Search Climate Insights Directory

The report maps 103 multistakeholder initiatives (MSIs) to demonstrate how transnational corporations and mega-philanthropies are displacing traditional state-led multilateralism. It identifies a pattern where the World Economic Forum (WEF) and large foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation drive a 'stakeholder capitalism' agenda, often using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as legitimacy. The analysis reveals a significant democratic deficit, with affected communities and Global South governments largely excluded from decision-making, while the UN system often acts as a strategic partner that legitimises these corporate-led mechanisms.

The document examines the G20/OECD Inclusive Framework's Two-Pillar Solution to tax challenges from the digitalisation of the economy. It highlights that developing countries, particularly in Africa, suffer disproportionate revenue losses from tax avoidance—up to 5%–8% of GDP in some cases—compared to developed nations. The author argues that the current framework lacks adequate representation of African nations (only 23 of 55 AU members participated) and contains provisions, such as a 15% minimum corporate tax rate and high turnover thresholds for profit reallocation, that may marginalise poorer economies. The brief recommends shifting negotiations to a neutral body like the UN and increasing technical and financial support for developing countries to implement new standards.

The Local2030 Coalition is a UN-anchored platform aimed at bridging the gap between global SDG targets and local implementation. Based on a global baseline study, the coalition identifies critical gaps in advocacy, action, and monitoring. Its strategy focuses on empowering local actors, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, and leveraging UN expertise to ensure a green and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition is co-chaired by UN-Habitat and other rotating UN entities, with a focus on providing a convening space for knowledge sharing, policy alignment, and improved access to SDG financing.

The author identifies several key environmental priorities for the WTO's MC12, including a deal on fishery subsidies and the launch of member-led initiatives like the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD). The text emphasizes the need for inclusive cooperation that supports developing countries through financing and technical assistance to ensure a global green economy that does not leave the poorest behind.

The 2021 NDC Update Report finds that while 95% of surveyed countries have strengthened greenhouse gas emissions targets, overall progress remains too slow and pledges insufficient. The report highlights a significant gap in long-term strategies (LTSs), with only 17% of Parties having communicated one to the UNFCCC as of October 2021. It emphasizes the critical role of subnational governments, noting that 80% of respondents view them as important for NDC implementation and 75% report their actual involvement in planning. The document warns against using 'green recovery' narratives as a 'smokescreen' for inaction and calls for a just transition to manage trade-offs between climate action and sustainable development goals.

The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, including leaders from 16 nations, advocates for a transition to a sustainable ocean economy to close the emissions gap. The Panel identifies six key action areas—nature-based solutions, renewable energy, industry decarbonisation, sustainable food, carbon capture and storage, and research—noting that these actions could provide up to 21% of the annual emissions cuts required to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2050. Member nations commit to developing Sustainable Ocean Plans to manage 100% of their national waters sustainably within five years.

The SDG Localization Baseline 2030 report examines the practical implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local and regional levels. It identifies systemic barriers including weak governance, lack of policy alignment, and limited financial resources, while emphasizing the critical role of local governments in service delivery and the need for better integration of local actors in national and global decision-making processes.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) has introduced the Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity to establish universal sustainability guardrails for the global financial system. The Framework aims to address the lack of a standardized system for tracking the integrity of net-zero commitments and coordinating action between public and private financial actors to meet the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

The document outlines the financial gap for climate action in Africa, noting that NDCs will require approximately $3 trillion by 2030. It identifies significant barriers to private investment, including political, project, and economic risks, as well as a lack of 'bankable' projects. To address these, the brief recommends the development of NDC implementation plans, the use of credit enhancement mechanisms via blended finance, and the provision of technical grant-based funding to help borrowers reach the bankability stage. It specifically emphasizes the need for catalytic public finance to unlock private investment in adaptation and nature-based solutions.

The report advocates for a shift in urban development metrics toward the quality, reliability, and affordability of essential services to address the needs of over 1.2 billion under-served city dwellers. It identifies seven necessary transformations across infrastructure, service provision, data, employment, finance, land management, and governance to create more equitable and sustainable cities.

