Publications

The G20 countries have a special role to combat climate change - they are responsible for a majority of global emissions. This year’s Climate Transparency Report shows that the efforts of the G20 countries are currently insufficient to limit climate change to the 1.5°C agreed in the Paris Agreement. After a short period of decline, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emissions are rebounding across the G20. However, a positive development is that the expansion of Renewable Energy capacities are rising.

30 years ago the Weimar Triangle was founded to promote European integration and to strengthen political ties between Poland, France and Germany. On the occasion of the EU Environment Council on the 6th of October and this year's anniversary of the Weimar Triangle, major environmental organizations from the three countries are calling for the establishment of a Green Weimar Triangle with new coordination and exchange formats for an intensive climate dialogue.

Due diligence affects all companies, as it enables to properly assess relevant risks and impacts. While investors and customers show growing awareness of companies' impacts along the value chain, many companies still provide limited detail. In the sixth article of our briefing series “Full Disclosure” we examine how corporate due diligence legislation relates to sustainable finance and what questions a legislative proposal needs to answer to avoid greenwashing and support comparable due diligence.

A so-called delegated act is currently being discussed at EU level, which is to provide criteria for the designation of antimicrobials that are reserved solely for humans and can then no longer be used in animal husbandry. On 15 September, the EU Parliament will decide on an objection to this delegated act. In essence, the objection provides for the delegated act to be revised again so that antimicrobials that are most important for humans ("critically important antimicrobials with the highest priority", WHO) can also be included in order to preserve their effectiveness.

No company can afford to ignore the financial risks of climate change. This also applies to small and medium-sized enterprises. To reduce these financial risks for companies and investors, it is crucial to be transparent. In the fifth article of our briefing series “Full Disclosure” we examine how small and medium-sized enterprises can benefit from forward-looking reporting requirements.

The European Conflict Minerals Regulation, also called the Regulation on Responsible Sourcing of Minerals, entered into full force on January 1st, 2021. By now, each EU Member State should have set up a Competent Authority and specified the rules of surveillance of implementation at national level. However, the implementation progress varies greatly from one country to another. The report offers a comparison of the implementation process across EU Member States, allowing to identify who the frontrunners are.

Development finance institutions (DFIs) play a key role in aligning financial flows with low-emission, climate-resilient development pathways. Many have committed to support the objectives of the Paris Agreement. In this working paper Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the World Resources Institute take a closer look at financial intermediary lending by DFIs, proposing a phased approach for aligning indirect investments.