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The report finds a significant gap between where VCM projects are located and where the managing companies are based, with a strong prevalence of companies from wealthy countries operating in less affluent regions, particularly in Africa. This disparity, combined with a lack of financial transparency, raises concerns that the VCM may not be effectively channeling funds to intended beneficiaries in developing nations.

The report forecasts that Africa will create between 1.5 and 3.3 million new direct green jobs by 2030 across 12 material value chains. The energy and power sector is the primary driver, with solar energy alone projected to generate up to 1.7 million jobs. The analysis highlights a significant need for both unskilled labor (40% of total) and specialized skills (30%), particularly in solar, climate-smart agriculture, and waste recycling. Five focus countries—South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and the DRC—are expected to contribute up to 720,000 of these jobs, with South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria showing the highest potential. The report emphasizes that while long-term estimates suggest up to 100 million green jobs by 2050, immediate investment in human capital and vocational training is required to realize this growth.

The report evaluates how nature-related risks impact business profits and credit losses in five African banking systems. It finds that an 'orderly transition' aligned with the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) minimizes financial risks, whereas a 'disorderly transition' can lead to significant profit losses and increased credit losses, particularly in agriculture and mining. The analysis highlights that nature-related risks in these sectors are comparable in scale to climate-related risks in emissions-intensive sectors.

The document argues that the OECD's Pillar Two GloBE rules undermine the effectiveness of traditional SEZ fiscal incentives, such as corporate income tax exemptions, by requiring a minimum effective tax rate (ETR) of 15%. It suggests that countries should shift from profit-based incentives to cost-based incentives and non-fiscal improvements to maintain competitiveness without sacrificing tax revenue. The brief also warns of legal risks associated with reforming these incentives due to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms and bilateral investment treaties.

The RAI Tool is a Microsoft Excel-based reference tool developed by IISD and Cerise+SPTF to help agribusinesses align their operations with the CFS-RAI Principles and IFC Performance Standards. It focuses on seven dimensions of responsible conduct, ranging from strategy and accountability to financial transparency. The tool is intended as a management and conversation starter rather than a rating system, guiding users through a three-phase assessment process: preparation (including desk reviews), field visits and interviews, and the development of a prioritised action plan to address identified gaps.

Africa possesses vast untapped renewable energy resources and critical minerals but faces significant barriers in financing, technology ownership, and value chain integration. While some progress has been made in solar, wind, and hydropower, the continent remains heavily reliant on imports for technology and patents. The document argues for strengthened partnerships, increased climate finance from the Global North, and the development of local manufacturing to ensure a just energy transition.

The evaluation finds that while the GCF has a prominent position in climate finance and a diverse set of instruments, its energy sector approach lacks a clearly articulated strategy and suffers from a mismatch between its stated and actual risk appetite. The portfolio is heavily skewed toward international accredited entities (IAEs) and focuses primarily on renewable energy generation, while underfinancing energy efficiency and emerging technologies like green hydrogen and large-scale storage. Results management is described as underdeveloped, with inconsistent metrics for measuring paradigm shifts and a lack of specific emissions reduction targets for the energy sector. The report recommends that the GCF clarify its role in the global energy transition, increase support for enabling environments and regulatory frameworks, and better align its risk appetite with transformational innovation.

The document examines the current state of circular economy trade measures notified to the WTO, noting a heavy bias toward end-of-life waste management over upstream resource efficiency. It proposes that the WTO facilitate a 'dynamic alignment system' using mutual recognition agreements, ISO 59000 standards, and cross-border extended producer responsibility schemes to support a global transition to a circular economy, particularly for developing nations.

The IEU's 2024 activity report details the completion of evaluations on the energy sector and investment framework, the launch of new evaluations regarding whistleblowers, Indigenous Peoples, and health/food security, and the progress of the LORTA impact evaluation portfolio. A significant portion of the document is dedicated to a synthesis on GCF access, which argues that access has become synonymous with accreditation, creating biases toward countries with strong governance and existing multilateral development bank (MDB) relationships. The report recommends shifting the focus of access from procedural accreditation to country-led needs and exploring alternative models such as National Climate Funds (NCFs).

The Independent Integrity Unit (IIU) report details its activities from January to June 2024, focusing on four strategic objectives: fostering a culture of integrity, acting as a thought leader in climate finance integrity, serving as a trusted investigation mechanism, and utilizing technology for data-informed decision-making. Key achievements include the launch of an e-learning module for Accredited Entities, the conduct of a regional capacity-building workshop in Morocco for African entities and CSOs, and the opening of 17 new cases. The unit also advanced its policy framework by drafting guidelines for Administrative Remedies and Exclusion (ARE) and managing conflicts of interest for external panel members.

