Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and Agroicone discusses the legal status and implementation steps of the Brazilian Forest Code (Federal Law No. 12,651/2012) following a February 2018 Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling. The document outlines the requirements for rural producers to achieve environmental regularization, the benefits available to those who deforested before July 22, 2008, and the critical deadlines for registration in the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR).

This article analyzes a decision by the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) regarding the 2012 Forest Code (Law No. 12,651/2012), specifically focusing on how contradictory rulings regarding the Environmental Reserve Quote (CRA) create legal uncertainty and potentially weaken this market-based mechanism for environmental regularization.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative proposes a systems thinking framework to accelerate climate finance by analyzing the interactions between international public finance actors and domestic financial systems in developing countries. It identifies systemic trends, catalogues the roles of various financial actors, and provides a methodology for mapping system dynamics to optimize coordination and collaboration.

This RMI insight brief argues that the global climate finance system must evolve from a focus on 'direct access' to multilateral funds toward establishing national institutions, specifically Green Investment Banks (GIBs), to ensure true country ownership. The authors posit that for large emerging markets, national GIBs can better mobilize domestic private capital and coordinate financial flows to achieve nationally determined commitments (NDCs) than current international structures.

This policy brief argues that South Africa has experienced a 'de-norming' of human rights in its foreign policy, moving from its 1994 commitment to be a human rights promoter to a position of inconsistency and 'normative backsliding' in multilateral forums.

The Cooling for All Policy Review, published by Sustainable Energy for All in March 2018, examines the global landscape of cooling policies, focusing on Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for air conditioners and refrigerators, building efficiency codes, urban heat island mitigation, and cold chain infrastructure.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law reviews the status of human rights, gender equality, and other social considerations within the negotiations for the Paris Agreement's implementation guidelines as of February 2018. It analyzes four key agenda items—Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and the Global Stocktake (GST)—detailing the proposals made by various countries and the extent to which these social dimensions were reflected in the co-facilitators' notes following COP-23.

This fact sheet by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines key public sector green bond policy developments in 2017 and projections for 2018. It highlights the rise of sovereign green bonds, the establishment of regional and national guidelines in Asia and Africa, the growth of the green sukuk market in Malaysia, and various financial incentives provided by governments to lower issuance costs and accelerate the transition to low-carbon infrastructure.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the distribution channels for rural credit in Brazil. It argues that the current design of financial services, characterized by a complex and geographically uneven network of banks and cooperatives, creates additional uncertainty for farmers. The brief highlights a mismatch between the supply of credit and the actual agricultural potential of different regions, suggesting that simplifying the structure of rural credit could improve policy effectiveness and resource allocation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and the Núcleo de Avaliação de Políticas Climáticas da PUC-Rio (NAPC), in partnership with the Banco Central do Brasil (Bacen), analyzes the distribution channels of rural credit in Brazil. The document argues that the current design of rural credit policy and its distribution through banks and cooperatives create artificial fluctuations and uncertainties for producers, as access to financing is often determined by the geographic presence of financial institutions rather than local agricultural potential.

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the Brazilian Supreme Court's (STF) rulings on the constitutionality of Law 12.651/2012 (the new Forest Code). The authors argue that by judging legal provisions separately rather than addressing the core issue of the July 22, 2008, time limit, the court has created contradictory rulings that threaten legal certainty and the effective implementation of environmental regulations.

This executive summary from the 2018 'Brown to Green' report analyzes the progress of G20 countries toward a low-carbon economy. It highlights a significant gap between current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the goals of the Paris Agreement, noting that G20 energy-related CO2 emissions began increasing again in 2017 and that 82% of the G20 energy supply remains dependent on fossil fuels.

This 2018 report by the Climate Bonds Initiative and IFC provides a comprehensive guide for emerging markets to develop green bond markets. It emphasizes the necessity of national guidance to ensure market integrity and alignment with climate goals, while highlighting the success of China's regulatory approach and the innovation of green sukuk in Malaysia and Indonesia. The report introduces a 'Green Bond Market Development Toolkit' to help regulators move from nascent to robust markets through structured milestones and capacity building.

The Socio-Climate Benefits Fund (SCBF), proposed by Kaeté Investimentos, is a financial instrument designed to reverse small-scale deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon by incentivizing the adoption of agroforestry systems among smallholders through long-term investment and training.

The Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF) is a financial instrument designed to reduce deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado by providing low-cost loans to soy and corn producers who utilize previously cleared and degraded lands rather than expanding into native vegetation.

The 2018 New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) Progress Assessment Goals Summary reports that the world is not on track to meet Goal 1, which aims to halve the rate of natural forest loss globally by 2020 and end it by 2030. While net forest loss has declined when accounting for regrowth, gross tree cover loss has increased, and tropical deforestation emissions have risen, peaking in 2016.

The 2018 NYDF Progress Assessment finds that while corporate commitments to deforestation-free supply chains are increasing—particularly in palm oil and timber—they remain highly variable in ambition and scope. Traceability systems are improving, and new jurisdictional initiatives in Brazil and Indonesia show promise, but financial institutions lag in addressing portfolio risks. Direct data on deforestation reduction is currently lacking, though new tools like Trase and Global Forest Watch–Commodities are being developed to fill this gap.

This report assesses progress toward Goal 3 of the New York Declaration on Forests: significantly reducing deforestation derived from economic sectors other than agriculture by 2020. It highlights the roles of infrastructure and mining as primary drivers of forest loss and identifies critical data gaps that prevent a global aggregate assessment of these impacts.

This report assesses progress toward Goal 4 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on supporting alternatives to deforestation driven by basic needs, such as subsistence farming and fuelwood collection. The document highlights a significant lack of aggregate global data to measure progress, relying instead on proxy indicators like the distribution of clean cookstoves and related financial funding.

This report assesses progress toward Goal 5 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), which aims to restore 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forestlands by 2020 and an additional 200 million hectares by 2030. The assessment focuses on pledges made under the Bonn Challenge and commitments within Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC.