Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper examines the relationship between property rights and the implementation of Brazil's 2012 Forest Code, analyzing how land ownership structures and administrative institutions influence landowner behavior and environmental outcomes.

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the Joint Resolution SMA/SAA No. 1/2016 regarding the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) in the State of São Paulo. While acknowledging procedural advances, the document identifies several points of legal insecurity, specifically regarding the loss of land-use rights, the lack of complementary regulations, and restrictive requirements for Legal Reserve compensation.

The Migration and Conservation Toolkit is a guide designed to help conservation and development practitioners assess and manage the impacts of human migration on critical ecosystems, particularly in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

This research paper evaluates the role and effectiveness of international development partners in financing climate mitigation and adaptation within Indonesia's land use sectors. It analyzes finance flows from 2011, identifying a heavy reliance on grants and a focus on capacity building, while noting that international contributions are significantly smaller than domestic funding.

Nigel Sizer, outgoing director of the World Resources Institute's (WRI) Forests program, reflects on the development of monitoring and restoration initiatives and the increasing role of the private sector in forest conservation prior to his transition to president of the Rainforest Alliance.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines landholding systems in Africa, drawing on African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) reports. It argues that while weak property rights hinder economic development, universal formal titling is often impractical due to institutional capacity constraints. The author proposes a gradual approach that leverages informal rights regimes and improves state administrative capacity to enhance tenure security.

This fact sheet by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio examines the impact of property rights uncertainty in rural Brazil, highlighting how legal instability contributes to deforestation, violence, and economic inefficiency.

This policy brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the risks of relying on land-based 'negative emissions' to meet the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. It argues that many climate models overstate the feasibility of these measures, particularly Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), and warns that counting on future carbon removal may dangerously delay necessary near-term emission reductions.

The report analyzes the oil palm value chain in Central Kalimantan, finding that while the sector generated over USD 2 billion in 2013, it suffers from underutilized mill capacity (50-65%) and low upstream yields compared to Malaysia and the rest of Indonesia. It highlights a significant loss of value-add because 78% of crude palm oil is refined outside the region. The paper details seven business models, noting that integrated companies manage risks better than smallholders, who face severe financial and legal hurdles. To address these issues, the authors propose a landscape management approach via the PALM Program (2016-2020) and suggest shifting from area-based expansion targets to production-based targets to promote sustainability.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative describes the 2012 Brazilian Forest Code, detailing its mechanisms for protecting native vegetation on private lands, the creation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), and the special legal regime for regularizing properties with environmental liabilities prior to July 22, 2008.

This policy brief provides an overview of Brazil's 2012 Forest Code, detailing its mechanisms for protecting private lands, the introduction of a national environmental registry, and the special regimes created for landowners who deforested prior to July 2008.

This report analyzes how smart land use policy can help California achieve its 2030 goal of reducing carbon emissions to at least 40% below 1990 levels. Using the RapidFire model and data from the E3 California Pathways study, the authors demonstrate that compact, transit-oriented development can close the emissions gap left by technological advances alone, while providing significant economic, public health, and environmental co-benefits.

This report, published in November 2015 by Climate Focus and partners, establishes an assessment framework and provides an initial progress report on the ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It evaluates the status of global efforts to halt natural forest loss, restore degraded lands, and improve forest governance one year after the NYDF's September 2014 signing.

This executive summary describes the initial assessment of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), a coalition of governments, companies, and civil society established in September 2014. The NYDF aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.5 to 8.8 billion tons by 2030 through ten specific goals, including halting natural forest loss and restoring degraded lands. The document proposes a monitoring framework to track progress, noting that while some initiatives and commitments have increased in the first year, overall progress remains slow and data gaps persist.

This executive summary, published in November 2015 by Climate Focus and partners, establishes a monitoring framework and provides an initial assessment of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). Signed in September 2014, the NYDF consists of ten goals aimed at reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 4.5-8.8 billion tonnes by 2030. The document reports that while new initiatives and commitments have emerged in the year following the declaration, overall progress remains slow.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes land use efficiency in Brazil, arguing that agricultural productivity can be increased and greenhouse gas emissions reduced without further deforestation. It highlights the potential of converting degraded pasturelands into croplands and examines successful historical examples of land use change, such as the soybean revolution and the implementation of the PPCDAm to combat Amazon deforestation. The document identifies key barriers to efficiency, including poor infrastructure, insecure land rights, and the need for better technology dissemination, while emphasizing the importance of enforcing the Brazilian Forest Code on private lands.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes a shift in Brazilian Amazon deforestation from large-scale to small-scale clearings between 2004 and 2012. It argues that while conservation policies successfully reduced overall deforestation, they created a blind spot for clearings of 25 hectares or less, leading landholders in states like Mato Grosso and Pará to adapt their practices to avoid detection.

This research paper analyzes the relationship between agricultural land use and deforestation in the Tapajós basin of the Brazilian Amazon from 2002 to 2012. The author finds that an increase in the relative price of crops (specifically soy) compared to beef encourages the conversion of pasture to cropland, which in turn reduces local deforestation rates.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates the Makeni Project in Sierra Leone, a €400 million agro-industrial investment by Addax Bioenergy Sierra Leone (ABSL). The project focuses on sugarcane production for ethanol export and electricity generation. While the investment has provided significant infrastructure, jobs, and agricultural training, the brief highlights risks regarding land access, local skill gaps, and a lack of government oversight that limits the project's potential for comprehensive rural transformation.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative describes three analytical tools designed to help low and middle-income countries and their partners redirect land-use finance toward climate mitigation and adaptation. The tools aim to address the gap between the hundreds of billions spent on business-as-usual land use and the relatively small amount of finance currently dedicated to green activities.