Search Climate Insights Directory

The report details how private equity firms have acquired Medicaid contractors to capitalize on government-backed revenue, often leading to operational failures. It highlights systemic payment errors and wage theft allegations at Public Partnerships, LLC; massive debt-driven cost-cutting and fraud allegations at Gainwell Technologies; and delays in care authorizations and the use of offshore labor at Acentra Health. The document also warns of the risks associated with AI-driven analytics and the offshoring of sensitive patient health information to India.

The report identifies 47 unchallenged cases of climate misinformation across six German TV channels (Sat.1, ZDF, ProSieben, RTL, Das Erste, and Kabel Eins) from April 2025 to April 2026. It finds that misinformation is often reactive, peaking around political events like the 2025 federal elections and the 2026 Climate Action Programme. The most dominant narratives target the economic and technical reliability of the Energiewende, while others focus on nuclear energy inaccuracies and the deflection of national responsibility. Politicians and guests are the primary vectors, accounting for 70% of cases, though journalists and commentators also contribute nearly 30%. Both public (ZDF) and private (Sat.1) broadcasters show vulnerability, with ZDF's risk linked to political talk shows and Sat.1's to the loosely structured format of morning shows. The report recommends journalist training on obstruction mechanisms, real-time fact-checking for live panels, and the creation of an independent media observatory.

The report argues that the TotalEnergies-EPH joint venture (TTEP) locks Europe into fossil gas dependency, increases energy bill volatility through LNG imports, and relies on public subsidies that should be redirected toward clean energy. It highlights that the venture's 12.5 GW gas capacity will produce emissions comparable to entire countries like Ireland or Denmark over five years, while challenging the companies' claims that such assets are necessary for grid flexibility.

The report finds that TotalEnergies' investment strategy heavily favors fossil fuels, with 4.8 dollars invested in oil and gas for every dollar spent on integrated power in 2025. The company's 2030 production targets are projected to be at least 59% higher than levels required for NZE alignment. While diversifying into renewables, the report notes this is largely through acquisitions and remains marginal, with oil and gas expected to represent 83% of the energy mix by 2030. Additionally, the company is expanding its LNG capacity and gas power production, while relying on CCUS and offsets to meet emissions targets it has recently modified, including a statement in 2026 that it could no longer commit to a 'net zero' objective.

The playbook offers a structured set of questions for advocates and regulators to use across pre-filing, planning, and ratemaking proceedings. It emphasizes the need to clarify who bears the cost of distribution investments, especially when load or distributed energy resource (DER) forecasts are inaccurate, and suggests the use of guardrails like cost caps and reconciliation rules to protect residential customers.

The document argues that major private credit rating agencies (CRAs) employ subjective, biased, and procyclical methodologies that unfairly inflate the risk premiums for African nations. This 'credit rating impasse' increases the cost of capital, hinders debt restructuring, and obstructs the deployment of climate finance. To counter this, the author supports the African Union's endorsement of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA) to be based in Mauritius. The brief recommends that African nations improve data transparency, build debt management capacity through partnerships with the IMF and AfDB, and implement legislative oversight via debt sustainability laws to improve their macroeconomic fundamentals and challenge inaccurate ratings.

The document argues that the energy transition within the expanded BRICS bloc is a contest of power between incumbent fossil-industrial interests and emerging green regimes. It identifies a 'grey space' of hybrid compromise where ambitious climate rhetoric masks continued fossil fuel expansion. To navigate this, the authors introduce the BRICS Climate and Energy Compass and a strategic action plan focusing on financial architecture reform, investment in hard-to-abate sectors, and the localisation of climate finance.

The Wood Solution Thailand Program's engagement phase (March–June 2026) seeks to transition Thailand's building sector from concrete to sustainable timber to reduce emissions and support rural development. The initiative, a partnership between the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Eco-Innovation Foundation, and the Thailand and Nordic countries Innovation Unit, focuses on five workstreams: conducting a value chain feasibility study, supporting pioneer pilot initiatives, creating a support platform for international experts, hosting a vision event in Bangkok, and developing funding partnerships. The program intends to link cities to local forests, utilizing plantations, agroforestry, and managed secondary forests to create permanent carbon sinks and improve rural livelihoods.

The Stockholm Environment Institute's systemic climate adaptation framework provides a normative guide to make adaptation policy more coherent, equitable, and robust. It is built on three core pillars: systemic risk framing, policy interlinkages, and deep uncertainty management. These pillars translate into six guiding principles—interconnected by design, shared risk ownership, co-benefits and everyday value, no-regrets and anti-maladaptation, equity and just resilience, and adaptive governance under deep uncertainty. The framework is intended as 'adaptable scaffolding' for stress-testing decisions, such as national strategies or investment pipelines, rather than a rigid checklist.

