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The report identifies a $895 billion universe of climate-aligned bonds, including $221 billion in labeled green bonds. It highlights the dominance of the transport and energy sectors and the critical role of sovereign and sub-sovereign issuers, particularly in China and the US. The document argues for a massive acceleration of green bond issuance to reach $1 trillion annually by 2020 to support Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The report analyzes the economic landscape of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), highlighting the dominance of South Africa and the structural challenges facing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland (BLNS). Through eight case studies, it identifies critical bottlenecks including unreliable electricity, high transport costs, non-harmonized standards, and burdensome customs procedures. The paper argues that a SACU development fund could be a pivotal tool to finance regional infrastructure and regulatory reforms, moving beyond the current revenue-sharing model to foster genuine industrialization and pro-poor economic outcomes.

The green bond market showed strong growth in Q3 2017, with USD 27.7bn issued, making it the second largest quarter ever. Emerging markets, particularly Mexico and India, saw significant activity, while the market expanded geographically into Malaysia and Lithuania. There is a growing trend toward external verification of green bond frameworks to increase transparency and investor confidence.

The document highlights a significant financing gap for cities in developing countries, where fewer than 20% have access to local capital markets and only 4% can access international markets. While the global green bond market grew exponentially from USD 3.2 billion in 2012 to USD 44 billion in 2015, only USD 2.3 billion has been linked to city-based projects in developing countries. The guide outlines two primary strategies for accessing these funds: direct issuance for creditworthy cities (potentially using guarantees or cornerstone buyers) and indirect access for others by aligning projects with the frameworks of multilateral development banks, commercial banks, or corporations.

The statement highlights the systemic failure to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate health warnings to the Latino community during the Flint water crisis. It notes that fear of deportation and a lack of Spanish-language information prevented many undocumented families from accessing safe water and medical services. The author advocates for a national lead prevention strategy and immediate federal funding of approximately 1.5 billion dollars to replace corroded water infrastructure in Flint.

South Africa faces a severe water crisis driven by climate change, population growth, and crumbling infrastructure. The report argues that the country must shift its focus from building new infrastructure to managing demand through water efficiency. Key opportunities for savings include improving agricultural irrigation (30-40%), reducing municipal leaks and household waste (12-30%), and increasing industrial efficiency. The document emphasizes the role of the business community in disclosing water use and investing in water-saving technologies to avoid economic instability and social unrest.

The report finds significant misalignments and information asymmetries between India's corporate and government water reporting frameworks, concluding that existing mechanisms are ill-equipped to monitor progress toward water-related SDGs. While government reporting focuses on community risk and access, corporate reporting emphasizes business risk and non-consumptive impacts. The study highlights a critical lack of reporting on water infrastructure and compliance across both sectors. Furthermore, analysis of India's top 200 businesses reveals low overall sustainability disclosure, with a stark divide between private sector firms and state-owned enterprises, and a significant 'black box' of data due to the large informal economy.

The green bond market experienced substantial growth in 2016, with issuance on track to double from 2015 levels, driven largely by China and other emerging markets. While mitigation projects in clean energy and energy efficiency receive the majority of capital, adaptation financing is increasing, particularly through US municipalities. The private sector now accounts for 66% of issuance. To meet Paris Agreement targets, the report advocates for governments to develop green investment pipelines and implement five key actions: issuing demonstration bonds, applying green standards, enabling domestic verifiers, providing market infrastructure, and promoting international collaboration.

Botswana faces significant water scarcity and rising demand, yet its water governance remains centralised with slow institutional reform. While the government has adopted Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles and developed an IWRM-water efficiency (IWRM-WE) plan, implementation is hindered by outdated legislation, such as the 1968 Water Act, and a lack of a formal water pricing policy. The document highlights a critical need to shift from supply-side expansion—such as the construction of dams and north-south water carriers—toward water demand management (WDM) to ensure long-term sustainability and financial viability.

The Long-Term FX Risk Management instrument, developed by The Lab in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and The Currency Exchange Fund Management Company (TIM), aims to unlock climate-relevant investments in emerging markets. By offering long-term fixed and inflation-linked cross-currency swaps, interest rate swaps, and local currency loans, the instrument addresses the financial uncertainty caused by currency mismatches in capital-intensive clean infrastructure projects. A proposed pilot requires USD 250 million in donor risk capital to provide up to USD 1 billion in hedging capacity, potentially supporting USD 1.5 billion in clean investment projects and reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1.7 MtCO2.

