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The author contends that CORSIA fails to address aviation's climate impact because it only covers emissions above a high baseline and lacks binding national enforcement mechanisms. Even with penalties, the scheme would only cover 20% of emissions for a Brussels-New York flight by 2030. In contrast, the EU ETS is presented as a superior model due to its 100% coverage of intra-EEA flights and harmonised penalties of €100 per tonne of CO2. The document advocates for the European Commission to extend the EU ETS to all departing flights by mid-2026, which could generate up to €9 billion annually by 2030 to fund zero-emission aircraft and high-speed rail.

The GCF's 2025 administrative budget saw a total expenditure of USD 131.7 million, representing 98% of the approved USD 134.5 million budget. While the Board and Secretariat remained broadly within their budget envelopes, the Trustee's expenditure reached 130% of its budget due to higher-than-expected average annual cash balances. The independent units' execution was 88% overall, with the Independent Evaluation Unit spending 82% of its budget. Significant year-on-year increases in Secretariat spending were noted in travel (48%) and consultants (41%), driven by record programme delivery of USD 3.26 billion across 50 projects in 2025.

The GCF Accreditation Panel recommends the accreditation of the Bank of Bhutan Limited (BoB) as a national direct access entity for 'small' projects with a 'medium risk (I-2)' environmental and social category. While BoB demonstrates strong institutional presence as Bhutan's largest commercial bank and a track record in green financing, the assessment identified gaps in internal audit quality assurance, public disclosure of procurement and investigation guidelines, and the operationalization of its grievance redress mechanism. The recommendation is subject to specific conditions to be met both before the issuance of the accreditation certificate and before the submission of the first funding proposal, including the development of a Gender Action Plan and the implementation of risk-based E&S screening tools.

The GCF Accreditation Panel recommends the World Health Organization (WHO) for accreditation under the 'medium' size category and 'medium risk (category B)' environmental and social risk category. The assessment finds that WHO meets basic fiduciary standards, project management standards, and gender policy requirements. While WHO's Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF) is considered adequate, the panel noted a gap regarding the lack of an external evaluation of the ESSF, which is set as a condition for accreditation to be resolved within two years of the first funded activity. WHO's track record includes managing large-scale grants, such as a USD 192.92 million project for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and various climate-resilient health projects in the Pacific and Asia.

The evaluation concludes that the SAP has become operationally ineffective, failing to deliver on its promises of simplification and acceleration. While it has provided unintended value as a 'stepping-stone' for Direct Access Entities (DAEs) to build institutional capacity, it is now virtually indistinguishable from the standard Project Approval Process (PAP). The report recommends discontinuing the SAP in its current form and replacing it with a new, integrated access modality featuring delegated authority and a focus on replicating proven interventions rather than piloting new ideas.

The evaluation finds that while country ownership is a core principle of the GCF, its operationalization is uneven and often reduced to procedural compliance. Key structural bottlenecks include limited institutional capacity of National Designated Authorities (NDAs), a heavy reliance on International Accredited Entities (IAEs) over Direct Access Entities (DAEs), and a lack of meaningful whole-of-society engagement. The report recommends shifting from a process-based approach to one focused on long-term institution-building, simplifying access to finance, and embedding inclusivity as a cultural default.

The report assesses five Canadian industrial carbon pricing systems, noting that while the combination of a federal benchmark and provincial tailoring has been largely effective, design differences can fragment markets. It emphasizes the need for predictable carbon pricing and continuous monitoring to prevent issues like credit oversupply.

The document argues that GDP fails to account for the 'care economy'—essential unpaid work primarily performed by women—and advocates for a cohesive, integrated system of indicators to measure these contributions. It highlights that women perform over 16 billion hours of unpaid care daily and suggests that current alternative metrics often still overlook these vital societal contributions.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) asserts that US and Israeli military strikes on Iran are illegal acts of aggression that destabilize the region and cause destruction to both human life and the environment. CIEL argues that these attacks cannot be justified as efforts to promote human rights or democracy, noting that such military actions have already resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths. The organization calls on the international community, including European leaders, to reject the normalization of force and instead prioritize diplomacy, multilateralism, and nuclear restraint to protect the environment and the rule of law.

