Search Climate Insights Directory

This guide, developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development in collaboration with Indigenous organizations and Global Affairs Canada, provides principles and actions for ethically engaging Indigenous Knowledge Holders in nature and climate initiatives. It emphasizes a rights-based approach, the necessity of free, prior, and informed consent, and the importance of building long-term, reciprocal relationships to avoid colonial extractive patterns of knowledge acquisition.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how climate change is reducing the quantity and quality of sparkling wine globally. It details the impact of extreme weather on yields and pricing in key regions like France, Spain, and Italy, the chemical changes in grapes that alter flavor profiles, and the risks to agricultural workers. The document also discusses the limitations and costs of adaptation measures, noting that traditional wine-growing regions face a high risk of becoming unsuitable if global temperatures rise by 2°C or more.

The report 'The EV leapfrog' by Ember analyzes global electric vehicle (EV) trends in 2025, highlighting how emerging markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America are rapidly increasing EV adoption and overtaking advanced economies like the US and Japan in sales shares.

This executive summary from the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the climate transition progress of 594 pension funds in OECD countries, representing USD 22.5 trillion in assets. Using the Net Zero Finance Tracker (NZFT), the report evaluates these funds across targets, implementation, and impact, highlighting a trend of increasing climate target adoption and improved risk management, while noting a persistent material exposure to fossil fuel expansion.

This research paper examines the intersection of international trade regulations and Africa's ambitions for green technology and industrialisation. It specifically analyzes the potential impacts of the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and US tariffs, arguing that while these measures could theoretically drive demand for renewables, they are more likely to create fiscal constraints and hinder the continent's ability to invest in green R&D. The author advocates for a coordinated African response through the UNFCCC, the WTO, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to secure technology transfer and affordable finance.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the systemic lack of transparency and consistency in reporting oil accidents across the Americas. It highlights that while the region contains three of the world's largest oil producers and consumers, most nations fail to provide open, updated datasets, hindering risk assessment for future drilling and environmental governance.

The NewClimate Institute's 2025 update evaluates the progress of 25 major emitters, representing over 80% of global emissions, toward their climate mitigation targets. The report finds that while total emissions under current policies may peak by 2026, the projected reductions are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal, which requires a 43% reduction by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the intersection of international trade and climate policy ahead of COP 30. It focuses on the use of trade tools—such as border carbon adjustments, green subsidies, and deforestation-free import rules—to advance climate goals while highlighting the risks of market fragmentation and the potential for these measures to deepen inequities between developed and emerging economies.

This report, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in collaboration with the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), provides a comprehensive compilation of decisions, mandates, and conclusions adopted by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that reference Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge up to 2025.

The 'Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2025: EMDE Spotlight' fact sheet analyzes climate finance flows to emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It reports that while total climate finance to these 157 countries surpassed USD 1 trillion in 2023, there remains a significant gap compared to the estimated USD 4 trillion required annually by 2030. The document highlights the dominance of China in overall flows, the growth of domestic private financing in emerging markets, and the persistent underfunding of adaptation and hard-to-abate sectors.

The Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2025 summary handout reports that global climate finance reached a record USD 1.9 trillion in 2023, driven largely by private sector growth. Despite this increase, a significant gap remains between current flows and the investment needed to meet global climate goals, with mitigation finance dominating the landscape while adaptation finance saw a decline in 2023.

This guide provides a structured framework for governments to develop and implement national or subnational fossil fuel subsidy (FFS) phase-out plans. It advocates for a whole-of-government approach to coordinate across ministries and proposes a three-category classification system to prioritize subsidies based on their risk to energy security, social stability, and political feasibility. The framework aims to move governments from general commitments to actionable, time-bound implementation roadmaps.

This report provides a comparative analysis of global electricity tariff-setting methodologies, focusing on the process of determining revenue requirements and conducting Cost of Supply (CoS) studies. It examines various regulatory models—including rate-of-return, incentive-based, performance-based, and market-based pricing—and evaluates their effectiveness in balancing financial sustainability for utilities with affordability for consumers. The document concludes with specific recommendations for South Africa to modernize its tariff structures and revenue determination processes as it transitions toward a wholesale electricity market.

This report by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the systemic lack of transparency and consistency in reporting oil-related accidents across the Americas. It highlights that while Brazil, Canada, and the United States are the only countries with regularly updated open databases, these records still contain significant gaps regarding ecological damage, human casualties, and responsible parties. The document emphasizes that this data scarcity obscures the true gravity of industrial risks, particularly in ecologically sensitive regions like the Amazon.

This briefing from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) provides a financial update for the period of July to October 2025, detailing party contributions and operational expenditures for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

This report by Ember, developed for the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA), provides a comprehensive analysis of global offshore wind targets across national, subnational, and regional levels. It examines current ambitions, deployment projections for 2030, and the potential for expansion in countries without existing targets, while highlighting the gap between political ambitions and projected delivery.

In the first half of 2025, global solar and wind generation grew sufficiently to exceed total electricity demand growth, resulting in renewables overtaking coal in the global electricity mix for the first time. While global power sector CO2 emissions fell marginally by 0.2%, results varied by region, with emissions decreasing in China and India but increasing in the US and EU.

The report 'Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025' by Ember analyzes global electricity generation from January to June 2025. It finds that solar and wind growth exceeded global demand growth, leading to renewables overtaking coal's share in the global electricity mix for the first time on record and causing power sector CO2 emissions to plateau.

This research paper by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines how the United States can reduce its heavy reliance on critical mineral imports through circular economy strategies, specifically focusing on recycling and secondary recovery from waste streams like acid mine drainage and phosphate fertilizer byproducts.

This research paper by RMI proposes the establishment of a government-led Advance Market Commitment (AMC) to scale carbon removal technologies. It argues that current voluntary and compliance markets are insufficient to meet the gigaton-scale requirements needed by midcentury and provides a framework for governments to coordinate demand, harmonize standards, and catalyze private investment to bridge the funding and deployment gap.