Search Climate Insights Directory

The report analyzes the 2020-2021 outputs of seven UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs), noting a significant increase in climate-related references despite COVID-19 disruptions. It highlights a shift toward questioning developed nations on mitigation and fossil fuel extraction, alongside a consistent focus on adaptation and the participation of vulnerable groups. The document also examines key individual communications, such as Teitiota v. New Zealand and Sacchi et al. v. Argentina et al., which establish precedents for climate-induced human rights violations and extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The Human Rights Committee (CCPR) has increased its focus on climate change, issuing more recommendations and questions to states between 2019 and 2021. While early outputs primarily targeted Small Island Developing States and developing countries, the Committee has expanded its scope to include developed nations like Germany and Canada. Key areas of inquiry include mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and the regulation of private actors, with specific concerns raised regarding fossil fuel extraction in Guyana, Tanzania, and São Tomé and Príncipe. In the case of Teitiota v. New Zealand, the CCPR recognized that climate change could trigger non-refoulment obligations if it creates real threats to the right to life, though it found no breach in that specific instance. Additionally, the Pereira Benega v. Paraguay ruling established a precedent for state obligations to prevent environmental threats to private, family, and cultural life.

The document examines the G20/OECD Inclusive Framework's 'Two-Pillar Solution' to tax challenges from the digitalisation of the economy, highlighting how current global tax fragmentation allows multinational corporations to avoid taxes. It argues that African and least-developed countries suffer disproportionate revenue losses as a share of GDP and are underrepresented in negotiations. The brief criticizes the agreement for a high turnover threshold that limits the number of taxable companies and for a minimum corporate tax rate of 15% that some African nations find too low. It recommends increasing African participation, moving negotiations to a neutral UN forum, and providing technical and financial support to ensure equitable implementation.

The proposal seeks to address barriers to climate action in the Caribbean, including outdated policy frameworks and limited access to climate science. It aims to revise the Regional Framework's Implementation Plan, update the CARIWIG data portal, support the revision of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and develop four bankable project concept notes for the Green Climate Fund.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is seeking project preparation funding to design a programme that transforms electric utilities in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, and Jamaica into 'utility-based ESCOs'. By implementing the Integrated Utility Services (IUS) model, utilities will provide on-bill financing for customers to install distributed renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) measures, reducing the financial risk for end-users and decreasing dependence on imported fossil fuels. The programme aims to reduce at least 400,000 tCO2eq and provide adaptation benefits to at least 80,000 direct beneficiaries.

The document examines the G20/OECD Inclusive Framework's Two-Pillar Solution to tax challenges from the digitalisation of the economy. It highlights that developing countries, particularly in Africa, suffer disproportionate revenue losses from tax avoidance—up to 5%–8% of GDP in some cases—compared to developed nations. The author argues that the current framework lacks adequate representation of African nations (only 23 of 55 AU members participated) and contains provisions, such as a 15% minimum corporate tax rate and high turnover thresholds for profit reallocation, that may marginalise poorer economies. The brief recommends shifting negotiations to a neutral body like the UN and increasing technical and financial support for developing countries to implement new standards.

The report describes the 'Blue Acceleration,' a phenomenal increase in the diversity and scale of ocean-based industries since 2000. It argues that while the ocean is viewed as an economic frontier, the benefits flow disproportionately to a small number of powerful states and corporations, leaving SIDS and LDCs exposed to risks. The document details the environmental and social impacts of sectors like offshore wind, deep-sea mining, and industrial fishing, while highlighting the emergence of interconnected 'Anthropocene risks' including climate-driven regime shifts and stranded assets. It concludes by exploring the role of sustainable finance in redirecting the ocean economy toward equity and stewardship.

The report argues that community lands, managed by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), are critical for climate mitigation due to their ability to sequester carbon and maintain biodiversity. Despite managing approximately half of the world's land, only 10% is legally recognized. The document provides evidence that secure land tenure leads to lower deforestation rates compared to state-managed lands and is a cost-effective mitigation strategy. However, these lands face increasing threats from illegal mining, drug trafficking, and land grabbing, while land defenders face rising violence. The report concludes that international climate finance significantly underserves IPLCs and calls for governments to prioritize legal land titling and the protection of environmental defenders.

The report examines the systemic biases, colonial legacies, and representational risks associated with depicting Indigenous peoples and forests in the context of climate change. It proposes a shift toward 'Indigenous Media Presence,' characterised by self-presentation, 'deep ethics' rooted in territory, and the recognition of Indigenous science and spirituality. The document highlights the risks of 'scenification,' 'audio-visual extractivism,' and the invisibility of Afro-descendant forest communities, while showcasing the work of Indigenous photographers and independent media as tools for resistance and planetary healing.

The report finds that baseline projections for oil, gas, and coal production are significantly higher than the levels required to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C. It highlights that the largest production increases are projected in the United States, Brazil, Iran, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. The analysis argues that a managed wind-down of production is necessary to avoid inequitable outcomes, as the projected production from high-income and low-dependence countries alone would exceed the 1.5°C-consistent global budget.

