Search Climate Insights Directory

The 'State of Global Environmental Governance 2022' report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) reviews the progress of multilateral environmental negotiations in 2022. It highlights a significant rebound in face-to-face diplomacy following the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in landmark agreements on biodiversity and the establishment of a loss and damage fund for climate-vulnerable nations. The report also examines the integration of human rights into environmental policy and the impact of geopolitical conflicts, specifically the war in Ukraine, on global environmental governance.

This 2022 report analyzes gender disparities in Ghana's large-scale mining sector, finding that women are significantly underrepresented (9% in large-scale mining) and concentrated in administrative or lower-skilled roles. Key barriers include cultural norms, a lack of STEM education, and career interruptions due to family obligations. While some large companies like Newmont show higher proportions of women in senior roles, the sector overall faces challenges with a gender pay gap and higher employee-initiated turnover among women.

This workshop report, produced by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) on 9 March 2022, examines the policy gaps between maritime and gender frameworks in Africa. It highlights the need for intersectional approaches to gender equality and notes that many regional maritime strategies remain 'gender-blind', often failing to integrate gender considerations into security and governance frameworks.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the challenges and opportunities for African nations in global climate change negotiations leading up to COP 27. It examines the structural weaknesses in African diplomacy, the complexities of balancing diverse national interests, and the influence of developed nations on climate policy and trade.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and violence negatively impact human development in South Africa. Drawing on the Birth to Thirty (Bt30) cohort study, it argues that childhood adversity creates a cumulative risk that undermines health, education, and economic productivity in adulthood, thereby hindering national development.

This policy brief evaluates the first cohort of African Youth Ambassadors for Peace (AYAPs), who served a two-year tenure ending in February 2022. It examines their role in mainstreaming youth into the African Union's (AU) peace and security agenda, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their activities, and provides recommendations for future cohorts to sustain and upscale youth participation in peacebuilding.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the intersection of climate change and human security in Africa. It argues that climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' that interacts with existing socio-economic and political vulnerabilities to drive instability. The document advocates for a shift in climate governance from a focus on emissions and environmental risk to a development-led investment approach that builds economic resilience and social stability.

The policy brief argues that while free trade and the free movement of people are complementary and essential for Africa's development, there is a significant gap in political will, with states prioritizing the AfCFTA over the Freedom of Movement Protocol. It highlights the economic benefits of migration, such as 'nostalgic trade,' and the importance of informal cross-border trade. The document identifies barriers to free movement—including security fears and sovereignty concerns—and recommends implementing digital ID systems and common labour standards to bridge the gap.

This policy brief describes a project commissioned by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) between January and March 2022 to develop theories of change (ToCs) for three community-based organisations (CBOs) focused on violence prevention in rural South Africa. The document examines how ToCs can link theory to practice, support impact tracking, and align community-led interventions with established violence prevention literature.

This fact sheet describes a project implemented by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) from January 2022 to June 2023. The project aims to enhance the resilience of coastal and island states in Southern Africa by integrating ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) into national climate policy responses.

This document outlines the forecasting methodology used in the Chilling Prospects 2022 report to estimate global risk associated with the lack of access to sustainable cooling through 2030. The methodology identifies four risk profiles based on income and electricity access and evaluates three scenarios—Current trends, SDG7.1, and a combined SDG7.1 and SDG1.1 scenario—across 76 countries to determine how electrification and poverty reduction influence vulnerability to heat.

This report chapter analyzes the growth of the lower-middle-income population in high-impact countries in 2022, highlighting the risks associated with their potential purchase of inefficient cooling devices and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on income levels.

This report section analyzes the increasing vulnerability of the urban poor to extreme heat across 54 high-impact countries in 2022, highlighting a rise in the population at high risk due to lack of access to cooling.

This report section discusses the complexities of financing sustainable cooling, emphasizing that diverse cooling needs across health, agriculture, and human comfort require a corresponding variety of financial instruments and sources.

This chapter of the 'Chilling Prospects' report examines the enabling environment for sustainable cooling, specifically focusing on policy progress, financial flows, and the development of a community of practice.

This report assesses the progress of sustainable cooling policies across the 'Critical 9' high-impact countries, focusing on access to cooling, energy efficiency standards, and climate change integration. It highlights significant gaps in electrification planning, financial incentives for efficient devices, and the implementation of National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs).

The document describes the evolving landscape of the sustainable cooling community of practice, highlighting the growth of initiatives since the 2016 Kigali Amendment and the roles of various philanthropic, multilateral, and international organizations in coordinating advocacy, finance, and technical support.

This report section analyzes the middle-income population at risk due to a lack of access to sustainable cooling in 2022, focusing on high-impact countries. It details a global decline in this demographic, driven largely by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides regional and country-specific breakdowns of population shifts.

This report examines the critical role of sustainable cooling and electricity in health services, focusing on vaccine cold chains, the management of temperature-sensitive medical products, and the need for temperature regulation in hospitals and clinics to improve patient care and resilience against heat stress.

This report examines the critical role of sustainable cooling and cold chains in reducing global food loss, improving nutrition, and supporting agricultural economies, particularly in low-income and high-impact countries.