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Emerging solutions to drive private investment in climate resilience
The paper identifies policy, knowledge, and funding gaps as primary barriers to private investment in climate resilience. It finds that DFIs use a mix of technical assistance, long-term debt, and concessional finance to stimulate demand and reduce risk. Key findings vary by region: in developed countries, regulatory compliance and ageing infrastructure drive investment; in upper-middle-income countries, technical audits and market studies are critical; and in developing countries, intermediated financing through local banks and agricultural supply chains is essential to reach SMEs.
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Document type: Research paper
Connecting the Struggles
This collection of reports and interviews analyzes contemporary European resistance movements, focusing on struggles against extractive industries, infrastructure mega-projects, and economic austerity. It highlights specific cases in Romania, Greece, Scotland, France, and Turkey, while discussing the systemic role of the educated middle class in mobilization. The text argues that Green parties must reconnect with their radical roots and form transversal alliances with social movements to challenge the dominant neoliberal economic model and the 'sacredness of growth'.
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Document type: Report
Lab Instrument Analysis: Energy Savings Insurance
The report examines Energy Savings Insurance (ESI), an instrument developed by the Inter-American Development Bank and BASE to unlock energy efficiency investments for SMEs by insuring against the risk that projected energy savings are not met. ESI can absorb up to 80% of underperformance risk and is being piloted or replicated across several countries, including Mexico, Colombia, and El Salvador. If scaled globally, the instrument is estimated to drive USD 10-100 billion in investment and reduce annual emissions by 27-234 MtCO2 by 2030.
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Document type: Report
Recent Developments in Egypt’s Fuel Subsidy Reform Process
In July 2014, Egypt implemented significant energy subsidy cuts, including a 64% increase in diesel prices, as part of a five-year plan to eliminate most energy subsidies. The reforms aimed to reduce the budget deficit and signal economic stability to investors. While the cuts caused an initial spike in inflation and public discontent among lower-income groups and transport operators, the broader economic outlook improved, and large-scale protests were avoided. The report notes that the government's compensation measures were limited and ad hoc, and that the success of future reforms will depend on more robust social safety nets and the management of politically sensitive products like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
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Document type: Report
Social Learning and Resilience Building in the emBRACE framework
The report argues that social learning—learning embedded within social networks—is essential for developing the adaptive capacity required for community resilience. It distinguishes between single, double, and triple-loop learning, noting that deeper reflection is necessary for transformative change. Using case studies from the UK (floods and heatwaves) and Turkey (earthquakes), the document explores triggers for learning, such as the 'window of opportunity' following a disaster, and the role of 'mavens' or opinion leaders in diffusing knowledge. It highlights barriers including path dependence, power imbalances, and the risk of 'well-informed' individuals feeling a false sense of security. The report concludes that resilience should be viewed as a continuous process of 'bouncing forward' rather than a static end state.
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Document type: Report
The Recalibration of Middle Powers under Conditions of Stress and Opportunity
The document examines the shifting diplomatic strategies of middle powers in a multipolar world, contrasting the approaches of the MIKTA grouping, South Africa's alignment with BRICS, and Canada's shift toward strategic consolidation with Western allies.
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Document type: Policy brief
On International Women’s Day
Friends of the Earth International celebrates the leadership of women in justice movements and emphasizes that dismantling the patriarchy is essential for a just world. The statement highlights the central role of women in agroecological production and the disproportionate violence faced by women human rights defenders, particularly those protecting land and natural resources.
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Document type: Statement
Public Finance and Private Exploration in Geothermal: Gümüşköy Case Study Turkey
This case study examines the role of public finance in mitigating early-stage exploration risks for geothermal energy, focusing on the Gümüşköy Geothermal Power Plant in Turkey as the first instance of private sector financing for an unproven field in the country.
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Document type: Case study
Public Finance and Private Exploration in Geothermal: Gümüøköy Case Study, Turkey
The Gümüşköy Geothermal Power Plant (GPP) represents the first instance in Turkey where the private sector financed the exploration of an unproven geothermal field. Developed by BM Holding, the 13.2MW project utilized a combination of USD 15.1 million in private equity and USD 34.5 million in debt, including a USD 24.9 million loan from the EBRD-funded Mid-size Sustainable Energy Finance Facility (MidSEFF) channeled through Yapikredi. The project's financial viability was secured by a ten-year USD-denominated feed-in tariff (FiT) of 10.5 USD¢/kWh, which increased equity returns from 10% to 16%. The study finds that while Turkey's geothermal sector grew rapidly from 30MW in 2008 to 405MW in 2014, most projects relied on government-proven fields. Gümüşköy demonstrates that private-led exploration can be cost-competitive, with an LCOE of 10.3 USD¢/kWh, and can build local banking capacity for sustainable energy finance. However, the report warns that scaling the sector requires addressing high carbon emissions from non-condensable gases, suggesting binary systems and carbon capture for industrial use as solutions.
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Document type: Case study
Are Muslim Countries More War-Prone?
The document serves as an appendix to a study on the relationship between majority religion and armed conflict. It provides detailed datasets on the majority religions of countries as of 2010, the incidence of intrastate armed conflict by religion between 1991 and 2012, and a comprehensive list of opposition groups in intrastate conflicts from 1946 to 2013. It specifically examines the prevalence of Islamist insurgents and the conflict history of the ten countries with the largest Muslim populations.