The report identifies a recurring 'implementation gap' where adaptation policies increasingly use the language of systemic risk—interconnected hazards, cascading impacts, and deep uncertainty—but continue to operate through hazard- and sector-based routines. Through comparative analysis of the EU, ASEAN, and the US, it finds that mandates, funding, and monitoring systems remain fragmented, often ignoring policy trade-offs and distributional inequities. It concludes by proposing a framework based on systemic risk framing, policy interlinkages, and deep uncertainty management to help decision-makers stress-test investments and avoid maladaptation.

The Wood Solution Thailand project is a strategic collaboration between the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Eco-Innovation Foundation (EIF), and the Thailand and Nordic countries Innovation Unit (TNIU). The project's initial engagement phase focuses on developing a sustainable wood construction value chain—from managed forests and agroforestry to high-quality building materials—to transition urban construction from concrete to wood, thereby creating permanent carbon sinks and enhancing rural employment.

The briefing details consumption-based emissions for Swedish households in 2023, highlighting that while total emissions per person are similar across different municipality groups, the composition of these emissions varies by geography and income. It introduces the Consumption Compass 2.0 as a tool for local governments to identify emission hotspots and implement precise, inclusive climate policies.

The report argues that commercial insect farming in high-income, temperate regions often fails to meet its theoretical sustainability promises. While insects have lower greenhouse gas emissions than beef, they often perform worse than the soymeal and fishmeal they are intended to replace. The authors identify seven key challenges: outdated life cycle assessments, under-utilization of organic waste as feed, limited substitution of meat in human diets, the reinforcement of industrial animal agriculture through use as feed, biodiversity risks from unintentional releases, emerging animal welfare concerns, and the opportunity cost of diverting investment from more promising plant-based or cultivated proteins.

The briefing argues that while climate and sustainable development goals are theoretically synergistic, actual policy coherence is hindered by political inequality, vested interests, and the prioritization of economic growth. Through analysis of nine countries and global NDC data, the research demonstrates that coherence is not a neutral technocratic exercise but a political process with significant distributional consequences, often burdening vulnerable groups when political will for equity is absent.

The document assesses the UN climate regime's transition into an 'implementation era' following the completion of the Paris Agreement Rulebook. It identifies systemic inefficiencies, including a predominance of procedural over substantive decisions, overlapping mandates of constituted bodies, and significant funding gaps for developing countries. The authors argue that the regime is hindered by a de facto veto system based on consensus and the influence of fossil fuel lobbyists. Key recommendations include streamlining negotiation agendas, adopting formal voting rules, formally closing the Kyoto Protocol, and integrating the UNFCCC with other Rio Conventions to address the root causes of the climate crisis.

In 2025, global coal capacity increased by 3.5% while production fell by 0.6%, as coal is increasingly used as 'system insurance' rather than a primary energy source. While the number of countries pursuing new coal projects dropped to 32, China and India continue massive expansions. In Indonesia, the growth of captive coal plants for nickel and aluminium processing contradicts national climate commitments, with the RUPTL 2025-2034 continuing to plan for on-grid coal investment despite a formal moratorium.

The document argues that Indonesia's legal framework fails to align with OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, specifically regarding the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' land rights and the requirement for free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). It highlights how 'national strategic projects' and the 'Omnibus Law' facilitate investment at the expense of human rights, often supported by military deployment. The coalition recommends that the OECD demand a timeline for the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Bill, accelerated land recognition, and the cessation of military involvement in development projects.

The report highlights that over 66 million people in the US live near freight facilities, with higher concentrations of warehouses linked to increased cancer risks and air pollution. It advocates for Indirect Source Rules (ISRs), which require facilities to mitigate the 'indirect' emissions they attract, citing California's WAIRE program as a successful model for increasing zero-emission vehicle adoption and infrastructure.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) developed a spatial analysis using dasymetric mapping and source-specific buffers to quantify population exposure to freight pollution in the contiguous US. The research found that over 66 million people live near freight facilities and corridors, with higher concentrations of facilities strongly correlating with increased cancer risk, diesel particulate matter, and social inequities. To address this, the document reviews indirect source rules (ISRs), which require facilities to mitigate the pollution attracted by their operations through options such as zero-emission vehicle deployment, charging infrastructure, and on-site renewable energy.

The report identifies that over 66 million people in the U.S. live near freight facilities and corridors, with those near clusters of 11 or more facilities facing a 32% higher cancer risk from air toxics than the national average. It advocates for Indirect Source Rules (ISRs), which require facilities to mitigate the pollution attracted by their operations, as a tool to address these disparities. The author details best practices for ISR design and proposes various compliance options, including the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, charging infrastructure, and innovative solutions like using wastewater treatment plant methane for port power.