Search Climate Insights Directory

The South Korean government has announced a reduction in subsidies for biomass energy, which involves burning forests for electricity. This decision followed an Associated Press investigation and a citizen campaign led by Solutions For Our Climate and other allies. The author argues that biomass is not a climate solution, stating it emits more carbon than coal and drives deforestation in Indonesia, Canada, and the United States. The document calls for Japan and the UK to implement similar reductions in biomass subsidies to protect forests in Southeast Asia and North America.

The document highlights the critical role of Indigenous Peoples in Southeast Asia as environmental stewards, noting that their lands overlap with 40% of global protected areas and that deforestation rates on their lands in Southeast Asia are half those on other lands. It criticizes the ASEAN declaration on environmental rights for omitting Indigenous Peoples, arguing that this lack of recognition leads to 'development aggression,' criminalization of land defenders, and the erosion of traditional knowledge. The brief specifically notes the vulnerability of Indigenous women and the overlooked contributions of marine-based 'Sea Nomads.' It concludes by recommending that ASEAN and its Member States formally adopt the terminology and protections of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to improve biodiversity and climate outcomes.

The document examines the EECCLiRe project's efforts to implement ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) among coffee farmers in Ruteng and Bajawa, Flores. It identifies significant climate disruptions, including unpredictable rainfall and extreme events like a 2017 drought and 2020 storm, which have pushed some farmers toward horticulture. The brief highlights the tension between scientific methods—such as tree rejuvenation—and spiritual beliefs, as well as barriers like poor digital infrastructure for weather alerts and the loss of agricultural labor due to youth migration. It argues for a holistic EbA approach that combines traditional ecological insights with modern science and addresses gender and generational dynamics to avoid maladaptation.

The report maps nearly one hundred agreements on critical minerals between African states and global actors, highlighting the strategic competition for resources. It identifies a lack of transparency in these deals and notes that while China and Russia are prominent, other actors like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are expanding their footprints. The analysis emphasizes that these partnerships often reflect broader geopolitical and historical ties rather than just economic needs.

Mighty Earth's 2025 strategy focuses on decoupling agriculture from deforestation, ensuring sustainable state-backed development in Southeast Asia, and scaling finance for nature. The organization aims to leverage public distrust of corporations and passion for the environment to pressure the private sector, specifically targeting the automotive supply chain for decarbonized materials and promoting plant-based proteins to reduce methane emissions. Additionally, the group is pursuing continent-scale rewilding in North America, Asia, and Africa.

The energy transition accelerated in 2024, driven by record uptake in solar, wind, and electric vehicles as costs for solar modules and batteries fell significantly. While renewables are poised to overtake coal as the leading power source in 2025 and many nations have set net-zero goals, progress in energy efficiency and methane reduction remains off track. The document argues that achieving 2030 targets requires shifting fossil fuel subsidies toward clean energy investments, particularly in emerging economies.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) examines the complex nexus of climate change, migration, and justice. It argues that climate change acts as a risk multiplier that interacts with socio-economic and political factors rather than being a sole driver of migration. The document identifies eight key challenges—including the oversimplification of the climate-conflict-migration link, the risks of instrumentalizing migration as adaptation, and the impacts of slow-onset events—and proposes interdisciplinary, rights-based solutions. SEI highlights its strengths in analyzing transboundary climate impacts, conducting grounded comparative research to shift power dynamics, and fostering global cooperation for sustainable livelihoods through tools like AidAtlas and Trase.

The document highlights the critical role of Indigenous Peoples in Southeast Asia as stewards of biodiversity and climate stability, noting that deforestation rates on their lands are half those on other lands. It criticizes the current draft of the ASEAN declaration on environmental rights for omitting Indigenous Peoples, which the authors argue leads to human rights violations, land dispossession, and the marginalization of traditional ecological knowledge. The brief provides specific recommendations for the declaration, including the recognition of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the protection of Indigenous Environmental Human Rights Defenders.

The document advocates for a territorial approach to agroecology in Africa, integrating agricultural practice adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and the development of embedded food systems. It identifies key practices such as agroforestry, integrated landscape management (ILA), and territorial markets, while highlighting systemic hurdles including limited financial resources, loss of indigenous knowledge, and policy silos. The briefing recommends catalytic philanthropic funding for multi-actor governance, local market infrastructure, and participatory research to scale locally-driven solutions.

The document argues that offshore oil and gas production poses severe risks, including underreported greenhouse gas emissions from flaring and methane leaks, the high potential for devastating well blowouts—especially in deep waters—and chronic marine pollution from produced water. It highlights the failure of current cleanup technologies and the long-term socio-economic damage to coastal communities, concluding that halting offshore expansion is essential to meeting the 1.5°C global warming limit.

