Search Climate Insights Directory

This document provides the sources and methodology for Ember's Europe Electricity Interconnection Data Tool. It details how the tool maps Bidding Zones to countries, calculates interconnection capacity (NTC), estimates import potential, and analyzes electricity flows and variable renewable energy (RES) penetration for 2024 and projected scenarios for 2030 and 2040.

This report by Ember analyzes renewable power capacity in the Mediterranean region, comparing current trends and national targets against the TeraMed Initiative's goal of 1 TW by 2030. It finds that while renewable capacity has already surpassed fossil fuel capacity and is projected to double by 2030, significant acceleration in deployment is required to meet the 1 TW target.

This briefing examines the implementation of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs), focusing on the European Union's pioneering system and its global repercussions. It analyzes the limited impact of CBAMs on overall emissions reductions compared to domestic carbon pricing, the significant economic risks posed to developing nations, and the resulting fragmented landscape of international trade and climate policy.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) analyzes the 2023 activities of UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding states' human rights obligations in the context of climate change. It tracks the increasing frequency of climate-related references in state reporting procedures and examines specific themes such as fossil fuel extraction, the right to a healthy environment, loss and damage, and intergenerational equity.

The Western Balkans have seen a 70% increase in prospective utility-scale solar and wind capacity over the past year, reaching 23 GW. This capacity could potentially displace planned gas-fired power plants and avert 103 million tonnes of lifetime CO2 emissions. However, only 6% of this prospective capacity is currently under construction, and the region remains heavily dependent on coal and hydropower.

This report provides a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of the Tirana–Durres railway in Albania, evaluating the investment costs against the economic, social, and environmental benefits of rehabilitating the line and connecting it to Rinas International Airport.

This technical report provides a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of the proposed rehabilitation of the Tirana–Durres railway in Albania. Using a systemic approach, the assessment compares a business-as-usual scenario with a railway scenario to quantify economic, social, and environmental impacts over a 30-year period (2023–2053). The analysis demonstrates that while the project is not economically viable under conventional cost-benefit analysis, it is highly profitable when integrating non-tangible societal benefits.

This joint submission by IISD, CIEL, and ClientEarth to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment argues that Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms act as a major obstacle to climate and environmental action. The document details how ISDS is used by investors to challenge environmental regulations, creates a 'regulatory chill' that disincentivizes states from enacting green policies, and often ignores human rights and environmental obligations in favor of investment protections.

This report analyzes the 2022 activities of United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding state obligations in the context of climate change. It tracks the increasing frequency of climate-related recommendations in state review processes and examines specific trends in mitigation, fossil fuel regulation, adaptation, and the protection of vulnerable groups, including Indigenous Peoples and persons with disabilities.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights analyzes the 2022 activities of seven UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding climate change. It documents an increase in climate-related references in State reporting procedures and highlights key developments in General Comments and individual communications, specifically the landmark Billy et al. v. Australia case.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes 24 financing strategies for climate adaptation in developing countries, categorized into discrete adaptation strategies and general climate action strategies. It evaluates how these documents are developed, the role of multilateral development banks (MDBs), and their effectiveness in mobilizing finance. The report identifies a need for better integration between ministries of finance and climate leads, more strategic use of public grants to leverage private investment, and improved country-level tracking of climate finance flows.

An analysis by Carolyn Deere Birkbeck of the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs regarding opportunities for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address environmental crises and sustainable development during its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).

This technical report describes the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology and its application to various infrastructure types to calculate the costs of environmental, social, governance, and climate risks, as well as externalities. It specifically explores how SAVi can be integrated into Indonesia's Vision 2045 (IV2045) system dynamics model to better inform low-carbon development and investment strategies by bridging top-down national planning with bottom-up asset-specific analysis.

This report by Ember analyzes air pollution from coal-fired power plants across Europe, identifying Turkey, Ukraine, and the Western Balkan countries as the primary sources of sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM10). The analysis highlights a strong correlation between coal generation and pollutant emissions, noting that most of the most polluting plants are over 30 years old, though Turkey is an exception with some newer plants among the top polluters. The report argues that these countries should shift subsidies from dirty coal to their significant renewable energy potentials.

The NAP Global Network 2020–2021 Progress Report details the activities of a network dedicated to supporting developing countries in formulating and implementing National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). During the reporting period (December 2020 to November 2021), the Network shifted toward providing rapid, short-term technical assistance via its Country Support Hub and focused on integrating gender, health, and finance into adaptation planning to accelerate climate-resilient recovery.

This report presents a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of the Poçem and Kalivaç hydropower projects on the Vjosa River in Albania, concluding that these assets generate higher costs to the state, environment, and communities than they provide in benefits.

This report provides a Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) assessment of the Kalivaç and Poçem hydropower projects (HPPs) on the Vjosa River in Albania. It compares these projects against hypothetical solar PV and onshore wind alternatives, integrating environmental, social, and economic externalities into cost-benefit analyses (CBA), levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), and financial performance models. The assessment finds that the HPPs are uneconomic and socially costly compared to solar PV, primarily due to high dredging costs and significant losses in agriculture and tourism.

This report applies the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to evaluate ecological restoration options for South-West Beira Lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka, focusing on the economic impacts on property values and recreational spending.

This guidance document by the NewClimate Institute provides Energy Community Contracting Parties with a framework to consolidate overlapping climate and energy planning processes into a single, efficient system to reduce resource burdens and ensure alignment with international obligations.

The Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) tool, developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), is a simulation-based methodology designed to integrate environmental, social, and economic risks and externalities into the financial valuation of infrastructure assets.