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The global green bond market saw a 26% year-on-year decline in issuance volume during H1 2020, totaling USD 91.6 billion, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While green issuance slowed, there was a surge in 'pandemic' labeled debt (approximately USD 75 billion) and social/sustainability bonds (USD 94.4 billion). Developed markets dominated the landscape, contributing 82% of issuance, with the US and France leading. Government-backed entities and non-financial corporates were the most prominent issuer types, and energy remained the most popular use of proceeds category at 34%.

The report analyzes Brazil's agricultural risk management landscape, highlighting a significant gap in insurance coverage compared to global peers like the US and China. It examines key programs such as the PSR, Proagro, Garantia-Safra, and PGPM, noting high market concentration and a heavy reliance on credit over insurance. The authors argue that inadequate risk management leads to underinvestment and inefficient land use, recommending a shift in public funding from rural credit to insurance subsidies and the expansion of the Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC) system.

The report examines Brazil's agricultural risk management landscape, focusing on public policies like PSR, PROAGRO, Garantia-Safra, and PGPM. It highlights a market characterized by high concentration, limited geographic reach, and a heavy reliance on soy insurance. The authors argue that inadequate risk management leads to underinvestment and inefficient land use, suggesting a shift in public funding from rural credit toward insurance and the expansion of market-based price risk instruments.

The report examines how micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are addressed in trade agreements, noting a trend toward dedicated SME chapters in 'new-generation' RTAs. It highlights that while developed economies like the EU, Canada, and Japan lead in advanced provisions, developing countries often prioritize exemptions to protect domestic MSMEs from costly obligations. Most MSME provisions use 'best-endeavour' language and are excluded from dispute settlement, limiting their enforceability. The document also assesses the WTO's piecemeal approach to MSMEs and suggests expanding the scope of support in areas like e-commerce, government procurement, and gender equality to better integrate MSMEs into global trade.

The report examines the socioeconomic impacts of industrial decline and evaluates the effectiveness of various transition responses. It argues that successful 'just' transitions require early strategic planning, multi-stakeholder governance, and a holistic approach to regional economic development that builds on existing local capabilities rather than seeking a single industrial replacement. Through case studies in the US, UK, Australia, and South Africa, the document highlights the risks of uneven benefit distribution, the importance of reskilling over simple monetary compensation, and the necessity of addressing environmental legacies to enable land reuse.

The High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) has clarified its methodology for the cocoa industry to help Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) signatories implement 'no deforestation' commitments. The HCSA distinguishes tropical forests for conservation from degraded lands, explicitly stating that expanding cocoa plantations or agroforestry into identified HCS forests constitutes deforestation or degradation and is prohibited. To catalyze adoption, HCSA assessments are being trialed in Ghana and Peru, with goals to scale up indicative HCS-HCV mapping and adapt simplified toolkits for smallholder farmers.

The IEU report for the first half of 2020 outlines the progress of several major evaluations, including assessments of the GCF's country ownership approach, environmental and social safeguards, and the Simplified Approval Process. It highlights the unit's efforts to integrate behavioural science through the new Behaviour and Design Lab (BaDLab) and the LORTA programme. The report also details extensive communication efforts via webinars and social media to increase the uptake of evaluation findings, and provides a budget update showing a total expenditure and commitment of USD 2,447,221 against a 2020 budget of USD 5,581,985 as of 30 April 2020.

The document examines the intersection of gender and social equity within Indonesia's energy transition, specifically through case studies in West Sumatra. It argues that without a gender-sensitive approach to decision-making, renewable energy projects risk entrenching existing inequalities and excluding women from the workforce and leadership roles.

The author, representing the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, asserts that Indigenous Peoples are the world's best stewards of nature, protecting 80 percent of remaining biodiversity. The text highlights the urgent threat posed by illegal mining, logging, and land grabbing in the Amazon Basin, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and calls for global conservation efforts to prioritize Indigenous rights and ancestral knowledge to maintain global ecological balance.

In 2019, the global green bond market reached a record USD258.9 billion in issuance, a 51% increase over 2018. The market saw significant growth in non-financial corporate issuance and the entry of eight new countries. Europe led in cumulative volume, while the USA, China, and France remained the top individual countries by amount issued. Energy, buildings, and transport dominated the use of proceeds, accounting for 82% of the total. The report also notes a rise in green sukuk and the increasing importance of external reviews and Climate Bonds Standard certification.

