Search Climate Insights Directory

The report analyzes ten CDKN initiatives in India, Indonesia, Nepal, and Pakistan to identify effective design pathways for scaling climate compatible development. It distinguishes between research-led, hybrid, and action-led pathways, concluding that longer-term, action-oriented approaches are most successful in embedding new practices across local, provincial, and national scales. The authors propose several design principles, including early action, adaptive management, and strategic knowledge brokering, to navigate the complex multi-level governance required for climate resilience and low-carbon transitions.

The document outlines a methodology for volunteering economies to identify, measure, and evaluate fossil fuel subsidies (FFS). It details the 'building blocks' of a review—definition, scope, measurement, and evaluation—and analyzes the practical application of these tools through case studies of self-reports (Finland, Sweden) and peer reviews within the G20 and APEC frameworks (China, USA, Peru, New Zealand). It emphasizes that these reviews are voluntary, non-adversarial tools designed to create a baseline for reform and facilitate international peer learning.

The report argues that terrorism and violent extremism are highly gendered activities and that PVE and CT responses are more sustainable and effective when they promote gender equality and women's empowerment. It identifies gaps in global policy implementation, highlights the gendered impact of CT human rights violations, and warns against the instrumentalisation of women in PVE programming. The authors recommend a shift toward context-specific, human rights-compliant strategies that engage both men and women as equal actors, particularly through a focus on parenting.

The document examines the gap in the Paris Agreement regarding fossil fuel supply and proposes mechanisms to address it. It suggests that countries could use Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Long-Term Strategies (LTSs) to articulate production phase-downs. The authors argue that such actions would provide clearer signals to financial markets, foster international norms, and support a just transition for affected workers. The paper identifies several entry points within the Paris Agreement, including the enhanced transparency framework, the global stocktake, and finance reform, while acknowledging that consensus-based decision-making in the UNFCCC may require a 'coalition of the willing' to lead by example.

The paper identifies five key levers—power and leadership, communication and engagement, capacity building, financing implementation, and demonstration effect—essential for successful climate action in cities. Drawing on seven CDKN-supported projects across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, it argues that city governments face significant barriers, including short political cycles, fragmented governance, and limited financial resources. The framework serves as a checklist for donors and practitioners to create investable and implementable climate propositions, highlighting the importance of local champions, tailored business cases, and cross-city collaboration to scale successful interventions like India's Heat Action Plans.

The report by Cerulogy critiques an ICF International assessment that claimed corn ethanol's GHG intensity in 2014 was 30% lower than the U.S. EPA's 2022 projections. Cerulogy identifies systemic errors, including the use of preliminary rather than final EPA data, the double-counting of co-product credits, and an over-reliance on a single non-peer-reviewed study (Babcock and Iqbal, 2014) to justify lower international land use change emissions. The review concludes that the ICF report's results are 'meaningless' or 'inaccurate' in several key areas, including rice methane and nitrogen emissions, and recommends that the ICF's revised lifecycle intensity be disregarded.

The document reflects on seven years of CDKN's work to integrate climate action with poverty reduction, highlighting its influence on policies in 33 countries and its support for the Paris Agreement. It identifies critical gaps in current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the need for diversified climate finance beyond the Green Climate Fund, and the slow pace of sustainable transport and smart city adoption in developing nations compared to the rapid energy transition to renewables.

The 2017 Allianz Climate and Energy Monitor finds that while emerging markets like China and India are seeing a boom in renewable energy installations driven by falling costs, OECD countries—specifically Germany, the UK, and France—remain the most attractive investment destinations due to stable policy frameworks. The report highlights a significant investment gap, stating that G20 countries must roughly double annual investments to meet Paris Agreement goals, with absolute needs reaching USD 709 billion per year (2012 prices) between 2014 and 2035. It notes a global shift from feed-in tariffs to auction-based support systems and warns that governments must now transition from focusing on generation to holistic power system design to integrate variable renewables and avoid curtailment.

As of May 2017, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has engaged with 105 countries on 165 readiness requests, committing or spending a total of USD 34.3 million. The programme focuses on strengthening National Designated Authorities (NDAs), developing country programmes and project pipelines, and supporting the accreditation of direct access entities. Key achievements include the provision of in-kind accreditation support to 102 entities across 55 countries and the development of strategic frameworks in various regions. The report details specific activities in countries such as Tonga, Djibouti, and Namibia, and outlines the establishment of no-objection procedures in 34 countries. Additionally, it highlights regional structured dialogues in Asia and Eastern Europe and Central Asia to facilitate project pipelines and knowledge sharing.

