Search Climate Insights Directory

The document serves as a 'who's who' and event guide for ODI and CDKN staff attending the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March 2015. It lists researchers and officers focusing on disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate resilience, and humanitarian action, detailing their specific goals for the conference, such as influencing the post-2015 DRR framework and discussing finance and governance. The briefing also provides a schedule of presentations and panels on topics including gender equality in DRR, fragile contexts, and measuring disaster resilience.

The report finds that while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe in human-caused global warming and support climate action, liberal and moderate Republicans often align with the mainstream public. Conservative Republicans remain the primary group opposed to climate action and skeptical of global warming. There is broad cross-party support for renewable energy research and tax rebates for energy-efficient products, though significant divisions persist regarding carbon taxes and emission limits on coal plants.

The GTF 2015 report finds that global progress across energy access, efficiency, and renewables during the 2010–2012 period falls substantially short of the rates required to meet 2030 targets. While electrification saw gains, primarily in India, access to clean cooking remained stagnant. Energy intensity improved, led by high-income nations, and renewable energy consumption grew, though not fast enough. The report highlights a massive investment gap, noting that annual flows must triple to reach $1.0–1.2 trillion. It also introduces the 'energy nexus' to explore interdependencies between energy and water, food, health, and gender, and advocates for a 'data revolution' to move beyond binary access metrics toward more nuanced, multi-tier measurements.

The document examines the drivers and barriers to climate change adaptation in the Swedish forestry sector, emphasizing that social and cultural factors are as critical as scientific data. While forest owners recognize increasing productivity and risks from extreme weather, many adopt a "wait and see" approach due to the gradual nature of climate change and distrust of scientific communication. The research highlights the importance of social networks, the role of indirect global climate impacts on export markets, and the need for relevant, credible, and legitimate science communication to foster proactive adaptation.

The statement criticizes developed nations, specifically Japan, for using climate finance to fund coal-fired power plants in developing countries like Indonesia. It highlights a lack of coherent rules for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and argues that current international climate agreements, including the US-China deal, are insufficient and non-binding. The author demands that climate finance be restricted to renewable energy and that developed countries fulfill their 'climate debt' through public finance and technology transfers.

The report examines the role of performance requirements (PRs) in foreign direct investment, analyzing how their prohibition in bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and the WTO TRIMs Agreement restricts the ability of host states—particularly developing countries—to achieve sustainable development goals. It contrasts traditional BITs, which are silent on PRs, with a growing minority of 'TRIMs+' treaties that impose broader prohibitions. Through the analysis of investment tribunal cases like Mobil Oil v. Canada and Lemire v. Ukraine, the document highlights the unpredictability of legal interpretations. It concludes by offering policy options for states to maintain their regulatory sovereignty, such as avoiding PR prohibitions in treaties or using specific carve-outs and grandfathering clauses.

The document examines performance requirements (PR)—stipulations imposed on investors to achieve specific development goals—and the legal constraints placed upon them by the WTO's TRIMs Agreement and various Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs). It highlights a growing trend, led by Canada and the United States, toward broader prohibitions of PRs (MIC+ clauses) that extend to pre-establishment phases. Through the analysis of cases like Lemire v. Ukraine and Mobil Oil v. Canada, the guide illustrates the unpredictability of investment tribunals in interpreting these prohibitions. It concludes by offering strategic options for developing nations to maintain their regulatory space, such as avoiding PR prohibitions in BITs or explicitly excluding certain sectors and mechanisms from such restrictions.

The document asserts that 90 entities, including 50 investor-owned companies, are responsible for 63% of industrial CO2 and methane emissions since 1751. It argues that these companies ignored scientific warnings as early as 1988 and actively worked to discredit climate science. The author calls for these producers to stop disinformation, disclose financial risks, support the 2°C warming target, and pay for climate-related damages.

The report argues that the Zero Draft of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction lacks coherence in its organising logic and fails to sufficiently integrate critical drivers of risk such as climate change, conflict, and poverty. It recommends a restructured framework focused on minimising new risks, reducing existing risks, and managing residual risks, while calling for stronger financial commitments and a more inclusive approach to vulnerable groups and fragile states.

The author contends that 'corporate capture' of the UN and EU has prioritised profit over climate action, leading to ineffective market-based policies and rising emissions. The text advocates for a binding international agreement based on scientific evidence and historical responsibility, rather than political compromise. It calls for the abandonment of coal—which accounted for 43% of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in 2012—and the adoption of 'energy sovereignty' through decentralized, democratically controlled renewable energy. The author argues that the EU should lead by replacing market mechanisms like the EU-Emissions Trading Scheme with regulation, taxation, and subsidies to achieve necessary emission cuts.

In 2013, global climate finance flows totaled USD 331 billion, a decrease of USD 28 billion from 2012. This decline was primarily driven by a USD 31 billion drop in private investment, largely due to falling solar PV costs. Public finance remained stable at USD 137 billion, with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) acting as the primary public source. Mitigation accounted for 91% of total flows, while adaptation received 7% (USD 25 billion), all of which originated from public sources. The report highlights a significant gap between current flows and the estimated USD 1.1 trillion annual investment needed in the energy sector to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius.