The document outlines the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in enhancing infrastructure resilience and cost-effectiveness in Latin America and the Caribbean, detailing the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) strategy to mainstream these solutions through its 2020 Mainstreaming Action Plan for Environmental and Social Sustainability.

The document outlines a project exploring the 'ripple effects' of deploying distance health and social care solutions. It specifically examines potential climate benefits from reduced transport and uses the SDG Synergies tool to identify conflicts and synergies with the UN Agenda 2030 goals, arguing that systematic, collaborative examination of these interactions improves policy effectiveness.

The Framework for Sustainable Finance Integrity provides a technical set of 'Necessary Action' metrics across three categories—targets and objectives, implementation, and metrics and transparency—to align the financial sector with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement. It identifies significant gaps between current leading practices of major financial coalitions and the scientific requirements for a viable net zero pathway, particularly regarding short-term emissions targets, the phase-out of all fossil fuel finance, and the integration of social justice and biodiversity into financial mandates.

The report examines how gender norms and power dynamics influence vulnerability and adaptive capacity in the ocean economy of SIDS and coastal LDCs. It highlights the undervalued roles of women in small-scale fisheries and tourism and analyzes how climate change, market shifts, and COVID-19 disproportionately affect women due to socio-economic structures. The document advocates for the systematic collection of sex-disaggregated data, the implementation of gender-transformative policies, and the alignment of international finance, such as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and climate risk insurance, with gender equality goals to enhance overall community resilience.

The document argues that while Africa requires significant investment for climate mitigation and adaptation—including an estimated $3 trillion for NDC implementation by 2030—private sector investment remains low. It identifies key barriers such as political, regulatory, and project risks, as well as a lack of 'bankable' projects. To overcome these, the authors recommend creating supportive regulatory environments, utilizing credit enhancement mechanisms through blended finance, and providing technical grant-based funding to help borrowers reach the bankability stage. Special attention is given to the need for catalytic public finance to unlock private investment in adaptation and nature-based solutions.

The document examines the limited role of African countries and LDCs in G20 decision-making and proposes mechanisms to enhance their agency. It highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated vulnerabilities in these regions, leading to the worst economic outcome in thirty years for LDCs. The author suggests creating a formal outreach mechanism with longer-term representation to ensure continuity and mainstreaming LDC inputs across G20 workstreams, including climate and finance. Key priority themes identified include rethinking vulnerability metrics beyond per capita GDP, ensuring a 'just transition' that balances green recovery with immediate social needs, and reforming the financial architecture to provide more fiscal space and fairer capital market access.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute explores how digital health and social care tools, such as Virtual Health Rooms (VHRs), can reduce carbon emissions and align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using a case study of Storuman municipality in Sweden, the report estimates that VHRs can save approximately 31 tons of CO2 annually by reducing patient travel. It also details a co-production workshop that identified synergies between distance health solutions and SDGs related to health, climate action, responsible consumption, and public-private partnerships, advocating for a systemic, evidence-based approach to policy implementation to maximize benefits and mitigate trade-offs.

The report examines the application of just transition principles across various sectors in developing and emerging economies to ensure social justice and sustainable development. It specifically analyzes the impacts of policy instruments on employment and identifies ways for the German Development Cooperation to support these efforts. The study covers sectors including coal phase-out, fossil fuel subsidy reform, renewable energy, circular economy, and sustainable agriculture, utilizing case studies from countries such as Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and South Africa.

As of May 24, 2022, 43 companies have committed USD 458 million across 48 countries to support the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge. The largest individual commitments come from Bayer (USD 160 million) and PepsiCo (USD 100 million), with significant regional focus on Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The National Cooling Action Plan (NCAP) for Grenada identifies that buildings and the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) sector are major contributors to national greenhouse gas emissions. The report presents emission pathways and mitigation potentials, noting that an enhanced ambition scenario based on international best practices could reduce building sector emissions by 62% by 2050 compared to a low ambition scenario.