Search Climate Insights Directory

This primer by Friends of the Earth International describes the structure, governance, and operational mechanisms of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a multilateral fund under the UNFCCC designed to support climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. It details the role of Accredited Entities, National Designated Authorities, and the influence of the private sector and civil society, while highlighting concerns regarding the accreditation of banks with poor human rights and environmental records.

This fact sheet, published by Friends of the Earth International in November 2015, provides a guide to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), detailing its governance, funding mechanisms, accreditation processes, and the role of various stakeholders including the private sector and civil society.

This technical annex evaluates progress toward Goal 3 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which targets the reduction of deforestation from non-agricultural sectors. It identifies infrastructure, human settlements, and mining as the primary non-agricultural drivers, with logging as the main cause of forest degradation. The report highlights a significant lack of disaggregated data, making it impossible to establish quantitative indicators for progress. It reviews public policy tools such as import bans on illegal timber in the US, EU, and Australia, and the use of Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments (SEA) by the World Bank. Private sector efforts include FSC and PEFC certifications, though certified forest land has plateaued at 10% since 2008, and emerging responsible mining initiatives like the Oro Verde program in Colombia.

This technical annex focuses on Goal 4 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which aims to support alternatives to deforestation driven by basic needs, such as subsistence farming and woodfuel reliance. The report identifies a lack of global datasets to monitor progress, relying instead on proxy indicators like clean cookstove distribution and financial flows. It highlights the complex, non-linear relationship between poverty and forest loss and provides case studies from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Peru to illustrate localized interventions.

This technical annex assesses progress on Goal 9 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on rewarding countries and jurisdictions for reducing forest emissions through public and private payments for verified emission reductions (VERs). The report tracks two indicators: international public payments through multilateral and bilateral funds, and the value of forest VER purchases in voluntary and compliance carbon markets.

This report, published in November 2015 by Climate Focus and partners, establishes an assessment framework and provides an initial progress report on the ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It evaluates the status of global efforts to halt natural forest loss, restore degraded lands, and improve forest governance one year after the NYDF's September 2014 signing.

This briefing note outlines the results of a three-year programme titled 'Putting lessons into practice: Scaling up People/s Biodiversity Management for Food Security', implemented by Oxfam Novib and the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Peru, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe. The programme aimed to strengthen the rights and technical capacities of indigenous peoples and smallholder farmers regarding the sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food security.

This case study describes a project to assess the carbon and water footprints of the capital cities of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru to support urban planning and climate compatible development.

This report details the outcomes of the First Learning Workshop for Phase II of the CDKN-ICLEI sub-national learning programme, held in Quito, Ecuador, from 27 to 31 July 2015. The workshop aimed to transition sub-national climate compatible development (CCD) from planning to implementation by facilitating peer-to-peer exchange among 51 participants representing 16 projects across Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Key activities included regional meetings to identify enabling factors for CCD, site visits in Quito, and the identification of knowledge gaps to inform the development of project-specific 'Inside Stories'.

This report by Dalberg Global Development Advisors, commissioned by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), evaluates the resource mobilisation strategies and sustainability of National Climate Change Funds (NCCFs). It defines NCCFs as national-level entities that collect and channel climate finance to mitigation and adaptation projects. The report identifies significant funding gaps in developing countries, analyzes the performance of 13 operational NCCFs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and provides a best-practice handbook for NCCFs to define their vision, build institutional capacity, and engage investors.

This research paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) provides lessons learned from supporting nine developing countries in the preparation of their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) for the UNFCCC. It emphasizes that INDCs should be treated as political statements of ambition rather than purely technical exercises, highlighting the need for inclusive consultation, alignment with national development goals, and clear implementation plans to attract international support.

The Action List from the Twenty-Third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Lima, Peru, on June 24-25, 2015, details administrative decisions, elections, and strategic planning for the institute.

This document records the decisions made during the twenty-third meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Lima, Peru, on June 24-25, 2015.

The minutes of the Twenty-third IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP), held in Lima, Peru, on June 24-25, 2015, detail the administrative, financial, and strategic decisions of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. The meeting focused on transitioning the IAI toward providing scientific information for decision-making, approving the 2015-2016 budget, and establishing frameworks for open science and science-policy diplomacy.

The 23rd Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, held in Lima, Peru, on June 24-25, 2015, adopted three resolutions regarding the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

The document records the decisions and actions taken during the 39th Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC) held in Lima, Peru, on June 23, 2015. The EC approved financial reports and budget requests for 2015-2016, recommended candidates for the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC), and identified needs for improving the visibility of science project data and measuring scientific impact.

This document is a participant list for the 39th Executive Council Meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, held in Lima, Peru, on June 23, 2015. It lists representatives from various countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and the USA, as well as observers from Panama, Japan, Ecuador, and organizations such as UNESCO and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research.

This commentary by Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), discusses the book 'On the Edge: The State and Fate of the World’s Tropical Rainforests' by Claude Martin. The text outlines the scientific history of tropical rainforest research, the primary drivers of deforestation—specifically agriculture and infrastructure—and the progress made through protected areas and remote sensing. It further examines the intersection of forest loss with climate change, carbon emissions, and the risks of species extinction.

This report provides an overview of the water-energy-food nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), focusing on the interdependencies between these sectors and the challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and resource distribution.

This report analyzes Energy Savings Insurance (ESI), a financial instrument developed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and BASE to mitigate the risk of underperformance in energy efficiency projects for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in developing countries.