The paper examines the rise of 'mega-regional' trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which aim for deep regulatory integration beyond WTO standards. It argues that while overall GDP impacts on outsiders may be small, these agreements risk eroding trade preferences and establishing new global regulatory norms that could marginalise developing countries. For South Africa, the authors recommend a strategy of unilateral regulatory reform, deeper regional integration within SADC and COMESA, and constructive engagement in the WTO to avoid being left behind by 'competitive liberalisation'.

The 10YFP Programme on Sustainable Lifestyles and Education is a global initiative resulting from Rio+20, co-led by Japan, Sweden (via SEI), and WWF. It defines sustainable lifestyles as choices that "minimize environmental degradation" while supporting equitable development. The programme focuses on three main pillars: educating for sustainable lifestyles across formal and informal settings, developing and replicating low-carbon lifestyle scenarios, and promoting innovative and traditional models of sustainable living. Key objectives include building a common framework for understanding sustainable lifestyles, integrating these principles across society, and empowering individuals—particularly youth—through education and awareness. The programme is supported by a Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) and seeks to provide recommendations for policies, infrastructures, and business strategies that enable sustainable living, with a specific emphasis on urban spaces.

The document provides a comprehensive review of empirical studies demonstrating that compact, transit-oriented, and walkable urban design leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduced infrastructure costs, and increased labor productivity. It highlights specific findings from China, such as the negative energy impacts of 'superblocks' in Jinan and the property value premiums associated with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Beijing and Guangzhou. The report also emphasizes the cost-effectiveness of BRT over light rail and the public health benefits of non-motorized transit, while identifying research gaps in developer-side profit data and the specific productivity effects of density in Chinese cities.

The report identifies geothermal energy as a cost-competitive, low-carbon baseload power source, but notes that its deployment is hindered by high resource risks and long development timelines. It finds that 76-90% of geothermal project investments rely on public debt or equity, as the private sector is generally unwilling to fund the high-risk exploration phase. The document argues that while current policy support often focuses on the operational phase, public finance should be redirected toward the early stages of project development to attract more private capital.

The report estimates that a transition to a low-carbon economy could put nearly $25 trillion of fossil fuel asset value at risk, with approximately 80% of this risk borne by governments rather than private investors. The analysis highlights that oil represents the majority of value at risk (close to 75%), while coal offers the highest emissions reduction potential with relatively low stranding risk (12%). The document argues that the net economic impact depends heavily on policy: a purely tax-based approach to reducing oil demand could cost the global economy $3 trillion, whereas an innovation-led transition could yield a net benefit of $7 trillion. It recommends prioritizing the phase-out of coal and utilizing financial mechanisms to lower the cost of renewable energy in emerging markets.

The New York Declaration on Forests Action Agenda provides a framework for governments, companies, indigenous peoples, and multilateral institutions to combat deforestation. It highlights significant progress, such as Brazil's 71% reduction in deforestation by 2013 and the adoption of zero-deforestation policies by major palm oil traders covering 60% of global trade. The agenda details specific roles for stakeholders, including the implementation of the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ and the commitment of indigenous peoples to protect 400 million hectares of forests. It also notes financial commitments from developed nations like Germany, Norway, and the UK to provide predictable REDD+ financing.

The paper analyzes Myanmar's current investment treaty landscape, noting that the country has seven treaties in force and one pending with Japan. It highlights significant variations between ASEAN-negotiated treaties and bilateral investment treaties (BITs), which complicates government compliance. A critical finding is that most-favoured nation (MFN) clauses may force Myanmar to grant a combination of benefits to investors that exceeds the terms of any single treaty. Additionally, with the exception of the Myanmar-Philippines BIT, all treaties allow foreign investors to pursue binding monetary awards against the state through investor-state arbitration.

The research evaluates policy options to reach a 450 PPM CO2 concentration target by 2050, focusing on the period up to 2035. Using the GDynE model, the authors compare domestic carbon taxes and international emission trading (IET) against scenarios where the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is used for welfare redistribution, energy efficiency, or renewable energy. The findings indicate that while abatement costs are generally detrimental to the growth of developing countries, a GCF financed by an 8% levy on developed countries' carbon tax revenues can mitigate these losses. Specifically, investing GCF resources into energy efficiency in developing countries provides the most significant global benefit, potentially resulting in a net gain for developing economies and reducing the overall cost of meeting climate targets for all parties.

The report examines the 'peace potential' of oil and gas resources, analyzing how joint development, revenue sharing, and infrastructure projects like pipelines can either mitigate or fuel conflict. It contrasts successful cooperation, such as the Saudi-Kuwaiti Partitioned Neutral Zone and Turkey-Iraqi Kurdish relations, with failures in the Caucasus and disputes in the South China Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. The study also addresses the role of international environmental law and the climate impact of transitioning from coal to natural gas.