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The document identifies three primary barriers to green investment in developing countries: risk gaps (policy, technology, financial, and sovereign), viability gaps (access to finance and high costs), and knowledge gaps. It argues that while sufficient global capital exists, public policy and finance must be better targeted to unlock it. The briefing provides case studies on fiscal policy adjustments in Indonesia to promote sustainable land use, the use of public-private partnerships and government guarantees to develop geothermal power in Kenya, and various innovative instruments developed through the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, such as Energy Savings Insurance and FX hedging facilities.

The Climate, Land, Ambition and Rights Alliance (CLARA) provides recommendations for land-use policies within the UNFCCC framework. The briefing emphasizes the need for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for indigenous peoples, the protection of collective land rights, and the adoption of agroecological practices. It strongly opposes the use of terrestrial carbon sinks to offset industrial emissions, citing the non-permanence of such sinks and the unreliability of soil carbon accounting. Additionally, it warns against large-scale bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and 'Climate Smart Agriculture' due to risks of land grabs and corporate green-washing.

The EU Climate Leader Board ranks EU member states on their support for the Effort Sharing Regulation across five categories: starting point, ETS surplus loophole, land use loophole, governance, and ambition level. Sweden ranks highest with a score of 67, while Malta ranks lowest with a score of 2. The analysis concludes that no EU country is currently doing enough to make the regulation compatible with the Paris Agreement.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted a formal statement to the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality challenging a land use application for Portion 1 of the Farm Yzermyn 96 HT. The CER argues that the application for rezoning is legally flawed because no town-planning scheme exists for the area, and that the process has failed to meet statutory requirements for public notice and inspection.

The document explains how green securitisation transforms pools of illiquid low-carbon assets into tradable securities, improving access to and lowering the cost of capital for small-scale projects. It notes that green Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) grew to USD 5bn in 2016 and could reach USD 280-380bn annually by 2035. The author recommends public sector interventions, such as providing guarantees for junior tranches and supporting the standardisation of green loan contracts, to mitigate risks and drive market growth.

The giant panda is vulnerable to climate change due to its specialized diet, low reproductive rate, and fragmented habitat. Key risks include the potential inability of bamboo to migrate at the same rate as pandas and increased human encroachment as higher elevations become agriculturally viable. Recommended strategies focus on habitat restoration with climate-adapted bamboo, increasing protected area connectivity, and supporting local human adaptation to reduce habitat pressure.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing several environmental and community organizations, submitted a formal objection to a rezoning application for Portion 1 of the farm Yzermyn 96 HT. The CER argues that the public notice for the rezoning was legally deficient and that the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality failed to provide access to the application documents, hindering the clients' ability to submit detailed objections.

The document analyzes the devastating floods in Chennai on 1 December 2015, which killed over 470 people. While no measurable effect of human-caused emissions was detected for this specific event, the report highlights that unplanned urban growth, encroachment on water bodies, and poor infrastructure management significantly increased the city's vulnerability. Key impacts included the destruction of 4.92 lakh houses and the closure of Chennai Airport for five days. The flooding was exacerbated by the necessary release of water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir to prevent a breach, though the timing of this release was questioned by residents.

The statement warns that non-transparent land-use accounting in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) can allow countries to meet targets while carbon pollution increases. It highlights specific examples in Russia and New Zealand and advocates for separating land-use credits from other sectors to ensure the 1.5°C target is met through essential decarbonisation.

The paper finds that Rural Settlements were responsible for 30% of total deforestation in the Amazon Biome in 2014. While traditional and colonization settlements showed only a correlation with deforestation due to their location on the agricultural frontier, 'Special Settlements'—those with environmental conditions—had a statistically significant positive impact on deforestation. This is attributed to their placement in remote, high-forest-coverage areas where any clearing for agricultural production represents a significant increase in local deforestation rates.

