Search Climate Insights Directory

The report examines the social and environmental risks associated with the surge in demand for transition minerals like nickel, lithium, and cobalt. It criticizes current IFI approaches, such as the World Bank's 'climate-smart mining,' for treating environmental and social governance (ESG) as commercial risks rather than human rights imperatives. Through case studies in Indonesia, Guinea, Argentina, and the DRC, the document illustrates harms including forced evictions, water scarcity, and corruption. It proposes solutions centered on reducing mineral demand through circular economy models, implementing binding due diligence, and supporting mineral sovereignty for resource-rich countries in the Global South.

The report highlights that the true lifetime cost of plastic is 8 times higher in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) than in high-income countries (HICs), primarily due to higher waste mismanagement rates and subsequent marine ecosystem damage. It identifies three structural inequities: the lack of influence LMICs have over global production, their limited waste management capacity, and the absence of accountability mechanisms for producers. To address this, WWF calls for a global treaty with binding rules on production bans, circular design standards, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes.

The document critiques the lack of transparency in the development of Indonesia's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) investment plan, noting that the Comprehensive Investment Policy and Plan (CIPP) was not released to the public as scheduled, thereby limiting public participation and feedback.

The paper evaluates the impact of forest fires on the permanence of six REDD+ projects certified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. Using remote sensing, documentation analysis, and surveys, the authors found that while some loss events and one reversal occurred, credit permanence was maintained due to the use of capitalized buffer pools. The study also suggests that NCS projects can provide fire-mitigation benefits that exceed minimum carbon crediting requirements.

The Asia Pacific Regional Biomass Working Group urges the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to cease support for wood bioenergy and the 'repurposing' of coal plants, arguing that biomass co-firing extends the life of coal infrastructure and causes severe ecological and social harm. The group highlights that in Indonesia, PT PLN's co-firing strategy could require 2.33 million hectares of energy plantations, potentially leading to 2.1 million hectares of deforestation annually. The letter demands that ADB recognize bioenergy as contradictory to coal phase-out goals, divest from wood biomass projects, and identify the sector as high-risk.

The report advocates for Indonesia Green Taxonomy 2.0 to incorporate 'transition finance' to bridge the gap between traditional and green finance. It highlights the ASEAN Taxonomy's approach to coal phase-out—where shortening a plant's commercial operation to a maximum of 35 years can qualify it as sustainable—and warns against including 'captive coal plants' in the green category to avoid deterring global investors. The author proposes a framework based on five G20 pillars, emphasizing clear technical screening criteria, synchronized disclosure policies, and a Just Transition Finance Framework to ensure equitable benefits.

The Green Climate Fund's Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for a second term, maintaining its scope for medium-sized projects and medium environmental and social risk (Category B). The assessment confirms FAO's strong technical expertise in adaptation, REDD+, and the blue economy, and its ability to implement GCF's gender and environmental and social policies. While generally compliant, the Panel identified a gap in explicit policy statements regarding Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), making the re-accreditation conditional upon the formal approval of an AML/CFT policy or the inclusion of consistent statements within its prohibited practices policies.

The Community Resilience Partnership Program (CRPP), managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aims to strengthen the climate resilience of approximately 3.2 million poor and vulnerable people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. The program is structured into two interlinked components: a Trust Fund (TF) for upstream capacity building and knowledge research, and an Investment Fund (IF) for downstream implementation of adaptation measures. The GCF is requested to provide USD 120 million (USD 100 million in grants and USD 20 million in loans) to co-finance the Investment Fund, leveraging an additional USD 555 million from ADB and USD 75 million from bilateral donors. Key interventions include improving climate information services, implementing resilient pro-poor livelihoods, and constructing adaptive infrastructure such as ecosystem-based defenses and multipurpose emergency shelters. A central pillar of the program is a dedicated Gender Window within the Trust Fund to address structural inequalities and empower women in resilience-related decision-making.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) proposes a Global Credit Guarantee Facility (GCGF) to address the high cost of capital for renewable energy in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), where debt costs are on average 7x higher than in developed economies. The GCGF would act as a trust fund providing partial guarantees to mitigate sovereign, off-taker, and average foreign exchange risks, while transferring political and residual FX risks to existing institutions like MIGA and TCX. CPI outlines three sizing approaches for the facility: a 'Conservative' model requiring USD 4.2 billion in funded capital, a 'Base Case' requiring USD 1.2 billion, and an 'Optimistic' model requiring USD 660 million. The paper estimates that an AAA-rated guarantor could reduce risk premiums by an average of 6% and improve credit ratings by 5-6 notches under its primary risk reduction approach.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment finds the world is off track to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. In 2022, global gross deforestation reached 6.6 million hectares, a 4% increase from 2021. While some countries like Indonesia and Malaysia show progress, massive losses continue in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that 'gray' public finance (subsidies driving deforestation) vastly outweighs 'green' finance. It also emphasizes the ongoing violence against environmental defenders and the systemic lack of legal recognition for Indigenous Peoples' and local communities' land rights.

