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The document identifies high upfront costs, limited financial inclusion, and persistent kerosene subsidies as the primary barriers to off-grid solar adoption in rural India. It suggests leveraging the 'JAM trinity' (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, and mobile payments) to implement Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) for solar and reforming the Public Distribution System (PDS) to reduce kerosene leakage. The brief argues that savings from reduced kerosene subsidies could be redirected to fund solar penetration through results-based financing or direct customer subsidies.

The document examines the South African e-commerce landscape, noting that while the market is growing—with online user penetration expected to reach 60.1% by 2021—it remains primarily a middle-class instrument. It identifies significant supply-side barriers, including high data costs and unreliable logistics, and demand-side barriers centered on a lack of trust in online payments and delivery. The author argues that while the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 2002 provides a foundational legal framework, South Africa lacks a single overarching e-commerce law and needs further policy interventions in education, financial services, and infrastructure to fully leverage the digital economy for poverty alleviation and women's empowerment.

The study analyzes manure management in Bangladesh, finding that the majority of large ruminant manure is kept in solid storage or used as fuel. It calculates specific methane emission factors for various livestock types and identifies farmer unawareness and credit constraints as primary barriers to improved management.

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.

The report argues that digital payments are critical for achieving Sustainable Development Goal #7 (universal energy access) by reducing the high costs and risks associated with cash-based collections. It identifies three primary barriers: the financial unviability of grid extension in rural areas, high upfront costs for clean-energy assets, and a lack of private investment. The document proposes solutions such as bundling prepaid smart meters with digital payments, implementing pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) financing for solar home systems, and digitizing energy subsidies to reduce leakages. Case studies from South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia illustrate how these digital tools improve utility profitability, expand renewable energy reach, and enhance financial inclusion for low-income households.

The paper argues that while the water-energy-food nexus approach is popular for identifying resource interdependencies, its treatment of governance is superficial and overly technical. By reviewing the literature through risk, economic rationality, and political economy perspectives, the authors identify three primary gaps: a lack of understanding regarding the conditions for cross-sector collaboration, a neglect of multi-level governance dynamics beyond horizontal interactions, and a failure to account for the political and cognitive factors that determine policy change. The authors suggest that the nexus community must integrate insights from integrative environmental governance theory to move beyond administrative coordination and address the power relations and norms that actually drive decision-making.

The document argues that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board is creating an artificial distinction between 'development' and 'adaptation', which hinders the approval of funding for Least Developed Countries. The authors contend that effective adaptation must address underlying socioeconomic vulnerabilities—such as livelihood diversification and public health—rather than focusing solely on quantifiable technological infrastructure. They call for the GCF to move toward programmatic approaches and require a 'theory of change' from project proponents to link activities to enhanced resilience.

The document highlights that top-performing countries in energy access utilize a complementary mix of grids, mini-grids, and stand-alone systems. It identifies utility creditworthiness and high connection costs, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, as significant barriers to expanding electricity networks.

This report examines the challenges of fuel oil subsidies and the lack of a strategic pricing mechanism in Bangladesh. It highlights how government control over oil prices, driven by political considerations, creates financial burdens for the state and the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), potentially hindering the country's goal of achieving 8% GDP growth.

The document explores the multifaceted meaning of 'bankability' in climate finance, arguing that it extends beyond traditional financial returns to include socioeconomic and environmental impacts. It provides lessons from CDKN's work in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, highlighting how bankability requirements differ between public and private funders and between mitigation and adaptation projects. The paper concludes with a guiding checklist for project developers to improve the success rate of proposals submitted to multilateral funds like the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The document outlines the potential positive impacts of clean energy policies in Bangladesh, based on modelling by the USAID Catalyzing Clean Energy in Bangladesh (CCEB) program. It argues that prioritizing renewable energy over conventional fossil fuel sources in long-term planning will lead to significant greenhouse gas mitigation, job creation, and public health improvements.

The report estimates global fossil fuel subsidies at USD 425 billion and argues that removing consumer subsidies could reduce global carbon emissions by 6 to 8 per cent by 2050. It introduces the "SWAP" framework to transition these funds into sustainable energy and social safety nets, providing specific outlines for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, and Zambia.

The document analyzes two clean energy scenarios for Bangladesh: a short-term 'Clean Energy Policy 1' and a long-term 'Clean Energy Policy 2'. It finds that transitioning to clean energy can significantly reduce emissions, create thousands of jobs, and save lives by reducing air pollution, all while remaining cost-effective relative to conventional fossil fuel generation.

The report inventories over 125 submissions of digital technologies designed to build resilience, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. It categorizes these tools by technology type, scale of impact, supported systems, and primary focus (preparedness, recurring event response, or catastrophic event response). The inventory details specific projects, such as the use of satellite data for flood risk in India, mobile health programs in India, and 3D printing for medical supplies in Nepal, highlighting a strong trend toward pro-poor focus and the use of mobile-based communication (SMS, IVR) and geospatial data (GIS, remote sensing) to support vulnerable populations.

The document provides a detailed analysis of energy access and efficiency across high-impact countries, highlighting a significant gap between urban and rural electrification and the critical role of enabling policy frameworks. It reports that 3.04 billion people lacked clean cooking access in 2014 and 1.06 billion lacked electricity. While some countries like India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda show strong policy support for energy access, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the least electrified region with underdeveloped policy environments. The report also examines energy efficiency and renewable energy, noting that while renewable energy targets are nearly universal, energy efficiency mandates often lag, particularly in developing nations.

Friends of the Earth International argues that the TPP failed because it prioritized corporate interests over people and the environment. The organization calls for a fundamental reset of trade policy, warning that continuing with 'mega trade deals' like the TPP, TTIP, and RCEP fuels populism and undermines climate action and workers' rights.

The document analyzes how conservative religious lobbyists, primarily from the US and the Vatican, collaborate with various states to challenge international human rights language and gender equality policies at the UN. It details their shift from outside activists to influential insiders, their use of 'traditional family values' and 'national sovereignty' as secular arguments to bridge ideological divides, and the formation of formalized blocks like the Group of Friends of the Family (GoFF). The brief also highlights specific challenges to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, including the impact of the US 'global gag rule' and the Holy See's essentialist view of gender roles.

The paper examines the conflict between the projected growth of the global middle class and the finite capacity of Earth's natural systems. It argues that 'business growth predicated on consumption is the new elephant in the corporate boardroom,' as traditional 'take-make-waste' models risk overshooting planetary boundaries. Using cars, beef, and apparel as case studies, the authors demonstrate that incremental efficiency gains are insufficient to offset the volume of increased demand. The document recommends that companies 'do the math' on their resource dependencies, lead industry-wide conversations on consumption, and transform their core business models toward circularity and service-based value propositions to ensure long-term viability.

The document provides a detailed breakdown of 'green jobs' in the US and internationally, contrasting clean energy employment with fossil fuel industry figures and detailing specific subsectors such as solar, wind, and energy efficiency.

The report analyzes the climate pledges of 18 Asian countries, finding that while energy and transport are primary mitigation focuses, there are significant gaps in quantified climate finance requirements and the integration of gender and social inclusion. It highlights a regional disparity in disaster risk reduction planning, with South Asian countries generally showing higher levels of integration than their South-East Asian counterparts.