Gulfport, Mississippi, faces increasing flood risks from sea level rise, land subsidence, and the loss of coastal wetlands. These vulnerabilities are compounded by a history of racial segregation and incompatible land use, which has left low-income Black communities like Turkey Creek and North Gulfport more exposed to disasters. Recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was uneven, with disaster aid arriving slower in communities of color and a significant decline in affordable housing. Local organizations are now advocating for wetland protection, equitable distribution of RESTORE Act funds, and better linguistic accessibility in disaster response for Vietnamese-American fishing communities.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative examines barriers to agricultural productivity and natural resource management in Mozambique. It identifies bureaucratic delays in tax and trade administration, limited access to credit for small farmers, and gaps in energy and irrigation infrastructure as primary obstacles. The authors propose low-cost policy modifications, including streamlining government administration, developing public-private partnerships, prioritizing key infrastructure, and increasing revenue-sharing mechanisms for community-led natural resource protection.

The report updates global climate finance data for 2013 and 2014, finding an annual average of USD 367 billion. It highlights the dominance of renewable energy and domestic investment, while noting a shift where developing countries began receiving more investment than developed countries in 2014. The document also identifies significant data gaps in adaptation and energy efficiency tracking.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of Brazil's rural land tenure system, tracing its history from colonial sesmarias to the 1988 Constitution. It highlights a fragmented system of multiple rural registries and cadastres that lack integration, which facilitates 'grilagem' (illegal land grabbing). The document details the specific regularization processes and obstacles for five key land categories: Indigenous Lands, quilombola territories, Conservation Units, agrarian reform settlements, and individual possessions on federal lands. It concludes by analyzing the complexities of implementing the 2012 Forest Code, particularly the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), in the context of collective land tenure and overlapping territorial claims.

The document examines Mozambique's reliance on FDI and overseas development assistance (ODA) for post-war reconstruction. While megaprojects in extractives and infrastructure have driven GDP growth, the paper highlights a disconnect between this growth and human development indicators. It analyzes the legal frameworks governing mining and hydrocarbons, the impact of coal and natural gas projects, and the challenges of agricultural development through initiatives like ProSAVANA. The author argues for leveraging the technology and infrastructure of the extractive sector to support agriculture and local community prosperity.

The paper examines the adoption of Biodiversity Offsetting in England, highlighting a significant gap between policy implementation and research on its impacts. Through stakeholder interviews, the authors identify critical failures in both ecological compensation—such as the oversimplification of biodiversity metrics—and social compensation, specifically the marginalization of local communities and the loss of public access to nature. The study argues that the current 'no net loss' framework is a normative construct that often fails to account for the irreplaceable nature of certain habitats and the distributive justice concerns of affected populations.

South Africa's 2nd Biennial Update Report (2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of the country's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2000 to 2012, highlighting the energy sector as the primary contributor. It outlines national mitigation strategies, including the introduction of a carbon tax and carbon budgets, and details the financial resources mobilized from bilateral and multilateral sources. The report also describes the development of a national monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system and the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory System (NGHGIS) to improve data accuracy and transparency.

The study finds that Resolution 3,545, implemented in 2008, led to a substantial reduction in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, primarily by restricting access to rural credit for cattle ranching. Using a difference-in-differences approach and 2SLS estimation, the authors estimate that total deforested area from 2009 to 2011 was approximately 60% smaller than it would have been without the policy. The results indicate that cattle ranching is highly dependent on official credit and that credit constraints in the region lead to reduced expansion at the extensive margin. In contrast, crop-oriented municipalities showed no significant impact on deforestation, as crop production is less dependent on official rural credit and more focused on intensification.

The report identifies climate change as a significant threat to Tanzania's development due to rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and altered precipitation patterns. While the government has established institutional structures and strategies, the report emphasizes the need for better implementation and integration of climate change into sectoral policies, particularly in water, health, agriculture, and disaster risk reduction.

The document examines the surge of agricultural production in Brazil's MATOPIBA region, noting that expansion is heavily concentrated in the Cerrado biome. Between 1995 and 2012, Cerrado municipalities saw a 140% greater increase in agricultural production value than non-Cerrado areas, driven by cropland expansion and a shift from rice to soy. This boom led to an 11% higher increase in GDP per capita in Cerrado municipalities between 1999 and 2012, with gains in agricultural and services GDP, as well as improved access to electricity and durable consumer goods. However, the expansion did not significantly impact manufacturing GDP, population size, migration, or access to water and sewage.