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ASEAN's electricity demand grew by 3.6% in 2023, a rise entirely met by fossil fuels, leading to a 6.6% increase in power sector emissions. While solar and wind costs are falling, the region remains heavily dependent on coal and gas, and hydropower has become less reliable due to climate-induced droughts. The report argues that scaling renewable capacity by 3-5x by 2035, implementing direct power purchase agreements, and expanding the ASEAN Power Grid are essential to meet rising demand and climate goals. It also highlights the potential for a regional compliance carbon market and the importance of a just transition to secure social acceptance.

The report finds that international development funding for clean air is chronically underfunded, representing only 1% of total international development funding in 2022. It highlights a heavy reliance on loans over grants, significant geographic disparities in funding distribution, and a concerning increase in funding for projects that prolong fossil fuel use.

The analysis finds that climate change made rainfall approximately 10% heavier in both the coastal and inland regions affected by Hurricane Helene and increased the likelihood of such rainfall totals by 40% and 70%, respectively. The study also indicates that climate change increased the number of storms with similar wind speeds by about 150% and made the record-hot sea surface temperatures over the storm's track 200-500 times more likely. While the storm was well-forecast, high death tolls occurred inland due to mountainous terrain, poor infrastructure, and a lack of experience with hurricanes.

The IEU report for May-August 2024 outlines the completion of evaluations on whistleblower protection, the GCF Investment Framework, and the energy sector portfolio. It details ongoing evaluations in Latin America and the Caribbean, health and food security, and Indigenous Peoples' approaches. The report also highlights the LORTA impact evaluation programme, evidence reviews on just transition and market-based approaches, and the progress of a Management Action Report on the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, where the Secretariat agreed to all 15 recommendations with varying levels of implementation progress.

Global climate finance more than doubled between 2018 and 2022, reaching USD 1.46 trillion in 2022, yet remains far below the USD 7.4 trillion annual average needed by 2030 for a 1.5°C scenario. Mitigation finance dominates the landscape, driven by renewable energy and electric vehicles in advanced economies and China, while adaptation finance, though growing, remains severely underfunded, particularly for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The report highlights a critical imbalance, noting that fossil fuel subsidies reached USD 1.4 trillion in 2022, nearly equaling total climate finance. It recommends reforming the global financial architecture through increased concessional finance, risk mitigation, and the redirection of fossil fuel expenditures to close the investment gap.

Since 2023, Chinese firms have committed over US$100 billion in outbound foreign direct investment (OFDI) across at least 130 major cleantech transactions, spanning solar, wind, batteries, and new energy vehicles (NEVs). This 'going global' strategy is driven by domestic overcapacity, which has caused solar module prices to drop 60% and battery prices 50% year-on-year, and a need to circumvent trade barriers from the US and EU. The report highlights China's dominance in the global battery supply chain, where it holds over 80% of manufacturing capacity, and its expansion into markets like Morocco, Brazil, and Thailand. For Australia, the report notes that Chinese OFDI reached a multi-decade low of US$613 million in 2023, and argues that Australia should clarify its foreign investment rules to attract Chinese private capital for onshore value-adding in critical minerals and renewable energy infrastructure.

The fact sheet examines the crisis of food insecurity in South Africa, asserting that while the country is food secure at a national level, millions of households suffer from hunger due to income poverty. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a direct mechanism to ensure all adults can afford basic nutrition, contrasting this with the limitations of current targeted grants and the paternalism of food vouchers. The document also highlights the long-term economic and health costs of malnutrition and argues that a UBIG should be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to address systemic agricultural issues and climate change risks.

The fact sheet examines the crisis of food insecurity in South Africa, noting that while the country produces enough food, millions lack the income to access it. It highlights the severe health and economic consequences of malnutrition, particularly for children, and argues that existing targeted grants are insufficient. The document proposes a UBIG as a direct mechanism to eliminate hunger, while cautioning that it must be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to address systemic issues and climate change risks.

The document examines the crisis of hunger and malnutrition in South Africa, asserting that while the country produces enough food, millions suffer from food insecurity due to poverty and income inequality. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a primary tool to ensure all citizens can afford nutritious food, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty and improving long-term economic productivity. The text contrasts cash transfers with food vouchers, arguing that cash is more efficient, less prone to corruption, and better for local economies. It also emphasizes that UBIG must be part of a broader strategy including a 'just food transition' to protect food systems from climate change.

The document examines the link between income poverty and food insecurity in South Africa, arguing that while the country produces enough food, millions lack the means to afford it. It advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) as a primary tool to ensure all citizens can meet basic nutritional needs, thereby reducing malnutrition, stunting, and the long-term economic costs associated with hunger. The text contrasts cash transfers with food vouchers, arguing that cash is more efficient and supportive of local economies. It also emphasizes that UBIG should be part of a broader policy response including a 'just food transition' to address climate change and systemic food system failures.

