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The document examines the impact of the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak on Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Sierra Leone, finding that energy sector financing declined sharply as funds were redirected to emergency health responses. It argues that the interlinkages between energy access (SDG7) and healthcare (SDG3) must be recognized to avoid repeating these mistakes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief recommends integrated planning, increased public-private cooperation, and the use of renewable energy for economic recovery.

The report highlights a critical gap in Brazil's Feasibility Studies (EVTEA) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), which often ignore indirect environmental effects of transportation projects. Using a 'market access' approach, the authors demonstrate that infrastructure improvements can drive deforestation far from the project site by reducing freight costs and incentivizing agricultural expansion. For example, while the Ferrogrão railroad may reduce direct carbon emissions, its indirect impact is estimated to increase deforestation by 2,000 km², releasing over 60 million tCOe. The report recommends that policymakers use geoprocessing and statistical tools to identify these broader areas of influence to ensure sustainable infrastructure development.

The whitepaper highlights a critical gap in how Brazil assesses the environmental impact of transport infrastructure, specifically the failure of Technical, Economic, and Environmental Feasibility Studies (EVTEA) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) to account for indirect effects. It proposes a 'market access' approach, combining geoprocessing and statistical analysis, to quantify how reduced transport costs induce agricultural expansion and deforestation far from the actual project site. Using the Ferrogrão railroad as an example, the authors demonstrate that indirect carbon costs can vastly outweigh direct emissions reductions. The document recommends that EVTEAs and EIAs adopt robust methodologies to identify both direct and indirect areas of influence to ensure sustainable infrastructure development.

The report details the operational framework for mapping green finance in India, focusing exclusively on mitigation activities. It defines the scope of 'green finance' to include climate finance and environmental objectives like resource conservation, while explicitly excluding adaptation, biodiversity, and pollution abatement. The methodology describes the classification of sources (public, private, and international), the identification of financial instruments (grants, loans, and equity), and the sectoral coverage spanning power generation, energy efficiency, and sustainable transportation. It specifies the data sources used, including Union and State budgets, OECD databases, BNEF, and reports from Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

The Sustainable Agriculture Finance Facility (SAFF) is a ten-year revolving credit facility in Brazil designed to overcome low adoption rates of integrated crop-livestock-forest (ICLF) systems. By providing bundled loans tailored to ICLF risk and cash flow profiles, alongside a unique certification system and technical assistance, SAFF aims to mobilize significant capital for sustainable land use. The pilot phase targets USD 68 million for 90,000 hectares in the Center-South region, with the potential to scale to USD 1.4 billion over ten years, contributing to Brazil's goal of implementing five million hectares of ICLF by 2030.

The Ferrogrão (EF-170) project is a proposed 930 km railroad designed to lower soy export costs from Mato Grosso by routing cargo through the Amazon rainforest to the Miritituba terminal. While intended to reduce carbon emissions, the project faces significant socio-environmental challenges, including a 2017 proposal to withdraw public access from BR-163/MT/PA that would have impacted nearly one million hectares of forests in conservation units. Despite legal challenges to environmental studies and public consultations between 2017 and 2018, the project's concession model was approved in July 2020. The analysis highlights a tension between the Brazilian government's push for infrastructure-led economic recovery and a global trend toward more rigid, sustainable socio-environmental investment standards, which are increasingly viewed by investors as a means to reduce financial risk.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) has transitioned from using the term "brown finance" to "dirty finance" to describe investments that damage the environment. This change follows feedback that "brown" can be offensive to people of color, particularly given the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities. While CPI acknowledges that "dirty finance" may not be a perfect term and will continue to use technical language like "high-emissions finance" in formal documents, it believes "dirty finance" provides the strongest and most inclusive signal for general communications.

The report analyzes green finance in India for FY 2017-2018, finding that average annual flows of USD 19 billion are insufficient to meet national climate goals, representing only about 10% of the total requirement. Domestic private investors are the largest contributors, primarily funding renewable energy, while international public finance focuses heavily on sustainable transportation and solar projects. The study highlights a critical need for a harmonized green finance taxonomy and an integrated measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system to address significant data gaps and transparency issues.

The report outlines a framework to evaluate whether green bonds in China provide real environmental impact and better financing terms compared to alternatives, noting that China's domestic green bond market grew from US$29 billion in 2016 to US$98 billion by April 2019.

