Search Climate Insights Directory

The New Development Bank (NDB) has expanded its mandate to support climate action and sustainable development but faces challenges including aligning financing with local currency and non-sovereign lending.

The document examines the resurgence of military coups in Africa since 2020 and the fragmented reactions of BRICS nations. It argues that while Russia engages in 'coup protection schemes' and China maintains a 'non-interventionist policy' to secure economic interests, India, Brazil, and South Africa have taken more muted or supportive stances toward constitutional order. This lack of unity suggests BRICS operates as a 'house of cards' with disaggregated interests, potentially limiting its ability to effectively challenge US and European influence in Africa.

The document outlines how overfishing undermines food security, livelihoods, and spiritual practices, while contributing to climate change and human rights abuses. It advocates for stronger international fisheries management, the elimination of harmful subsidies, and the expansion of marine protected areas.

The report argues that European oil and gas companies are pursuing LNG projects in Africa that expose host countries to significant financial and environmental risks. Due to delayed revenue-sharing structures and a predicted global LNG supply glut by the 2030s, African states face the prospect of stranded assets and debt traps. The document highlights a contradiction between Europe's domestic decarbonization goals and its promotion of fossil fuel infrastructure in Africa, while noting that high breakeven costs make African producers particularly vulnerable to price competition.

The document argues that carbon markets can fill a critical funding gap for African smallholder farmers, who received only 0.8% of climate finance in 2023. It highlights that soil carbon interventions provide dual benefits of climate mitigation and adaptation by improving soil health, water retention, and crop yields. However, the briefing notes that African agriculture remains underrepresented in carbon markets, with only 12 identified projects across the continent. Barriers include high soil sampling costs, strict evidence requirements for baselines, and a lack of localised research. The author recommends that policymakers avoid 'one-size-fits-all' regulations and instead prioritise projects that deliver non-carbon co-benefits like food security and nutrition.

WWF International calls on the US Congress and state leadership to finalize several pending bills before the end of 2024. Key priorities include reauthorizing the WILD Act to protect global species, passing the Indian Buffalo Management Act for tribal-led restoration, and enacting the US Foundation for International Conservation Act to leverage private funding. The document also emphasizes the need to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as a national security threat, improve recycling infrastructure through the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, and renew the Farm Bill with climate-smart agriculture investments. Additionally, it urges New York Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the TREES Act to prevent deforestation in state supply chains.

The document analyzes the global distribution of agricultural methane emissions, highlighting that while low- and middle-income countries produce the most, high-income countries have higher per capita emissions due to consumption patterns. It proposes a transition toward climate-smart agriculture through technology, policy reform, and targeted finance, particularly for smallholder farmers in Africa, to meet global reduction targets by 2030.

The paper argues that green technologies in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, waste management, and green construction can significantly reduce youth unemployment in Africa. It highlights specific successes, such as Morocco's Noor Solar Complex and South Africa's REIPPPP, while noting that widespread adoption is blocked by financing gaps, currency volatility, and policy-implementation disconnects. The authors recommend targeted vocational training, blended finance models, and strengthened public-private partnerships to unlock these opportunities.

The paper explores the intersection of gender inequality and climate change, particularly in Africa, highlighting how women are disproportionately affected by climate-related displacement, food insecurity, and energy poverty. It details structural barriers in employment, land ownership, and political representation that limit women's adaptive capacity. The document reviews international frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the Lima Work Programme on Gender, and calls for COP29 to prioritize honoring financial pledges, increasing women's access to clean energy, and investing in gender-disaggregated data to ensure a just social order.

The document argues that green bonds are an under-utilised tool that could help Africa meet its estimated USD 2.8 trillion climate finance need by 2030. While the global green bond market reached approximately USD 2.8 trillion in 2023, Africa's share is less than 1%, representing only USD 5.1 billion. The paper highlights successful issuances in South Africa, Nigeria, and Zambia, while identifying key barriers such as low liquidity, inadequate regulation, and high transaction costs. It calls for stronger public-private collaboration and international support at COP29 to create enabling environments for green bond proliferation in Africa.

The briefing highlights a significant funding gap in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), where current climate finance flows represent only 0.5% of regional GDP, far below the 3.7% to 4.9% estimated by ECLAC to meet Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). While developed nations eventually met the USD 100 billion annual pledge in 2022, the LAC region's share of international finance (17% between 2016-2020) consists largely of loans (81%), exacerbating regional debt. Financing is heavily concentrated in Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia, with a strong preference for mitigation over adaptation projects.