The project aims to establish two connectivity corridors in the Ecuadorian Amazon to combat habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss. It focuses on the Putumayo-Aguarico and Palora-Pastaza landscapes, targeting the creation of 50,000 hectares of new protected areas. The strategy involves promoting Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in agricultural areas, strengthening bioeconomy initiatives for indigenous and local communities, and creating multi-level governance platforms to integrate connectivity into territorial planning. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with a total cost of $6,423,853 and significant co-financing from the Ecuadorian government and international partners.

The transition to low-carbon technologies is highly mineral-intensive, requiring an estimated 3 billion tons of minerals and metals to achieve a below 2°C future. This demand increases the risk of deforestation and fragmentation of intact forest landscapes (IFLs), particularly in the Amazon and Congo Basin. In the Amazon, mining contributes up to 9% of IFL area loss, while in the Congo Basin, the demand for cobalt for batteries drives exploration in high-forest-cover areas. Analysis shows a gap in corporate and government governance, with only a minority of assessed companies adopting specific forest-related commitments and 78% of state and regional governments lacking forest management plans that directly address mining-related deforestation.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has established a four-year work programme (2020-2023) to scale up climate finance for its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). The strategy focuses on three main areas: public sector investment in water security, renewable energy, and resilient infrastructure; leveraging the private sector through financial sector transformation; and enhancing institutional capacity through GCF Readiness support. The pipeline includes regional programmes for financial transformation, Integrated Utilities Services (IUS) for energy, and water security, alongside single-country projects in The Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada. The CDB emphasizes the need for concessional financing to address high public debt levels exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report argues that the oil and gas industry is in an inevitable decline, leaving behind millions of unplugged wells that pose severe risks to public health and the environment. It highlights how inadequate bonding requirements and bankruptcy laws in the US and Canada enable companies to offload decommissioning costs onto taxpayers. The document warns that unconventional drilling, such as fracking and deepwater projects, is significantly more expensive to close than conventional wells, creating material financial risks for investors and governments. It concludes that a just transition requires strict enforcement of the 'polluter pays' principle and the closure of legal loopholes to ensure companies, rather than the public, fund the remediation of toxic assets.

The annex evaluates the gap between the economic mitigation potential of forests and the quantitative targets set in NDCs for 32 high-potential countries. It identifies a global annual finance need for forest protection and restoration ranging from USD 45 billion to USD 460 billion, while noting that current 'green finance' flows are significantly lower than 'grey finance' flows directed toward sectors like agriculture.

The report finds that 15.3% of global agricultural production, approximately 1.2 billion tonnes, is lost at the farm stage, with an estimated economic value of $370 billion. It challenges the assumption that losses are primarily a low-income country issue, noting that higher- and middle-income countries are responsible for 58% of global harvest losses. Environmental impacts are significant, including 2.2 gigatonnes of CO2 eq. emissions, 760 km3 of freshwater withdrawals, and 4.4 million km2 of land use, with meat and animal products having a disproportionately high impact. The report identifies a complex web of direct drivers (biological, agronomic, and technological) and indirect drivers (market structure, governance, and human factors) and argues for synchronized, holistic interventions rather than isolated technical fixes.

The report identifies 24 deforestation fronts across Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, where over 43 million hectares of forest were lost between 2004 and 2017. It argues that while commercial agriculture remains the dominant direct driver, indirect pressures such as population growth, dietary shifts toward meat, and weak governance amplify forest loss. The analysis evaluates a range of responses, from area-based protections and indigenous land rights to commodity-specific certifications and REDD+ frameworks, concluding that no single approach is sufficient and that integrated, context-specific solutions are required to halt deforestation.

The proposal addresses the vulnerability of the Caribbean agricultural sector to climate change and its historical lack of prioritization in climate finance. It aims to increase the sector's profile by improving the collection and analysis of agricultural data, strengthening institutional capacities for GCF programming, and developing a pipeline of bankable, low-emission, and climate-resilient projects. Key activities include regional scoping studies on NDCs, the creation of a knowledge management portal, and the development of occupational competency standards for youth in climate-smart agriculture.

The report argues that the Amazon is approaching a systemic tipping point of ecological and economic collapse due to a 'deforestation economy' that benefits a small elite. It proposes a shift toward an inclusive green economy based on standing forests, utilizing a 'bioeconomy' model that supports micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and indigenous knowledge. To facilitate this, the Fundação Amazonas Sustentável (FAS) and the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) have launched the Amazon Green Economy Hub in Manaus to coordinate policy reform, investment, and sustainable value chains.

The report details the impact of the Emergency Amazon Fire Fund, which raised nearly $2 million in the US for fire response and recovery. It highlights the severity of the 2019 fire season, where the total burned area reached at least 21,621 square miles, and notes that 2020 saw a 28% increase in fires in the Brazilian Amazon during July compared to the previous year. WWF's interventions include donating 700 fire-fighting tools to the State of Amazonas Fire Department, supporting community-led wildfire prevention in Colombia's Chiribiquete National Park, and establishing an emergency program in Bolivia. The document argues that fires are driven by deforestation—fueled by land speculation, infrastructure development, and market demand—and are exacerbated by climate change. Long-term goals focus on securing 210 million acres of the biome through Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) and strengthening Indigenous land rights.