Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing note from the International Institute for Sustainable Development outlines the barriers to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies in international aviation and maritime shipping and provides recommendations for taxation and emissions levies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a level playing field across transport modes.

This report evaluates the economic benefits and carbon sequestration potential of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices, specifically Conservation Agriculture and Integrated Soil Fertility Management, for smallholder farmers in Siaya County, Western Kenya, where subsistence agriculture faces significant soil degradation.

This research paper examines urban transportation challenges in Africa, using South Africa as a primary case study to illustrate the impact of colonial and apartheid legacies on infrastructure. It evaluates the effectiveness of high-cost rail projects versus Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems and the role of informal paratransit, while proposing policy interventions to improve accessibility and safety.

The Collective Benefit Enterprise (BIC) law in Peru, passed in 2021 to certify green organisations, has seen slow progress due to a 2022 political crisis and systemic barriers. A study by Libélula found that minimal awareness, cumbersome legal processes, and high compliance costs have limited the number of certified organisations to 45. The report argues that the Ministry of Production's ID Produce department must lead the initiative's reactivation, supported by academia, NGOs, and financial institutions, while improving government advisory services like 'Tu Empresa' and fostering networks among green SMEs.

The Indonesian government is implementing a series of incentives to accelerate electric vehicle (EV) adoption and establish a domestic manufacturing hub, leveraging its position as the world's largest nickel reserve holder. While these policies have successfully increased EV sales and attracted foreign brands like BYD, they have created market imbalances and conflicting incentives that may undermine long-term goals of local technology transfer and supply chain development.

This study analyzes how taxi and truck drivers in Sweden perceive the impact of electrification, digitalization, and automation on their quality of working life. While drivers see potential for improved safety and performance, they also identify challenges regarding identity and skill requirements. The authors argue that potential injustices regarding reskilling costs and autonomy are driven by institutional and societal arrangements rather than the technology itself, and they advocate for incorporating driver perspectives into policy to ensure a just transition.

Bangkok faces extreme light pollution, with inner city areas reaching the highest level (9) on the Bortle Scale. This artificial illumination disrupts human circadian rhythms—increasing risks of chronic diseases—and interferes with the behavior of nocturnal wildlife. Despite these risks, Thailand's current laws, including the Thailand Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act and the Public Health Act, lack specific provisions to regulate Artificial Light at Night (ALAN). The brief suggests that Bangkok adopt smart lighting and light curfews, similar to those in Paris and Hong Kong, to protect public health and ecosystems.

This research paper assesses long-term greenhouse gas emission pathways for Mongolia through 2050. It finds that without intervention, emissions could rise by 139% by 2050 compared to 2019 levels, while the implementation of 49 mitigation measures could reduce emissions by 40% relative to the baseline.

This report presents a holistic framework and evidence-based recommendations commissioned by the Scottish Government to drive the societal and economic transformations necessary to achieve a "net-zero, nature-positive society". Integrating research from SEI, the New Economics Foundation, and the Global Footprint Network, the framework identifies policy gaps and proposes indicators to track progress toward addressing climate and nature emergencies.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) issued a statement on February 6, 2025, criticizing the Trump administration's actions to reduce U.S. climate action and foreign assistance, including the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the freezing of international climate finance.

This guide by RMI explains the function, types, and potential of thermal batteries as a decarbonization tool for industrial heating and grid stability. It details how these systems convert renewable electricity into stored heat using abundant materials, offering a cheaper and less complex alternative to hydrogen for high-temperature industrial processes.

This briefing by RMI provides a guide for technology providers and partners to navigate the execution of first-of-a-kind (FOAK) industrial heat decarbonization projects in the United States. It identifies common cost-inflating pitfalls—such as poor customer connections, inaccurate site evaluations, and ambiguous contracts—and offers five recommended practices to increase the likelihood of reaching a final investment decision (FID). The document emphasizes that successful FOAK projects are essential for creating replicability and unlocking a potential 2%–5% overall emissions reduction in the US.

This research paper examines the obstacles to including people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identity/expression, and sexual characteristics (SOGIESC) in disaster risk reduction and humanitarian policy. Based on two Asia-Pacific projects from 2018 and 2021, it concludes that while participatory forums generate recommendations, they are insufficient for transformative change without wider advocacy and solidarity.

This executive summary, published by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and For Our Kids in February 2025, outlines recommendations to remove the influence of the oil and gas industry from K–12 climate-related education in Canada. The authors argue that a conflict of interest exists when the industry driving the climate crisis influences how children learn about the environment, and they call for the establishment of climate education as a public good funded and managed by government bodies rather than third-party corporate interests.

This executive summary, published by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and For Our Kids, investigates the influence of the oil and gas industry on K–12 climate and environmental education in Canada. The authors argue that fossil fuel companies use 'petro-pedagogy' to obscure their role in driving climate change, normalize fossil fuel use, and delay climate action by filling government funding gaps in education.

The 2024 report from the WHO-Civil Society Working Group highlights the adoption of a new WHA77 resolution on climate change and health, the creation of a COP Task Force for COP30, and the coordination of policy recommendations endorsed by over 100 organizations. While celebrating these collaborations, the report criticizes COP29 for failing to provide sufficient concessional funding for developing countries and failing to commit to a fossil fuel phase-out.

This report by the Global Climate and Health Alliance evaluates the integration of health objectives within the third generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) submitted by several countries. The analysis finds that while many nations recognize the health benefits of climate mitigation, most NDCs lack measurable health targets, dedicated funding for health adaptation, and alignment with 1.5°C pathways necessary to protect human health.

The 2025 Policy Bulletin: Climate Finance for Development, published by the Climate Policy Initiative and partners, provides actionable recommendations for Public Development Banks (PDBs) to accelerate low-emissions and climate-resilient development. It focuses on operationalizing Paris alignment, enhancing public-public collaborations, mobilizing private finance, and supporting just energy transitions in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs).

This briefing from Energy Innovation examines the challenges and opportunities for maintaining electric grid reliability during the transition to clean energy in the United States. It defines the components of reliability—resource adequacy, operational reliability, and resilience—and argues that while the shift to inverter-based resources (IBRs) and the retirement of fossil fuel plants create risks, these can be managed through interconnection reform, demand-side solutions, and a diverse portfolio of clean energy resources.

A Global Energy Monitor briefing reports a surge in proposed gas-fired power plants in the United States, driven by speculation over AI energy demand. While the U.S. now has the world's second-largest pipeline of such projects, most remain in early development stages, risking billions in stranded assets if demand forecasts prove inaccurate.