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South-South and Triangular Cooperation on Climate Technologies Regional Perspectives
The report details two workshops held in 2018 focused on South-South and triangular cooperation for climate action. It highlights case studies of technological exchange in agriculture, water management, and urban resilience, while identifying systemic barriers such as funding gaps and a lack of institutional capacity at the subnational level.
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Document type: Report
Growing the Good
The report examines the environmental and health impacts of the global livestock sector, highlighting its role in greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and antimicrobial resistance. It argues that current consumption trends are incompatible with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. The document analyzes the rise of plant-based and cultured meat alternatives as disruptive innovations and criticizes the lack of government policies to drive a transition, noting that existing subsidies often support intensive farming. It recommends shifting subsidies, implementing meat taxes, and updating dietary guidelines to promote sustainable, low-emission food systems.
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Document type: Report
State of the Practice: Sustainability Standards for Infrastructure Investors
The report analyzes the proliferation of sustainability metrics in the infrastructure asset class, distinguishing between project screening tools and accounting tools. It identifies key challenges in standardization, such as the high degree of project idiosyncrasy (materiality), the trade-off between measuring management practices versus performance indicators, and the influence of varying regional regulatory regimes. The authors conclude that while there is a desire for a single industry standard, the complexity of infrastructure will likely lead to a continued diversification of tools, with pioneering investors often using multiple systems simultaneously to balance project-level relevance with portfolio-level aggregation.
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Document type: Executive summary
State of the Practice: Sustainability Standards for Infrastructure Investors
The report analyzes twelve sustainability standards for infrastructure, categorizing them into project screening tools (e.g., SuRe, Envision, CEEQUAL, ISCA, IFC Performance Standards) and accounting tools (e.g., SASB, TCFD, GHG Protocol, UN PRI). It evaluates these tools based on comprehensiveness, objectivity, clarity, transaction costs, and traction. The study finds that the industry lacks a single global standard, with investors often using multiple tools depending on the project's local context and regulatory regime. It highlights a fundamental tension between 'preservationist' public sector assessments, which determine if a project should be built, and 'conservationist' investor metrics, which focus on implementing projects in the most sustainable way possible.
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Document type: Report
Young Leaders
WWF South Africa's Environmental Leaders programme has supported 128 interns over a decade, addressing high graduate unemployment by providing work-based learning and mentoring. The programme focuses on scarce green skills, resulting in 76% of participants finding employment directly after their internship, with 37% of those in newly created positions. It emphasizes transformation and diversity, recruiting from 20 universities across South Africa and partnering with 32 host organisations across government, NGO, and private sectors.
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Document type: Report
GREEN BOND SCREENING METHODOLOGY
The Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) employs a three-step screening process to identify eligible green bonds and loans for its database: identifying green-labelled bonds, screening assets against the Climate Bonds Taxonomy, and evaluating the allocation of proceeds. To be included, a bond must allocate at least 95% of its proceeds to aligned green assets; any bond where more than 5% of proceeds are used for working capital, social projects, or non-aligned assets is excluded. The methodology explicitly excludes fossil fuel energy and any assets that extend the life of fossil fuel usage, such as 'clean coal'. The Climate Bonds Taxonomy covers eight categories: energy, transport, buildings, water management, waste management & pollution control, nature-based assets, industry & energy-intensive commercial, and information technology & communications (ICT).
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Document type: Guide
New Thoughts on California Oil
SEI scientists Peter Erickson and Michael Lazarus argue that limiting fossil fuel supply, specifically high-cost and high-emissions oil in California, is essential for solving the climate crisis. They contend that reducing production helps avoid stranded assets and that California's projected decrease in oil demand by 2030 allows for a production phase-down without increasing oil imports.
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Document type: Statement
Australia and New Zealand Briefing
As of June 30, 2018, Australia and New Zealand have established themselves as leaders in the use of the Climate Bonds Standard, despite differing national climate policy environments. Australia's market is driven by major banks and sub-sovereign entities, with significant issuance in energy, transport, and buildings. New Zealand's market is more nascent, featuring a world-first green borrowing programme for geothermal energy. Both nations are noted for high levels of certification and best-practice reporting, though further policy support and project pipelines are needed to meet Paris Agreement targets.
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Document type: Briefing
Why investors should act in response to climate-related risks and opportunities: a survey of current evidence
The report argues that climate change poses significant physical and transition risks to financial assets, particularly in high-carbon sectors, and that these risks are often not adequately priced into the market. It highlights the potential for 'stranded assets' in fossil fuels and coal, while simultaneously identifying substantial growth opportunities in renewable energy, green infrastructure, and energy efficiency. The document concludes that climate-aware investing is a necessity that can match or outperform conventional benchmarks without sacrificing returns.
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Document type: Report
Harnessing the Flow of Data: Fintech opportunities for ecosystem management
The report argues that ecosystem management, particularly regarding 'wicked problems' like toxic algal blooms, is hindered by lagging scientific adoption of mature commercial technologies. It proposes a 'fintech gearbox' approach, combining the Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time data collection, big data for managing volume and variety, artificial intelligence (AI) for revealing hidden patterns, and blockchain for ensuring data integrity and trust. The author emphasizes that while these technologies offer significant potential for predictive modeling and sustainable supply chains, their success depends on overcoming cultural barriers in academia and government regarding open data sharing.
