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The IEU report for February to May 2026 outlines the progress of several independent evaluations, including those on gender, the Project Preparation Facility, and the private sector. It highlights the ongoing Third Performance Review (TPR) and the LORTA impact evaluation programme, which supports 23 evaluations. The Unit also reports on its strategic engagement with other multilateral climate funds, the use of AI in evaluation synthesis, and its budget expenditure, which stood at 19% (USD 1.5 million) of the annual budget as of 30 April 2026.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran war has triggered a global energy crisis, causing Brent crude to reach USD 138/barrel and spiking natural gas prices, particularly in Asia. This disruption has led to increased food and fertiliser prices, slowed global GDP growth, and strained national budgets through increased fossil fuel subsidies. In response, 26 countries and regions have implemented clean energy measures, with Asia leading in both vulnerability to supply shocks and the acceleration of clean technology investments and deployments.

The report identifies several disruptive factors that could alter global trajectories, including the potential implosion of major powers like the US or China, the risks of generative AI, and the accelerating biosphere crisis. It highlights Africa's extreme vulnerability to climate change and warns that AI may exacerbate economic inequality and state surveillance. The text also notes a growing divide between the West and the Global South, driven by perceived self-centeredness during the COVID-19 pandemic and differing geopolitical responses to conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

The document analyzes four global scenarios—Sustainable World, Growth World, Divided World, and World at War—to project Africa's trajectory by 2050. The Sustainable World scenario is identified as the most beneficial, offering the highest GDP per capita, the lowest extreme poverty rates, and reduced inequality through social grants and gender empowerment. Conversely, the World at War and Divided World scenarios are described as detrimental, constraining growth and increasing poverty. Across all scenarios, carbon emissions from fossil fuels are expected to rise due to low energy availability and population growth. Geopolitically, Africa's influence remains limited by internal fragmentation and low state capacity, though the African Union could potentially increase the continent's 'soft power' if it achieves a unified global voice.

The report examines how Vertical Climate and Environment Funds (VCEFs)—specifically the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Climate Investment Funds (CIF), and Adaptation Fund (AF)—can better mobilize private climate finance for emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It identifies three primary opportunities: implementing sequential financing to move projects from ideation to scale, increasing collaboration with the global network of public development banks (PDBs), and aligning funding with country-driven investment plans. The document emphasizes the need to address the high cost of capital in EMDEs to enable greater real-economy transformation as public climate finance becomes more constrained.

The document argues that the 2022 Brisbane and 2022/23 Kimberley floods were made more likely and impactful by human-caused climate change, specifically through increased ocean temperatures, more frequent multi-year La Niña events, and higher atmospheric moisture. It concludes that while the frequency of some weather systems may decrease, the intensity of rainfall and flooding is expected to increase, potentially leading to prohibitive costs for protection and insurance in flood-prone zones.

The World Resources Institute has released the Carbon Opportunity Cost Calculation Tool (Version 1.0), an Excel-based resource that automates the estimation of carbon lost from plants and soils when land is converted from native vegetation to agriculture. The tool provides default factors for nearly 90 agricultural products across 10 regions and 5 countries, allowing users to input product volumes to determine land occupation in hectares and carbon opportunity cost in carbon dioxide equivalent.

The document outlines the role of adaptation indicators within national monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, emphasizing that their design must account for institutional landscapes and adaptation objectives rather than being a purely technical exercise. It highlights how these systems support accountability, learning, and the fulfillment of international reporting obligations under the Paris Agreement, including the second round of Biennial Transparency Reports due by the end of 2026.

RMI advocates for the reassessment of planned coal-fired power plants, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries, given the falling costs of renewables and storage. The briefing provides a framework for identifying candidate plants for reconsideration based on their conception date, sunk costs, and evolving grid needs, suggesting that solar paired with battery energy storage (BESS) often offers a more competitive levelized cost of energy (LCOE) than new ultra-supercritical coal plants.

The document argues that rapid declines in clean energy costs and evolving grid needs make many planned coal plants economically risky. It introduces a five-indicator framework to identify high-priority candidates for reconsideration and suggests a phased approach to transitioning these projects to alternatives like solar paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS).