Global Energy Monitor identifies nearly 2.7 million coal miners worldwide, with the majority in Asia. The report warns that 414,200 jobs could be lost by 2035 and 990,200 by 2050 due to the industry's own 'life of mine' closure schedules, regardless of climate policies. It highlights that current climate pledges cover only 6% of the thermal coal workforce, leaving millions vulnerable. The report emphasizes the need for just transition mechanisms, such as the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), and suggests bridging employment through mine reclamation and renewable energy repurposing.

The report analyzes the complexities of Indonesia's transition away from coal, highlighting a conflict between government/industry priorities—which focus on economic stability and coal derivatives—and the social and environmental priorities of civil society. It identifies significant barriers, including a quasi-monopoly on electricity by the state-owned PLN, deep political ties between coal oligarchs and policymakers, and a lack of coordination between national and regional governments. While initiatives like the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) show progress, the report argues that a truly just transition requires economic diversification, reskilling of the workforce, and the reclamation of abandoned mines.

The report argues that the IFC continues to support coal development in Asia by investing in financial intermediaries, most notably the Postal Savings Bank of China. This mechanism allows the IFC to bypass its public commitments to halt coal financing, resulting in indirect support for 68.3 GW of coal-fired power capacity across China, Indonesia, and Cambodia. The document highlights the Jambi 2 project in Indonesia as a primary example of this 'loophole,' detailing the environmental and health impacts of coal mining and power generation on local communities in Jambi province.

The report details the environmental and social impacts of the Obi Island Nickel Industrial Estate, operated by Trimegah Bangun Persada (TBP), and traces the indirect funding from the IFC via banks like OCBC NISP, DBS Bank, and KEB Hana. It highlights severe pollution, biodiversity loss, and the use of captive coal power plants that contradict the IFC's climate commitments.

The report details the environmental and social degradation of Obi Island caused by the nickel industrial park operated by Trimegah Bangun Persada (TBP) and its subsidiaries. It specifically criticizes the IFC for providing funding to financial intermediaries—OCBC NISP, DBS Bank Ltd, and KEB Hana—which in turn finance TBP's operations. The author highlights that these operations rely on captive coal-fired power plants, which the report claims contradicts the IFC's Paris Agreement alignment and its own Performance Standards. Documented impacts include heavy metal contamination of marine biota, drinking water pollution exceeding Indonesian safety standards, high rates of Acute Respiratory Infection in children, and the displacement of local communities.

The document critiques the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in Indonesia, highlighting a lack of transparency in the Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan (CIPP) and the persistence of 'false solutions' like coal co-firing and carbon capture. It argues that for a transition to be truly 'just,' it must incorporate four pillars of justice—recognition, distributive, procedural, and restorative—and specifically address the vulnerability of workers in the coal sector. The report recommends legally binding emission targets, the removal of 'take-or-pay' electricity contracts, and the decentralization of renewable energy development to empower local governments and communities.

The report argues that the IMF's economic surveillance of Colombia and Indonesia reveals significant 'blind spots' regarding the green transition. It finds that the IMF prioritizes austerity and market-based pricing mechanisms over green industrial policies and fails to adequately quantify long-term climate risks or the financing needs for adaptation and mitigation. The authors call for a systematic integration of climate issues into policy recommendations, better sequencing of fiscal advice, and wider engagement with civil society.

The guide outlines strategies for engaging diverse stakeholders in just transition processes, emphasizing the need to tailor approaches to national contexts, build trust through personal relationships, and leverage existing networks. It draws on research from the South-to-South Just Transitions network in countries including Argentina, Vietnam, and Indonesia, highlighting both the effectiveness of virtual and in-person engagements and the challenges of securing high-level official participation.

RMI provides recommendations for Indonesia's coal transition based on a model applied to the Java-Bali grid, emphasizing the integration of coal retirement and clean energy deployment to ensure financial feasibility and emissions reductions.

The document analyzes Gogoro's transition from a startup to a global provider of light EV battery swapping. It attributes the company's success to three system-level innovations: the creation of a swappable battery standard adopted by multiple manufacturers, the implementation of new business models such as battery-as-a-service and virtual power plants, and the development of a physical 'swap-and-go' platform. The case study highlights Gogoro's role as a catalyst in Taiwan, where its batteries power 90 percent of electric scooters, and its strategic expansion into markets like India, South Korea, and the Philippines.