Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief analyzes the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (ECA) and Chapter 24 of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), evaluating how they replace the environmental frameworks of NAFTA. The author examines the role of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), changes to dispute settlement, and new definitions regarding trade and environmental enforcement.

This fact sheet details a CAD 500 million green bond issued by Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp on January 25, 2019, to fund renewable energy and storage projects.

This report, produced by the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), serves as a compilation of decisions and conclusions adopted by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that reference Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge. Updated to reflect the outcomes of the Katowice Climate Conference (COP-24), the document outlines the legal framework provided by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and tracks the increasing integration of Indigenous rights and knowledge into climate policies, specifically highlighting the establishment of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) issued a position statement in December 2018 detailing the health, environmental, and social risks associated with hydraulic fracturing. The organization calls for a complete ban on new hydraulic fracturing projects and a halt to all fossil fuel exploration and extraction in Quebec.

This article summarizes the Tropospheric Ozone Assessment Report (TOAR-Vegetation), which analyzes ozone distribution and trends across over 3,300 vegetated sites globally using three specific metrics (M12, AOT40, and W126) to assess impacts on vegetation.

ACS SE issued a EUR750m green bond on 20-Apr-2018, the first of its kind for a Spanish infrastructure company. The funds are primarily allocated to renewable energy (59%), energy distribution (20%), water management (12%), and lighting upgrades (9%), with projects located in North America, South America, Asia, and Africa.

This report by WWF South Africa examines the business case for adopting solar thermal technologies in the South African food and beverage industries to replace non-renewable heat sources. It highlights the potential for significant greenhouse gas reductions, job creation in manufacturing and installation, and financial viability for most fuel replacements other than coal.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies provides a comprehensive overview of the legal and policy frameworks governing migration in Africa. It details the roles of the African Union (AU), various Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and partnerships with the European Union (EU) in managing refugees, internally displaced persons, labour migration, and the fight against human trafficking and smuggling.

This case study examines the state of e-commerce in South Africa as of 2017, analyzing its scale, regulatory environment, and potential for economic inclusion. It highlights a growing market dominated by a few key players and a legislative framework primarily governed by the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 2002. The document identifies significant supply-side infrastructure gaps and demand-side trust issues as primary barriers to growth, while suggesting that e-commerce could be a vital tool for the empowerment of women and the poor.

This fact sheet describes the role of the U.S. Farm Bill in promoting voluntary on-farm conservation practices to address agricultural pollution, improve soil health, and sequester carbon. It details specific conservation techniques—such as cover cropping, no-till operations, and intercropping—and outlines the primary funding programs managed by the USDA under the 2014 Farm Bill.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) details the role of the U.S. Farm Bill in promoting on-farm conservation practices. It examines specific conservation tools—such as cover crops, no-till operations, and intercropping—and outlines the funding and objectives of the 2014 Farm Bill's Conservation Title (Title II), including its primary programs: EQIP, ACEP, CRP, and CSP.

The 2017 Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Global Tracking Framework, co-led by the World Bank and the International Energy Agency (IEA), assesses global progress toward 2030 sustainable energy goals. The report concludes that the world is not on track to meet its objectives for universal energy access, doubling the share of renewables, and doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvement, although some individual countries show significant progress.

This 2017 report by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) maps the global landscape of initiatives integrating gender equality, social inclusion, and women's empowerment within the sustainable energy and climate change sectors. Based on data from 174 organizations across 45 countries, the report identifies regional priorities, funding trends, and systemic barriers to achieving universal energy access.

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 research paper examines the concept of 'cascading' woody biomass, focusing on the principle that material use of wood should be prioritized over energy use, particularly within the European Union. It analyzes the terminology, policy implementation, and potential risks to international bioenergy markets, concluding that without harmonized rules, such policies may lead to regulatory loopholes and legislative complexity.

This fact sheet provides an overview of fuel cell technology, detailing its operational mechanisms, various types, and its comparative advantages over internal combustion engines and batteries. It examines the technical and economic barriers to widespread adoption—specifically cost, hydrogen production, and infrastructure—while outlining current applications in portable, stationary, and transportation sectors. The document also analyzes the role of U.S. federal and state policies, including Department of Energy (DOE) initiatives and state-level incentives, in driving the commercialization and deployment of fuel cells.

This research paper evaluates ozone dry deposition fluxes across an ensemble of 15 global-scale chemistry-climate models, comparing model outputs to observations in Europe and North America to identify discrepancies driven by land cover.

This report documents the 2015 Climate Knowledge Brokers (CKB) Group workshop held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event focused on road-testing a new CKB Manifesto, analyzing diverse user needs for climate information, and discussing the future of the network's collaborative efforts to create a 'Climate Knowledge Grid'.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) maps trade-related elements within the draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Financing for Development (FfD) outcome document. It proposes a three-level architecture for follow-up and review—national, regional, and global—to ensure that trade policies are coherent with sustainable development objectives. The authors argue that because trade's contribution to the post-2015 Agenda is diffuse, a coordinated review process involving existing multilateral and regional mechanisms is essential to facilitate learning and policy improvement.

The 2015 Green Bond Market Update reports a diversifying market with significant growth in emerging markets like India and China. In 2015, corporate issuers grew to 36% of the market, and November 2015 marked a record $7.4 billion in issuance. The majority of funds are allocated to renewable energy (45.8%) and energy efficiency (19.6%).