Search Climate Insights Directory

The Sustainable Agriculture Finance Facility (SAFF) is a specialized credit vehicle designed to increase the adoption of integrated crop-livestock-forest (ICLF) systems in Brazil to help meet national climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Ferrogrão (EF-170) railroad is a proposed 930 km project in Brazil designed to reduce soy export costs and emissions, but it faces significant environmental risks and legal challenges due to its path through the Amazon rainforest. Despite a potential delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project remains a priority for government-led economic recovery, even as global investment trends shift toward stricter sustainable standards.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) explains its decision to adopt the term "dirty finance" to describe investments that damage the environment and contribute to climate change, replacing the term "brown finance" due to its offensive connotations for people of color.

This report introduces a methodology and framework for a desktop-based assessment of the productivity of green bonds in China, aiming to help investors and policymakers evaluate the mission impact of these instruments to inform future guidelines and market structures.

This executive summary by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the planning, governance, and environmental risks of the EF-170 railway (Ferrogrão) in Brazil. The document identifies significant fragilities in the project's economic modeling, socio-environmental assessments, and administrative transparency, warning that without mitigation, the project could induce substantial deforestation in Mato Grosso.

This report summarizes discussions on the Government of India's economic recovery package announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It analyzes the package's composition, its focus on supply-side measures, and provides specific recommendations for 'greening' the stimulus to align economic recovery with environmental sustainability and climate goals.

This technical note by Climate Policy Initiative analyzes 56 bills in the Brazilian Congress that seek to modify the 2012 Forest Code. It highlights seven bills that could significantly reduce native vegetation protection, grant amnesty for illegal deforestation, or disrupt the implementation of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and Environmental Regularization Programs (PRA). The document warns against 'jabuti' amendments and urges public monitoring of the legislative process to prevent environmental setbacks.

This briefing proposes the creation of Solar Investment Trusts (SEITs) as a mechanism to overcome financing barriers for small-scale industrial and commercial rooftop solar developers in India. By structuring SEITs as Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) under SEBI guidelines, the model aims to lower the cost of equity, increase capital mobilization, and enable capital recycling to help India reach its rooftop solar capacity targets.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the development of green banking in China, highlighting the role of the 'Big Four' state-owned banks and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). It analyzes the growth of green credit portfolios, the effectiveness of top-down policy incentives from the People's Bank of China (PBoC), and the financial performance of green loans compared to traditional loans. The document also identifies systemic barriers to scaling green finance, including insufficient risk modeling and the perceived trade-off between green investment and short-term profitability.

This research paper, developed under the Leadership for Urban Climate investment (LUCI) initiative, examines how National Development Banks (NDBs) can accelerate investment in climate-smart urban infrastructure to avoid unsustainable infrastructure lock-in and enhance city resilience.

The Climate Policy Initiative describes a proposed loan product delivered via a non-banking financial company (NBFC) to enable auto-rickshaw drivers in India to transition from renting conventional vehicles to owning electric ones.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the design and implementation risks of a pilot energy efficiency (EE) auction proposed by the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL) for the city of Boa Vista, Roraima. The study identifies risks related to the auction format, the measurement and verification (M&V) methodology, and the misalignment of incentives for energy distributors.

This report examines the growth of green banking in China, noting that while the 'Big Four' banks are major global funders of fossil fuels, there is a significant shift toward green finance driven by top-down government policy. Key findings include that green loans have lower non-performing loan rates (0.42%) than overall credit (1.83%) and that the PBoC uses monetary tools like the SLF and MLF to incentivize green lending. A case study of ICBC shows a green loan portfolio of 199 billion USD and leadership in 'Belt and Road' green bonds, though green activities remain a small fraction of its total balance sheet.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the design and implementation risks of a pilot energy efficiency (EE) auction proposed by the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL) for the city of Boa Vista, Roraima. The analysis identifies risks related to the auction format, the measurement and verification (M&V) methodology, and the misalignment of incentives for electricity distributors.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio argues for the improvement of how the 'area of influence' (the territory where environmental and socioeconomic impacts occur) is defined and delimited for land transport infrastructure projects in Brazil. The authors highlight a lack of methodological transparency and consistency between different governmental bodies and study phases, proposing a shift from simple distance-based metrics to a more comprehensive approach that includes economic dynamics.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the air conditioning (AC) sector in Brazil, focusing on the impact of the Zona Franca de Manaus (ZFM) industrial policy. It argues that current tax incentives and the Basic Productive Process (PPB) requirements hinder energy and productive efficiency, leading to products with outdated technology and a deterioration in production indicators between 2003 and 2015.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the air conditioning (AC) sector in Brazil, specifically the impact of the Manaus Free Trade Zone (ZFM) industrial policy. It finds that despite significant tax incentives, the sector has experienced declines in productive and energy efficiency between 2003 and 2015, lagging behind international peers and the broader Brazilian manufacturing industry. The authors argue that the Basic Production Process (PPB) requirements create distortions and hinder the adoption of efficient technologies, such as inverter compressors, and recommend aligning industrial policy with energy efficiency standards.

This report analyzes the impact of the Zona Franca de Manaus (ZFM) industrial policy on the energy and productive efficiency of the air conditioning (AC) sector in Brazil. It finds that despite significant tax incentives, the sector has experienced a deterioration in efficiency between 2003 and 2015, partly due to restrictive Basic Productive Process (PPB) rules that favor outdated domestic compressor technology over more efficient international alternatives.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the instruments and public policies used for agricultural risk management in Brazil. It examines the strengths and failures of current systems, including insurance programs and price guarantees, and provides recommendations to improve efficiency and sustainability in the face of climate change.

The report evaluates agricultural risk management in Brazil, finding that while the insurance market has grown, it remains highly concentrated and underfunded compared to rural credit. It highlights that nearly 60% of municipalities lack insurance and suggests redirecting public funds from credit to insurance and expanding the use of Agricultural Climate Risk Zoning (ZARC) to improve productivity and land use.