The document outlines best practices for journalists covering climate science, emphasizing the need to prioritize human impact over raw data and to look beyond abstracts to find the most relevant information. It provides criteria for evaluating the reliability of studies, such as peer review and the avoidance of predatory journals, while cautioning against confusing correlation with causality. Additionally, it lists several tools and databases, including the Global South Climate Database and Retraction Watch, to help reporters verify sources and connect with experts.

The article examines the global and European trend of restricting social media access for minors, highlighting legislative actions in Australia, France, and Spain. It contrasts the view that age bans are necessary public health measures to protect vulnerable adolescent brains from addictive algorithms with the argument that such bans punish children rather than platforms and may hinder digital participation. Experts suggest that focusing on harmful design features—such as infinite scroll and personalized recommendations—via frameworks like the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) is a more effective solution than blanket prohibitions.

The document outlines a comprehensive framework for LDAR programs, emphasizing that well-implemented programs can reduce methane leaks by nearly 80%. It details the technical application of OGI cameras, a structured nine-step survey process—from planning to data reporting—and a typology of common leak sources such as valves, flanges, and compressor seals. The guide also provides regulatory benchmarks for survey frequency, repair timelines, and reporting templates to ensure accountability and effectiveness in methane mitigation.

The report examines the potential of the EU's CSRD and CSDDD to drive methane emission reductions in the meat and dairy industries. While the CSRD mandates transparency and disclosure of greenhouse gas data, the CSDDD requires companies to act on adverse environmental and health impacts. The document highlights that despite 'simplification' via the Omnibus I process—which reduced the number of companies in scope and removed specific climate transition plan requirements from the CSDDD—these directives still provide levers to address methane as a precursor to ground-level ozone. It argues that mandatory reporting and due diligence can prevent companies from relying on 'end of pipe' solutions like biogas and instead push for upstream mitigation.

The document examines how the reliance on consensus in the UNFCCC has led to a 'race to the bottom,' resulting in watered-down agreements on fossil fuels, science-based targets, and loss and damage. It proposes two procedural pathways for reform: adopting the long-delayed draft Rules of Procedure or amending the Convention itself. To support this, the author provides a comparative analysis of other UN institutions and multilateral environmental agreements—such as the Montreal Protocol and the Green Climate Fund—that successfully utilize voting to break deadlocks and advance substantive goals.

The report finds that between 2019 and 2025, 240 global banks provided US$590.8 billion to the top fifteen petrochemical companies, with a high concentration of funding from US, Japanese, Chinese, German, and UK institutions. Institutional investors held US$146.6 billion in exposure to these companies as of September 2025, dominated by US-based asset managers like Vanguard and BlackRock. The document argues that this financing persists despite structural risks such as overcapacity and collapsing profit margins, and often contradicts the public climate commitments of the financial institutions involved.

The document analyzes how the plastics industry employs nine recurring disinformation frames—ranging from denialism and victim blaming to the promotion of pseudo-solutions like chemical recycling—to protect its legitimacy and deflect responsibility for plastic pollution. It argues that these narratives are amplified by digital algorithms and AI, and recommends upstream policy interventions, including production caps and legal accountability for producers, to address the root causes of the plastics crisis.

The report provides a detailed breakdown of aligned GSS+ debt volumes, issuer types, and geographic trends for Q1 2026, highlighting the continued dominance of green bonds and the European market.

The report argues that current transition finance frameworks lack the systemic safeguards necessary to prevent carbon lock-in, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. It proposes moving from asset-level financing to a systemic approach underpinned by Paris-aligned, subnational net-zero pathways. The document examines the gap between corporate transition plans and the requirements for credible transition finance, noting that many high-emitting oil, gas, and agrifood entities lack mature strategies. It advocates for the use of Paris-aligned taxonomies to ensure that use-of-proceeds (UoP) instruments drive genuine decarbonisation without creating 'dead-end pathways'.

The report examines the legal and administrative challenges of removing obsolete river barriers in Poland, Finland, and France. It finds that while France employs a systemic approach with prioritised lists and dedicated funding, Poland lacks a comprehensive registry and effective enforcement of removal obligations. Finland relies heavily on voluntary cooperation and funding through the NOUSU program but struggles with the permanence of water permits. The document recommends that Member States adopt systemic policies, maintain field-verified barrier registries, establish clear prioritisation criteria for 'obsolete barriers', and create inclusive funding schemes to meet EU nature restoration targets.