecting these synergies is vital for both human resilience and wildlife conservation. It specifically highlights the Tanintharyi region as an example of where infrastructure projects, like the Dawei road, could threaten critical natural capital.

The document examines how subnational monitoring systems align with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 231 identified indicators. Using the Province of Manitoba's Sustainable Development and Green Economy Indicators as a case study, the analysis finds that while thematic alignment is relatively strong—with over 20% of provincial indicators aligning with SDGs—there is a significant structural gap in indicator types. Specifically, the provincial sets lack the finance and policy indicators present in the SDGs, focusing instead on state indicators. The authors argue that aligning subnational systems is critical for effective bottom-up accountability and national-level aggregation of SDG progress.

The document assesses the adoption of green growth and green economy principles by local government in Zambia, arguing that economic diversification and investment in carbon-free research are essential for success.

The paper examines the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a catalyst for Ethiopia's transition toward a low-carbon, 'green' economy and its ambition to become a primary electricity exporter in East Africa. It details the dam's technical specifications, its integration into Ethiopia's Growth and Transformation Plans, and the role of regional bodies like the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) and the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) in facilitating energy trade. The author argues that while the GERD offers a significant opportunity for regional integration, its success depends on overcoming hydro-hegemonic tensions with downstream states, improving trans-boundary environmental assessments, and harmonizing national energy policies across the region.

The Green Economy Barometer 2016 reports that while the transition to green economies is accelerating—marked by record investments in renewables and a maturing international policy architecture—it remains insufficient in depth and breadth. The report highlights a significant shift in investment toward developing countries and the emergence of ambitious national sectoral targets. However, it argues that structural reform is lacking, as most national plans ignore the informal economy and the needs of the poorest populations. The document concludes that the green economy remains politically fringe and requires a more inclusive narrative to achieve large-scale societal transformation.

The South African waste sector is transitioning from a landfill-centric model to one focused on waste diversion, driven by regulatory reforms and limited landfill airspace. While only 10% of waste is currently recycled, significant opportunities exist in the recovery of paper, plastics, glass, e-waste, and construction and demolition waste. In the Western Cape, the City of Cape Town generates 70% of the province's waste, presenting a concentrated market for alternative treatment. Waste-to-energy (WtE) projects face economic and regulatory hurdles, such as low landfill gate fees and electricity prices, but opportunities remain in small-scale biogas and large-scale REIPPPP projects. The report also highlights the role of Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) and the availability of green manufacturing incentives in Special Economic Zones like Atlantis.

The report highlights the Western Cape's status as a water-stressed region where demand is projected to surpass supply by 2019 in the Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS). It identifies diverse business opportunities in the green economy, including precision irrigation, desalination, water reclamation, and the reduction of non-revenue water. The document details the institutional structure of South African water management and outlines specific funding incentives and grants available for greentech manufacturers and infrastructure projects.

The report examines Ethiopia's high vulnerability to climate change, particularly for pastoralists and smallholder farmers. It analyzes national strategies like the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) and the Programme of Adaptation on Climate Change (EPACC), noting that while political will is strong, adaptation efforts are heavily skewed toward agriculture and disaster risk management, leaving gaps in health, energy, and transportation. It also details the role of international funding and the lack of robust national knowledge-sharing networks.

Uganda faces significant climate risks, particularly in its semi-arid northern regions and the 'cattle corridor,' where rising temperatures and rainfall variability threaten agriculture, water, and health. While the government has established a National Climate Change Policy and a coordinating institutional structure, adaptation mainstreaming into sectoral plans and district-level decision-making remains limited. International adaptation finance is heavily concentrated in the agriculture and water sectors, leaving gaps in fisheries, forestry, and health. The country is currently working toward a National Adaptation Plan to better integrate climate resilience into its goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2040.

The report defines the bioeconomy as the part of the business sector based on biomass resources, estimating its 2013 value at approximately 5% of Sweden's GDP. It explores four future scenarios for 2050—ranging from global circular welfare to regional self-sufficiency—concluding that while biomass demand will likely increase, sustainable growth requires strong public-private cooperation, investment in biorefineries, and a shift toward circular material flows.

The report details a bottom-up consultation process in Manitoba involving nine group sessions and 67 bilateral meetings between October 2013 and January 2015. It identifies the province's unique emissions profile, dominated by transportation (38.4%) and agriculture (31.3%), and provides a suite of consensus recommendations across governance, regulatory streamlining, and energy efficiency. A significant portion of the document explores carbon pricing options, including a proposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model and Environmental Fiscal Reform (EFR) such as vehicle registration fee adjustments, to support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The policy brief examines the intersection of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the COP 21 climate negotiations, and the Financing for Development agenda. It advocates for a 'bottom-up' approach to climate mitigation through INDCs that are integrated with domestic socio-economic priorities to create co-benefits in sectors like agriculture and energy. The author emphasizes that African nations should leverage clean energy and the energy-food-water nexus to leapfrog fossil-fuel-based development, while highlighting South Africa's green economy strategies as a model for job creation and GDP growth.