Search Climate Insights Directory

This guide provides an overview of how countries are incorporating transparency provisions into investor-state dispute settlement processes to address the historical lack of public access to information regarding arbitration disputes.

In a speech delivered on November 10, 2011, at the South African Institute of International Affairs, French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Alain Juppé discussed the necessity of a new global governance framework that integrates Africa's emerging influence. He outlined four primary shared challenges—economic crisis, development, security, and the environment—and advocated for the reform of the UN Security Council and the creation of a World Environment Organisation to better reflect current global realities.

This policy brief examines the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, launched in 2009 to establish India as a global leader in solar energy and make solar power affordable by 2022. It analyzes the Mission's three-phase implementation strategy, focusing on grid-connected projects, off-grid applications for rural populations, and the development of domestic manufacturing and R&D. The document highlights the tension between using competitive bidding to lower tariffs and the risk of attracting inexperienced developers, while also critiquing the Mission's limited focus on the most energy-poor citizens and the lack of mandatory environmental impact assessments.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the trade-related obstacles preventing the inclusion of agriculture as a sectoral approach to mitigation within international climate change negotiations. It highlights the tension between developed nations' desire for a work program and developing nations' fears that agreed-upon 'good practice' standards could be used as unilateral trade barriers, while also addressing concerns regarding food security and market-based mechanisms.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the competitiveness challenges and carbon leakage risks facing the mining and metals industry due to diverse global carbon pricing policies. It discusses policy mechanisms to mitigate these risks, such as free allowances and border carbon adjustments, while emphasizing the industry's strategic role in providing materials necessary for low-carbon infrastructure.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) analyzes the potential implications for South Africa if the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Doha Development Agenda (DDA) were to reach a conclusion. It examines the political economy of the negotiations, focusing on the 'market access agenda' across three core areas: agriculture, non-agricultural market access (NAMA), and services. The authors argue that because the 'exchange rate' between NAMA and agriculture favors developed nations, South Africa's best strategy for a successful outcome would be to preserve its NAMA carve-out and seek greater agricultural liberalisation from developed countries, while offering more concessions in the services sector, specifically in telecommunications, transport, and energy.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates the current state of climate economics, arguing that economic modeling has lagged behind climate science. The authors advocate for a precautionary, standards-based approach to policy—such as maintaining a 2°C warming limit—rather than relying on traditional cost-benefit frameworks that often underestimate catastrophic risks and the importance of future generations.

The Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL) is a tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute to calculate net climate impacts for individuals rather than regional averages. By comparing climate damages against the savings gained from not investing in emission reductions, CIEL demonstrates that while some individuals are currently 'net winners,' the vast majority of the global population will become 'net losers' by 2100 and 2150 as damages outpace savings.

This report documents a policy dialogue held in Johannesburg on 12 October 2011, co-organized by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM). The meeting examined how the entry of emerging powers—specifically China, India, and Brazil (CIB)—affects Africa's relations with the European Union (EU) and other traditional partners, focusing on development strategies, triangular cooperation, natural resource management, and regional infrastructure.

This research paper examines the evolving role of African nations in international affairs following the Cold War, noting a shift from being passive objects of foreign policy to gaining relevance through multilateralism and consensus-based decision-making, despite continued financial dependency.

This report by Friends of the Earth International (ATI) details global campaigns to defend community rights against corporate interests and neoliberal paradigms. It highlights various case studies where local and indigenous communities have resisted extractive industries, such as mining in Costa Rica and the Philippines, oil exploitation in Nigeria, and tar sands in Canada and the US, while promoting alternatives like community forest governance and food sovereignty.

This workshop report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the technical challenges of implementing nodal pricing in European power markets to facilitate the integration of intermittent renewable energy. It compares the European approach, including the EU Target Model, with the experience of US Independent System Operators (ISOs) and PJM, focusing on the conflicts between market flexibility and system security, the integration of energy and reserve markets, and the use of shadow prices to inform grid investment.

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute explains the mechanics, energy sources, and benefits of district energy systems, which provide centralized heating and cooling to multiple buildings via underground pipe networks.

This research paper examines the role of Industrial Development Zones (IDZs) and special trade zones in attracting investment and stimulating exports, comparing South Africa's approach with that of major global trading partners and providing recommendations for further incentives to attract foreign direct investment.

This 2011 commentary evaluates the 2008 Austrian Model Investment Treaty, noting its efforts to modernize by including sustainable development goals and carve-outs for public welfare regulations. However, it warns that the treaty remains overly broad in its investor protections, lacks transparency in dispute settlement, and fails to impose enforceable obligations on investors or home states.

This research paper analyzes the marginalization of the African Union (AU) during the 2011 Libyan crisis, arguing that the organization lost a critical opportunity to lead the peace process due to a lack of diplomatic escalation, insufficient political will, and the prioritization of Western and Arab League interests under UN Resolution 1973.

This policy brief analyzes the potential economic risks to South African exporters if the United States and European Union implement Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs). Using 2009 trade data and a hypothetical carbon price of US$20/tonne, the report estimates significant annual charges for South African exports, particularly in the non-ferrous metals and iron and steel sectors.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) reviews information instruments designed to promote energy efficiency retrofits in the residential building stock, with a primary focus on Germany and supporting evidence from international case studies. The document categorizes these tools based on the stage of the homeowner's decision-making process: moving uninterested households toward consideration, assisting those in the planning phase, and training the professionals who implement the retrofits.

China is the world's largest producer, consumer, and exporter of seafood. While its aquatic trading system is strong in aquaculture scale and adaptive supply chains, it faces sustainability challenges regarding traceability, coral reef fish imports, and aquaculture practices. The report examines the economic impact on livelihoods and the potential limits of growth in harvesting and aquaculture.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative evaluates the potential for tax incentives to support thermal retrofits in Germany, comparing them with existing KfW loan and grant programs and international experiences from Italy, the Netherlands, and the United States.