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Manila’s Commuters Pushed for Safer Streets — and Won
The Move As One Coalition, comprising 142 civil society organizations and over 77,000 individuals, has successfully advocated for a shift in Philippine transport policy from car-centric models to inclusive, people-centered mobility. By utilizing data and research, the coalition highlighted that only 1% of road spending previously supported public transport, walking, or cycling. Their efforts have influenced approximately $946 million in immediate and $12 billion in long-term transport funding, leading to tangible improvements such as a dedicated busway on EDSA, a pedestrian boulevard along the Pasig River, a car-free zone in Intramuros, and over 1,200 kilometers of bike lanes nationwide. Additionally, the coalition secured better pay for transport workers through service contracting, moving from passenger-based pay to per-kilometer compensation.
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Document type: Case study
Strengthening Global South Coordination on Debt Justice and the UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt
The Global South Debt Strategy and Civil Society FfD4 Coordination meetings in Manila focused on strengthening collective advocacy for a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt and the cancellation of unsustainable and illegitimate debt. Participants identified Paragraph 50(f) of the FfD4 Outcome Document as a strategic window to address structural gaps in the international debt architecture over the next two years. Agreed strategies include intensifying grassroots mobilization targeting Ministries of Finance and Parliaments, and building cross-movement alliances linking debt advocacy with climate, tax, and trade union justice. The coordination mechanism will target global spaces such as the UN General Assembly, COP31, and IMF/WB Annual Meetings to position debt justice within a geopolitical context of war and aid retrenchment, with AFRODAD leading the African framing on debt cancellation.
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Document type: News article
Climate adaptation for empowerment, inclusivity and justice
The document advocates for a transformative approach to climate adaptation that moves beyond infrastructure to include 'communication justice'. It highlights the role of constructive journalism in combating 'climate fatigue' and the potential of AI to improve disaster prediction and information dissemination. The author criticises global agendas, such as those for COP30, for overlooking the role of independent journalism and public engagement. The statement calls for coordinated collaboration between governments, the private sector, and local communities to close digital divides and ensure that the voices of the most vulnerable are integrated into national development plans.
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Document type: Statement
Solar electricity every hour of every day is here and it changes everything
The report argues that rapid declines in battery costs have made near-continuous solar power (24/365 generation) an economic reality in sunny regions. In cities like Las Vegas, achieving 97% reliability for a constant power supply is now cost-competitive at $104/MWh, which is cheaper than new coal and nuclear power. The analysis demonstrates that a relatively small amount of storage—approximately 17 kWh of battery for every 1 kW of stable 24-hour power—is sufficient for most sunny locations. This shift allows solar to support 24/7 clean energy contracts for energy-intensive industries and significantly reduces the need for expensive grid expansions by allowing more capacity to be installed behind existing connections.
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Document type: Report
La boîte à outils du Forum sur la politique d’investissement de Manille
The Manila Investment Policy Forum Tool Kit offers a two-step framework for governments to ensure horizontal coherence between investment regulations and broader public policy goals. The first step involves mapping international commitments (such as the Paris Agreement) across policy domains like climate, health, and human rights. The second step is a comparative analysis to determine if specific investment treaties, laws, or contracts align with, are neutral toward, or contradict these commitments. The tool is designed to be flexible and is most effective when integrated into institutional coordination mechanisms, such as inter-ministerial committees, to facilitate informed reforms of investment legal frameworks.
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Document type: Guide
Migration rhythms in trajectories of upward social mobility in Asia: Survey documentation
The MigrationRhythms project conducted a face-to-face survey in Hanoi, Karachi, Manila, and Mumbai to investigate the relationship between migration and upward social mobility among the lower-to-middle-middle class. The documentation describes a probability-based sampling method using random walks to identify 500 respondents per city. It details the use of SurveyCTO CAPI software for data collection, the development of a structured questionnaire covering socio-economic status and multi-generational migration histories, and the rigorous data cleaning and anonymization processes required to produce an open-access dataset for publication on Zenodo.
