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This briefing by RMI argues that current commercial electricity rate designs, specifically noncoincident demand charges, encourage inefficient battery storage use that can conflict with the needs of renewable-heavy power grids. The document advocates for a transition to time-varying rates and compensation for grid services to better align customer incentives with system-wide operational requirements.

In 2017, global green bond issuance grew by 78% to reach USD 155.5 billion, driven largely by the US, China, and France. The market saw a significant increase in sovereign and sub-sovereign issuance, including the first African sovereign green bond from Nigeria. While renewable energy remains the most common use of proceeds, there was a notable rise in allocations for low-carbon buildings and energy efficiency. The report highlights a trend toward the diversification of financial instruments, such as Green MBS and Green Sukuk, and an ongoing effort to unify regional green finance standards.

This technical note by the World Resources Institute proposes a three-step methodology to estimate water withdrawal and consumption for thermal power plants in data-scarce regions. The approach integrates the visual identification of cooling and fuel types via satellite imagery with empirical water-use factors. When tested against 200 U.S. power plants, the method demonstrated high precision in identifying technology and fuel types, though it faced more challenges in accurately estimating water demand for specific cooling systems.

This executive summary from the 2018 'Brown to Green' report analyzes the progress of G20 countries toward a low-carbon economy. It highlights a significant gap between current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the goals of the Paris Agreement, noting that G20 energy-related CO2 emissions began increasing again in 2017 and that 82% of the G20 energy supply remains dependent on fossil fuels.

This guide from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) outlines the availability of zero-interest loans for rural cooperatives through the USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

This report summarizes progress toward Goal 10 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on strengthening forest governance, transparency, and the rule of law, while empowering indigenous peoples and local communities. It details developments in producer and consumer countries regarding illegal timber trade, the rising violence against environmental defenders, and the status of financial resources and data collection for land tenure security.

This report assesses progress toward Goal 3 of the New York Declaration on Forests: significantly reducing deforestation derived from economic sectors other than agriculture by 2020. It highlights the roles of infrastructure and mining as primary drivers of forest loss and identifies critical data gaps that prevent a global aggregate assessment of these impacts.

This report assesses progress toward Goal 5 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), which aims to restore 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forestlands by 2020 and an additional 200 million hectares by 2030. The assessment focuses on pledges made under the Bonn Challenge and commitments within Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC.

The 2018 Progress Assessment Goal 5 Update evaluates global efforts to restore degraded landscapes and forestlands under the Bonn Challenge and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the Paris Agreement. It reports that Bonn Challenge pledges have reached 168.9 million hectares, surpassing the initial 2020 milestone of 150 million hectares, although measuring actual implementation remains a significant challenge.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) explores how electric utilities can move beyond traditional bill assistance to collaborate with low-and moderate-income (LMI) customers. It identifies new business models leveraging distributed energy resources (DERs) to reduce energy burdens, improve health and environmental outcomes, and create grid value.

The 2018 Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) report provides a global inventory of policies and regulations supporting Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), focusing on electricity access, clean cooking, energy efficiency, and renewable energy across 133 economies from 2010 to 2017.

The 2018 Energy Progress Report, a joint publication by five custodian agencies, evaluates global progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). It concludes that the world is not on track to achieve universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030, as current progress falls short across all four SDG7 targets: electricity access, clean cooking, energy efficiency, and the share of renewable energy.

This 2018 guide by the World Resources Institute helps businesses navigate the legal requirements for sourcing wood, focusing on the regulatory frameworks of the United States, Australia, and the European Union. It emphasizes that illegal logging drives forest degradation and greenhouse gas emissions, and distinguishes between legal and sustainable sourcing. The guide outlines the role of trade regulations, procurement policies, and certification services in mitigating the risk of illegal timber in supply chains.

This briefing by WWF South Africa examines the urban and environmental impacts of parking infrastructure, specifically focusing on the transition from minimum to maximum parking requirements. It argues that oversupplying parking incentivizes private car use and increases greenhouse gas emissions, while providing case studies from the USA and UK to suggest policy reforms for developing countries like South Africa.

This issue brief examines how climate change impacts United States national security, detailing the Department of Defense's (DOD) conceptualization of climate change as a 'threat multiplier' and the resulting operational, infrastructural, and geopolitical challenges. It outlines the adaptation and mitigation strategies adopted by the DOD and other security agencies, while analyzing the role of Congressional legislation and funding in shaping these efforts.

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) decision to stop insuring new mortgages on homes with property assessed clean energy (PACE) loans is misguided. RMI contends that the FHA overstates the risks of PACE while ignoring the significant default risks associated with high energy costs in inefficient homes.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs reviews the economic impact of Jacob Zuma's presidency, detailing a period marked by corruption, state capture, and economic decline, alongside specific policy successes in healthcare and renewable energy.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International denouncing the Argentine government's decision to revoke the accreditation of civil society representatives, including the organization itself, for a World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Buenos Aires in December 2017.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute proposes the creation of 'America’s Climate Fund,' a nonfederal finance vehicle designed to maintain U.S. engagement in international climate finance and support vulnerable populations in developing countries while the federal administration retreats from these commitments.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute examines the potential impact of the Trump administration's climate policy rollbacks on U.S. and global greenhouse gas emissions, while evaluating the capacity of subnational actors to offset these increases.