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The report argues that green bonds can lower the cost of capital for green industries and increase financial transparency. It analyzes international experiences from development banks and municipal markets to propose a four-step blueprint for China: defining eligible green investments, coordinating regulatory frameworks, engaging investors through roundtables, and launching pilot projects across sovereign, municipal, and corporate issuers.

The document argues that a gap exists between the capital required for a sustainable transition and actual private sector investment due to market and policy failures. It identifies 'short-termism' as a systemic bias in the investment industry that leads to the undervaluation of long-term sustainability risks and opportunities. To counter this, the report proposes a policy framework based on three elements: enabling open and competitive markets through fiscal incentives and transparency, addressing internal industry disincentives such as short-term remuneration structures, and providing transitional support through de-risking mechanisms and the alignment of public pension funds. It highlights various international case studies, including the UK's Green Investment Bank and the EU's Financial Transactions Tax, to illustrate how regulatory intervention can shift the risk-reward balance toward low-carbon investments.

The report assesses Bangalore's vulnerability to climate change, water scarcity, and rising carbon emissions, highlighting that rapid, unplanned urbanisation has degraded natural resources and increased the vulnerability of the urban poor. It identifies fragmented governance and limited operational capacity as key barriers to resilience, recommending priority action in water and energy systems.

The report argues that while real-economy policies are essential, they are insufficient to catalyze the scale of green finance needed for a sustainable transition. It examines China's progress in green credit, insurance, and emissions trading, while highlighting the need for a comprehensive framework of definitions, standards, and regulatory mandates to avoid systemic risks like stranded assets. The authors suggest that emerging economies, particularly China, have an opportunity to 'leapfrog' developed markets by integrating sustainability into the core design of their maturing financial systems.

The document outlines how climate change poses an existential threat to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) through sea level rise, ocean acidification, and extreme weather. It emphasizes that while adaptation can reduce risks, SIDS face high economic costs due to a lack of economies of scale and limited resources. The briefing advocates for the integration of adaptation, mitigation, and development strategies, highlighting the potential for renewable energy to enhance energy security and the necessity of international cooperation to avert dangerous climate change.

In June 2013, Mexico implemented Latin America's first fuel-efficiency standard for light vehicles, developed with support from EMBARQ Mexico and Centro Mario Molina. The standard mandates a fleet average of 14.9 kilometers per liter by 2016, aiming to reduce CO2 emissions by 170 megatons and save consumers $2,700 USD per vehicle over its lifetime. By aligning with U.S. and Canadian regulations, Mexico has harmonized its standards, potentially increasing the global competitiveness of its automotive industry.

The paper examines how Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa integrate green economy principles into their national development strategies. It finds that while some countries like South Africa embrace the concept as a path to sustainable development and job creation, others, such as Brazil, view it with skepticism, fearing it may benefit developed nations or hinder economic growth. The authors conclude that for a green transition to be successful, it must be aligned with each country's specific economic priorities and social objectives.

The document advocates for a 'Renaissance of Industry for a Sustainable Europe' (RISE) strategy, asserting that Europe's industrial competitiveness depends on a low-carbon transformation. The author proposes a four-pillar approach: an innovation and efficiency offensive (including energy efficiency feed-in tariffs and expanded ecodesign legislation), increased investment in R&D, leveraging the internal market for green demand, and enhancing workforce skills in STEM and vocational training. The author criticizes current EU financial frameworks for cutting strategic research and SME funding while calling for a specific 'Southern RISE' strategy to integrate Southern European economies into global value chains.

The document proposes the 'Reindustrialization of Industry in a Sustainable Europe' (RISE) strategy to transition the European Union toward a low-carbon economy. It argues that industrial competitiveness is dependent on this transition and suggests specific measures including innovative financing for energy efficiency, legislative ecodesign, increased R&D investment, and the integration of Southern European economies into the single market. The author criticizes current EU financial frameworks for cutting strategic areas like SMEs and research while continuing to fund projects like the ITER fusion reactor.

The document proposes the RISE strategy to revitalize European industry by focusing on energy and resource efficiency, green technologies, and innovation. It argues that industrial competitiveness is impossible without a low-carbon transformation and criticizes current EU budget cuts in strategic sectors like Horizon 2020 and COSME. The author suggests specific financial mechanisms, such as feed-in tariffs for energy efficiency and eco-efficient loans, alongside legislative measures like ecodesign to reduce energy imports and costs.

