Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper section provides a detailed breakdown of climate finance flows to Tuvalu, focusing on allocations between 2010 and 2014, as well as specific multilateral fund allocations between 2015 and 2016.

This research paper appendix provides a detailed breakdown of climate finance flows to Vanuatu, focusing on allocations between 2010 and 2014, as well as specific multilateral fund activities between 2015 and 2016.

This report provides a 2016 progress update on the first ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It evaluates global trends in natural forest loss, private sector commitments to deforestation-free supply chains, restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge and UNFCCC, and the evolution of international climate finance and forest governance.

The 2016 Goal 2 Assessment Report evaluates progress toward eliminating deforestation from agricultural commodity supply chains, specifically palm oil, soy, cattle, and wood products. While corporate pledges are increasing, the report finds a significant gap between high-level commitments and operational implementation, particularly in the cattle and soy sectors. It emphasizes that while downstream companies in Europe and North America lead in pledging, the most critical impact comes from upstream producers in deforestation hotspots like Brazil and Indonesia. The report concludes that global data linking these corporate efforts to actual reductions in deforestation is currently unavailable.

This fact sheet provides a quantitative overview of the South African beef industry, detailing production distribution, supply chain integration, and international trade patterns including key import and export partners.

The 'GREEN FINANCE: GREEN BOND DIRECTIONS COP22 Highlights' report by the Climate Bonds Initiative details the rapid growth of the green bond market in 2016, emphasizing its role in funding climate mitigation and adaptation to meet Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It highlights the shift toward private sector issuance, the emergence of China as a dominant market, and the necessity of reaching USD 1 trillion in annual issuance by 2020 to substantively address climate change.

This report details the results of a 2016 IISD expert meeting regarding the design of a proposed multilateral International Dispute Settlement Agency. The experts advocated for a shift from the narrow investor-state arbitration model toward an inclusive system allowing governments, investors, communities, and individuals to seek justice. The proposed framework includes a three-tiered judicial system (Judicial, Appellate, and Jurisdictional Chambers) alongside non-adversarial mechanisms like fact-finding and mediation. Key discussions centered on expanding jurisdictional scope to include human rights and environmental law, ensuring the independence and diversity of adjudicators, and establishing funding mechanisms to ensure access to justice for resource-poor stakeholders.

This directory, compiled by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) with financial support from Denmark, provides an inventory of assistance and capacity-building programmes available to African states in chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) areas. It details the offers of nearly 50 states, various international and regional organisations, and civil society entities, primarily within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 and other international non-proliferation treaties.

A statement by Friends of the Earth calling for a legally binding UN treaty to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights and environmental abuses, using the Rio Doce watershed disaster and other corporate crimes as evidence of the failure of voluntary guidelines.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines six critical areas of climate finance to monitor during the COP 21 negotiations in Paris. It emphasizes the need for developed countries to meet the $100 billion annual funding goal by 2020, the importance of increasing adaptation funding, and the necessity of transparent reporting and a predictable finance cycle to support developing nations.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) analyzes the use of fiscal instruments within Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC by November 20, 2015. The review identifies trends in how countries employ fossil fuel subsidy reform (FFSR), clean energy subsidies, and carbon pricing to support low-carbon development and GHG mitigation.

This briefing by RMI argues that concerns regarding the economic limitations of wind and solar growth—specifically the 'merit order effect' where variable renewables depress wholesale prices—are based on static models that ignore supply-side evolution, demand flexibility, and storage technologies.

This primer by Friends of the Earth International describes the structure, governance, and operational mechanisms of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), a multilateral fund under the UNFCCC designed to support climate adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. It details the role of Accredited Entities, National Designated Authorities, and the influence of the private sector and civil society, while highlighting concerns regarding the accreditation of banks with poor human rights and environmental records.

This fact sheet, published by Friends of the Earth International in November 2015, provides a guide to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), detailing its governance, funding mechanisms, accreditation processes, and the role of various stakeholders including the private sector and civil society.

This technical annex evaluates progress toward Goal 3 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which targets the reduction of deforestation from non-agricultural sectors. It identifies infrastructure, human settlements, and mining as the primary non-agricultural drivers, with logging as the main cause of forest degradation. The report highlights a significant lack of disaggregated data, making it impossible to establish quantitative indicators for progress. It reviews public policy tools such as import bans on illegal timber in the US, EU, and Australia, and the use of Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments (SEA) by the World Bank. Private sector efforts include FSC and PEFC certifications, though certified forest land has plateaued at 10% since 2008, and emerging responsible mining initiatives like the Oro Verde program in Colombia.

This report, published in November 2015 by Climate Focus and partners, establishes an assessment framework and provides an initial progress report on the ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It evaluates the status of global efforts to halt natural forest loss, restore degraded lands, and improve forest governance one year after the NYDF's September 2014 signing.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and Carbon War Room profiles 10 case studies of islands and remote communities transitioning from oil-dependent electricity systems to renewable microgrids. It identifies the drivers of change, technical and administrative challenges, and lessons learned to provide a roadmap for other isolated communities seeking to reduce costs and oil dependence through wind, solar, hydro, and energy storage.

This report by Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific outlines the need to transform Asia's economic and political systems to address the dual crises of inequality and climate change. It advocates for the 'scaling up' of community-led, sustainable solutions and provides a ten-point set of recommendations for regional governments and institutions to ensure public service access, corporate accountability, and a transition to 100% renewable energy.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International announcing and celebrating the decision of the Uruguayan government to withdraw from the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations following a successful public mobilization campaign.

This policy brief examines the alignment of Africa's maritime ambitions, specifically the African Union's 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIM Strategy), with the regional efforts of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). It highlights the challenges of institutional fragmentation and the need for improved communication and coordination to realize the economic and environmental potential of the Blue Economy.