The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzed the Ferrogrão railway project, finding significant gaps in its economic planning, socio-environmental governance, and risk assessment. The project, intended to lower soy export costs from Mato Grosso, faces risks of inducing 2,043 km² of deforestation. The analysis highlights a lack of transparency and a failure to align the project's technical studies with international socio-environmental standards.

The document analyzes the Government of India's economic recovery package (~INR 20.90 lakh crore), arguing that it is primarily supply-side focused and largely 'sector-neutral' or 'brown', with only about 1.5% directly supporting green projects. It proposes specific modifications to existing fiscal and monetary measures—such as credit guarantees for MSME solar adoption, prioritizing renewable energy (RE) payments in DISCOM liquidity support, and greening the MGNREGA scheme—to generate immediate employment while advancing India's decarbonization goals.

The briefing identifies 56 bills attempting to modify Brazil's Forest Code, highlighting seven that pose significant risks to native vegetation. These proposals include allowing exotic fruit trees in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP), permitting livestock grazing in Legal Reserves, and reducing Legal Reserve percentages in the Legal Amazon. The document also explains the legislative process and digital tools for public participation to help society monitor and oppose these environmental setbacks.

The document investigates how Karnataka can manage its increasing flexibility needs—driven by high solar and wind capacity—through a portfolio of demand-side measures, energy storage, and powerplant operational changes. It argues that a balanced portfolio of these options can reduce system costs by up to 10% and carbon emissions by up to 35% by 2030, potentially making new coal capacity redundant. Key recommendations include amending grid codes to allow cost recovery for flexible thermal operations, completing agricultural feeder separation, and developing a 'data mission' to support locational pricing and market design.

The report finds that tracked green finance in India averaged INR 124 thousand crores (USD 19 billion) per year for FY 2017-2018, representing only about 10% of the estimated annual requirement for climate action. Domestic private finance was the largest contributor, with the vast majority of funds flowing into renewable energy, specifically solar and wind power. While public finance increased due to government initiatives and the role of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), the report highlights significant data gaps and the need for a standardized green finance taxonomy and a national measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system to scale investments.

The Sub-national Climate Finance Initiative (SnCF) is designed as a blended finance private equity fund paired with a grant-funded Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) to support mid-sized sustainable infrastructure in developing countries. The Fund targets a total raise of USD 750 million, consisting of a USD 150 million concessional tranche and USD 600 million in commercial capital, aiming to invest in sustainable energy, waste and sanitation, and nature-based solutions. The TAF, targeting USD 28 million, focuses on project preparation, impact certification via Gold Standard, and local government capacity building. The initiative aims to mobilize up to USD 3.8 billion in total finance, with a target of 35-50 projects across up to 20 countries. Key target markets identified include Chile, South Africa, North Macedonia, Mexico, and Jordan. The Fund projects a net IRR of 9.4% for commercial investors and 5.4% for the concessional tranche, with a goal to avoid 77 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over the infrastructure lifetime.

The briefing argues that India's rooftop solar sector faces significant investment barriers, including a lack of scale for debt financing and limited investor entry/exit options. It proposes Solar Investment Trusts (SEITs) as a vehicle to pool projects, diversify risk, and ensure transparency through SEBI regulation. The author estimates that SEITs could mobilize over USD 1 billion for rooftop solar within five years and reduce the cost of equity by 350-400 basis points, ultimately lowering the levelized cost of energy and increasing solar adoption.

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 'Financing for Low-Carbon Auto-Rickshaws' instrument is a loan product delivered via a non-banking financial company (NBFC) to facilitate the transition from conventional to electric auto-rickshaws in India. It addresses barriers to ownership by providing 100% debt financing, removing collateral requirements, and offering lower interest rates. The model utilizes a community-driven collection system to reduce default risks and pools equity, debt, and concessional capital to lower borrowing costs. The initiative aims to reduce annual carbon emissions by over 22 million tonnes and significantly increase driver incomes compared to renting.

The report evaluates a pilot energy efficiency auction proposed by ANEEL for Boa Vista, Roraima. It identifies five primary risks: the 'winner's curse' due to the closed-envelope bidding format, measurement and verification (M&V) failures, underutilization of EE potential due to treatment group restrictions, lack of incentive for energy distributors to promote rational energy use, and limited external validity for national replication. The authors suggest adopting open second-price auctions and synthetic control methods for M&V to mitigate these risks.