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Document type: Research paper
Lagos State Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP)
The Lagos State Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP) identifies critical climate risks—sea-level rise, extreme rainfall, and extreme heat—and proposes a $9 billion portfolio of 33 projects to mitigate these threats. The plan emphasizes diversifying financing mechanisms beyond concessional debt to include blended finance, grants, and nature-based solutions, while recommending policy and governance reforms to attract private investment.
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Document type: Report
SOURCE WATER PROTECTION AND DIVERSIFICATION FOR RESILIENT URBAN WATER SUPPLY
The report analyzes planning frameworks, negotiation methods, and financing models used by city water authorities (CWAs) in LMICs to secure resilient water supplies. It identifies that while tools like Scenario Analysis, Robust Decision Support (RDS), and Climate Risk-based Decision Analysis (CRIDA) exist, their implementation is often hindered by low technical capacity, data gaps, and reactive planning driven by crises. Successful negotiation often relies on incentivization, trusted intermediaries, and public buy-in, while financing varies from traditional tariffs and grants to innovative mechanisms like Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and water funds. Case studies from cities such as São Paulo, Cape Town, and Amman illustrate the practical application and challenges of these strategies.
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Document type: Report
Mitigación del Metano del Sector de los Residuos
The report identifies municipal solid waste and wastewater as significant contributors to anthropogenic methane emissions, accounting for approximately 12% and 8% respectively. It details how poor waste management leads to health crises, including respiratory diseases from landfill fires and waterborne illnesses from untreated sewage. The document proposes a 'waste hierarchy' approach—prioritizing reduction and reuse—and technical solutions such as anaerobic digestion and landfill gas (LFG) capture. Case studies from Nigeria, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines illustrate the potential for these interventions to reduce premature deaths, create economic value through biogas, and improve sanitation in the Global South.
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Document type: Report
Financial Aggregation Blueprints for Urban Climate Infrastructure
The report examines eight financial aggregation blueprints across three instrument types to help cities close the urban financing gap. It analyzes municipal pooled procurement (e.g., RAMCC Trust Fund, The Grand Challenge), municipal green bonds (e.g., Mexico City, Reykjavík, Manila Water), and municipal insurance pooling (e.g., UIIF, MRPWC). Key findings highlight that while aggregation achieves economies of scale and attracts private capital, implementation is often hindered by limited municipal borrowing authority, lack of technical expertise, and political instability.
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Document type: Report
Soberanía energética en acción: Una comunidad indígena T’boli-Manobo enciende la chispa de la energía solar en Filipinas
The case study describes the installation of an off-grid solar photovoltaic system in the village of Ned, Datal Bonglangon, in South Cotabato, Philippines. Supported by the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center and Friends of the Earth International, the project provides essential lighting to 46 of 60 planned households and a community charging station. The initiative is framed as a move toward energy sovereignty for the T’boli-Manobo people, who face threats from industrial coffee plantations and proposed coal power plants, and as a model for low-carbon development in remote areas.
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Document type: Case study
Pathways to Sustainable Cities
The document analyzes the trajectory of sustainable urban development, noting that while urban populations are projected to reach 68% by 2050, cities contribute significantly to global carbon emissions and biodiversity loss. It highlights a divide between the Global North's focus on infrastructure transformation and the Global South's need to 'jump start' sustainable development. The paper identifies key trends such as nature-based solutions, multimodal transportation, and a growing emphasis on equity and inclusive planning to address environmental racism and green gentrification.
