Search Climate Insights Directory

The report argues that Indonesia's biomass co-firing policy, led by PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), threatens natural forests. To achieve 10% co-firing across 107 coal power plants, Trend Asia estimates a need for at least 2.33 million hectares of energy wood plantations. Based on historical data showing 38% of industrial timber plantations were established via deforestation, the report warns that this policy could increase annual deforestation rates from 630 thousand to 2.1 million hectares. It further highlights contradictions between the government's Enhanced NDC emission targets and its increasing deforestation quotas, while noting that biomass burning creates a 'carbon debt' rather than being carbon neutral.

The document evaluates the IMF's updated surveillance practices by analyzing recent reports for Indonesia and South Africa. While it notes a 'sea change' in the IMF's willingness to integrate climate issues—such as endorsing carbon taxes and green financing—it argues that the organization continues to prioritize steep fiscal consolidation and austerity. This focus on budget deficit ceilings is seen as a threat to the funding required for climate adaptation and mitigation. The authors highlight significant 'blind spots,' including the failure to fully account for the long-term fiscal risks of stranded fossil fuel assets and the potential for carbon-intensive exports to decline as trade partners decarbonize. The report concludes that while there is 'cautious optimism' due to more sophisticated analytical work, the IMF's advice remains insufficient for achieving a socially-just green transition.

The report argues that current climate finance is woefully inadequate to meet Paris Agreement goals, with developing countries alone requiring $4.3 trillion for 2030 commitments. It outlines a three-stage framework—planning, implementation, and monitoring—and details a variety of fiscal and policy instruments to align public spending, increase public funding, and mobilize private capital.

The report outlines the Green Guarantee Company's (GGC) framework for integrating gender equality and women's empowerment into its credit guarantee operations for green bonds and loans. It assesses gender vulnerabilities in five key sectors—energy, transport, buildings/cities, health/food/water security, and infrastructure—and provides high-level profiles for eight target countries. The document details a seven-step Transaction Selection Process (TSP) designed to ensure that guaranteed projects are gender-responsive, including rigorous due diligence, remediation strategies, and the use of a multidisciplinary 'line of defence' consisting of internal and external gender specialists.

The Green Guarantee Company (GGC), managed by the Development Guarantee Group (DGG) and accredited by MUFG Bank, Ltd., seeks USD 82.5 million in equity from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to create a guarantee vehicle. GGC aims to leverage its capital 10x to provide up to USD 4 billion in guarantees for green bonds and loans in developing countries, specifically targeting those with sub-investment grade ratings to attract global institutional investors. The programme focuses on five GCF result areas: energy generation and access, low-emission transport, buildings/cities/industries/appliances, health/food/water security, and infrastructure/built environment. It targets a mitigation impact of 74.6 million tCO2e and reaches approximately 36.9 million beneficiaries over a 20-year lifespan. The proposal includes a detailed Transaction Selection Process (TSP) to ensure climate impact and a comprehensive Gender Action Plan to promote equality and women's empowerment in the supported projects.

The author contends that reducing food loss and waste is a non-contentious solution to climate change and biodiversity loss, yet it remains under-adopted by governments. While some countries have set targets aligned with SDG 12.3, only 38 nations have included food loss and waste in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). The text highlights that agriculture drives 70% of terrestrial biodiversity loss and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, with rotting food in landfills serving as the third largest cause of methane emissions.

One year after COP26, progress on climate pledges is described as "mixed at best," with some advancements in renewable energy and net-zero targets countered by a resurgence in fossil fuel reliance due to the Russia-Ukraine war. While 24 countries updated their emissions targets and renewable capacity reached new heights, global fossil fuel subsidies nearly doubled in 2021. Financial commitments remain unmet, with developed nations still $17 billion short of the $100 billion annual goal for 2020. Efforts to curb methane and deforestation have seen expanded participation, but accountability for city-level net-zero pledges remains low due to a lack of reported emissions data.

Projected emissions for the analysed major economies under current policies (36.2-41.8 GtCO2e by 2030) remain far above the 43% reduction from 2019 levels required by the Paris Agreement. While average per capita emissions are projected to decrease slightly from 9.6 tCO2e in 2015 to approximately 8.8-8.9 tCO2e by 2030, significant disparities exist, with emissions per capita expected to more than double in Türkiye and Viet Nam while halving in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Only eleven countries are currently on track to meet their latest NDC targets, with Brazil and Indonesia moving off track due to increased land-use emission projections.

WRI identifies six critical objectives for COP27: establishing a loss and damage financing mechanism, scaling adaptation support, strengthening national emissions targets (NDCs), ensuring the $100 billion climate finance goal is met, advancing the Global Stocktake, and converting previous Glasgow commitments into tangible actions.

