Search Climate Insights Directory

This 2012 report by the Climate Policy Initiative evaluates the preparedness of China, Germany, Italy, and the United States to meet emerging measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) needs. It finds that while most countries are well-positioned for emissions tracking, significant gaps exist in tracking the impact of mitigation actions, particularly regarding sub-national data in China and the U.S., and policy comparability in Germany and the U.S.

This report examines the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within technical-vocational education and training (TVET) in Manitoba, Canada. It identifies promising practices, such as the development of a new alternative energy program and the inclusion of sustainability outcomes in curricula, while highlighting significant barriers including lack of funding for green equipment, insufficient teacher training, and a gap in provincial-level policy guidance. The report suggests strengthening partnerships with industry to identify green skill demands and expanding professional development for educators to better prepare students for a green economy.

This report surveys the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems of eight multilateral and bilateral financial institutions to determine how they measure the effectiveness of public climate finance. It finds that while most institutions have general results-based frameworks, there is a critical lack of specialized, consistent procedures to measure actual greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts upon project completion. The report highlights the potential of the UNFCCC reporting framework to become a global standard and recommends the adoption of core indicators, real-time evaluations, and more rigorous project selection processes to ensure maximum value for public investment.

This policy brief describes the South African Renewables Initiative (SARi), a government-led effort launched in December 2011 to establish financing arrangements for scaling up renewable energy. The initiative aims to achieve a target of 19 GW of renewable electricity by 2030 while managing the incremental costs compared to coal-fired power to avoid unacceptable economic burdens on the public.

This research paper evaluates the MRV systems of China, Germany, Italy, and the United States, finding that while emissions tracking is generally robust and standardized due to international frameworks (UNFCCC/IPCC), the tracking of mitigation actions is fragmented, less transparent, and lacks consistent methodologies. The report highlights that mandatory and international policies have stronger MRV than voluntary domestic ones and emphasizes the need for better cost-effectiveness analysis to inform policy design.

This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The author assesses the country's progress toward its 'African Agenda,' including goals of South-South and North-South cooperation and the pursuit of permanent African representation on the Council.

This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). The author finds that South Africa has become more confident, increasing its co-sponsorship of resolutions and successfully promoting its 'African Agenda,' particularly regarding cooperation between the UNSC and the African Union (AU).

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the domestic systems used to measure, report, and verify (MRV) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigation actions in China, Germany, Italy, and the United States. The study finds that while emissions tracking is well-established and consistent across these nations, the MRV of mitigation actions is fragmented, often relying on ex-ante projections rather than ex-post evaluations of actual reductions achieved.

This briefing outlines an 8-point plan to mobilize the $75 trillion held by institutional investors toward the low-carbon transition via the bond market. It argues that while climate-resilient infrastructure provides the long-term, secure assets pension funds and insurers seek, current deal flow is too small and fragmented. The plan proposes aggregating small projects into investment-grade offerings, utilizing public sector risk-sharing and regulatory leverage, greening development banks, and implementing standardized climate bond certifications to bridge the annual investment gap of $1 trillion to $1.3 trillion.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and DIW Berlin presents findings from a survey of 78 thermal retrofitting practitioners to inform the German government's debate on tax incentives for residential building retrofits. The study evaluates the effectiveness of comprehensive versus single-measure retrofits, the appropriateness of the KfW 85 energy standard, the necessary timeframes for project completion, and the risks associated with stepwise implementation.

This report details the second Climate and Development Knowledge Brokers workshop held in Bonn, Germany, from 18-20 May 2012. Jointly organised by GIZ and CDKN, the event brought together 36 participants from 26 initiatives to strengthen collaboration among online knowledge brokers in the climate and development sectors. The workshop focused on evolving communication landscapes, user needs analysis, and the development of a shared knowledge infrastructure to improve information access for practitioners, particularly in developing countries.

This briefing, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesises key findings from the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX) specifically for ecosystem management. It examines the interplay between climate extremes, human vulnerability, and ecosystem resilience, advocating for ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) as a cost-effective strategy to reduce disaster risk and support sustainable development.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the ecosystem services concept, detailing the various benefits nature provides to humans and the methodologies used to assign them monetary value. It explores the classification of services into supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural categories, while also introducing the concept of 'ecosystem disservices'. The document offers guidance for integrating these values into policy-making at national, local, and corporate levels to promote sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.

This 2012 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the implementation of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) within the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) during the 2007-2013 period. It examines the challenges of integrating agricultural productivity with environmental boundary conditions, such as nutrient reduction and biodiversity conservation. The report argues that the diversity of farming systems in the BSR should be an asset and recommends that post-2013 CAP reforms shift toward treating environmental services as a core value of farming rather than a precondition for payment, while introducing 'soft measures' to improve transboundary cooperation and stakeholder engagement.

This fact sheet describes the BalticClimate toolkit, a resource developed between 2008 and 2012 to support local and regional stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Region in addressing climate change through adaptation, mitigation, and economic development.

The Annual Partner Survey 2011-2012 report details the results of a voluntary survey conducted by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) in late 2011. The survey gathered feedback from 202 participants—including NGOs, individual consultants, and research institutes—regarding the quality of CDKN's products, its effectiveness in knowledge sharing and partnership facilitation, and its overall influence on organizational practices and policies.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes how tax exemptions and levy reductions in Germany's energy policy framework impact industrial energy prices. It focuses on four key policies: the Environmental Tax Reform, the Combined Heat and Power Act, the EU Emission Trading Scheme, and the Renewable Energy Act. The analysis finds that these exemptions significantly lower energy costs for large, energy-intensive companies, potentially reducing the policy-induced component of energy prices by up to 75% on average, which may diminish incentives for energy efficiency improvements.

This 2011 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the impact of energy tax exemptions and levy reductions on the German industrial sector. It examines how various policy instruments—including the Ecological Tax Reform, the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), the Combined Heat and Power Act (KWKG), and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS)—create a 'politically determined component' of energy prices that varies significantly based on company size and industry sector.

In a speech delivered on November 10, 2011, at the South African Institute of International Affairs, French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Alain Juppé discussed the necessity of a new global governance framework that integrates Africa's emerging influence. He outlined four primary shared challenges—economic crisis, development, security, and the environment—and advocated for the reform of the UN Security Council and the creation of a World Environment Organisation to better reflect current global realities.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the challenges and opportunities of integrating agriculture into an international climate change agreement under the UNFCCC. It highlights the 'triple dividend'—the potential to simultaneously improve food security, enhance adaptive capacity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions—while detailing the diplomatic tensions between developed and developing nations regarding trade, financing, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.