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Document type: Report
A Dialogue on a Just and Managed Transition to a Paris-Aligned Low-Carbon Future
The document outlines a dialogue between stakeholders on the necessity of a managed decline of Canada's oil and gas sector to avoid the economic and social disruptions of an unmanaged collapse. It emphasizes that climate leadership for wealthy fossil fuel producers requires ending production expansion and implementing supply-side policies. Key discussions focus on the need for a dedicated transition fund, the reform of fossil fuel subsidies and Alberta's low royalty regimes, and the importance of participatory planning that protects workers and communities. The paper argues that a comprehensive policy portfolio—combining demand-side carbon pricing with supply-side production limits—is essential for Canada to meet its global fair share of emissions reductions.
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Document type: Research paper
Green Bonds Policy: Highlights from Q1-Q2 2018
The document details the growth of sovereign green bonds, the introduction of national guidelines in Latin America, and the implementation of targeted incentives in Hong Kong. It also covers the European Commission's progress on a sustainable finance taxonomy, Luxembourg's pioneering law for renewable energy covered bonds, and the increasing role of central banks, such as the People's Bank of China, in integrating green assets into financial stability frameworks.
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Document type: Briefing
Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report: Present-day Tropospheric Ozone Distribution and Trends Relevant to Vegetation
The Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR-Vegetation) analyzed ozone metrics across over 3,300 vegetated sites globally, focusing on M12, AOT40, and W126. Findings indicate that the highest ozone values (2010–14) are concentrated in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere, while the lowest are found in parts of Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, Canada, and the USA. Between 1995 and 2014, ozone trends showed a significant decrease in North America, no change in Europe, and a significant increase in East Asia. The report recommends expanding ozone monitoring, investigating peri-urban and mountain agriculture, and establishing region-specific damage thresholds.
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Document type: Report
Innovations for Resilience Convening
The Innovations for Resilience Convening, co-hosted by the Global Resilience Partnership, WFP, UNDP, and 1BC, focused on the role of technology and cross-sector partnerships in building community resilience. The report identifies key barriers to scaling innovations—such as rigid funding cycles and risk aversion—and showcases specific projects including satellite-based credit in the Horn of Africa, drone mapping in the Maldives, and hydroponics in Algeria. It emphasizes the need for 'disruptive change' and a 'fail fast' mindset to move from gradual development improvements to exponential growth in resilience.
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Document type: Report
CALMING THE WAVES: USING LEGISLATION TO PROTECT MARINE LIFE FROM SEISMIC SURVEYS
The document examines the negative impacts of seismic surveys on marine fauna and evaluates the adequacy of current mitigation guidelines in South Africa and globally. It recommends that South Africa move away from company-led environmental impact assessments (EIAs) toward a national, legislated regulatory framework to ensure environmental integrity during oil and gas exploration.
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Document type: Policy brief
La falsa promesa de la certificación
The report examines voluntary sustainability certifications in the palm oil, fisheries, and textile industries, concluding that these schemes often lack transparency, lower their standards to increase volume, and fail to prevent deforestation or overfishing. It argues that certifications are being used as 'greenwashing' tools by corporations and governments and calls for a shift toward strict, independent, and comprehensive standards that cover the entire product life cycle, while emphasizing that voluntary initiatives cannot replace government regulation.
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Document type: Executive summary
La fausse promesse de la certification
The document argues that the proliferation of voluntary certifications in the palm oil, fisheries, and textile sectors has created consumer confusion and a 'race to the bottom' in standards. It finds that these schemes often fail to stop deforestation, overfishing, or pollution, and are sometimes used by companies to mask unsustainable operations. The report calls for the abolition of most current schemes in favor of a few high-ambition, transparent, and science-based standards that complement, rather than replace, government regulation.
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Document type: Executive summary
A New Nature and Environment Commission
The report proposes a UK-wide Nature and Environment Commission to replace the oversight and enforcement functions previously provided by EU institutions. It argues that environmental law is often ineffective due to poor compliance by public authorities and a lack of a dedicated enforcer. The proposed Commission would combine technical expertise with strong legal powers, including the ability to conduct thematic inquiries, issue binding notices, and seek specific mandatory injunctions from courts. To ensure independence, the report recommends that the Commission be funded by and accountable to parliaments rather than governments, and be composed of an interdisciplinary team of experts. It also emphasizes the need for the Commission to act as a voice for nature and local communities through a transparent complaints process and public advocacy.
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Document type: Report
Independent Reasonable Assurance Report to the Management of Auckland Council
The report concludes that Auckland Council's Green Bond issuance process meets the required international standards in all material respects. The bond's proceeds are designated for financing and refinancing electrified public transport trains and equipment that comply with low carbon land transport criteria. The assurance process included reviewing policies, confirming asset eligibility, and interviewing personnel to verify that the council's framework for project selection, management of proceeds, and annual reporting is aligned with the Climate Bonds Standard and Green Bond Principles.
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Document type: Report
Five Steps We Must Take to Protect Refugees in the Future
The author contends that the current international refugee system is under severe strain and fails to protect those displaced by climate change because they do not meet the 1951 Convention's definition of fleeing political persecution. To address this, the document proposes five steps: reforming the UN Refugee Agency's budgeting to be more predictable and binding; drafting a new legal treaty with a modernized definition of refugees; establishing a review mechanism for country accountability based on the Montreal Protocol model; utilizing digital technologies like blockchain for identification and banking; and integrating refugees into sustainable global value chains. The author calls for leadership from Canada and Denmark to drive these reforms within the UN system.
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Document type: Statement