Search Climate Insights Directory

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that global forest governance is currently insufficient to meet 2030 targets. While some countries have successfully reduced deforestation through moratoria and strengthened enforcement, these gains are often fragile or being reversed by legislative rollbacks. The report highlights persistent tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, widespread corruption in the timber trade, and significant gaps in the implementation of demand-side regulations in importing nations.

The report finds that global forest finance is not on track to meet 2030 goals, with current mitigation finance averaging USD 2.3 billion per year—less than 1 percent of the estimated USD 460 billion annual requirement. It highlights a stark imbalance where 'grey finance' (harmful investments) significantly outweighs 'green finance,' and notes that Indigenous Peoples and local communities remain severely underfunded. While 2021 pledges could quadruple annual finance to USD 9.5 billion, this remains insufficient. The report also analyzes the limited impact of voluntary and compliance carbon markets and the slow progress of REDD+ frameworks.

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 7th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO7) analyzes energy demand, supply, and electricity generation across the ASEAN region through four scenarios: Baseline, AMS Targets (ATS), APAEC Targets (APS), and Least-Cost Optimisation (LCO). It finds that without policy intervention, energy demand will triple by 2050 and fossil fuels will continue to dominate. However, implementing national and regional policies can significantly reduce total final energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The report emphasizes the need for increased energy efficiency, higher renewable energy penetration, and regional grid interconnection to ensure energy security and sustainability.

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 report argues that current IFI efforts to align indirect financing through financial intermediaries with the Paris Agreement are insufficient and opaque. It highlights how this lending model allows IFIs to 'outsource' environmental and social safeguards, potentially funding fossil fuel projects. The authors provide recommendations for a rights-based alignment methodology that includes an absolute ban on new fossil fuel financing, increased support for sustainable renewables, and strict transparency requirements for sub-project disclosure.

The Ivory Initiative (2018-2022) focused on closing legal ivory markets in Asia and reducing demand among Chinese consumers through policy engagement and behavioral science. The initiative achieved significant reductions in ivory availability in China, with physical outlets dropping by 86% and online adverts by 86% by 2021. It successfully advocated for bans in Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan PoC, and Singapore, while strengthening laws in Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Demand reduction efforts, including the #TravelIvoryFree campaign, saw the proportion of Chinese consumers intending to buy ivory fall by nearly half between 2017 and 2021. The report concludes that these efforts contributed to a decline in African elephant poaching, with the Proportion of Illegally Killed Elephants (PIKE) in 2021 reaching its lowest level since 2003.

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.

The document analyzes GHG emissions from coffee production, ranging from 3 to over 40 kgCO2e/kg roast coffee, with an average of approximately 20 kgCO2e/kg. It identifies land-use change, fertilizer use, and wet-processing effluent as the primary emission drivers. The briefing highlights that while polyculture systems sequester more carbon than monocultures, the overall footprint is highly variable based on location and practice. Key mitigation strategies include preventing deforestation, treating processing effluent, and improving fertilizer management, though implementation is challenged by the prevalence of smallholder farming.

The report examines GHG emissions from shrimp aquaculture, noting a wide range of intensities (2 to 99 kgCO2e/kg retail product) driven by production methods, feed, and land-use change. It highlights that while intensive systems are more common and generally less GHG-intensive per unit, the conversion of mangroves for extensive ponds creates massive emissions. Key mitigation opportunities include improving feed conversion ratios (FCR), adopting conversion-free feed, and transitioning to renewable energy.

The document serves as a consolidation of a flagship report examining how intersecting forms of discrimination create differentiated vulnerabilities to climate change across 10 ASEAN Member States. It focuses on integrating gender equality and social inclusion into three key sectors: renewable energy, disaster risk reduction, and agriculture, with detailed policy reviews for Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam.

The interim evaluation of the I-GFLL/CliPAD IV project in Lao PDR indicates a generally successful implementation, rated as 'Level 2: successful' overall. The project is highly aligned with national policies and the needs of rural populations in Luang Prabang, Sayabouri, and Houaphan provinces. While it has successfully established an enabling environment for REDD+ and integrated women and ethnic groups, effectiveness is rated as 'moderately successful' because many village-level activities only began in 2021, making it too early to quantify total CO2 reductions. Key achievements include the creation of a Climate Change Funding Window within the Environment Protection Fund and the development of 25 Village Forest Management Plans. However, challenges remain regarding high staff turnover in government agencies, bureaucratic delays in fund disbursement, and external risks from mining concessions and infrastructure projects.

The report examines the global coffee market, highlighting the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change and price volatility. It analyzes the impact of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs), noting that while VSS-compliant production grew significantly between 2008 and 2019, it has recently faced a decline due to oversupply and a shift toward corporate sustainability programs. The document argues that sustaining the sector requires internalizing environmental costs, increasing demand for sustainable coffee in producing countries, and implementing living income reference prices to ensure fair compensation for farmers.

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.

The document examines the intersectional impacts of air pollution on informal workers in three craft villages in Hanoi, Viet Nam. It finds that gender norms, age, and migrant status create unequal exposure to pollutants, with women often confined to indoor facilities and young men undertaking the most hazardous tasks. The brief highlights a lack of specific national and local regulations for craft villages and recommends holistic policy amendments, the formalization of labor contracts, and the establishment of specific occupational hygiene criteria to protect vulnerable informal workers.

The report by Reclaim Finance criticizes Mizuho, MUFG, and SMBC for their continued role as major financiers of the coal industry. While the banks have introduced restrictions on project financing for new coal, the document asserts these are insufficient because the vast majority of financing occurs through corporate loans and underwritings. Between January 2019 and November 2021, these banks provided billions of dollars to coal developers, including entities like China Huaneng Group and Adani Group. The author concludes that the banks are lagging behind international peers and must adopt stricter corporate-level exclusion criteria to align with the Net-Zero Banking Alliance and IEA pathways.

The report finds that while electricity demand in the 'ASEAN 5' (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam) grew by 22% from 2015 to 2021, clean energy only met 39% of this increase. Solar and wind generation remains low at 4% of the region's electricity supply, lagging behind China and India. Current national plans project solar and wind will reach 11% of the total supply by 2030, which the authors argue is insufficient to meet the 1.5-degree pathway or keep pace with rising demand, potentially leading to further reliance on coal.

The report analyzes 21 international taxonomies to provide a framework for a potential Canadian transition taxonomy, emphasizing the need for science-based thresholds to avoid greenwashing in a resource-dependent economy.

The ASEAN sustainable debt market experienced rapid growth in 2021, with GSS debt issuance reaching USD 24 billion and sustainability-linked instruments reaching USD 27.5 billion. Singapore remains the regional leader, while the green theme continues to be the most popular. The report highlights the emergence of the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance and the growth of local currency issuances, particularly in Singapore and Thailand.

The ASEAN+3 sustainable debt market reached USD 449 billion by Q3 2021, driven largely by the People's Republic of China, Japan, and Hong Kong, China. While green bonds remain dominant, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the issuance of social and sustainability-labeled instruments. Local currency (LCY) issuance represents 64% of the region's total sustainable debt, though this is unevenly distributed; Thailand has the highest LCY share at 98.5%, while Viet Nam and Indonesia rely heavily on foreign currencies. The report identifies barriers such as lack of market awareness, high transaction costs for small deals, and a shortage of bankable green projects. It recommends increasing sovereign GSS bond issuance, expanding the investor base through ETFs and indices, and establishing centralized sustainable finance platforms to improve project visibility.