Climate justice activist Joshua Omonuk, representing the Agape Earth Coalition, calls for a fundamental shift in how climate adaptation finance is delivered to Africa. Highlighting that Africa receives only about 2% of total global climate funds, the author demands that COP29 establish a fairer system characterized by direct access for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), a preference for grants over loans to avoid debt, and increased accountability for private sector polluters. The document also details a European tour conducted by the coalition to build political alliances with MEPs and NGOs to amplify these demands ahead of the summit.

The document highlights a significant gap in clean energy investment for emerging and developing economies (EMDEs), noting that only 15% of global investment reaches these regions (excluding China). It identifies the primary barrier as an elevated cost of capital—often two to three times higher than in OECD countries—driven by risks such as currency exchange, regulatory uncertainty, and asset expropriation. In Africa, the weighted average cost of capital for power sector projects is 15.6%, making decarbonization prohibitively expensive. The authors argue that COP29 must move beyond pledges toward granular, data-driven plans and bottom-up actions that improve local infrastructure and market performance to make EMDEs more attractive to risk-averse private capital.

Friends of the Earth International calls for an end to state violence and repression in Mozambique following the October 9 elections, which opposition parties and observers claim were fraudulent. The organization links the current social unrest and high poverty rates—affecting 73% of the population—to IMF-imposed neoliberal policies and the export of wealth from fossil fuel and mining projects. It demands an inquiry into police killings, the restoration of internet and movement freedoms, and a transition toward a development model based on environmental, social, and gender justice.

Friends of the Earth International expresses solidarity with the people of Mozambique following elections on October 9, which opposition parties and observers describe as fraudulent. The organization denounces the brutal state repression of protests, which has resulted in at least 34 confirmed deaths and the use of live ammunition by police, particularly in Maputo. The statement links this political instability to deep poverty—affecting 73% of the population—and the exploitation of natural resources by transnational companies in collusion with political elites. It demands an end to state violence, the investigation of killings, the restoration of internet and expression freedoms, and a transition toward an equitable development model that respects the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples.

Friends of the Earth International expresses solidarity with Mozambicans protesting fraudulent elections and state repression. The organization links the current social unrest to systemic poverty and inequality driven by neoliberal policies, IMF-imposed measures, and the extraction of natural resources by multinationals. It demands an end to police violence, accountability for killings, and a transition toward an equitable development model that respects the rights of local and indigenous populations.

The document outlines the structure of climate negotiations at COP29, listing various negotiating blocs such as the G77+China, EU, and AOSIS, while providing a glossary of terms and a calendar of thematic focus areas.

The document examines the role of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs) in preventing carbon leakage and reducing emissions, with a primary focus on the EU CBAM. It argues that while the EU CBAM aims to promote global decarbonisation, it may only slightly reduce overall emissions while imposing significant economic burdens on developing nations, potentially costing them billions in income. The briefing highlights a growing, uncoordinated global trend of countries introducing their own carbon tariffs, which risks fragmenting trade and creating high compliance costs for small producers. It concludes that international cooperation, aligned with UNFCCC principles and supported by climate finance, is essential to ensure these mechanisms support global climate goals without unfairly penalising vulnerable economies.

The document examines the significant infrastructure financing gap in Africa and argues that the private sector can bridge this gap by accessing 'geopolitical funds' such as China's Belt and Road Initiative, the EU's Global Gateway Initiative, and the G7's Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. It highlights that while these funds offer immense potential, the primary barrier is the 'bankability' of African projects, with 80% of projects failing at the feasibility stage. The brief recommends enhancing African agency and private sector involvement to ensure infrastructure development aligns with continental goals.

The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) is a financial market infrastructure designed to enable instant cross-border payments across Africa using local currencies, reducing reliance on foreign currencies like the US dollar and Euro. While supported by the AU and AfCFTA, the system faces significant hurdles, including low awareness—with 39% of business leaders unaware of it—and fragmented regulatory frameworks. Despite these challenges, as of May 2024, 13 African central banks, over 115 commercial banks, and 10 payment switches have connected to the system. The report recommends harmonizing regulations, investing in digital infrastructure, and improving data transparency to unlock the system's potential for economic integration.