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Document type: Research paper
A NEW EQUILIBRIUM: THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS, ISRAEL, AND TURKEY IN THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN STRATEGIC ARCHITECTURE
The document examines the strategic realignment in the Eastern Mediterranean involving the Republic of Cyprus (RoC), Israel, and Turkey. It argues that while the RoC, Israel, and Greece have formed a new security bloc to balance Turkey's naval ambitions, a structural need to contain Iranian influence is driving a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey. This shift is further incentivized by commercial imperatives, as the discovery of Egypt's Zohr gas field makes Turkey a more viable export market for Israeli natural gas. The author contends that these twin dynamics—the Turkey-Israel rapprochement and the RoC-Israel-Greece security formation—provide a new balance of incentives and guarantees that could facilitate a resolution to the Cyprus conflict.
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Document type: Research paper
Partnership of Contrarians
The policy brief examines the 'special partnership' between Russia and Turkey, noting that while they disagree on the Syrian civil war, they share autocratic political instincts and a mutual desire to curtail US interventionism. The author argues that Russia can boost its Middle Eastern role through joint initiatives with Turkey, leveraging the personal chemistry between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. While energy ties—specifically natural gas pipelines and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant—provide a foundation, the document suggests that the leaders' shared 'contrarian' tendencies and need for foreign policy victories are primary drivers for potential cooperation in Northern Syria and the South Caucasus.
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Document type: Policy brief
Pakistan as a Return Migration Destination
Return migration to Pakistan is highly diverse, ranging from the lifestyle-driven back-and-forth mobility of naturalized citizens from Europe to the forced return of irregular migrants via deportations and assisted voluntary return programmes. While the country relies heavily on remittances—receiving 18.4 billion USD in financial year 2014—returnees often face a context of instability, poor living conditions, and a lack of trust in state institutions due to corruption and nepotism. The Pakistani government's approach to return migration has primarily focused on short-term laborers from the Middle East and the promotion of formal remittance channels, leaving the needs of other diaspora groups largely unaddressed and the country's broader socioeconomic potential untapped.
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Document type: Policy brief
Religion and migrants’ development engagements
The document examines how Islamic charity, specifically zakat, intersects with migrant remittances and organized diaspora development efforts among Pakistani-origin Muslims in Oslo. It argues that these religious motivations create lasting transnational ties across generations but remain largely invisible or misunderstood by mainstream Norwegian society and the Global North's development sector. The authors suggest a need for greater recognition of religious frameworks in development and a critical re-evaluation of who defines 'development' activities.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Impact of Fossil-Fuel Subsidies on Renewable Electricity Generation
The report argues that fossil-fuel subsidies disadvantage renewable energy by impairing its cost competitiveness, reinforcing incumbent fossil-fuel-based infrastructure, and distorting investment decisions. It details various subsidy mechanisms—including fuel input subsidies, funding of utility losses, and tax breaks—and highlights how these create an artificial advantage for thermal generation. The document also examines the role of underpriced externalities and the political economy of the energy sector in resisting reform. It concludes that reforming these subsidies is a priority for transitioning to a sustainable energy system, though it notes that governments often opt for 'second-best' renewable energy incentives instead of removing fossil-fuel supports.
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Document type: Report
The 2014 G-20 Summit: Maximising Growth, Revenue and Stability
The 2014 G-20 Summit, hosted by Australia, focuses on 'growth and resilience' to address a 'fragile, sluggish global economy'. A key objective is the 'Brisbane Action Plan', aiming to boost G-20 GDP by at least 2 per cent above projections over five years, potentially adding over $2 trillion to global GDP. The G-20's broader agenda includes financial regulation, international tax reform, and energy market resilience. For South Africa, the summit is critical as it seeks to align global growth outcomes with its National Development Plan's goal of over 5 per cent GDP growth, while advocating for inclusive and sustainable growth across Africa.
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Document type: Briefing
norwegian_pension_8oct2014-c11199f8ca70e51d.pdf
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) faces significant legal, financial, and reputational risks due to its investments in fossil fuel companies. CIEL highlights that GPFG invests in 44 of the 90 'Carbon Majors' responsible for 63% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions from 1854-2010, increasing the likelihood of successful climate change litigation. The document specifically calls for immediate divestment from coal, citing the industry's financial decline, systemic demand drops in the US, and severe environmental and human rights abuses in India and China. Furthermore, CIEL asserts that continued fossil fuel investment contradicts Norway's international obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its commitment to inter-generational equity.
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Document type: Statement
The Role of Public Finance in Deploying Geothermal: Background Paper
The report identifies geothermal energy as a cost-competitive, low-carbon baseload power source, but notes that its deployment is hindered by high resource risks and long development timelines. It finds that 76-90% of geothermal project investments rely on public debt or equity, as the private sector is generally unwilling to fund the high-risk exploration phase. The document argues that while current policy support often focuses on the operational phase, public finance should be redirected toward the early stages of project development to attract more private capital.
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Document type: Report
South Africa and the United Nations
The document assesses South Africa's role as an emerging global actor in peace and security, specifically its interactions with the UN peacebuilding architecture (PBC, PBSO, and PBF). It highlights South Africa's experience in mediation and peacekeeping in countries like the DRC and Burundi, while noting a lack of systematic staffing of South Africans in the UN system. The paper emphasizes the potential of South-South cooperation, exemplified by the IBSA Fund, and recommends that South Africa leverage the 2015 UN peacebuilding review to promote African perspectives and national ownership of peace processes.
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Document type: Research paper
The Peace Potential of Hydrocarbon Resources
The report examines the 'peace potential' of oil and gas resources, analyzing how joint development, revenue sharing, and infrastructure projects like pipelines can either mitigate or fuel conflict. It contrasts successful cooperation, such as the Saudi-Kuwaiti Partitioned Neutral Zone and Turkey-Iraqi Kurdish relations, with failures in the Caucasus and disputes in the South China Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. The study also addresses the role of international environmental law and the climate impact of transitioning from coal to natural gas.
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Document type: Report