The report examines the intersection of Africa's blue economy and the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda, arguing that youth inclusion is essential for sustainable development and maritime security. It identifies climate change, a burgeoning youth population, and coastal migration as critical trends that can either destabilize coastal regions or be harnessed for growth. The document highlights the potential for the blue economy to generate up to US$405 billion by 2030 and provides examples of youth-led initiatives in aquaculture, conservation, and maritime security across various African nations. It concludes that a multidimensional approach, exemplified by the Great Blue Wall initiative, is necessary to build resilience and prevent the radicalization of marginalized youth by providing viable economic alternatives.

The world is on track to install 593 GW of solar power in 2024, a 29% increase over 2023. China remains the dominant market, projected to account for 56% of global additions. Growth is widespread, with significant surges in India and the US, and emerging markets like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia showing rapid increases in solar panel imports. This trajectory puts the goal of tripling renewable power capacity by 2030 within reach, provided grid and storage constraints are addressed.

In 2023, Global Witness documented 196 murders of land and environmental defenders, contributing to a total of 2,106 since 2012. Latin America remains the most dangerous region, accounting for 85% of 2023 cases, with Colombia recording the highest number of killings (79). The report highlights a systemic pattern of violence including forced disappearances in Mexico and judicial harassment in Asia. Mining is identified as the primary industrial driver of these killings. The document argues that indigenous peoples, who protect 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity, are disproportionately targeted. It calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and greater inclusion of indigenous knowledge in global climate negotiations.

The report examines how central banks in various jurisdictions integrate physical climate risks into banking supervision, highlighting a common shift toward enhancing regulated entities' capabilities rather than immediately adjusting capital requirements. Through case studies of six central banks, it identifies systemic challenges in data availability and technical capacity, advocating for a phased approach to policy implementation. It concludes with a stylised roadmap for the Reserve Bank of India to move from awareness-raising to mainstreaming climate risk assessment in supervisory processes.

The report examines 12 blended finance case studies across sectors like restoration, bioeconomy, and the blue economy to demonstrate how to attract private investment into Nature-based Solutions (NbS). It argues that because nature is often a public good with difficult-to-monetize benefits, the public sector must play a critical role in creating enabling ecosystems through technical assistance and concessional capital. Key findings highlight that guarantees are among the most effective tools for mitigating risk, while engaging direct beneficiaries (such as insurance companies or utilities) can create sustainable revenue streams. The document details specific instruments, such as the Galápagos debt-for-nature swap and the Seychelles Blue Bond, to provide replicable models for G20 countries.

The report examines the application of blended finance to scale Nature-based Solutions (NbS), highlighting that while no single approach exists, tools like guarantees, technical assistance, and the engagement of direct beneficiaries are critical for de-risking investments. Through 12 case studies, it demonstrates how concessional capital can be used to build ecosystems, prove commercial viability, and mobilize private investment in nascent markets. Key examples include the Galápagos Debt Conversion and the Seychelles Blue Bond, which use credit enhancements to lower the cost of capital for marine conservation.

The InvestHER Climate Resilience Bond is Uganda's first gender-focused resilience bond, designed to raise USD 25 million in local currency to close the gender gap in the agrifood system. The instrument targets growth-stage agri-SMEs and local financial service providers (FSPs) to increase the adoption of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) among women farmers. It utilizes a dual-tranche structure (commercial and concessional) and a grant-funded technical assistance (TA) facility to address barriers such as high collateral requirements and lack of female-tailored financial products. The bond aims to reach approximately 3,825 agri-MSMEs, with nearly 100% being women-owned or led, and impact 470,000 hectares of farmland.

The Structured Finance for Nature (SFN) instrument uses a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in Singapore to aggregate a diversified portfolio of natural assets, combining equity, mezzanine finance, and green bonds. It aims to overcome barriers such as high upfront costs and small project sizes to protect and restore one million hectares of forest and wetlands. The pilot project in Agusan del Sur, Philippines, focuses on protecting 91,000 hectares of forest, with future expansions planned for Cambodia, Bhutan, and Indonesia. The model emphasizes high-integrity carbon credits, a 20% minimum benefit-sharing allocation for local and Indigenous communities, and real-time monitoring via a proprietary dashboard.

The report examines how fossil fuels correlate with inter-state wars, militarism, and internal violence, while advocating for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to manage a just transition to renewable energy. It highlights the 'peacetime-wartime continuum' of violence, noting that fossil fuel revenues often fund conflicts and that extraction sites frequently experience human rights abuses and gender-based violence. The document calls for a treaty based on non-proliferation, a fair phase-out, and a global just transition to prevent the replication of colonial extractivist patterns in the renewable energy sector.

The study finds that climate change increased rainfall intensity in Taiwan and Hunan province and contributed to a 7% increase in maximum wind speeds for similar storms in the Western North Pacific basin. While sea surface temperatures as hot as those observed during Typhoon Gaemi were "almost impossible without climate change", the analysis did not identify a significant trend for rainfall in the northern Philippines. The report highlights that existing urban plans and flood infrastructure are unable to withstand climate-driven extreme floods, particularly in areas of unplanned urban development like Metro Manila.