How does biodiversity affect sustainable development, and how can projects of development cooperation strengthen biodiversity? On behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), INFRAS summarized important background information and policy recommendations for decision makers.

Preventing illegal logging, tracking energy production, and correctly allocating emissions under the polluter pays principle – all of this is possible with blockchain technology. The new Navigating Report 2021 from the Climate Ledger Initiative presents the results of climate-related pilot projects making use of blockchain and other innovative digital technologies.

The cooperative approach under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement requires reliable and trusted bookkeeping systems in form of a registry. On behalf of the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA), INFRAS analysed the potential of blockchain based technologies – and developed a registry system together with its IT partner “Cosmos”.

In order to slow climate change, the building sector must be decarbonized globally. On behalf of GlobalABC, INFRAS identified ten key measures that could lead to success.

INFRAS project manager Madeleine Guyer explains in an interview how blockchain and distributed ledger technologies can be used for climate action and the goals the Climate Ledger Initiative is following.

Which climate-related risks must stakeholders in development cooperation expect in the coming years? INFRAS has identified regional and global hotspots on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and summarized these in factsheets.

In addition to the national effects of climate change, the international impacts of climate change are in particular an increasing risk factor for the German economy. A research project commissioned by the German Federal Environment Agency that lasted several years analyzed which impact chains affected international trade. The study makes clear: both governmental and private stakeholders will be increasingly challenged.

The Paris Agreement requires developing countries, like other nations, to take wide-ranging action to mitigate climate change. In order to finance large scale mitigation action, development banks blend climate finance with resources from international carbon markets. A team of experts is developing and analysing a range of solutions on behalf of the World Bank.

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement enables the signatory states to cooperate in mitigating climate change. However, the market mechanism can also create false incentives, for example if host countries set less ambitious targets for themselves in order to be able to sell more internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMO). Together with an international research team, INFRAS developed four approaches to counter this phenomenon.