The report argues that avoiding dangerous climate change requires a sophisticated international regime combining top-down UNFCCC direction with broad bottom-up action. It identifies climate diplomacy as the critical interface between national interest debates and international cooperation, requiring three core capabilities: 'knowing yourself' (understanding national interests), 'knowing the other' (analyzing other actors' constraints), and the 'capacity to influence' (integrating priorities into diplomatic channels). The authors highlight that most countries have not yet sufficiently embedded climate change into their 'whole of government' decision-making machinery, often leaving it siloed in environment ministries. The document outlines the evolution of the climate regime from narrow UNFCCC negotiations to a broader system including the G20, Major Economies Forum, and security councils, while emphasizing the need for strategic confidence-building and the use of 'unusual alliances' to overcome political stalemates.

The Declaration on Climate Justice argues that the global response to climate change must prioritize human rights, equity, and the needs of the most vulnerable. It outlines six priority pathways: empowering affected communities, transitioning to a low-carbon economy, reforming investment models, ensuring government accountability, and strengthening the rule of law. The declaration emphasizes that developed countries must lead in reducing emissions and providing climate finance to ensure a just transition and a sustainable global society.

The document outlines a proposed carbon tax for South Africa, starting at R120 per tCO2-eq in 2015 with annual increases of 10% through 2019. It argues that a carbon tax is more suitable than an emissions trading system (ETS) in the short term due to the oligopolistic nature of the domestic energy sector. The design includes a basic tax-free threshold of 60%, with additional allowances for trade-exposed and process-emission sectors, and the possibility of using carbon offsets to reduce tax liability. Economic modelling suggests the tax would have a largely neutral impact on GDP and employment if revenues are recycled effectively through tax shifting or government investment. The paper also details complementary flagship programmes in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and public transport to support a just transition.

The report finds that while South African institutional investors increasingly recognize the relevance of ESG factors, integration remains slow and inconsistent. Many investors rely on narrow proxies for climate risk, such as carbon taxes, while largely ignoring physical risks and water scarcity. The study highlights a systemic lack of demand from asset owners and a prevalence of short-termism in performance evaluation, which hinders the transition to a low-carbon economy. Despite these barriers, a majority of respondents acknowledge that portfolios are heavily exposed to climate-vulnerable sectors, particularly through state-owned enterprises like Eskom and Transnet, leading to the conclusion that many assets may be mispriced.

The author critiques the European Union's lack of preparation for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations, warning that the United States is likely to use GMO products as a 'make-it-or-break-it' condition. The text argues that the EU must protect its environmental, climate, and consumer standards, and suggests that the positive agenda for TTIP should focus on energy and resource efficiency to support a low-carbon economy. It further cautions against using TTIP as a strategic tool to contain China, suggesting instead a multilateral approach to global trade to avoid dividing the world into competing blocs.

The document identifies five primary drivers for adopting CCD: national awareness of climate adaptation needs, the pursuit of energy security and resource efficiency, the desire to capture new green economic opportunities, the goal of improving access to climate finance, and strong government leadership. Conversely, it outlines seven key challenges: high implementation and opportunity costs, opposition from vested interest groups, lack of reliable data on risks and trade-offs, political short-termism, limited state capacity, institutional constraints (such as inter-ministerial conflict), and technological uncertainties. The paper suggests solutions including the use of carbon markets, participatory dialogue processes, the integration of climate goals into long-term legislation, and the creation of inter-ministerial committees with direct accountability to the presidency.

The paper identifies five key drivers for CCD: national adaptation needs, energy security and resource efficiency, new economic opportunities, access to climate finance, and strong government leadership. It also outlines seven primary challenges, including high implementation and opportunity costs, opposition from vested interest groups, lack of trusted data, short-term political thinking, limited state capacity, institutional constraints, and technological uncertainties. The authors argue that managing the political economy of CCD is essential for overcoming these barriers.

The report finds that while public attention to climate change waned after 2009, businesses have increasingly internalized climate concerns, shifting from a focus on mitigation to a broader approach encompassing adaptation and business resilience. Cost savings remain the primary driver for action, though investor pressure and consumer preferences are rising. The document highlights that physical climate risks are becoming real-world impacts, as evidenced by the 2011 Bangkok floods and 2012 U.S. weather extremes. Furthermore, businesses are expanding their focus to include water scarcity and biodiversity loss as critical risks to operational resilience.

The report argues that current carbon pricing, such as the EU ETS, is insufficient to alter global emission trends in the steel sector because costs are lower than production cost differences between regions. It highlights a lack of immediately deployable breakthrough technologies and suggests that a 'coalition of the willing' among steel-producing countries is necessary to scale up RDD&D and address competitiveness and leakage concerns.

The document examines the strategic opportunity for South Africa to leverage Mozambique's massive gas discoveries in the Rovuma Basin to diversify its energy mix and reduce its reliance on coal. It highlights the need for political and financial commitment, including the construction of an LNG terminal and the formation of strategic partnerships, to ensure South Africa does not miss the window of opportunity as Mozambique prepares for gas production by 2018.