Explainers

We can’t make progress on sustainable development if we don’t understand it. Research papers and textbooks don’t always speak in plain language, which makes it hard to learn about the nuances of environmental negotiations or get clarity on what counts as a fossil fuel subsidy. IISD experts are here to help with accessible explainers on tricky topics. 

Highlights

Understanding the United Nations’ New Principles for Resourcing the Energy Transition

Greg Radford explains new principles and recommendations developed by the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals and designed to advance equity and justice.

Explainer

September 11, 2024

The Urgency and Complexity of Moving Beyond GDP

Efforts to explore how the portfolio of capitals that make up Comprehensive Wealth—financial capital, produced capital, natural capital, human capital, and social capital—can give policymakers insights into how their policies build wealth for their countries in the long run.

Explainer

September 9, 2024

What Developing Countries Should Know About Negotiations for a New Global Agreement on E-Commerce

Rashmi Jose discusses the ongoing negotiations of a new global e-commerce agreement under the WTO, highlighting its potential impact on developing countries, the key provisions, and the flexibilities offered to assist them in implementation, while also addressing unresolved legal and participation challenges.

Explainer

September 6, 2024

All content

Filter by:

Showing 1-10 of 35 results

The Urgency and Complexity of Moving Beyond GDP

Efforts to explore how the portfolio of capitals that make up Comprehensive Wealth—financial capital, produced capital, natural capital, human capital, and social capital—can give policymakers insights into how their policies build wealth for their countries in the long run.
Explainer September 9, 2024

Inside the UN Tax Negotiations: Key outcomes and future challenges

Last week at the United Nations, countries endorsed new guidelines for an international tax system under the UN's umbrella. Our expert Kudzai Mataba, who observed the negotiations, provides an in-depth look at the progress, the divergent priorities of developed and developing nations, and the challenges ahead for global tax cooperation.
Explainer August 23, 2024

How to Strengthen MEL Systems for Adaptation

Monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems are about ensuring we implement climate change adaptation more effectively and more efficiently. So, what can we learn from different countries currently tackling the challenges of developing and delivering MEL systems for adaptation? Lucy Njuguna and Emilie Beauchamp dive into the findings and recommendations from a new report.
Explainer July 31, 2024

Seven Key Issues to Watch at The Bonn Climate Conference

Compared to the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COPs), the Bonn Climate Conference (SB 60) gets barely any time in the public spotlight. However, the discussions here play a critical role in shaping negotiations at COPs and provide a window into what lies ahead. Our experts weigh in on seven key issues.
Explainer May 30, 2024

What to Expect at Plastics INC-4

What to expect in Ottawa as plastic pollution treaty talks get underway, explained by the team leader of the global neutral reporting service Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
Explainer April 22, 2024

UNFCCC Submissions Tracker

Tracking and sharing opportunities for stakeholders to give input to the UN climate change negotiations.
Explainer March 21, 2024

After COP 28: What's next for adaptation?

IISD experts Anne Hammill, Angie Dazé, Emilie Beauchamp, Jeffrey Qi, and Alec Crawford take a closer look at what we saw—and did not see—on adaptation at COP 28 in Dubai, and where we go from here.
Explainer January 25, 2024