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The report finds that while energy financing disbursements in High-Impact Countries grew by over 61% between 2013 and 2018, they still lag significantly behind commitments, with $32 billion disbursed against $52 billion committed. These delays affect 49% of energy projects in HICs, driven by administrative burdens and poor project design. The document argues that an annual increase of $45 billion in disbursements is needed by 2030 to meet SDG7 goals.

The report finds that energy access finance remains critically below the levels needed for SDG7, with a significant mismatch between where finance is committed and where the need is greatest. While electricity finance increased to USD 43.6 billion in 2018, much of this was driven by fossil fuel projects in a few countries, while Sub-Saharan Africa remains chronically underfunded. Clean cooking finance is even more limited, dominated by a few large projects in Bangladesh. The report advocates for a shift toward renewable energy, the termination of fossil fuel financing, and the adoption of innovative business models and gender-responsive tracking methodologies.

The guide identifies significant energy access gaps in South Asia, with 152 million people lacking electricity and 990 million lacking clean cooking as of 2018. It proposes that governments allocate 25% of stimulus budgets to renewables and target 30% localization of clean energy value chains. Key benefits cited include a GDP multiplier where every USD 1 invested in renewables yields USD 0.93 in additional growth, and the creation of 2 to 2.5 times more jobs than fossil fuel investments. The document recommends eight enablers for this transition, including the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, a moratorium on new coal-fired power, and the adoption of cost-reflective tariffs.

The report advocates for the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) in South African municipalities to address the dual crises of COVID-19 economic devastation and climate vulnerability. It highlights that while national green recovery plans exist, they often require high skills and long lead times. In contrast, NBS—particularly urban tree planting and the removal of invasive alien plants—can provide immediate, low-skill employment for vulnerable populations while mitigating urban heat islands, managing flood risks, and improving public health. The document identifies significant barriers to implementation, including municipal funding shortages, difficulties in quantifying the economic value of natural assets, and rigid public procurement processes.

The document argues that domestic budgets are often the largest source of adaptation finance in developing countries but are systematically under-utilised due to technical, institutional, and political barriers. It introduces 'climate budgeting' as a set of interventions across the budget cycle—from preparation and approval to execution and oversight—to prioritise adaptation. Through case studies in the Philippines, Afghanistan, India, and Bangladesh, the paper demonstrates how tools like climate budget tagging and climate change impact appraisal (CCIA) can increase the volume and quality of adaptation spending. It concludes with recommendations for governments to mainstream adaptation into routine public financial management and for international funders to use domestic budgets as a delivery modality for climate finance.

The report reveals that wildlife rangers globally face excessive safety and health risks, including inadequate housing, medical care, and communication equipment. It highlights a significant wage gap between rangers and police officers and documents high rates of infectious diseases, particularly malaria in Africa. The study also explores community perceptions of rangers and the lack of comprehensive insurance coverage for on-the-job injuries and fatalities.

The report identifies significant funding gaps for universal energy access, noting that 2017 electricity access finance for new households reached only a quarter of the required annual investment. It highlights critically low investment in Sub-Saharan Africa and a severe shortfall in clean cooking finance, which represents less than 1% of the needed amount. Additionally, it argues that continued investment in fossil fuel power plants is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and the SDGs.

The paper argues that ignoring gender and power inequalities in climate adaptation is maladaptive and recommends transforming social structures to ensure equitable resilience. It analyzes six key systems—natural environment, food security, sustainable cities, infrastructure, industry, and finance—demonstrating how patriarchal norms and intersecting inequalities (such as class, ethnicity, and age) disproportionately burden women and marginalized groups. The authors advocate for rigorous gender analyses, the redistribution of care work, and the inclusion of diverse voices in decision-making to move beyond tokenistic gender mainstreaming toward systemic, gender-transformative change.

The document argues that while the world faces unprecedented security risks from climate change, it also possesses unprecedented foresight through predictive modeling. However, a 'governance gap' exists because this information is not effectively translated for security decision-makers or aligned with security policy timelines. To address this, the authors propose the R2P2 framework, which consists of three principles: Assessment & Anticipation (creating a global climate security assessment hub), Elevation & Translation (establishing leadership by security practitioners to brief decision-makers), and Coordination & Alignment (bridging climate and security policy windows).

The report examines the global governance of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), noting a trend of weakening norms and rising threats. While highlighting successes like the 97% destruction of declared chemical weapons stockpiles and the near-universality of the NPT, CWC, and BWC, it warns of a new nuclear arms race and the increasing use of chemical weapons. It identifies critical gaps in verification—particularly for biological weapons—and the risks posed by technological convergence, such as synthetic biology and AI. The author recommends augmenting existing regimes with ad hoc mechanisms, increasing experiential learning for policymakers, and focusing on eliminating specific destabilizing capabilities like nuclear cruise missiles.