Global energy transition investments reached a record USD 2.4 trillion in 2024, yet remain insufficient to meet the 1.5°C pathway. While solar PV and battery storage show strong growth, other technologies like wind and green hydrogen face significant headwinds. Investment is heavily concentrated in China and advanced economies, leaving least developed countries (LDCs) and Sub-Saharan Africa severely underfunded and dependent on international public finance.

The report presents findings from a nationally representative survey of 2,000 Indonesian adults conducted in 2025. While 73% of respondents report knowing little to nothing about climate change, 86% believe it is happening after receiving a definition. There is strong public support for clean energy policies, including a 79% favorability rate for banning new coal plants and an 83% support rate for the government's 2060 net-zero commitment. However, a gap exists between personal concern (88%) and actual engagement, with very few respondents having taken political action to address the issue.

The report identifies four technical pillars for industrial decarbonization in East Asia: energy and material efficiency, electrification with renewable energy, CCUS, and green hydrogen/clean feedstocks. It highlights significant barriers, including high fossil fuel dependence, insufficient clean power infrastructure, a lack of fit-for-purpose finance, and a skills gap in the workforce. The document proposes a comprehensive policy package focusing on industry-power co-optimization, cluster-based financing, and vocational training to achieve net-zero targets by 2050 or 2060.

The report provides a comprehensive roadmap for industrial decarbonization in East Asia, focusing on China, Indonesia, and Viet Nam. It proposes a six-tier technical strategy ranging from energy efficiency to green hydrogen and clean feedstocks. The analysis highlights that while efficiency and 'easy electrification' are cost-effective, deeper decarbonization requires massive investments—USD 1.7 trillion cumulatively through 2050 for industry alone across the three nations—and a fully decarbonized power grid. It recommends a policy package centered on carbon pricing, renewable energy procurement, and workforce reskilling to overcome high upfront costs and technical barriers.

The report critiques debt-for-nature swaps as 'greenwashing' tools that benefit private creditors and international NGOs while stripping Global South countries of territorial control. It details how these financial instruments often replace old debt with new, higher-interest loans and divert funds into financial markets before they reach conservation projects. The document highlights specific cases in countries like Ecuador, Belize, and Gabon to illustrate the loss of sovereignty and the persistence of extractive industries. It concludes by calling for the cancellation of illegitimate debts and the recognition of the Global North's historical ecological debt to the South.

The report critiques debt-for-nature swaps as 'green traps' that benefit creditors and international NGOs over debtor nations and local communities. It details how these mechanisms often replace old debts with new, more expensive loans, transfer territorial control to external actors, and encourage the commodification of nature. Through case studies in countries like Belize, Ecuador, and Gabon, the document illustrates the gap between promised conservation funds and actual spending, while highlighting the social costs, including the displacement of indigenous peoples. The author calls for the cancellation of illegitimate debts and the recognition of the North's ecological debt to the South.

The document critiques debt-for-nature swaps (DNS) as a 'green trap' that fails to provide real debt relief or effective conservation. It argues that these mechanisms, particularly recent market-based 'blue bonds', transfer territorial control to international NGOs and private actors, often imposing higher interest rates and restrictive conditionalities. The report highlights how sovereign debt forces Global South countries into extractivist models to generate foreign currency, and calls for the cancellation of illegitimate debts and the recognition of the North's ecological debt to the South.

The document argues that carbon markets are 'false climate solutions' that enable big polluters to continue emitting greenhouse gases through 'greenwashing' while causing land grabbing and human rights violations in the Global South. It details how carbon credits are generated from nature-based solutions and 'techno-fixes', warns communities about deceptive contracts and the failure of industry 'safeguards', and provides a framework for resistance based on climate justice and the right to say no.

The document argues that carbon markets are 'false climate solutions' designed by polluters to maintain profitable systems of capitalism and neocolonialism. It explains how carbon credits are generated through nature-based solutions (NBS) and technological fixes, which often lead to land grabbing and the violation of indigenous rights. The guide provides a framework for communities to identify 'red flags' in contracts, exercise their right to say no, and employ strategies of international solidarity to oppose the commodification of nature.

The document argues that carbon markets are a continuation of colonial and capitalist systems that allow major polluters to avoid reducing emissions through 'greenwashing'. It explains how carbon credits are generated—often through flawed calculations in nature-based solutions or technological fixes—and details the risks to communities, including land grabbing and the violation of indigenous rights. The guide provides practical advice for communities to identify predatory contracts, exercise their right to say no, and seek alternatives like community forest management and agroecology.