Search Climate Insights Directory

The 2021 State of Cities Climate Finance report provides a comprehensive estimate of global urban climate finance, identifying a significant gap between current annual investments of USD 384 billion and estimated needs of USD 4.5 to 5.4 trillion. It analyzes the enabling conditions required to mobilize finance and offers recommendations for city, national, and international officials to accelerate low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development.

This policy briefing examines the current state of global nuclear disarmament, framed by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Doomsday Clock being set to 100 seconds to midnight in January 2020. It analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diplomatic processes, the success of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (Ban Treaty), and the role of non-state actors and small nations in driving a 'humanitarian turn' in disarmament diplomacy.

This policy brief analyzes the services market access negotiations under the WTO E-commerce Joint Statement Initiative (JSI). It highlights a significant trade imbalance, where developed nations are net exporters of the targeted digital services while developing nations are net importers. The brief identifies key challenges, including the 'technological neutrality' of GATS, the undecided legal architecture of the JSI, and a lack of gender and social inclusion considerations. It recommends that developing countries pursue a 'built-in development dimension' through progressive liberalization and multi-stakeholder national assessments.

The report 'The Road to Sustainable Transport' examines the environmental and social impacts of global transportation, the evolution of international policy from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the Sustainable Development Goals, and case studies of sustainable urban mobility. It highlights the role of public transit, non-motorized transport, and electrification in reducing carbon emissions and improving public health, while noting the potential for post-COVID-19 recovery packages to accelerate these transitions.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on green finance and development, contrasting the robust recovery packages in the global North with the funding gaps and systemic challenges in the global South. It highlights the risk that urgent health-sector spending may undermine environmental sustainability and advocates for institutional reforms, increased South-South cooperation, and coordinated global efforts to bridge the climate finance gap.

Friends of the Earth International calls for a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights (TRIPS waiver) on Covid-19 vaccines and medical supplies to end "Vaccine Apartheid" and ensure global immunisation. The statement argues that corporate monopolies and the hoarding of vaccines by wealthy nations have created a moral crisis, leaving the global South with alarmingly low vaccination rates while high-income countries prioritise profits and their own citizens.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International calling for a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights on COVID-19 vaccines and medical supplies to ensure global equity and a "just recovery."

Friends of the Earth International calls for a 'People's Vaccine' and a temporary waiver of intellectual property rights (TRIPS) at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to ensure equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, arguing that corporate monopolies and profit-driven distribution are creating a 'vaccine apartheid' that disproportionately affects the Global South.

This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative analyzes post-issuance reporting practices for 694 green bonds (USD 212bn) issued between November 2017 and March 2019. It finds that while use-of-proceeds (UoP) reporting is widespread, impact reporting is less common and highly unstandardized. The study evaluates reporting quality through a scoring system, identifies best practices, and advocates for a global, harmonized reporting framework to move beyond binary labels toward absolute, entity-level sustainability assessments.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines agroecology as a science-based alternative to the industrial food system, which it describes as unsustainable and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The document details the environmental, social, and economic benefits of agroecological practices, while identifying systemic barriers—such as skewed government subsidies and limited research funding—that hinder its global scaling.

This policy brief examines the measurement and management of fishing capacity within the framework of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations to discipline fisheries subsidies. It provides technical definitions of capacity, overcapacity, and overfishing based on FAO guidelines, and discusses the challenges of monitoring these metrics in multi-species and artisanal fisheries. The document also analyzes global fleet trends from 1950 to 2015, noting a significant increase in vessel numbers and engine power alongside a decline in stock abundance.

The Green Economy Coalition introduces the 'Triple B Framework' (Bottlenecks, Blind Spots, and Blended Finance) to address capital misallocation and sluggish growth in the transition to green and inclusive economies. The framework emphasizes the role of non-financial capital—such as social, cultural, and political capital—particularly in emerging markets where traditional financial engineering is less prevalent than in advanced markets.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) issued a statement welcoming the appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on February 15, 2021.

This report presents recommendations from civil society and Indigenous Peoples experts regarding the creation of a new UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change. Based on six regional consultations involving 157 participants from 55 countries, the document outlines the rationale for a dedicated mandate to address the holistic impact of climate change on human rights and the potential role of such a rapporteur in increasing accountability and supporting vulnerable communities.

This report presents recommendations from civil society and indigenous experts regarding the proposed creation of a UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change. Based on regional consultations across 55 countries, the document argues that a dedicated mandate is necessary to ensure a coordinated, rights-based approach to climate action and to hold state and non-state actors accountable for climate-related human rights violations.

This report presents recommendations from civil society and indigenous peoples regarding the creation of a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change. Based on regional consultations across six areas, the document argues that a dedicated mandate is necessary to ensure a coordinated and global approach to the human rights impacts of the climate crisis, supplementing existing ad hoc mechanisms within the UN Human Rights Council.

This case study details how Excellent Meat, a wholesale meat supply and packaging company, reduced its water consumption by 30% between 2017 and 2020 through the implementation of smart water flow meters, a monitoring system, and internal awareness campaigns.

This report analyzes global access to cooling in 2021, focusing on 54 high-impact countries. It details how the combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising global temperatures have increased the number of people at risk due to a lack of sustainable cooling, particularly among the rural and urban poor.

The Sustainable Landscape Finance Coalition, a partnership between WWF South Africa and Wilderness Foundation Africa, implements a four-stage 'Finance Solution Approach©' to develop innovative funding for conservation. Key achievements include the scaling of the Section 37D biodiversity tax incentive (projected to reach R1.4 billion by 2026), the launch of the Green Outcomes Fund for green SMMEs, and the investigation of carbon payments and green bonds. The Coalition operates through a Council of decision-makers and an Innovation Hub to mainstream sustainable finance across South African landscapes.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines strategies for sustainable resource mobilisation to strengthen global healthcare systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues for a shift from disease-specific 'vertical' funding to a 'whole systems approach' that addresses the triple burden of non-communicable diseases, existing infections, and pandemic response gaps. The document emphasizes the importance of domestic resource mobilisation (DRM), the need for equitable vaccine distribution through the ACT-Accelerator and COVAX, and the potential for LMICs to leverage lessons from the AIDS epidemic to challenge intellectual property barriers via TRIPS waivers.