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Document type: Research paper
Building Climate Resilience in Cities Through Insurance
The report argues that insurance is an underutilized tool for urban climate resilience, providing not only financial recovery but also risk awareness and incentives for mitigation. It details various insurance mechanisms—micro, meso, and macro—and the roles municipal governments can play as consumers, stewards, and conveners. The document highlights a significant 'protection gap,' noting that 76% of natural catastrophe losses were uninsured in 2020. Key barriers to scaling include a lack of technical capacity in city governments, behavioral biases among urban dwellers, and the difficulty of incorporating long-term climate projections into short-term insurance products. It recommends increased investment in risk assessment, the development of integrated resilience plans with the insurance sector, and the use of concessional finance from development finance institutions to support vulnerable cities.
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Document type: Report
Climate & Nuclear Security in the South China Sea: The Cases of Indonesia and the Philippines
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.
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Document type: Briefing
Faced with Forced Relocation, the People of One Philippine City Designed Their Own Climate-resilient Neighborhood
The Manggahan Low Rise Building Project in Pasig City, Philippines, serves as a model for locally led climate resilience. Following the devastation of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, residents of informal settlements along the Manggahan Floodway formed the Alliance of Peoples Organizations Along Manggahan Floodway (APOAMF) to oppose government plans for forced relocation up to 60 miles away. Through the 2010 "People Plan," residents collaborated with architects and government officials to design a flood- and typhoon-resistant apartment complex on an embankment. The project aims for 15 buildings with 900 units, with 480 families already moved into rent-to-own apartments. The case highlights the importance of co-creating adaptation solutions with marginalized urban populations to build city-wide resilience and avoid climate-induced migration.
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Document type: Case study
Green Infrastructure Investment Opportunities PHILIPPINES 2020 REPORT
The report assesses the Philippines' green finance landscape, highlighting a strong private-sector-led green bond market and significant investment potential in renewable energy, low-carbon transport, sustainable water, and waste management. It details existing policy frameworks, such as the ASEAN Green Bond Standards, and provides a sample pipeline of 79 green projects to attract international and domestic capital.
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Document type: Report
Social-ecological transformation in cities in Asia
The report advocates for social-ecological transformations in Asian cities to meet global climate and development goals. It focuses on three key sectors: the built environment, transport, and public participation, arguing that environmental protection must be integrated with social justice to avoid further marginalizing vulnerable populations. The authors highlight that while Asian cities are major GHG emitters, their density offers opportunities for efficiency. The report emphasizes the need for nature-based solutions, active transport, and inclusive governance, while noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has both exposed urban inequalities and provided a catalyst for rethinking unsustainable consumption and urban design.
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Document type: Report
Lessons from Indonesia: Mobilizing Investment in Geothermal Energy
Indonesia possesses the world's largest geothermal potential at 27 GW, yet less than 5 percent has been developed. Investment was historically hindered by regulatory frameworks favoring coal, high exploration risks, and pricing distortions. To counter this, the Indonesian government passed a law in 2003 targeting 6,000MW by 2020, established a geothermal exploration fund in 2011 to share risk, and implemented a regional feed-in-tariff. While the country is unlikely to meet its original targets, these 'readiness' activities, supported by international partners, are intended to create a stable environment for scaled-up investment.
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Document type: Case study
32838_WRI_cov.indd
The report identifies energy insecurity, water scarcity, and climate change as significant financial risks for commercial buildings in South and Southeast Asia. It details how these trends increase utility costs, accelerate building depreciation, and cause construction delays. To mitigate these risks, the report proposes a risk assessment framework based on building location (exposure) and design (vulnerability). It further argues that green building investments can reduce these risks and provide net positive financial returns, often within three to five years, particularly in the Indian market.
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Document type: Report
Failing the challenge
The report 'Failing the Challenge' by Friends of the Earth International criticizes Shell for prioritizing short-term profits over human rights and environmental protection. It documents a pattern of pollution, health crises, and human rights abuses across several countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, the US, and the Philippines. The authors argue that Shell engages in 'greenwashing' by using PR to mask its continued expansion of fossil fuel production and its failure to hold itself accountable for local damages. The report calls for changes to UK company law to ensure corporations are legally responsible for their global impacts.
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Document type: Report