The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
The oil and gas industry has some of the best and most cost-effective opportunities to reduce methane emissions. The potential to do so is clear. Some countries and companies have already demonstrated that achieving near-zero emissions from oil and gas operations is technically and economically possible. There are a growing …
The great expansion of economic activity since the end of World War II has caused an unprecedented rise in living standards, but it has also caused rapid changes in earth systems. Nearly all types of natural capital—the world’s stock of resources and services provided by nature—are in decline. Clean air, …
This paper investigates the potential role and contribution of carbon pricing in transforming emission pathways towards net zero GHG emissions. It reviews carbon pricing’s impacts, overall and in the electricity sector in selected jurisdictions to date. The paper also analyses the current and potential application of emissions pricing (e.g. emissions …
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released its World Energy Transitions Outlook (WETO) 2023, emphasizing the urgent need for a significant increase in renewable power capacity. The report highlights the importance of tripling annual renewable power additions by 2030 to stay on track with the 1.5°C climate target set …
Children are being failed by climate funding commitments, despite bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, according to this new report from members of the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) coalition; Plan International, Save the Children, and UNICEF. Just 2.4 percent of key global climate funds can be classified as …
A country is dependent on the export of commodities (or “commodity-dependent”) when its merchandise exports are heavily concentrated on primary commodities. The source of commodity dependence can be linked to a country’s persistent or structural conditions, such as its resource endowment and factor composition, institutional framework, geographic situation, history among …
UN-Water released a report outlining ways in which the UN can help accelerate progress towards achieving SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation). Titled, ‘Blueprint for Acceleration: Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2023,’ the report discusses SDG 6 progress, trends, and challenges, and recommends actions the …
This special report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) examines how to scale up private finance for clean energy transitions by quantifying the investments required in different regions and sectors to build modern, clean energy systems, including achieving universal access. The new global energy economy …
The Sustainable Development Report (SDR) reviews progress made each year on the Sustainable Development Goals since their adoption by the 193 UN Member States in 2015. At the halfway mark to 2030, the Sustainable Development Report 2023 takes stock of progress made and discusses priorities to restore and accelerate SDG …
This discussion paper gives a brief overview of the methodology, including an analysis of the required rate of equity return or debt for solar projects, by country, under current cost-of-capital environments. While specific rates can vary considerably depending on conditions at the time of project finance needs, the overall take …
The Global Gender Gap Index annually benchmarks the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment). It is the longest-standing index tracking the progress of numerous countries’ efforts towards closing these gaps over time since …
Electrifying the use of energy in industry, transport and buildings with renewables is a cost-effective way to decarbonise end-use sectors, increase security of supply, reduce dependency of imported fossil fuels and mitigate risks of fuel prices volatility as experienced in recent years. This new report by the International Renewable Energy …
Financial and economic concerns are paramount for the international banking industry to continue supporting and investing in the global renewable energy supply system. The transition to renewable energy to achieve the mission of decarbonisation is capital-intensive and needs substantial bank involvement to evaluate the risk-return profiles of such projects. However, …
In 2018, WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank Group, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the Early Childhood Development Action Network, launched the Nurturing care for early childhood development: a framework to help children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential. The …
Fourteen nations, which host more than half of the world's refugees, are paying as much in interest on external debt as it would cost to educate millions of refugee children for nearly five years, according to this new report by Save the Children calling for greater priority to be given …
Severe climate impacts are burdening countries worldwide, particularly the least developed countries and Small Island Developing States. Each disaster adds to their existing debt, hindering recovery and trapping them in an unsustainable cycle. This paper explores the need to break this cycle through existing debt relief options, covering the link …
This policy brief analyses how blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) can aid drinking water supply management. It uses literature review to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the technologies, as well as a multicriteria analysis (MCA) to analyse factors impacting implementation in select G20 countries: South Africa, South Korea, …
This briefing assesses the annual progress on the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in 2022 at the global, regional, national, and state levels. Over 10 million EVs were sold worldwide in 2022, a milestone in the global transition to EVs. That was a 54% increase from 2021 and brought the …
The Global Slavery Index reveals the number of people living in modern slavery has grown since 2018 against a backdrop of increasing and more complex conflicts, widespread environmental degradation, climate-induced migration, a global rollback of women’s rights, and the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest Global …
Trillions of dollars are wasted on subsidies for agriculture, fishing and fossil fuels that could be used to help address climate change instead of harming people and the planet, according to this report by the World Bank. This new World Bank report examines how subsidy reform can help safeguard the …