In February 2026, the United States experienced an average temperature anomaly of 2.1°F across 192 cities. While the Northeast was the coldest region with an average anomaly of -3.4°F, the Northern Rockies and Plains were the warmest, exceeding normal temperatures by more than 8.4°F. Long-term data indicates that 173 of the 192 analyzed cities have warmed since 1970, with Albany, Georgia, showing the greatest increase at 8.4°F. Climate attribution analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) found that San Juan, Puerto Rico, had 16 days where temperatures were at least five times more likely due to climate change.

The document describes the methodology for a tool that catalogs sustainable financial instruments in Brazil, including public programs, constitutional funds, and blended finance initiatives. It details the inclusion criteria, the classification structure for beneficiaries based on annual gross revenue, and provides a technical glossary of financial and environmental terms used in the database.

The report examines the risks of AI integration in the ASEAN power sector, highlighting data limitations, regulatory uncertainty, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. It argues that while AI is a 'low-hanging fruit' for accelerating the energy transition, its success depends on strengthening data foundations, updating grid codes, and building AI-ready workforces through phased roll-outs and 'AI sandboxes'.

The document examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in overcoming the technical challenges of integrating variable renewable energy (VRE) in Southeast Asia. It highlights five commercially proven AI applications: improving forecast accuracy to reduce reserve needs, enabling predictive maintenance to extend asset life, optimising dispatch to lower balancing costs, providing real-time control for grid security, and supporting dynamic line rating (DLR) to increase transmission capacity. The report provides global case studies—including examples from Google DeepMind, Siemens, and various utilities in the US, UK, and Belgium—to demonstrate how AI can reduce operational costs, curtailment, and carbon footprints while enhancing the reliability of power grids facing high VRE penetration.

The report argues that AI can significantly accelerate the energy transition in ASEAN by managing the complexity of rising variable renewable energy (VRE) shares. It identifies five key AI applications—forecasting, predictive maintenance, dispatch optimisation, real-time control, and dynamic line rating—that can reduce operational costs and emissions. While ASEAN shows strong digital readiness, current AI adoption is fragmented and pilot-based. The report estimates that widespread AI adoption could save up to $67 billion and reduce nearly 400 million tonnes of CO2 by 2035, provided that regulatory, data, and cybersecurity challenges are addressed.

This report finds that widespread AI adoption in ASEAN power systems could deliver up to $67 billion in cumulative cost savings and reduce nearly 400 million tonnes of CO2 by 2035.

Build up Nepal addresses climate vulnerabilities in flood-prone and landslide-risk areas by replacing traditional fired-brick construction with low-carbon, interlocking eco-bricks. This approach reduces CO₂ emissions by 75%, construction costs by 25%, and air pollution by 90% while improving homes' resistance to floods and earthquakes.

The Universal Basic Income Coalition (UBIC) argues that the 2026 Budget prioritises the wealthy and middle class over the vulnerable, leaving critical social grants like the Child Support Grant (CSG) and the Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant below the food poverty line. The coalition specifically warns that National Treasury's Targeted and Responsible Savings (TARS) programme, which aims for R3 billion in savings through intensified grant reviews, is based on flawed assumptions about beneficiary fraud and risks excluding millions of eligible people due to SASSA's capacity constraints.

The article discusses how taxonomies and the Climate Connectivity Hub enhance the findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) of climate change adaptation data. By organizing information that is typically scattered across various online sites, these tools facilitate a shared understanding of knowledge domains, enabling policymakers and practitioners to build on existing research and speed up the deployment of effective climate resilience actions.

The briefing examines the limitations of North-South Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), specifically regarding funding, local ownership, and equity. It proposes South-South cooperation as a complementary approach that leverages peer learning and context-specific solutions to integrate local development needs like energy access and job creation. Using the experiences of South Africa and Colombia, the text identifies specific areas for collaboration, including mine closures and green industrialization, while noting that institutional support and inclusive participation are necessary to achieve transformative development goals.

WRI Brasil conducted 30 road-safety audits in Rio de Janeiro, providing the analytical basis for a $135.2 million World Bank loan. This funding has enabled the city to implement traffic-calming measures in 57 school-adjacent areas, including narrower roadways and expanded sidewalks, while funding broader goals like expanded cycling networks and greenhouse gas emission reductions.