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The policy brief argues that the USD 8.5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in South Africa relies on a 'de-risking' model that prioritises private finance and Independent Power Producers (IPPs), shifting commercial risks to the state and consumers. This approach is criticised for potentially worsening South Africa's debt profile, increasing energy poverty through higher tariffs, and undermining local renewable energy manufacturing. The authors suggest alternatives including the regulation of PPPs, debt cancellation of 'odious debt' (such as World Bank loans for the Medupi plant), climate reparations, and the implementation of allocative green credit policies to direct investment toward productive, labour-intensive green industries.

The document critiques the South African JETP for prioritising blended finance and public-private partnerships (PPPs), which the authors argue shifts commercial risk to the state while privatising gains. It highlights how this model can increase energy poverty through higher tariffs and hinder local renewable energy manufacturing. The brief suggests alternatives such as regulating private finance, pursuing debt cancellation and climate reparations, and implementing allocative green credit policies.

The 2022 Green Central Banking Scorecard evaluates G20 monetary and prudential authorities, finding that most remain insufficiently ambitious in mitigating climate risks. While research and advocacy have improved, the report argues that central banks prioritize analysis over action and are hindered by a commitment to 'market neutrality' and flawed taxonomies. The Banque de France is the top-ranked institution, while Saudi Arabia is the lowest. The report recommends implementing green lending schemes, increasing capital requirements for fossil fuel exposures, and adopting a 'double materiality' framework to account for the financial sector's impact on the environment.

The report applies the AIIB-Amundi Climate Change Investment Framework (CCIF) to evaluate climate-related financial risks and opportunities across sectors, companies, and debt issuers. The analysis reveals a strong focus on climate mitigation and greenhouse gas measurement, but a significant deficiency in climate adaptation planning and implementation. Notably, no analyzed company performed well across all three CCIF objectives: mitigation, adaptation, and financial contribution.

ClientEarth proposes a 'methane reduction alliance' consisting of the world's largest gas importers—including the EU, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and China—to implement a performance standard that caps and reduces methane emissions in the gas supply chain. The proposal argues that by prioritizing gas purchases from countries with similar regulations and applying fees to emissions exceeding the standard, importing nations can drive global methane abatement. The report highlights that capturing wasted methane could provide nearly 210 billion cubic metres of gas, offering a way to bolster supply without expanding gas fields. It also critiques voluntary industry schemes for lacking independent verification and failing to include national oil companies, which hold over half of global gas assets.

The document analyzes the global pipeline of coal-to-gas conversions, identifying approximately 89.6 GW of such projects in development. It argues that these projects risk locking in fossil fuel use for decades and creating stranded assets, especially as the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for renewables with storage becomes more competitive than gas. The report highlights East Asia, Europe, and North America as the regions with the most significant coal-to-gas activity and warns that methane leakage from gas infrastructure can make gas-fired power more damaging to the climate than coal if leakage exceeds 3%.

The report reveals that while designated project-specific funding for coal has declined, general corporate financing remains the primary driver of new coal infrastructure. It highlights a gap between the public net-zero commitments of many financial institutions and their actual lending practices, noting that many 'coal exclusion' policies contain loopholes that allow continued support for coal developers. The document provides data on the shrinking coal pipeline and identifies specific banks and asset managers that continue to provide loans, underwriting, or equity to companies building new coal plants and mines.

The report examines the intersection of air pollution and labor markets in East and Southeast Asia, highlighting a significant gap in research and policy regarding informal workers. It finds that while formal sectors are regulated, informal workers—including street vendors and agricultural laborers—face high exposure with minimal social protection. Health burdens are highest in China and Mongolia for ambient pollution, and in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar for household pollution. The report argues that current solutions are overly technocentric and fail to address the social inequalities and structural vulnerabilities that determine exposure levels.

The waste sector is responsible for approximately 20% of human-driven methane emissions globally, primarily from the anaerobic breakdown of organic waste in landfills and dumps. With global waste generation projected to increase by 73% by 2050, the document argues that reducing methane is critical for slowing global warming and meeting Paris Agreement goals. It proposes a modified waste hierarchy focusing on food waste prevention, organic waste diversion (via composting and anaerobic digestion), and improved landfill design and dump rehabilitation. The brief highlights successful regional policies, such as South Korea's weight-based food waste collection and India's waste segregation rules, while noting that up to 60% of mitigation measures have low or negative costs.

