Insights Blog

"The reporting under the SDG12c indicator will be the first attempt to systemically monitor fossil fuel subsidies to both consumption and production sides, based on national data of 193 UN member countries and collected by an internationally agreed methodology," says Joy Kim, Climate Change Expert at UN Environment.

UN Environment has launched a new initiative to unite with communities of faith to repair our common home - #Faith4Earth. Reaching out to the literally hundreds of millions of people who find their home and strengthen their resolve to act in these communities of faith.

Effective action on climate change needs us to make sure that the efforts of one group aren’t undermined by those of another. In the policy realm, this means we need policies to work together across different sectors, rather than against one another. Working out how we can achieve these things in a coherent manner across policy sectors presents a substantial governance challenge.

Sea-levels may rise substantially above 1 or even 2 meters during the 21st century. To what extent will coastal societies be able to adapt? Following the headlines, one easily gets the impression that sea-level rise will simply wash away coastal cities and small islands. While these risks are real, the picture is incomplete because it lacks consideration of adaptation.

The ability of societies around the world to adapt to 21st century sea-level rise (SLR) is more likely to be dependent upon social factors, including finance, than technical capabilities. That’s the conclusion I came to with an international team of researchers and addressed in a paper published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change.

My team and I had a closer look in a set of case studies, including Bangladesh, Catalonia, Ho Chi Minh City, The Maldives, New York City and The Netherlands, and found that the ability of coastal societies to adapt is mainly determined by social rather than technical challenges.

Researchers have developed a five-step methodology for central and state level government agencies looking to provide financial risk mitigation interventions to improve the credit profile of renewable energy projects in India.

"It is necessary to ensure that the economic, social and environmental implications of potential infrastructure projects are considered holistically from the earliest stages of planning and development. It is also essential for ensuring coordination between different infrastructure sectors such as transport, energy and water," says Fulai Sheng, Senior Economist at UN Environment.

Governments have set ambitious goals to act on climate change, which are embodied through their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. To achieve these goals, countries must coordinate across sectors and ministries, implement creative technologies, and finance projects. For many countries and relevant stakeholders, accessing information to support their planning and implementation can be a daunting task. When countries search for tools, resources, and information to support their work, where do they begin?

India has been a sweet spot for renewable energy investment exhibiting an 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2004 and 2017, and ranked among the top five renewable investment destinations in the FS-UNEP Report. Some major contributing factors have been India’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals, its large and well-diversified renewable market, and India’s ability to offer higher excess returns than several comparable markets like China and the United States.

UN Environment has published the final report of its Inquiry into the Design of a Sustainable Financial System. The report highlights progress towards a sustainable financial system, including an increase in green bonds, large-scale divestments from carbon-intensive projects, commitment to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, and the development of national road maps for green and sustainable finance.

A recent study by Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), creates a case for municipal entities to promote rooftop solar in India by issuing green bonds in capital markets.