The report analyzes the competition between Western and Chinese narratives in Africa, specifically debunking the 'debt-trap' narrative and arguing that African states exercise strategic agency by viewing both the US and China as viable partners rather than choosing one in a zero-sum game.

The report identifies a significant gap between global solar panel manufacturing capacity and projected deployment, resulting in 'spare' capacity of 3,837 GW between 2024 and 2030. Utilizing this surplus could enable the world to exceed the COP28 target of tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, reaching 13,345 GW (a 21% excess). The document argues that deploying just one-seventh of this spare capacity could meet the electricity demand growth and extend basic energy access to the entire populations of 88 analyzed Global South countries. It highlights that 80-85% of manufacturing is based in China, where companies are already facing investment delays and layoffs due to under-deployment. The report suggests a 'win-win-win' scenario where China maintains its industry, Global South nations gain energy independence and access, and developed nations fulfill their climate finance responsibilities.

Between March and May 2024, global temperature records were broken for three consecutive months. Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), the analysis found that approximately one in four people worldwide experienced temperatures at least three times more likely due to climate change (CSI level 3+) daily. Exposure peaked on April 6, 2024, with 2.7 billion people affected. The most severe impacts were concentrated in Africa, Southeast Asia, Central America, and South America, with 44% of Africa's population experiencing the most extreme attributable heat (CSI level 5 for 60+ days). The report also highlights a strong regional contrast in the U.S., where coastal areas and islands showed higher CSI signals despite lower temperature anomalies compared to the Upper Midwest.

The document highlights the failure of top-down conservation funding in Madagascar, where biodiversity loss continues despite international investment. It advocates for community-led financing models, citing the Beolobe regranting mechanism and the MIHARI LMMA Network as pathways to increase local agency. The briefing identifies critical risks to these funds, including fraud, lack of legal status for community organisations, and threats to environmental defenders, while recommending the development of Blue Business incubators to link community leaders with private investors.

The document evaluates civil society engagement during the 2020-2021 NDC revision process in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. It identifies significant barriers to inclusivity, including the digital divide during COVID-19, technical complexity of climate policy, and inadequate government communication. To improve the 2025 revisions, the briefing recommends diversifying engagement methods (such as 'imbizo' gatherings), enhancing technical capacity for civil society organisations (CSOs), and fostering regional peer learning to protect the livelihoods of marginalised communities.

Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), Climate Central found that human-caused climate change significantly boosted spring warmth in 2024, affecting 300 million people in the U.S. and approximately one in four people globally. The strongest influence was observed in coastal and island regions, such as Puerto Rico and Florida, while areas with the highest temperature anomalies, like the Upper Midwest, showed lower CSI levels due to higher historical temperature variance.

The report details a record-breaking Q1 2024 for aligned GSS+ debt, with USD 272.7bn added. Green bonds dominated the market, while Europe remained the primary regional source. The report also highlights the growth of sovereign GSS+ issuance, the emergence of nuclear energy in green bond frameworks in North America, and the evolving alignment of sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) with Climate Bonds' methodology.

The document examines how social protection—comprising non-contributory assistance, contributory insurance, and labour-market interventions—can mitigate the economic shocks of climate change in Africa. It highlights the African Risk Capacity (ARC) for sovereign risk pooling and Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) as key models for resilience. The author emphasizes that while climate change threatens to push 130 million people into poverty, leveraging multilateral funds like the Loss and Damage Fund and Green Climate Fund can finance the necessary social protection systems to protect the continent's most vulnerable.

The document examines the role of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) and Eco-DRR in enhancing disaster risk preparedness across Africa. It highlights that while Africa is highly vulnerable to climate hazards, government capacity and financing for disaster risk reduction (DRR) are severely lacking. The author proposes three primary opportunities for improvement: aligning climate, biodiversity, and disaster risk policies; developing blended and scalable financing solutions; and empowering local communities through natural resource management models. Practical examples from Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Malawi demonstrate how nature-based solutions, such as mangrove and bamboo restoration, can mitigate disasters while supporting livelihoods.

The FSD Program addresses the funding gap for the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals by shifting focus from the supply side of finance to the demand side. By analyzing firm-level investment decisions in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs), the program identifies the enabling conditions and blended-finance instruments—such as guarantees and risk mitigation—necessary to make sustainable projects attractive to private investors. This micro-level evidence is then used to inform macro-level global and regional policy frameworks.