The GCF is implementing a four-pillar operational framework to enhance coordination with other climate funds. Key achievements include the establishment of a joint steering committee for the Long-Term Vision (LTV) with the GEF, the fast-track reaccreditation of nine entities with the AF, and the development of a joint GCF-GEF pavilion for COP 26 and COP 27. The report details specific funding proposals and readiness grants that demonstrate national programming coherence, as well as ongoing technical dialogues to harmonize results indicators and impact measurement methodologies across funds.

As of 31 August 2022, the GCF's total administrative expenditure was USD 48.9 million, representing 49 per cent of the USD 100.7 million annual budget. Expenditure for the second performance review stood at USD 0.3 million, or 26 per cent of its USD 1.3 million multi-year budget. The report details spending across the Board, Secretariat, Trustee, and three independent units, noting that figures exclude commitments for consultants and professional services.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has developed a policy to protect its commitment authority from foreign exchange (FX) volatility, primarily driven by non-USD denominated promissory notes. The proposed strategy prioritizes natural hedging, followed by the use of derivative financial instruments—specifically FX spot, forward, and swap contracts—to lock in the USD value of future encashments. To implement this, the GCF intends to outsource execution to an external third-party provider and establish a USD 50 million collateral reserve. The policy aims to increase funding predictability and reduce the required size of the FX commitment risk buffer.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) is a flexible economic initiative launched by the United States in May 2022 with 13 partner countries. Organized into four pillars—connected economy, resilient economy, clean economy, and fair economy—the framework avoids traditional tariff liberalization to prevent domestic political backlash. Early analysis suggests waning enthusiasm among partners, with some countries requesting transition periods for binding commitments and critics arguing that the lack of U.S. concessions on market access reduces the framework's credibility. While the U.S. aims to reassert influence in the region through technical assistance in decarbonization and digital standards, the durability of the IPEF remains uncertain as partners await tangible outcomes.

A coalition of NGOs calls on the European Commission to ban all Russian seafood imports and deny Russian-flagged or owned vessels access to EU ports and waters. The authors argue that current bans on 'high-end seafood' are insufficient and that Russia's fisheries management is characterized by overfishing and a high risk of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The letter recommends implementing a digital traceability system to prevent mislabelling and calls for the EU to rebuild its own fish stocks to reduce import dependence.

The report analyzes 93 green bonds totaling USD 93.3bn issued in H1 2022. It finds that green bonds generally outperformed vanilla equivalents in terms of book cover and spread compression in both EUR and USD markets. While 20% of the non-sovereign sample achieved a 'greenium' (pricing inside their own yield curve), the report notes that investors were more cautious due to geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility. Additionally, the analysis indicates that green bonds aligned with the Climate Bonds Database maintain better liquidity in the secondary market compared to vanilla and non-aligned green bonds, particularly in the real estate and utility sectors.

The document argues that carbon offsets are scientifically flawed and act as a barrier to necessary emissions reductions, exposing companies to significant legal risks including consumer protection lawsuits, regulatory enforcement, and shareholder actions.

The document examines the increasing legal vulnerability of companies regarding plastic leakage into the environment. It highlights significant settlements for plastic pellet spills in the US and Europe, the potential for lawsuits against consumer brands and producers for macroplastic waste, and the role of economic losses—such as those in the fishing and tourism industries—in driving future strategic litigation.

The briefing challenges the narrative that natural gas is a clean energy alternative, detailing the high methane potency and life-cycle emissions of LNG. It highlights that Bangladesh has over US $16 billion in gas infrastructure in development despite existing power overcapacity. The document argues that gas 'lock-in' impedes renewable energy adoption and notes that coal-to-gas conversions offer limited greenhouse gas reductions. It concludes by advocating for a total phase-out of fossil fuels in favor of utility-scale renewables to meet 2050 climate goals.

The report details a conference hosted by PARI and CASAC to examine the Zondo Commission's findings on state capture in South Africa. It identifies systemic failures across Parliament, public procurement, and personnel practices, while proposing the creation of an independent anti-corruption agency and stronger whistleblower protections. The document emphasises that 'greed on steroids' and institutional deficiencies enabled state capture, and calls for a coordinated effort between government, civil society, and the private sector to implement reforms and ensure accountability.

The document analyzes the role of major US banks in financing the global coal industry, highlighting a gap between their public climate pledges and their actual financial activities. It argues that weak corporate financing policies allow funds to continue flowing to coal developers despite net-zero commitments.