Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief examines China's expanding economic role in the Mekong region, specifically its investments in natural resources, energy, and infrastructure in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It highlights China's strategic shift toward securing foreign resources to fuel its domestic industrial growth and the resulting environmental and social challenges in host countries.

The document analyzes the responses of ASEAN nations to US tariffs imposed in April 2025. Most members, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, have prioritized negotiation over retaliation due to high export dependence on the US market. Strategies include individual bilateral discussions, a coordinated regional response led by Malaysia (the 2025 ASEAN chair), diversification via the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and BRICS, and internal economic support packages, such as Thailand's 15 billion USD stimulus.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) is a flexible economic initiative involving the United States and 13 other nations, organized around four pillars: connected, resilient, clean, and fair economies. Unlike traditional free trade agreements, IPEF avoids tariff liberalization, which has led to criticisms regarding the lack of U.S. concessions and concerns over the long-term commitment of partners like India. Early ministerial meetings have highlighted tensions over the adoption of high standards, with countries such as Malaysia and Japan requesting transition periods, while the U.S. focuses on digital standards and industrial decarbonization as key areas of influence.

The document analyzes the tension between the WTO's multilateral and plurilateral paths for regulating digital trade. It focuses on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WPEC), the ongoing moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, and the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce. The author highlights the divide between developed nations seeking permanent rules and developing nations concerned about the digital divide and loss of tariff revenue, noting that decisions at MC14 in March 2026 will shape global digital governance.

The report examines the challenges facing Kenya's constitutional devolution, specifically the 'unfettered power' of members of county assemblies (MCAs). It details how MCAs have used ambiguous impeachment thresholds in the Constitution and the County Government Act to blackmail county officials and engage in political extortion. The document also highlights significant financial irregularities, citing the misuse of billions of shillings in sitting allowances, travel, and vehicle purchases, while personnel emoluments far exceeded development allocations in the 2013 fiscal year. The authors call for urgent reforms to the devolution architecture and the impeachment process to prevent political elites from subverting public service delivery.

The author argues that while globalisation drives unprecedented economic growth through comparative advantage and market efficiency, it creates a 'race to the bottom' where nations compete for volatile capital by slashing corporate taxes and deregulation. This process potentially erodes public funding for welfare, labour protections, and environmental standards. While the author finds evidence of a downward trend in global corporate tax rates, they note that reputational risks and NGO watchdogs may moderate the degradation of labour and environmental standards. The document concludes that managing these negative effects requires stronger, more democratic global governance, including the potential creation of a World Tax Authority and an International Financial Stability and Harmonisation Authority.

The text proposes the 'Hypercar' as a solution to the inefficiencies and environmental damage of the traditional steel-based automobile industry. By combining ultralight composite materials, low-drag design, and hybrid-electric propulsion (specifically hydrogen fuel cells), Hypercars could drastically reduce fuel consumption and emissions. However, the author emphasizes that technological efficiency alone cannot solve traffic congestion or urban sprawl, necessitating a shift toward 'New Urbanist' design, market-based parking costs, and improved community planning to reduce the necessity of car travel.

The text outlines six categories for increasing industrial energy and material productivity: design, new technologies, controls, corporate culture, new processes, and saving materials. It advocates for a shift from linear 'once-through' material flows to circular systems inspired by nature (biomimicry), suggesting that systematic application of these efficiencies could reduce total material flows by a factor of one hundred or more.

The text advocates for 'whole-system engineering,' a design approach that optimizes entire systems rather than individual components. It introduces the concept of 'tunneling through the cost barrier,' where extreme efficiency can actually reduce total capital costs by eliminating the need for expensive equipment. Through examples in industrial pumping, building design, and office renovations, the author demonstrates that integrating design and 'thinking backward' from downstream to upstream creates compounding savings and multiple benefits.

The document examines Australia's transition from a 'fixed price country' characterized by high protectionism and structural rigidities to a competitive, liberalized economy. It highlights the critical role of independent institutions like the Tariff Board in publicizing the costs of protection, the political leadership of the Hawke and Keating governments in implementing gradual tariff reductions, and the necessity of structural adjustment packages to maintain social cohesion. The author argues that the combination of economic crisis, transparent data, and political courage enabled Australia to dismantle its protectionist 'Australian Settlement Compact' and integrate into the global economy.

The document details India's shift from a restrictive, state-led 'socialistic pattern of society' to a liberalized trade regime initiated by a 1991 balance of payments crisis. It examines the reduction of tariffs, the removal of import licensing, and the opening of services sectors like IT, banking, and telecommunications to foreign investment. The author analyzes the resulting growth in GDP and total factor productivity, while noting persistent challenges in the agricultural sector and a widening trade deficit.

