Search Climate Insights Directory

The report analyzes agricultural transformation across 117 countries from 1970 to 2015, identifying six phases of transformation and five structural contexts based on land fertility, availability, and population dynamics. It argues that successful transformation requires a tailored mix of 'push' strategies (increasing agricultural productivity) or 'pull' strategies (growing non-agricultural sectors), depending on a country's endowments. Key drivers of success include removing 'anti-agricultural bias' in price policies, strategic public investment in R&D and extension services, and critical institutional reforms such as land redistribution. The report provides specific policy recommendations for 13 focus countries in Africa and Asia, matching them with historically successful 'analogue' countries based on their 2015 structural contexts.

The SAVi assessment evaluates four restoration scenarios for South-West Beira Lake in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It finds that upgrading wastewater treatment facilities is the most cost-effective intervention, as it addresses nutrient inflow and eutrophication. The most significant economic gains are achieved by combining wastewater upgrades with dredging, which is projected to increase surrounding property values by USD 43 million and recreational spending by USD 19.5 million between 2020 and 2025.

The author contends that investment facilitation is too complex for the WTO's rule-making framework and should instead be handled through technical assistance and capacity building. This position is supported by a workshop with Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states, where participants rejected international legal obligations in favor of national, regional, and multilateral support for informed decision-making and the assessment of investment proposals.

The document examines how countries align their NAPs and NDCs under the Paris Agreement as a foundation for broader alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction to achieve climate-resilient development.

The document examines how India's off-grid solar pump policies interact with water, energy, and food systems. It finds that many policies fail to account for these complex interactions, which can limit effectiveness or undermine goals in other sectors. The paper specifically maps policies at the Central Government level and in the states of Bihar and Rajasthan, recommending that solar pump policies be coordinated with groundwater sustainability efforts and that the PM-KUSUM scheme be carefully monitored.

The document estimates that installing SOx, NOx, and PM pollution-control technology in India's coal power plants will cost up to INR 86,135 crore (USD 12 billion), potentially increasing electricity tariffs by 9–21 per cent. It argues that the Ministry of Power must enforce strict compliance to ensure air pollution externalities are reflected in power prices and to prevent non-compliant plants from continuing operations without a phase-out plan.

The IISD argues that Canada's current draft framework for assessing non-tax fossil fuel subsidies is too restrictive and lacks transparency. It recommends adopting the World Trade Organization (WTO) definition of subsidies, removing qualifiers like 'specificity' and 'normality', and aligning the 'inefficiency' criteria with Canada's Paris Agreement commitments. The document emphasizes the need for full public disclosure of subsidy data, coordination with Finance Canada on tax-related measures, and the inclusion of provincial and territorial jurisdictions to meet the G7's 2025 phase-out deadline.

The document estimates that installing pollution-control technology for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) in India's coal fleet requires between INR 73,176 crore and INR 86,135 crore. This investment is expected to increase electricity tariffs by 9% to 21%, with the highest impact on 500 MW units. The report highlights significant barriers to meeting the December 2022 compliance deadline, including high upfront costs, financial stress among distribution companies, and a lack of technical experience. It recommends that costs be passed to consumers to reflect externalities, that the poorest be protected via targeted subsidies, and that continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) data be made public to ensure transparency.

The report evaluates four scenarios for the restoration of South-West Beira Lake in Colombo: business-as-usual (BAU), wastewater treatment upgrades, dredging of lake deposits, and a combined approach. The analysis finds that while dredging alone provides limited benefits, upgrading wastewater treatment offers the highest benefit-to-cost ratio (39.67). The combined scenario of wastewater treatment and dredging produces the greatest absolute economic gains, increasing property values by over USD 43 million and recreational spending by USD 19.5 million by 2025. The document recommends recognizing the lake as a tangible capital asset to facilitate blended financing solutions involving public authorities and private investors.

The report examines the drivers and impacts of off-grid solar pump deployment in India, highlighting how low recurring costs can lead to groundwater over-extraction. It maps policies across the water-energy-food nexus, finding that while solar support is strong, groundwater management is relatively under-resourced and often lacks formal integration with energy and food policies.

