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The document examines the global landscape of high-speed rail (HSR), highlighting the extensive networks in China, Japan, and Europe compared to the limited development in the United States. It defines HSR as new lines exceeding 250 km/h (160 mph) and existing lines exceeding 200 km/h (120 mph). The text details China's rapid expansion, which is expected to reach 38,000 km by 2025, and Japan's long-standing safety record with the Shinkansen. In the U.S., only California is currently building a full HSR system, with the first phase expected by 2029. The report argues that HSR is more energy-efficient than cars and planes, offering a path to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduced oil demand.

The document examines how green bonds support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically highlighting six goals that receive direct benefits from green investment. It emphasizes that climate action is a crosscutting theme necessary for the success of all SDGs and calls for increased climate risk disclosure across all thematic bond labels to ensure long-term sustainability.

The report examines the climate footprint of Swedish public sector consumption, highlighting that municipal activities account for approximately 70% of public consumption-based emissions. Through case studies of Eskilstuna and Umeå, the document analyzes quantitative, qualitative, and transformative measures to reduce emissions from food and transport. Key findings indicate that while administrative and informative tools are common, more powerful transformative changes—such as establishing vegetarian norms and urban densification—are necessary to meet long-term climate goals. The report recommends that Sweden establish consumption-based emission targets for 2030 and 2045 to complement territorial goals.

The document examines the global landscape of high-speed rail (HSR), highlighting the leadership of China, Japan, and Europe in deployment. It contrasts this with the United States, where HSR is largely absent due to factors like low population density, car culture, and property rights. The text argues that HSR offers significant energy and environmental advantages over air and car travel, while noting that China's rapid expansion is driven by government funding and strategic goals for economic integration and energy independence.

The Uganda Green Economy Barometer 2018 argues that while Uganda has a conducive policy environment and significant natural capital, the transition to a green economy is hindered by poor policy implementation, high initial costs, and a financing gap. It highlights the potential for green growth to create 4 million jobs and boost GDP by 10%, provided there is political commitment, economic reform, and increased private sector investment in sectors like agriculture, renewable energy, and sustainable transport.

The document analyzes Pune's efforts toward urban sustainability and equity, highlighting the role of civil society organization (CSO) coalitions in collaborating with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). While progress was made in sustainable transport (via the BRTS) and solid waste management (via the SWaCH cooperative), these gains are threatened by fragmented governance, the corporatization of waste, and a shift toward centralized, high-tech infrastructure like the Metro rail. The authors argue that lasting transformation is hindered by the PMC's lack of financial and political autonomy from the state government of Maharashtra.

The 2017 Global Landscape of Climate Finance report finds that global climate finance peaked at $437 billion in 2015 before declining by 12% to $383 billion in 2016. The 2015 surge was primarily driven by private renewable energy investments in China, the U.S., and Japan. While solar and wind investments are largely on track for 2°C goals, other sectors like energy efficiency and adaptation remain significantly underfunded. Public finance is increasingly focused on energy efficiency, while multilateral development finance institutions (DFIs) are progressing toward their 2020 targets. The report highlights a strong preference for domestic investment, with 79% of finance remaining within the country of origin during 2015/2016.

The report evaluates 16 financial institutions and infrastructure standards to determine how sustainability and climate resilience are screened during infrastructure development. It finds that while environmental and social (E&S) assessments are standard, climate risk integration varies significantly. Most financial institution tools focus on the financing phase, whereas infrastructure standards like BREEAM and Envision target the design and planning phases. The review highlights a general lack of public availability for specific screening tools and a need for better integration of natural capital and regional-scale planning.

The text examines how regional governments and cities can maintain climate ambitions despite national withdrawals from international agreements, such as the US's proposed exit from the Paris Agreement. It highlights the Under2MoU as a global sub-national alliance and details Baden-Württemberg's legal and strategic approach to climate neutrality, while noting that regional success remains dependent on supportive national and EU frameworks.

The text emphasizes that while climate change is a global challenge requiring national commitments like the Paris Agreement, effective action is often anchored at the subnational level. It highlights the Under2MoU alliance, co-founded by Baden-Württemberg and California, as a model for regional leadership. The author, Franz Untersteller, details Baden-Württemberg's specific goals—including a 90% emission reduction by 2050—while noting that regional success is limited by the need for stronger regulatory frameworks from the German federal government and the European Union.

The report examines how domestic DFIs in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile can mobilize investment for their NDCs. While these institutions committed over US$11 billion in climate finance in 2015, the vast majority (98%) targeted mitigation, primarily in renewable energy, leaving a significant gap in adaptation and urban infrastructure. Key barriers include a lack of long-term low-cost capital, perceived poor risk-adjusted returns, and limited technical capacity to structure complex climate projects. The report recommends that governments provide clearer mandates and that multilateral development banks (MDBs) support NDBs through risk-mitigation instruments, technical assistance, and improved climate finance tracking.

The guide argues that traditional business models focused on increasing sales are unsustainable given growing global populations and industrialization. It proposes a three-step analytical process: conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to identify environmental hotspots, multiplying these impacts by projected demand growth to 2030, and analyzing the broader industry context, including competitors and community needs. The author suggests that companies must either innovate their products or shift their paradigms toward services—such as mobility services instead of just selling cars—to meet sustainability targets and avoid obsolescence.

The document reflects on seven years of CDKN's work to integrate climate action with poverty reduction, highlighting its influence on policies in 33 countries and its support for the Paris Agreement. It identifies critical gaps in current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the need for diversified climate finance beyond the Green Climate Fund, and the slow pace of sustainable transport and smart city adoption in developing nations compared to the rapid energy transition to renewables.

A coalition of medical experts and environmental organizations calls on Liverpool City Region mayoral candidates to prioritize public health by ensuring the region meets legal air pollution limits by 2020 through the use of Clean Air Zones and increased investment in sustainable transport.

The document outlines how urban transportation infrastructure, including roads and railways, is vulnerable to rising temperatures and intense rainfall. It argues that sustainable transportation systems, urban densification, and the development of 'complete communities' that support walking and cycling can increase physical resilience, provide redundancy during climate shocks, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The document details a workshop organized by the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre as part of the HERON project. It outlines proposed energy efficiency (EE) scenarios for Estonia's buildings and transport sectors, contrasting them with business-as-usual (BAU) paths. Expert panel discussions concluded that the proposed renovation rates for buildings are overly ambitious due to funding and skill shortages, while transport goals require better integration of modes and increased local government authority over cycling and public transport infrastructure.

The document details how Bogor utilized the Urban LEDS program to create a greenhouse gas inventory and integrate low-emission priorities into its 2015-2019 Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD). Key efforts focused on the transport sector, which was identified as the largest emitter, through initiatives like electric and gas-powered buses and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. The process emphasized political commitment from Mayor Bima Arya, inter-agency collaboration, and international knowledge exchange.

The document details the methodology for the Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2017, defining climate finance as capital flows for low-carbon and climate-resilient development. It specifies the inclusion of mitigation, adaptation, and dual-benefit finance while excluding fossil fuel-based lower-carbon generation and private R&D. The accounting scope focuses on annual financial commitments, covering grants, loans, equity, and balance sheet financing, while excluding risk management instruments and secondary market transactions to avoid double counting. It further defines the classification of public and private finance, the data sources used (such as BNEF and OECD), and the sectoral breakdowns for mitigation and adaptation activities.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) welcomes the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, noting its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement. WRI emphasizes the role of cities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advocates for a prioritized implementation plan with measurable goals to ensure sustainable mobility, road safety, and affordable housing.

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.