The briefing analyzes the intersection of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability, deteriorating governance, and nuclear-armed geopolitical tensions in South Asia. It argues that these converging risks create non-linear dynamics that could lead to a systemic collapse or 'regime shift,' posing significant spillover risks to the global international system.

The document examines Indonesia's energy landscape between 2015 and 2020, highlighting the financial strain on state-owned enterprises PT Pertamina and PT PLN due to fuel subsidies and the COVID-19 pandemic. It details the impact of the pandemic on coal exports and electricity demand, while discussing regulatory shifts in renewable energy and the government's efforts to reform LPG subsidies. The briefing also notes contradictions between the goal of retiring fossil fuel plants and new regulations that incentivize the coal industry.

The document examines Indonesia's energy landscape from 2015 to 2020, highlighting the volatility of fuel and LPG subsidies and the severe disruption caused by COVID-19. It details the financial strain on state-owned enterprises PT Pertamina and PT PLN, the government's continued reliance on coal despite climate commitments, and the regulatory hurdles facing renewable energy. Key policy shifts include new fuel pricing formulas and a restructuring plan for PT PLN to focus on distribution over generation.

The document examines how renewable energy transitions in West Sumatra, Indonesia, can either entrench or challenge existing social inequities. Through case studies of geothermal, micro-hydro, and biofuel projects, it highlights how patriarchal land management and closed decision-making processes exclude women and marginalized groups from benefits. It also analyzes the limitations of national LPG subsidies and grid electrification in reaching the rural poor, concluding that a gender-sensitive approach is essential to ensure just transitions.

The document analyzes how environmental degradation, the pursuit of civilian nuclear power, and geopolitical tensions—primarily involving China—intersect to create instability in the South China Sea region. It highlights the vulnerability of Indonesia and the Philippines to sea-level rise and extreme weather, their efforts to establish nuclear energy frameworks via IAEA guidance, and the internal threat posed by ISIL-affiliated extremists. The report argues that these converging risks, combined with hegemonic competition between the U.S. and China, threaten regional stability.

Dr. Intan Suci Nurhati, an author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, emphasizes the importance of adapting scientific delivery to the specific needs and language of different audiences. Her approach includes providing strategic support to government negotiators, using financial metaphors for CEOs and influencers, and utilizing social media to reach high school students. She notes that these interactions, particularly with the media, have influenced her own scientific direction.

The author contends that Indonesia's COVID-19 recovery stimulus should shift away from fossil fuel support toward renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and decentralized energy systems to ensure long-term economic stability and climate resilience.

The document examines the role of local and community-based adaptation (CBA) in addressing climate risks, emphasizing that while local actions are often the most cost-effective and socially acceptable, they are frequently hindered by top-down planning and insufficient financing. It proposes a shift toward locally led processes that integrate indigenous knowledge, devolved financing, and multi-stakeholder governance to achieve sustainable and equitable resilience.

India faces significant climate vulnerability, with nearly 3% of its GDP at risk annually. To meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goals, India requires $2.5 trillion in investments between 2016 and 2030, yet it is currently mobilizing less than 25% of this requirement. A primary barrier to scaling these investments is the lack of an agreed-upon definition of 'green finance,' leading to confusion and inconsistent reporting across the financial sector. The document proposes a combination of international practices, a principles-based approach (aligning with national goals and net carbon reduction), and a sectoral taxonomy to create a formal definition. Such a framework would enable better tracking of capital flows, mitigate greenwashing, and allow financial institutions to better assess climate-related physical and transition risks. The authors recommend forming a stakeholder task force to develop a comprehensive green finance roadmap that includes a common taxonomy, mandatory climate risk disclosures, and regulatory incentives to divert capital from carbon-intensive sectors.

Between January 2017 and June 2020, Japanese public and private institutions provided at least US$23.4 billion in financing for LNG infrastructure across 10 countries. The report argues that the original rationales for this policy—energy security, climate friendliness, and economic viability—are now flawed due to the vulnerability of supply chains exposed by COVID-19, the high global warming potential of methane leakages, and the declining costs of renewable energy. It highlights that major Japanese banks (MUFG, Mizuho, and SMBC) provided the bulk of this funding, while five major trading companies saw a combined year-on-year profit drop of US$625 million in LNG-related businesses by March 2020. The document concludes that continuing to fund LNG infrastructure risks creating stranded assets and contradicts the UN's Principles for Responsible Banking.