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China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology transfer to the Global South, utilizing the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund to deploy renewable energy, green agriculture, and electric vehicle technologies. While achieving significant scale—including exporting photovoltaic modules to over 100 countries—the brief identifies critical challenges: a gap between environmental commitments and actual impacts, deficiencies in ESG disclosure, geopolitical tensions, and limited local operational capacity. To improve sustainability, the document recommends enhancing transparency, aligning with global ESG standards, and fostering locally led innovation ecosystems through active partner ownership and capacity building.

The document argues that the OECD's Pillar Two GloBE rules undermine the effectiveness of traditional SEZ fiscal incentives, such as corporate income tax exemptions, by requiring a minimum effective tax rate (ETR) of 15%. It suggests that countries should shift from profit-based incentives to cost-based incentives and non-fiscal improvements to maintain competitiveness without sacrificing tax revenue. The brief also warns of legal risks associated with reforming these incentives due to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms and bilateral investment treaties.

The document argues that the Global Minimum Tax (GMT) reduces the effectiveness of traditional corporate tax incentives in SEZs, such as tax holidays and reduced rates, for large multinational enterprises. It suggests that countries should shift from profit-based tax competition toward improving the overall investment environment and utilizing non-fiscal incentives. The brief also warns of legal risks associated with reforming these incentives, specifically regarding investor-state dispute settlements (ISDS) and stabilization clauses, while recommending that SEZs be leveraged to support the energy transition and renewable energy investment.

The document analyzes how the OECD's Pillar Two GloBE rules, which mandate a 15% minimum effective tax rate for large multinationals, undermine traditional SEZ tax incentives like corporate income tax exemptions. It argues that such incentives are often ineffective for long-term competitiveness and recommends that countries shift toward non-fiscal incentives, cost-based incentives, and sustainable energy investments to avoid revenue loss to other jurisdictions.

China has positioned itself as a leader in green technology innovation, utilizing aid, trade, and investment to support the energy transition in the Global South. Through mechanisms like the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund, China has deployed renewable energy, electric vehicles, and sustainable agricultural technologies across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. However, the effectiveness of these partnerships is hindered by gaps between environmental commitments and actual impacts, limited local operational capacity, geopolitical tensions with Western nations, and difficulties in meeting global ESG standards.

The Gender Action Plan (GAP) for the Collaborative R&DB Programme aims to integrate gender mainstreaming into climate technopreneurship across five ASEAN countries. It defines specific criteria for 'women-owned SMEs' and 'women-led JVs', requiring that at least 50% of invested joint ventures (JVs) meet these priority conditions or implement a gender mainstreaming commitment plan. The plan provides sector-specific guidelines for renewable energy, agriculture, water, waste management, and early warning systems, focusing on reducing barriers to entry, improving occupational health and safety for women, and ensuring inclusive communication and leadership roles for women in climate adaptation and mitigation projects.

The report finds that human-induced climate change significantly increased the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme heat globally from May 2023 to May 2024. Using the Climate Shift Index (CSI), the study determined that 6.3 billion people experienced at least 31 days of extreme heat made at least twice as likely by climate change. It identifies 76 extreme heat waves across 90 countries and highlights critical gaps in impact reporting, particularly in developing regions. The authors advocate for City Heat Action Plans and systemic adaptations to prevent heat-related fatalities.

A World Weather Attribution study found that human-induced climate change significantly increased the frequency and intensity of April 2024 heatwaves across Asia. In the Philippines, the event would have been "impossible" without climate change, while in West Asia, the probability increased by a factor of 5. In South Asia, extreme temperatures were found to be about 45 times more likely and 0.85ºC hotter. The report highlights disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups, including 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza and outdoor workers, and notes that existing heat action plans often lack mandatory workplace regulations and retrofitting for informal settlements.

The GCF Water Project Design Guidelines Part 3 outlines a framework for creating climate-resilient sanitation (CRS) projects. It details how climate hazards like flooding, sea-level rise, and drought impact sanitation infrastructure and services, and provides a scientific basis for both adaptation and mitigation. The guide advocates for a paradigm shift toward transformative sanitation planning, emphasizing circular economy principles—such as the recovery of water, nutrients, and energy—to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance community resilience. It provides specific technical interventions for the entire sanitation service chain and outlines the requirements for successful GCF funding proposals, including alignment with investment criteria and national climate strategies.