The document argues that while the costs of climate action are high, the costs of inaction are higher, noting that physical climate risk has already increased the cost of capital for V20 countries by USD62bn over 10 years. It proposes a three-pillar policy framework: providing clarity on green investments via taxonomies, tilting investment toward green opportunities through de-risking and carbon pricing, and building green investment pipelines. Key mechanisms suggested include the use of junior capital by development finance institutions to mobilize private investment, the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and the implementation of carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs). The summary concludes with a list of 101 specific policy ideas across sectors including energy, transport, and agriculture to be detailed in a full report.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 goals of stopping forest loss and restoring 350 million hectares of landscape. While Tropical Asia is the only region on track to halt deforestation, global rates declined only modestly by 6.3% in 2021 compared to the 2018-20 baseline. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that annual mitigation finance for forests is less than 1% of the estimated USD 460 billion needed. It further identifies failures in the private sector to eliminate deforestation from agricultural supply chains by 2025 and notes that 50% of lands held by Indigenous Peoples and local communities remain legally unrecognized.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 targets for stopping forest loss and restoring 350 million hectares of ecosystems. While Tropical Asia is the only region on track to stop deforestation by 2030, global forest loss still exceeds gains, resulting in a net loss of 100 million hectares. The report highlights critical gaps in sustainable production, where commodity-driven tree cover loss decreased by only 6% in 2021, and in finance, where current annual funding of $2.3 billion is less than 1% of the estimated $460 billion needed. Governance remains a significant hurdle, with at least 50% of lands held by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) lacking legal recognition. The document calls for a shift from voluntary corporate actions to mandatory regulations, a 200-fold increase in forest funding, and the strengthening of land tenure rights for IPLCs.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that the world is not on track to meet its 2030 forest goals. While some regional progress exists, global deforestation rates decreased only modestly in 2021, and financial investments for forest protection remain less than 1% of the required annual amount. The report highlights a critical gap between ambitious government pledges and actual policy implementation, noting that voluntary corporate commitments have failed to significantly alter the trajectory of forest loss. It emphasizes the vital but underfunded role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in forest stewardship and calls for a radical transformation in economic flows, governance, and legal mandates to avoid catastrophic climate and biodiversity loss.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment concludes that the world is not on track to meet its 2030 forest goals. While Tropical Asia is the only region currently on track to halt deforestation, global rates of forest loss and degradation remain too high, and financial investments are less than 1% of the required amount. The report highlights a gap between ambitious national goals and actual implementation, noting that voluntary corporate actions have been insufficient and that indigenous peoples and local communities remain severely underfunded despite their effectiveness as forest guardians.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 goals of halting forest loss and degradation or restoring 350 million hectares of landscape. While Tropical Asia is the only region on track to stop deforestation, global primary forest loss decreased by only 3.1% in humid tropics. Financial investment for forests is critically insufficient, with current mitigation funding at US$ 2.3 billion per year—less than 1% of the estimated US$ 460 billion needed annually. Corporate action to eliminate deforestation from agricultural supply chains by 2025 is lagging, and governance remains weak, with at least 50% of lands occupied by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPCs and LCs) lacking legal recognition.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 goals of halting forest loss and degradation or restoring 350 million hectares of forest landscape. While global deforestation rates declined by 6.3% in 2021 compared to the 2018-2020 baseline, this falls short of the 10% annual reduction required. Tropical Asia is the only region on track to halt deforestation by 2030, while Tropical Latin America and Africa remain off track. The report also notes that while 130.9 million hectares of tree cover were gained between 2000 and 2020, these were offset by 231.4 million hectares of loss, resulting in a net global loss of 100.5 million hectares.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that global forest governance is currently insufficient to meet 2030 targets. While some countries have successfully reduced deforestation through moratoria and strengthened enforcement, these gains are often fragile or being reversed by legislative rollbacks. The report highlights persistent tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, widespread corruption in the timber trade, and significant gaps in the implementation of demand-side regulations in importing nations.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 goals of halting forest loss and restoring 350 million hectares of landscape. While Tropical Asia is on track to halt deforestation, other regions like Tropical Latin America and Africa are not. The report highlights a massive funding gap, with current mitigation finance at less than 1% of the estimated USD 460 billion annual need. It also notes that commodity-driven deforestation declined by 6% in 2021 but remains far from the trajectory needed for the 2025 private sector target. Governance remains a critical weakness, with persistent tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples and local communities and widespread corruption in the timber trade.

The 2022 Theme 2 Assessment of the Forest Declaration finds that the world is not on track to meet 2030 forest goals or 2025 zero-deforestation targets for agricultural supply chains. While commodity-driven tree cover loss declined by 6% in 2021 compared to 2018-20, rates remain higher than in any year before 2016. The report highlights a significant gap between government 'green growth' agendas and actual investment, noting that trillions of dollars are mobilized for infrastructure like the Belt and Road Initiative while global public investments in forest goals are only USD 2.3 billion per year. In the private sector, only a quarter of major agricultural companies have ambitious policies to eliminate deforestation, and less than 20% of companies disclosing to CDP report near full compliance. The extractives sector shows even lower transparency and a lack of explicit forest-focused policies. Grassroots resistance, led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, has achieved some successes, such as a temporary moratorium on new concessions in Ecuador, but defenders face high rates of violence, with over 200 killed in 2021.

The report finds that global forest finance is not on track to meet 2030 goals, with current mitigation finance averaging USD 2.3 billion per year—less than 1 percent of the estimated USD 460 billion annual requirement. It highlights a stark imbalance where 'grey finance' (harmful investments) significantly outweighs 'green finance,' and notes that Indigenous Peoples and local communities remain severely underfunded. While 2021 pledges could quadruple annual finance to USD 9.5 billion, this remains insufficient. The report also analyzes the limited impact of voluntary and compliance carbon markets and the slow progress of REDD+ frameworks.