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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) evaluates Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) practices for green bonds in China, comparing them to international standards. It identifies significant gaps in reporting quality and transparency, particularly among enterprise bonds, and provides regulatory and incentive-based recommendations to enhance market trust and effectiveness.

A June 2020 briefing by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reports a resurgence in China's coal power sector, with accelerated approvals and planning of new plants despite existing overcapacity and global trends toward decarbonization.

This case study by RMI examines the necessity of shifting building carbon regulations from a focus on operational emissions to a full life-cycle approach. It highlights the Meishan Near-Zero Carbon Zone in Ningbo, China, as a leading example of implementing life-cycle assessment (LCA) standards and a whole-process management mechanism to achieve deep decarbonization in urban development.

This research paper reviews 60 years of desertification control efforts in China, examining the roles of government policy, eco-industrialization, and ecological interventions in managing arid and semi-arid ecosystems.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute provides guidance for Ministries of Finance on integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation into COVID-19 economic recovery packages. It argues that aligning stimulus spending with climate goals can maximize long-term economic gains, create more jobs than traditional investments, and reduce future systemic risks.

This research paper introduces a high-spatial-resolution bottom-up approach for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in agricultural trade, applying it to Brazilian soy exports from 2010–2015 to demonstrate significant variability in carbon footprints based on origin and destination.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes the Hong Kong green bond market in 2019, highlighting a trend toward issuer diversification, the launch of the first government green bond, and the dominance of low-carbon building projects. It also examines Hong Kong's role as a regional hub for the Greater Bay Area and the regulatory efforts by the HKMA, SFC, and HKEX to enhance green finance transparency and disclosure.

This report analyzes the environmental implications of the 2022 amendments to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), managed by the World Customs Organization (WCO). The author explains how the creation of specific commodity codes for environmentally sensitive products and environmental goods improves trade monitoring and facilitates the negotiation of trade agreements aimed at climate and environmental sustainability.

This briefing examines the legal implications of invoking 'force majeure' clauses during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing it as a 'double-edged sword' for governments who may face claims from companies while simultaneously needing the clause to justify their own emergency measures.

This policy brief examines the legal complexities of invoking 'force majeure' in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It warns governments that the principle acts as a 'double-edged sword,' as they may need to defend their own pandemic-related measures using the same legal arguments they might use to oppose claims from private companies seeking to avoid contractual obligations.

The May 2020 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) challenges in the Sahel, the human rights risks associated with COVID-19 states of emergency, the adaptation of peace support operations (PSOs) to the pandemic, and the economic threat to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It also analyzes the potential shift in the global order and the need for Africa to reduce its dependence on external support.

This policy brief examines the tension between South Africa's Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) and the United States' Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). It argues that the US uses GSP eligibility reviews to pressure developing nations into adopting US-oriented intellectual property laws, which may undermine national regulatory space and developmental goals.

This policy brief examines the disruption of 2020's planned 'Super Year for the Ocean' due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that while key negotiations on biodiversity, fisheries subsidies, and climate change were postponed, the crisis provides an opportunity to shift toward a 'Green Stimulus Framework' and a systemic change in how the global community values and governs ocean resources.

A statement by Natural Justice reflecting on the relationship between humanity and nature during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the environmental recovery observed during lockdowns demonstrates the failure of formal climate policies and the need for a shift away from anthropocentric economic priorities.

This briefing by RMI compares the systems challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis, arguing that both require transparent, standardized, and reliable data systems to inform critical decisions and investments. The author suggests that the climate fight must adopt the urgency and collaborative data-sharing seen in pandemic responses to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

A statement by Climate Policy Initiative leaders and Joaquim Vieira Ferreira Levy arguing that government bailouts following the COVID-19 pandemic should be linked to climate-impact measures to avoid accumulating environmental debt and to foster long-term economic competitiveness.

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor argues that Japan's policy of financing 'best available technology' for overseas coal power is outdated and counterproductive. It contends that ultra-supercritical plants still emit too much carbon to meet Paris Agreement goals, that Japan's absence would not prevent the use of inferior technologies, and that these investments pose significant financial and environmental risks.

This research paper examines the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa, arguing that the crisis accelerates the decline of the liberal international order and increases the vulnerability of smaller nations. The author outlines five key long-term risks—the unravelling of multilateralism, increased trade protectionism, the decline of development cooperation, a potential retreat from climate goals, and restricted human mobility—and proposes a coordinated African response focused on regional integration and proactive global governance reform.

A letter from Ting Li, managing director of RMI's Beijing office, reflecting on the office's experience during the initial coronavirus outbreak in China and offering a message of solidarity and optimism to global colleagues.

A statement from World Resources Institute (WRI) CEO and President Dr. Andrew Steer outlining the organization's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on staff safety, virtual operations, and the opportunity to integrate climate and biodiversity protections into economic recovery efforts.