The report argues that Southeast Asia is at an energy crossroads, where planned gas infrastructure expansion could lock the region into economically volatile fuels and high capital costs, while renewable energy offers a cost-competitive and sustainable alternative. It highlights that in-development gas power and LNG projects would require over $220 billion in investment and could double the region's gas-fired capacity. The document details specific national strategies in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, noting a trend of viewing gas as a 'transitional fuel'. It further critiques the role of international finance, particularly from Japan and South Korea, and the promotion of carbon capture and storage (CCS) as potential delays to the energy transition. Conversely, it presents data showing that utility-scale solar and wind could meet nearly two-thirds of the projected increase in energy demand by 2030, provided that grid infrastructure and cross-border electricity trade, such as the ASEAN Power Grid, are developed.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) installed FAHFON SENSE smart weather stations in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, to address drought vulnerability in rice farming. The project established two pilot sites—one with irrigation and one relying on precipitation—to test the technology's effectiveness. Farmers and stakeholders from Laos received training on using a mobile application to monitor real-time environmental data, including rainfall, temperature, and CO2 levels, to optimize irrigation and crop management.

Singapore's path to net-zero by 2050 depends heavily on importing renewable energy from neighboring countries due to severe domestic land constraints. While the Singapore Green Plan 2030 targets 2 GW of solar and 4 GW of imports, analysis suggests these must be significantly scaled up—potentially to 16 GW of imports by 2045—to align with IEA net-zero milestones. Such a transition would reduce per capita power sector emissions by 52-58% by 2035 and decrease reliance on volatile gas prices. The report emphasizes that Singapore's financial capacity allows it to lead regional grid investments, such as the LTMS-PIP and potential links to India and the UAE, to secure its energy future and accelerate Southeast Asia's clean energy transition.

Global operating coal capacity increased by 48.4 GW in 2023, reaching a total of 2,130 GW, primarily driven by a surge of new plants in China. While construction starts hit record lows outside of China, China's new construction starts reached an eight-year high of 70.2 GW. Despite a growing number of countries committing to 'No New Coal', 75% of global operating coal capacity still lacks a specific closure commitment, hindering alignment with the Paris Agreement goals.

The paper examines the security implications of geoengineering, distinguishing between long-term risks of unilateral deployment and near-term risks involving geopolitical competition and misinformation. It highlights how a lack of trust between the Global North and South, combined with strategic competition between powers like the US, China, and Russia, could lead to states attributing natural disasters to perceived geoengineering attempts. Drawing on historical examples like Project Popeye and the 1978 ENMOD treaty, the author argues against a total ban on geoengineering, suggesting instead that the US lead the development of transparent, civilian-led guardrails and robust science diplomacy to mitigate these risks while continuing the transition from fossil fuels.

This document is a Japanese translation of an excerpt from the 'Boom & Bust Coal 2024' report by Global Energy Monitor and its partners. It tracks global coal-fired power plant plans as of April 2024, highlighting a contradiction where global coal capacity reached record highs in 2023 despite a general trend of shrinking development pipelines in most countries except China.

The report details a field visit to the Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute (CRSRI) and the Zhanghe Irrigation District in China. It highlights the use of a 'digital twin' system for water management, community-led irrigation through Farmers' Water Users' Associations, and research at the Hubei Provincial Irrigation Experiment Station. The visit aimed to strengthen cooperation between China, Thailand, and other Lancang-Mekong countries to implement climate-resilient agricultural practices.

The document advocates for rooting climate loss and damage responses in international human rights law, emphasizing the right to remedy. It argues that the World Bank is unfit to lead the Loss and Damage Fund due to its continued fossil fuel investments and failure to provide reparations for project-related harms. The author recommends that the Loss and Damage Fund establish a 'firewall' from World Bank policies, implement independent grievance mechanisms, and prioritize grants-based finance over debt-creating loans, guided by the polluter pays principle.

The report details a regional meeting held in Thailand in October 2023, bringing together stakeholders from China, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It showcases various climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies—such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)—aimed at reducing water footprints and methane emissions in rice farming. The document outlines national policy approaches, identifies barriers like limited finance and technology access, and recommends a shift toward community-centric climate finance and enhanced interagency collaboration to build regional climate resilience.

The GCF Board's 37th meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, resulted in the approval of 15 funding proposals totaling USD 736.4 million and the adoption of the 2024 administrative budget of USD 112.4 million. Key strategic outcomes include the endorsement of the Readiness Strategy 2024–2027, which allocates USD 501.5 million to enhance country ownership and direct access, and the confirmation of USD 9.3 billion in pledges for the second formal replenishment (GCF-2). The Board also established an ad hoc Committee on Human Resources Matters to address systemic compensation and policy issues. Significant discussions occurred regarding the potential for a regional presence to reduce operational bottlenecks and the ongoing debate over the financing of results-based payments for REDD+, which was deferred to the next meeting.

The report finds that while Southeast Asia has increased its operating utility-scale solar and wind capacity by 20% since January 2023 to 28 GW, the transition is hindered by low construction rates for prospective projects and continued reliance on fossil fuels. Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand are regional leaders, but only 3% of the region's 220 GW prospective capacity is currently under construction. Despite these hurdles, the report suggests the ASEAN collective target of 35% renewable energy capacity by 2025 is attainable given existing capacity and pipelines.