Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio proposes a new economic-based methodology to evaluate the additionality of REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) carbon projects in the Brazilian Amazon. The study finds that while 77% of carbon traded in these projects is additional, significant regional variations exist, and some projects in isolated areas with low agricultural productivity lack additionality.

The report 'Priority Actions for Deforestation- and Conversion-Free Finance' provides a strategic framework to align private financial flows with the goal of halting and reversing deforestation and ecosystem conversion by 2030. It outlines specific priority actions for three key groups: policymakers, central banks and financial supervisors, and financial institutions, emphasizing the need for coordinated action to manage nature-related risks and catalyze a transition to nature-positive business models.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines the 'twin transition'—the simultaneous pursuit of digital and green transformations. It analyzes how digital technologies can both enable climate action and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, focusing on the implications for developing countries and the pathways toward a net-zero digital economy by 2050.

This research paper examines the intersection of the evolving international trading system and the urgent need to address biodiversity loss, climate change, and sustainable development. It argues that while trade has historically contributed to environmental harm, it can be repurposed as a strategic tool for sustainability through new narratives, inclusive international cooperation, and coherent policy frameworks. The author identifies a shift from traditional trade liberalization toward 'multipurpose' approaches that balance security, resilience, and sustainability, and proposes a policy agenda to reorient trade rules, scale up sustainable technologies, and ensure equitable economic transformation for developing countries.

This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice advocates for the implementation of Universal Social Protection Floors to combat global poverty, hunger, and inequality. It details the role of the G20 in promoting these floors, specifically highlighting the contributions of previous presidencies and the strategic opportunity presented by South Africa's G20 presidency to integrate social protection with economic and industrial strategies.

A policy brief by Dr Basani Baloyi analyzing the impact of Donald Trump's second administration's tariff regime on Africa and proposing a strategic response focused on regional integration, industrialization, and collective bargaining.

This factsheet by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) provides an overview of the Group of 20 (G20), its governance, and the specific context of South Africa's 2025 presidency. It details the G20's composition, its operational tracks, the role of civil society engagement groups like the C20, and South Africa's priorities for its term.

This fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice examines the systemic failures of the international taxation system, which allow multinational corporations (MNCs) and the super-rich to avoid taxes. It critiques the G20/OECD Two-Pillar Framework for favoring developed nations and discusses the push for a more democratic UN Tax Convention, while evaluating the role of South Africa's G20 presidency in advancing tax justice.

This report by Ember analyzes national 2030 renewable capacity targets across 96 countries and the EU. It finds that despite the COP28 pledge to triple global renewable capacity by 2030, national targets have remained largely stagnant, collectively amounting to a doubling rather than a tripling of 2022 capacity levels.

The 33rd meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-33) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) took place in Asunción, Paraguay, on May 29-30, 2025. The meeting focused on strengthening regional scientific collaboration, advancing science diplomacy, and enhancing climate resilience across the Americas. Key outcomes included the adoption of 18 decisions, the creation of an Indigenous Peoples Advisory Committee (IPAC), the approval of an updated Open Science and Open Data Policy, and the admission of three new Associate members: the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC).

The report details the 59th meeting of the Executive Council of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on May 28, 2025, in Asunción, Paraguay. The meeting focused on approving the 2025–2026 operating budget, addressing funding deficits for regional research initiatives, and proposing a shift in how member states designate national representatives to ensure institutional continuity.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) evaluates the first 18 updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by non-Annex I parties by May 31, 2025. It assesses whether these 'NDC 3.0' documents are evolving into 'investment-ready' prospectuses by analyzing three dimensions: the quantification of financial needs, the design of mobilization strategies, and the credibility of implementation plans.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues for the 'ring-fencing' of development expenditures in Africa to protect long-term investments from short-term fiscal and political pressures. It identifies a 'perfect storm' of challenges—including trade fragmentation, the 'securitisation' of economic policy, high debt burdens, and technological disruption—that threaten development financing. The document proposes five specific policy mechanisms to institutionalise this protection and suggests that development finance should be framed as complementary to security priorities to leverage international funding.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues for the creation of a comprehensive, quantitative global pathway for food systems transformation, similar to the IEA's energy sector roadmap. It highlights that while food systems contribute over 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, existing frameworks are fragmented, lack legal enforceability, and often omit critical areas such as the reduction of animal-sourced product consumption and biodiversity targets.

This fact sheet outlines the significant health and economic costs associated with livestock production and meat consumption. It links high red and processed meat intake to increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, noting that such diets caused 0.9 million deaths globally in 2019. The document also highlights systemic risks from industrial farming, including zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and air pollution. Economically, it estimates that red and processed meat consumption resulted in USD 285 billion in global healthcare costs in 2020. Conversely, it argues that transitioning to plant-based diets, such as the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet, could prevent millions of deaths annually and save trillions of dollars in health and ecosystem costs.

This case study examines Unilever's approach to grounding global water risk assessments in local data. While using the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas for initial screening across 300+ sites in 100 countries, Unilever validates results with local facility managers to correct discrepancies. The document highlights how global models can overestimate risk in the Great Lakes region due to unmodeled human engineering, or underestimate risk in São Paulo, Brazil, by ignoring water quality degradation and local transfers. The study concludes that global data should serve as a starting point, supplemented by documented local feedback and iterative reviews to ensure effective water stewardship.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio analyzes the 'self-declaratory' Environmental Regularization Program (PRA autodeclaratório) as a mechanism to accelerate forest restoration in Brazil. It examines how allowing rural producers to commit to restoring Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) and Legal Reserves without prior validation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) can overcome administrative bottlenecks, while highlighting the necessity of robust monitoring and accountability systems to ensure environmental effectiveness.

A report by Ember detailing the increasing dominance of BRICS nations in global solar power generation, highlighting that these countries accounted for over half of the world's solar electricity in 2024, led primarily by China, India, and Brazil.

A research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs analyzing the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran in June 2025 and the subsequent diplomatic response from BRICS members.

This document is a keynote address by Dr Basani Baloyi of the Institute for Economic Justice to the G20 Empowerment of Women Working Group. It argues that the care economy is the essential foundation of all economic activity and calls for G20 nations to transition from a model where care is invisible and undervalued to one where it is recognized as a public good and a driver of inclusive economic growth.