Publications

The 27th UN Climate Conference (COP27) concluded with the groundbreaking agreement to establish a new loss and damage (L&D) fund. This significant development aims to enable vulnerable countries to respond to and recover from climate impacts. The report emphasises that the design and operation of the L&D fund will be significantly influenced by its intended scope. With diverse opinions among stakeholders on the fund's optimal design, the selection process for these recommendations is of paramount importance.

The legal report points to existing corporate CO2 reduction obligations that are currently not sufficiently taken into account by many companies. It concludes that the increasing density of corporate reporting obligations in the area of so-called ESG risks (Environment, Social, Governance) already results in implicit climate-related duties of conduct for companies, which require preventive and science-based decision-making, including at management level. The report was commissioned by the Dorothea-Laura-Janina Sick Environmental Foundation, Germanwatch, and Protect the Planet, and is based on an analysis of legal developments in the areas of corporate law, directors’ duties, sustainability due diligence duties, as well as tort law.

Is the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism a trade barrier that burdens the economies of the countries concerned? Or can it be a driving force for sustainable energy and industrial transformation, benefiting both trading partners and the climate alike? Our discussion paper analyses the impact of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on Ukraine and the Western Balkans and identifies how these countries can use the CBAM to accelerate their energy transition and industrial transformation.

The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in South Africa marks a significant milestone and serves as a blueprint for future initiatives in other developing countries. The USD 8.5 billion partnership programme is designed not only to help decarbonise South Africa's energy sector to mitigate climate change, but also to catalyse inclusive sustainable development. This background paper by IRID and Germanwatch provides an overview of the partnership process to date, including a general overview, its framework, and guiding principles.

This background paper by IESR and Germanwatch examines the climate financing landscape in Germany and Indonesia, focusing on climate mitigation in the energy sector. For Germany, this paper provides a comprehensive summary of its climate financing flows, structure, and global trends. With respect to Indonesia, it examines its climate mitigation targets and achievements, energy transition financing trends, and potential avenues for international climate finance support.

Climate change is increasingly evident through devastating impacts on lives and livelihoods, such as the destructive floods in Pakistan and Indonesia. The likelihood of global warming exceeding 1.5°C is over 50%, amplifying the severity of climate change effects and associated losses. This background paper discusses Loss and Damage in Indonesia, explaining the concept, its history within the UNFCCC, and providing an overview of financing options.

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is designed to ensure that European industrial companies remain competitive despite rising carbon prices. The CBAM thus enables ambitious European climate policy. However, it only covers imports into the EU: The question of whether and how the EU should take action to secure the competitiveness of exporting companies is still unresolved. This study offers answers to precisely this question.

The current international scenario is characterised by a complex web of global crises. This situation is having a particularly negative impact on the countries of the Global South, which are facing considerable financial constraints that are hindering the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In this context, the French Government is organising the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact on 22-23 June 2023, which aims to forge a new pact between Global North and Global South countries.

The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is comparable to a comprehensive digital index card or a “digital CV” that the EU seeks to introduce for a wide range of products. It is intended to provide information needed, for example, for more efficient repair and recycling of products. We believe that the DPP has a significant potential to pave the way towards a more circular economy as it can address the information deficit along a circular value chain that often impeded circularity.

While Senegal has had major success in expanding renewable energy – the variable nature of wind and solar energy and the existing electricity system means that further grid integration is starting to become a growing challenge. Moving forward, policy decisions to be taken will have a large influence over the role of fossil fuels in Senegal for the foreseeable future. This paper aims to provide an overview of the opportunities to support Senegal in its transition to a decarbonised, renewable energy system, including a discussion of the challenges associated with this transition and the role that Germany can play in overcoming them.