The report details IISD's Bioeconomy project (2017-2019) focusing on harvesting unconventional biomass from water retention sites and roadside ditches in Manitoba. It argues that this practice removes phosphorus to protect Lake Winnipeg, improves habitat health, and provides a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels or a means of soil carbon sequestration. The document analyzes harvesting methods, the shift from bioenergy to livestock bedding and compost, and evaluates global and North American carbon market verification methodologies to identify frameworks suitable for these watershed management activities.

Ontario provides nearly CAD 700 million annually in public subsidies for fossil fuel consumption, with the largest portions consisting of tax exemptions for aviation, rail, and agricultural fuels, as well as direct spending on natural gas expansion. The report argues these subsidies represent foregone revenue and encourage pollution, recommending a transparent self-review, a phase-out action plan, and strict guidelines for any new subsidies to facilitate a transition to a clean economy.

The document highlights a disparity in India's energy transition funding, noting that fuel price cuts for gasoline and diesel between October 2018 and June 2019 cost the government significantly more than the budget for its flagship electric vehicle program.

The paper finds that removing fossil fuel subsidies across 26 modeled countries leads to an average 6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which increases to 13.2% if combined with a 10% energy tax and reinvestment in renewables and energy efficiency. Globally, the removal of these subsidies is estimated to reduce emissions by 6.4% to 8.2% by 2050. The study highlights that governments save an average of USD 93 for every tonne of CO2e removed through subsidy reform, with total cumulative fiscal savings across the 26 countries reaching USD 2.56 trillion by 2030.

The document analyzes the fiscal dynamics of fossil fuels in Mexico, noting a decline in extraction revenues and an increase in consumption revenues. It argues for a cost-benefit analysis of continued fossil fuel reliance versus renewable alternatives and calls for increased transparency in hydrocarbon and coal revenues. The report warns against regressive generalized subsidies and highlights the tension between the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador's goal to increase oil extraction for energy security and the resulting environmental and social challenges.

In 2018/19, Ontario provided nearly CAD 700 million in public subsidies for fossil fuel consumption, primarily through tax exemptions for aviation, rail, and agriculture, and spending on natural gas expansion. The report argues that these subsidies represent foregone revenue that could be redirected toward education, healthcare, and job training, while hindering the transition to a clean economy. It recommends that Ontario undertake a transparent self-review of all fossil fuel subsidies, develop a phase-out action plan, and establish guidelines to prevent new subsidies that are inconsistent with a low-carbon economy.

Indonesia is currently off target for its 2025 renewable energy goals, with installed capacity at 9.4 GW by the end of 2018, failing to meet the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources' target of 15.5 GW. The report identifies a 'trilemma' where the government struggles to simultaneously keep electricity tariffs low, maintain low subsidy costs, and meet renewable targets. To address this, the authors recommend a moratorium on new coal plants, a massive scale-up of rooftop solar, a shift from biofuels to bioenergy, and a revamp of the pricing mechanism to reflect full economic costs rather than just the local average generation cost (BPP).

The report analyzes how China and India are tackling coal-driven air pollution through stricter emission standards, renewable energy subsidies, and improved air quality monitoring, contrasting these efforts with Indonesia's current policy landscape. It highlights that while China and India are shifting toward renewables and implementing rigorous coal plant standards, Indonesia continues to expand its coal capacity and maintains more lenient emission limits and scarce air quality data.

The document details recent Indian government interventions in the energy sector, including a reduction in fuel excise duties to counter high oil prices and the launch of significant funding for solar power and electric vehicles. It also addresses the financial distress of electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) and the legal rulings regarding stressed coal-fired power plants.

The document analyzes the tension between India's push for electric vehicle (EV) adoption and its continued support for fossil fuels. While the government has significantly increased EV funding through the FAME II scheme, it simultaneously provided substantial price support for petrol and diesel in 2018-2019 to counter rising oil prices. The authors argue that these fuel subsidies undermine the energy transition and that the environmental benefits of EVs will only be fully realized as India decarbonizes its coal-heavy electricity grid.