Mighty Earth highlights a new palm oil policy from BNP Paribas that requires financed companies to protect forests, indigenous people, and adhere to human rights and labor standards. The author argues that this shift reflects a growing trend where deforestation is becoming a business liability, citing the $4 billion value decline of IOI following its suspension by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. The document calls for other financial institutions to adopt similar policies and urges BNP Paribas and HSBC to apply these standards to POSCO Daewoo, which has cleared 99 square kilometers of forest in Papua, Indonesia, between September 2015 and April 2017.

The document explores the multifaceted meaning of 'bankability' in climate finance, arguing that it extends beyond traditional financial returns to include socioeconomic and environmental impacts. It provides lessons from CDKN's work in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, highlighting how bankability requirements differ between public and private funders and between mitigation and adaptation projects. The paper concludes with a guiding checklist for project developers to improve the success rate of proposals submitted to multilateral funds like the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The document outlines the role of city authorities in driving climate resilience and highlights CDKN's work in supporting developing countries through planning, financing, and knowledge management.

The paper examines the governance of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, arguing that while integrated approaches are essential for climate compatible development, they are often hindered by siloed government structures, political contestation over mandates, and limited local capacity. Using evidence from Indonesia, Kenya, and the Amazon basin, it highlights that horizontal and vertical coordination are critical but can be undermined by power imbalances between central and local governments. The author suggests a pragmatic approach to nexus governance, focusing on strengthening the technical and administrative capacities of local government institutions rather than striving for an impractical ideal of total comprehensiveness.

The report exposes the destructive nature of irresponsible rayon production, detailing water and air pollution, worker fatalities, and severe health issues in Asia. It identifies a direct link between these polluting factories—operated by conglomerates like Aditya Birla and Lenzing—and major global brands such as H&M, Zara, and ASOS. The document argues that while rayon is often marketed as a 'green' alternative, its current chemical-intensive production is unsustainable, and calls for brands to use their purchasing power to force a transition to closed-loop, non-toxic manufacturing systems.

The report exposes severe pollution from viscose production in Asia, where manufacturers dump untreated wastewater and emit toxic gases, impacting local health and ecosystems. It identifies direct sourcing links between these polluting sites and major brands like H&M and Zara, arguing that the 'green' image of viscose is misleading due to the use of hazardous chemicals like carbon disulphide. The authors call for a transition to closed-loop production systems and mandatory supply chain due diligence.

The report details how the viscose industry in China, India, and Indonesia causes severe water and air pollution, leading to health crises like cancer and birth deformities in local communities. It identifies a lack of transparency in fashion supply chains and argues that a small group of dominant producers, pressured by major brands, could rapidly transition the industry toward closed-loop, non-toxic production systems.

The report details how the production of viscose, often marketed as an ecological alternative to cotton or synthetics, involves highly polluting chemical processes in China, India, and Indonesia. It documents the discharge of untreated wastewater into local water sources, leading to severe health issues such as cancer and congenital deformities, and the destruction of local ecosystems and traditional livelihoods. The investigation reveals that major global fashion brands, including H&M, Inditex (Zara), and ASOS, source their viscose from these polluting factories. The document argues that because a small group of 10 companies controls approximately 70% of global viscose production, large fashion brands have the purchasing power to force a transition toward closed-loop, less toxic production systems.

The report finds that while voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) are increasingly adopted in key agricultural sectors, they remain a marginal force globally, covering less than 1% of global agricultural area as of 2014. VSSs show strong alignment with habitat conservation, with 87% prohibiting production on recently converted forestland, but are poorly equipped to address climate change, with no standards requiring strict GHG emission reductions. The analysis reveals that standards typically mandate practices rather than performance outcomes, and their impact is often limited by a reliance on developed-country demand and a tendency to be adopted where compliance is least costly. The report suggests five policy options, including supporting biodiversity-driven implementation and developing integrated data systems, to better leverage VSSs for biodiversity protection.

The report estimates global fossil fuel subsidies at USD 425 billion and argues that removing consumer subsidies could reduce global carbon emissions by 6 to 8 per cent by 2050. It introduces the "SWAP" framework to transition these funds into sustainable energy and social safety nets, providing specific outlines for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, and Zambia.

The document analyzes the gap between renewable energy potential and actual capacity in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, highlighting the need for Public-Private-People Partnerships (PPPP) and integrated spatial planning to achieve energy security.