The document details the construction of the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, which uses a composite index approach to map global water risks. It describes the development of six modeled indicators (baseline water stress, inter-annual variability, seasonal variability, upstream storage, return flow ratio, and upstream protected land) and the adaptation of six externally sourced indicators (flood occurrence, drought severity, groundwater stress, media coverage, access to water, and threatened amphibians). The methodology involves using an ensemble of regression models to project water withdrawals to 2010, spatial disaggregation to the catchment scale, and a catchment-to-catchment flow accumulation approach for water supply. The final water risk scores are generated through a linear weighted aggregation process, allowing users to customize weights based on their specific sector or risk sensitivity.

The report assesses the water-stressed environment of South Africa and the Western Cape, highlighting the risk that water scarcity may constrain economic development. It outlines the governance structure under the National Water Act and Water Services Act, identifies seven key opportunity areas for the private sector—including invasive alien plant clearing and wastewater treatment—and discusses infrastructure projects such as the Clanwilliam Dam and various desalination plants. It also notes significant barriers, particularly chronic skills shortages in municipal engineering and management.

The authors use domestic household water consumption in Bangalore to argue that urban hydrology is essentially 'social hydrology,' where the unequal distribution of piped water infrastructure acts as the primary driver of groundwater patterns, outweighing biophysical factors.

The 'Water for Our Future' event, hosted by the World Water Council, WWF, and The Coca-Cola Company, focused on three themes: Green Growth, Water Stewardship and Industry; Water for Food; and Enough Safe Water for All. The forum emphasized the necessity of 'multisector partnerships' and a shift from short-term water projects to long-term water services. Key discussions highlighted the undervaluation of water in the US, the critical role of farmers in water stewardship, and the need for inclusive planning that incorporates local communities and women. The report also presents case studies on the 'golden triangle' partnership in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo basin and a public-private partnership for wastewater treatment in Jordan.

The report assesses South Africa's water-stressed environment, highlighting the dominance of agricultural water demand and critical challenges such as non-revenue water losses and a severe shortage of technical skills. It details the governance roles of the Department of Water Affairs and various grants available for municipal infrastructure. In the Western Cape, the report identifies specific projects like the Berg River Improvement Plan and various wastewater treatment plant upgrades as key areas of activity and private sector opportunity.

The document examines the use of performance-based contracts (PBCs) to reduce non-revenue water (NRW), contrasting them with traditional contracts. It highlights the benefits of PBCs, such as harnessing private sector technical expertise and aligning incentives through results-based payment. The author identifies key implementation challenges, including the need for accurate baseline data, the risk of 'cherrypicking' easy gains, and the difficulty of sustaining improvements after a contract ends. Drawing on examples from Brazil, Malaysia, Thailand, and Ireland, the paper provides guidance on scoping, risk-reward balancing, and procurement to support the implementation of similar frameworks in South African municipalities.

The report examines how climate hazards—such as permafrost degradation, sea-level rise, and extreme weather—threaten Canadian infrastructure, including transportation, buildings, and water systems. It finds that while significant economic costs are already being incurred and research is extensive, policy and regulatory responses remain nascent and investment decisions are not yet substantially driven by adaptation needs. The document details regional vulnerabilities and explores enabling factors such as updated building codes, insurance incentives, and industry-led sustainability initiatives to strengthen long-term resilience.

The National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS2) outlines a comprehensive plan to manage South Africa's scarce water resources sustainably and equitably. It prioritizes water allocation reform to redress historical imbalances, emphasizes water conservation and demand management (WCWDM) to reconcile supply and demand, and proposes a significant institutional realignment, including the establishment of nine Catchment Management Agencies and Regional Water Utilities. The strategy addresses critical challenges such as climate change, water pollution, and infrastructure backlogs, while estimating a total sector investment requirement of R700 billion over ten years.

Minister Edna Molewa's 2013 budget speech focuses on a 'decade of equity and redistribution' for South Africa's water sector. Key initiatives include the R4.334 billion Interim Water Supply Programme for rural backlogs, a projected R670 billion infrastructure need over ten years, and the gazetting of the National Water Resource Strategy (NWRS-2). The speech details several major dam and pipeline projects, such as the De Hoop and Mzimvubu projects, and reports on efforts to combat illegal water use and acid mine drainage.

The document outlines how public-private collaborations (PPCs) can overcome market barriers to deliver climate adaptation and disaster risk solutions. Through nine case studies across various sectors—including agriculture, energy, and water—it argues that successful resilience-building requires local engagement, scalable design, and the strengthening of micro-enterprises to create sustainable livelihoods. Key strategies highlighted include leveraging existing relationships, creating synergistic value chains, and utilizing innovative alternatives to traditional infrastructure, such as mobile technology and off-grid energy.