Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing by RMI discusses the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) Program, a Department of Energy (DOE) loan initiative under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). RMI argues that investor-owned utilities (IOUs) can use these low-interest loans to accelerate clean energy transitions, increase shareholder returns, and lower costs for ratepayers, though the program is currently underutilized and rarely mentioned in utility earnings calls.

A case study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) detailing its support for the Ethiopian government to reduce traffic fatalities through a 'Safe System' approach, focusing on urban design and non-motorized transport infrastructure.

WRI Indonesia facilitated the mapping of 300,000 hectares of customary forests across 92 Indigenous territories in Jayapura Regency and conducted spatial analysis in Sarmi Regency. By collaborating with the Indigenous Peoples Task Force (GTMA) and government agencies, WRI helped secure six customary forest certificates from Papua’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, providing formal land rights to Indigenous communities and protecting the region's intact rainforests from development.

This case study by the World Resources Institute describes how IKEA reduced food waste by 54% across its in-store restaurants in 32 markets, demonstrating the economic and environmental viability of meeting UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3.

A letter from Eskom to the Centre for Environmental Rights detailing the public participation plan and documentation availability regarding an environmental exemption for temporary stacks at the Kusile Power Station.

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law to the 53rd Session of the Human Rights Council regarding human mobility and climate change, emphasizing the inadequacy of current legal protections and the necessity of climate finance from developed states.

This report analyzes the barriers and success factors for attracting private sector climate investment in cities within emerging economies. It identifies challenges at the macro, city, and project levels and provides targeted recommendations for city governments, national governments, international finance institutions, and private and third-sector partners to improve legal, regulatory, and financial enabling conditions.

A case study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) detailing how WRI India and the Kochi Municipal Corporation (KMC) implemented the Kawaki initiative to build climate resilience through urban forests in Kochi, India.

This research paper examines the impact of the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China on Africa, specifically focusing on technology, global supply chains, and trade between 2018 and late 2021. It analyzes how African actors can exercise agency to navigate these tensions amidst socio-economic crises and institutional under-preparedness.

This policy brief, produced as part of T20 2023 hosted by India, outlines the role of the G20 and international financial institutions (IFIs) in facilitating the global transition to low-carbon steel production, specifically to ensure the inclusion of developing and emerging economies.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the technical potential and economic viability of offshore wind in Japan. It highlights that Japan's technical potential exceeds its projected 2050 electricity demand by nine times, though current deployment remains low. The document discusses the transition from fixed-bottom to floating offshore wind, the potential for reducing fossil fuel import dependency, and the regulatory and infrastructural barriers—specifically permitting and grid fragmentation—that must be addressed to meet government targets.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines 12 critical policy interventions designed to accelerate the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors—such as steel, cement, chemicals, shipping, trucking, and aviation—by overcoming market failures and reducing investment risks.

The Hong Kong Green Market Briefing 2022, published by the Climate Bonds Initiative, analyzes the green, social, sustainability, transition, and sustainability-linked debt (GSS+) market in Hong Kong for 2022. It highlights a decline in GSS+ bond volumes from Hong Kong issuers amid macroeconomic challenges, while noting significant growth in GSS+ debt arranged and issued within the territory, particularly in the loan market. The report emphasizes the HKSAR Government's leadership in sovereign green bond issuance in the Asia Pacific region and Hong Kong's role as a primary offshore financing hub for Mainland China's green transition.

The Sustainability-Linked Bond Database Methodology, published by the Climate Bonds Initiative in June 2023, outlines the criteria and screening processes for including sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) in its database. The methodology focuses on decarbonisation, using a 'climate change mitigation overlay' to assess whether bonds are aligned with 1.5°C or below 2°C sectoral pathways. It defines specific requirements for instrument eligibility, public disclosure, and the calibration of Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs), categorising bonds as Fully-aligned, Strongly-aligned, Aligning, or not-aligned based on their adherence to science-based pathways and transition plans.

This document outlines the methodology used by the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) to collect, screen, and maintain its Sustainability Linked Bonds (SLB) database. The methodology focuses on the 'decarbonization' attributes of debt instruments, evaluating whether their sustainability performance targets (SPTs) align with a 1.5°C warming scenario or the best available alternative paths.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the disparity between solar energy potential and installed capacity in developing economies, attributing the gap to high costs of capital driven by sovereign and off-taker risks. The authors propose the establishment of a Global Credit Guarantee Facility (GCGF) to de-risk cross-border financing and lower risk premiums for renewable energy projects in Emerging Market & Development Economy (EMDE) countries.

The Renew America’s Nonprofits grant program, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provides financial assistance to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to improve the energy efficiency of their facilities. The program aims to reduce operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions while providing community benefits, particularly for nonprofits in rural areas or those led by people of color.

This T20 policy brief argues that the global green transition is becoming unstable and incoherent due to a 'polycrisis' of interlinked challenges. It proposes that the G20 establish a multilateral framework for 'structural green transition policies'—defined as systemic, long-lasting, and general-purpose reforms—to coordinate investment, reduce policy risk, and provide concessional financing, particularly for the Global South.

This June 2023 report by Global Energy Monitor analyzes China's rapid expansion of utility-scale solar and wind power. It details current operational capacities, projected growth through the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), and the strategic role of large-scale energy bases in the northwest. The document also examines the policy drivers, supply chain advantages, and emerging trends such as 'source-grid-load-storage integration' and green hydrogen production used to manage the intermittency of renewable energy.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines how violent extremist groups, specifically JNIM and ISGS, exploit illicit activities in northern Benin to secure financial, logistical, and human resources. It documents established links to fuel smuggling, illegal hunting, and drug trafficking, while identifying emerging risks associated with artisanal gold mining and arms trafficking.