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This briefing from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) describes the Water Evaluation and Adaptation Planning (WEAP) platform, a scenario-based modelling tool designed to help decision-makers understand climate impacts on water systems and develop adaptation strategies. It highlights WEAP's role in supporting National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and provides examples of its application in various global regions to manage water scarcity, resource allocation, and transboundary river basins.

This report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the power sector transition in the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) region, highlighting a significant gap between stated renewable energy targets and actual project pipelines. It finds that fossil fuel capacity is being built at more than three times the rate of wind and utility-scale solar, with oil and gas leading the buildout. The report specifically critiques COP29 host Azerbaijan for low ambition in its renewable energy plans and a continued reliance on gas.

This report by Ember analyzes global electricity generation trends in 2023 across solar, wind, coal, gas, hydro, nuclear, and bioenergy. It highlights record growth in solar and wind, a slight increase in coal generation driven by droughts in China, and the gap between current growth rates and the IEA Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario requirements.

This research paper by the Africa Policy Research Institute analyzes the outcomes of COP 28 in Dubai, assessing how the agreements and financial commitments align with the priorities of African nations and civil society organizations. It evaluates progress on the Loss and Damage fund, adaptation finance, the transition away from fossil fuels, and food system resilience, concluding that while historic agreements were reached, the scale of financial commitments remains insufficient to meet Africa's urgent climate needs.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the role of the UNFCCC in addressing fossil fuel subsidies, specifically focusing on opportunities at COP 28 and beyond. It highlights the gap between government rhetoric and the record USD 1.3 trillion in subsidies provided in 2022, arguing that the UNFCCC can strengthen global commitments through clear deadlines, improved transparency in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and integration into climate finance discussions.

This research paper assesses bilateral climate finance provided between 2016 and 2020 to ten developing countries with low governance scores, identifying a heavy skew toward mitigation and a concentration of funding from Japan to Uzbekistan.

This report assesses power sector data transparency across 39 Asian economies, evaluating them against six criteria: time granularity, publishing lag, geographic granularity, fuel breakdown, ease of access, and additional data. The analysis finds that overall transparency is insufficient to support a coal-to-clean electricity transition in the region, with more than half of the economies scoring poorly.

A November 2022 briefing by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) identifies 30 fossil fuel companies responsible for 43% of the energy sector's global methane emissions. The analysis breaks down emissions by fuel sector (oil/gas and coal) and ownership type (national/state-owned vs. international/investor-owned), highlighting the disproportionate impact of a small number of large producers.

This research paper examines renewable energy project financing via public-private partnerships (PPP) in Southeast Asia and Central Asia, noting a transition from hydropower toward solar and wind projects to meet growing energy demands and emissions commitments.

This report by the World Resources Institute evaluates the progress made one year after the COP26 summit in Glasgow. It tracks commitments across national emissions targets, renewable energy, climate finance, net-zero goals, the financial sector, methane reduction, deforestation, urban emissions, and electric vehicles, noting that progress is mixed and often hindered by geopolitical tensions and economic crises.

This report provides an assessment of the Kyrgyz Republic's readiness and capacity to implement the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) Mining Policy Framework (MPF). Conducted between December 2017 and May 2018, the study analyzes national laws, policies, and administrative processes across six thematic areas: legal and policy framework, financial benefit optimization, socio-economic benefit optimization, environmental management, mine closure, and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The assessment identifies strengths in the general tax regime and the existence of 'social packages' for communities, while highlighting critical gaps in outdated technical standards, unpredictable fiscal changes, and a lack of comprehensive mine closure regulations.

This article discusses the sustainability risks and vulnerabilities facing Central Asia, emphasizing the geopolitical interests of Russia, China, and the European Union, and the added risks posed by climate change to fragile ecosystems and shared resources.

The Climate Risk Assessment Guide – Central Asia is a practical manual designed to assess the impacts of climate-related events on lives and livelihoods in Central Asia. It provides a structured methodology to downscale climate risk understanding to sub-national and community levels, bridging the gap between long-term climate change modeling and immediate disaster risk assessment. The guide emphasizes a combination of impact-based assessments (using monetary damage and livelihood capital scoring) and perception-based surveys to inform sustainable risk management and policy development.

This research paper examines the relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and human well-being, using China as a primary case study. It analyzes how income per capita, energy production mixes, and geography correlate with CO2 emissions across 174 countries and 30 Chinese provinces, arguing that current high-consumption lifestyles in rich countries are incompatible with low-emission stabilization targets.

This fact sheet from the International Institute for Sustainable Development lists the top 15 cotton-producing countries in 2016 and references data sources regarding sustainable markets and crop distribution.

This briefing by Dr. Witold M. Patoka of the National Defence College, Stockholm, provides a statistical and strategic overview of Russia, focusing on its economic indicators, energy production, military capabilities, and geopolitical risks.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute and UNECE analyzes the potential for enhanced energy connectivity in Central Asia. Through scenario modelling, it demonstrates that transitioning from national self-sufficiency to integrated regional power trading can lower electricity production costs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve energy security by leveraging the diverse renewable and low-carbon resources of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute describes the application of an integrated water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus modeling approach (LEAP-WEAP-MACRO) to the Syr Darya River Basin. It argues that integrated modeling provides more realistic results than siloed approaches and demonstrates that international cooperation among Central Asian countries can increase water availability, boost agricultural production, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to business-as-usual scenarios.