The GCF Board's 23rd meeting focused on operationalizing the fund's first formal replenishment (GCF-1) and improving governance. Key outcomes include the adoption of a new voting procedure to resolve deadlocks when consensus fails, the approval of a Policy on Ethics and Conflicts of Interest for Active Observers, and the adoption of a Policy on the Prevention and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse, and Sexual Harassment (SEAH). The Board also approved several funding proposals, including a high-leverage seawater pumped storage project in Chile and agricultural resilience projects in Bhutan, Pakistan, and Kenya. A Forward-Looking Performance Review (FPR) highlighted that while GCF has committed over USD 5.3 billion, it faces challenges with long disbursement times and a need for greater direct access for developing countries.

The project aims to enhance Pakistan's capacity to access result-based payments (RBPs) by validating REDD+ systems and implementing complementary mitigation activities. It focuses on filling technical gaps in the Warsaw Framework, such as refining Forest Reference Emission Levels (FREL) and establishing a national carbon registry. The project will use the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project (TBTTP) as a platform to demonstrate the reduction of deforestation drivers through the promotion of alternative energy (solar, biogas, micro-hydel) and the improvement of non-timber forest product (NTFP) value chains. With a total cost of USD 17.787 million, the project expects to sequester 459,520 tCO2eq and benefit approximately 2.55 million people.

The report assesses gender dynamics in Pakistan's Indus River Basin to inform a climate resilience project. It finds that while women perform the bulk of livestock management and significant crop labor, they lack land ownership, decision-making power, and access to technical resources. The document proposes 'Women Open Schools' and targeted technical training to empower female farmers and young women as catalysts for climate adaptation.

The report argues that climate change is a vital national security risk that requires a whole-of-government response. It proposes a 'Climate Security Plan for America' structured around four pillars: demonstrating leadership through a new White House Office on Climate Security, assessing risks via a Climate Security Crisis Watch Center, bolstering international resilience to compete with adversaries like China and Russia, and building domestic infrastructure resilience. The plan emphasizes the need for the U.S. to remain in the Paris Agreement and to integrate climate foresight into military doctrine and intelligence assessments.

The document examines how 'migration' and 'development' are defined and measured in quantitative research, highlighting a gap in evidence regarding migration aspirations, failed attempts, and involuntary immobility. It discusses the challenges of establishing causal links due to endogeneity—specifically reverse causality, self-selection, and omitted variables—and evaluates experimental and non-experimental methods to address these biases. The paper advocates for a holistic, multi-dimensional approach to development that moves beyond economic metrics to include social, institutional, and environmental outcomes.

The 'Recharge Pakistan' project is a 10-year initiative (2020-2030) designed to shift Pakistan's flood management from a reliance on 'grey' hard-infrastructure to 'green' ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). With an indicative total cost of USD 150 million, the project aims to reduce flood risk and enhance groundwater recharge at six selected sites along a 1,300km stretch of the Indus River. The project targets direct benefits for 10 million people and indirect benefits for 20 million others by restoring wetlands, managing hill torrents, and diversifying community livelihoods. It is led by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as the Accredited Entity, with the Federal Flood Commission and the Ministry of Climate Change serving as executing entities.

At its 23rd meeting, the GCF Board approved 10 new projects totaling USD 266.90 million in GCF funding, which, with co-financing, will support over USD 1.45 billion in climate action across 10 developing countries. The Board adopted several key governance frameworks, including a compliance risk policy, an updated policy on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), and procedures for decision-making when consensus is not reached. Additionally, the Board established that the first replenishment period will run from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 and approved four new Accredited Entities.

The document outlines a risk-based approach to environmental and social due diligence for GCF-funded projects. It details the screening process used to identify potential impacts early in project design and defines three risk categories (A, B, and C) that determine the depth of required assessments, mitigation measures, and stakeholder engagement. It also provides specific guidance for activities involving indigenous peoples and financial intermediation.

The paper finds that removing fossil fuel subsidies across 26 modeled countries leads to an average 6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which increases to 13.2% if combined with a 10% energy tax and reinvestment in renewables and energy efficiency. Globally, the removal of these subsidies is estimated to reduce emissions by 6.4% to 8.2% by 2050. The study highlights that governments save an average of USD 93 for every tonne of CO2e removed through subsidy reform, with total cumulative fiscal savings across the 26 countries reaching USD 2.56 trillion by 2030.

The document examines the material risks climate change poses to global supply chains and the current state of private sector adaptation. It argues that while companies recognize climate risks, they often misdiagnose them by focusing on exposure rather than underlying vulnerability. Using the cotton industry as a detailed example, the paper proposes a resilience framework based on six capital assets—natural, human, social, physical, financial, and political—and provides recommendations for companies to commit to science-based resilience strategies and gender-transformative empowerment of women workers.