The document evaluates the proposal to legalise the trade of rhino horn in South Africa to combat poaching. While proponents argue that a regulated trade could meet inelastic demand and fund conservation, the author identifies significant risks, including the potential for illegal supply laundering, the risk of reawakening demand in markets like Taiwan and Japan, and the incompatibility of legalisation with demand-reduction strategies. The submission suggests that the CITES ban's failure may be partly due to a legal aberration allowing trade in products of extinct species, which should be addressed.

The G20 Energy Access Action Plan focuses its first phase on improving electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 620 million people lack power. The plan proposes six key areas for collaboration: policy and regulatory environments, technology deployment, investment and finance, capacity building, regional integration, and coordination. It emphasizes a flexible, voluntary approach that respects national sovereignty over energy mixes. The document also compiles 'good practice' case studies from G20 members—including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, and Turkey—and details specific international development projects in Africa led by the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, as well as the African Union's Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility.

The report outlines a pathway for Lao PDR to reach net zero emissions by 2050, utilizing LEAP and NEMO modelling to compare a Baseline Scenario with a transformative Net Zero Scenario. Key findings highlight the necessity of diversifying the energy mix beyond hydropower, electrifying transport and cooking, and implementing carbon removal technologies. The analysis emphasizes that while hydropower remains dominant, the country must scale up solar, wind, and biomass to ensure resilience against climate-induced droughts. Achieving the target requires significant infrastructure upgrades, including grid modernization and the deployment of direct air capture (DAC) to offset residual industrial and agricultural emissions. The report also addresses critical economic challenges, such as high public debt and currency depreciation, and recommends strengthening regional cooperation through the ASEAN Power Grid and the APAEC framework.

The document explains the mechanics of carbon credits, distinguishing between regulated markets under the Paris Agreement and voluntary markets. It highlights that while Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for 22% of global carbon credit sales in 2021, the region lacks the robust regulation needed to prevent environmental and social risks. The guide warns against over-reliance on the forestry sector, the risk of 'greenwashing' in voluntary markets, and the potential for 'double counting' of emission reductions. It recommends establishing transparent national registries, ensuring fair benefit-sharing with local communities, and prioritizing structural decarbonization over simple offsetting.

The document examines the environmental impact of palm oil production, specifically focusing on the release of carbon dioxide from the deforestation of tropical forests and the drainage of peatlands. It highlights Indonesia and Malaysia as the primary producers and discusses the resulting loss of biodiversity and increased greenhouse gas emissions. The text suggests that global demand can be met without further ecosystem destruction by improving yields, utilizing degraded lands, and implementing stronger government policies and corporate commitments.

The We Mean Business Coalition analyzed 30 early adopters of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to showcase innovative solutions for challenging disclosure requirements. The report highlights diverse approaches to double materiality assessments, TCFD-aligned climate risk quantification, Scope 3 emissions 'hot-spotting', and supply chain due diligence. It emphasizes that while many early adopters are only partially aligned with the regulation, their methods for reporting on internal controls, whistleblower cases, and climate transition action plans serve as practical guides for companies facing mandatory reporting from 2024.

The document examines the implementation of Low Emission Zones (LEZ) and Congestion Charging (CC) in London, Singapore, and Stockholm to inform policy development in China. It identifies key areas for analysis, including scheme design, technology, and public communication, and provides specific recommendations for Chinese national and municipal governments to ensure successful adoption, such as aligning local schemes with national strategies and dedicating revenues to transportation improvements.

The document outlines a four-phase framework for developing an e-mobility roadmap: planning and preparation, visioning, development, and implementation, monitoring, and revision. It emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement, prioritizing specific vehicle segments for electrification, and utilizing both monetary and non-monetary incentives to drive adoption. Key global examples include India's investment in battery manufacturing and one-stop shop information portals, Singapore's focus on charging infrastructure in multi-dwelling buildings, and Thailand's comprehensive target-setting for EV stock and production.

The document examines public communication strategies for Low Emission Zones (LEZ) and Congestion Charging (CC) across 10 cases in Europe, Asia, and the United States. It identifies two primary consultation types—scientific/professional and consultative/political—and emphasizes that communication must be integrated into the policy design process from the feasibility stage. The paper provides a set of recommendations for implementing these schemes in China, highlighting the need for proactive public education, early stakeholder engagement, and the use of exemptions to manage opposing views.