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As groundwater depletion accelerates amid climate change and growing agricultural demands, integrating Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) into water management strategies can safeguard India’s water security and resilience. Groundwater has sustained human societies for thousands of years, serving as a critical shared resource. However, the current rate of extraction — driven largely by climate change,

  Negotiations at the United Nations climate talks in Azerbaijan, COP29, are now picking up. Global leaders are tasked with deciding on a new goal for how much money will be provided to developing countries to take climate action. The New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance represents a critical opportunity to reshape how …

Agriculture is both a driver of climate change and on the frontlines of climate impacts. A variety of farming practices, technologies and system changes can reduce emissions to help stabilize the climate and build resilience to help protect global food production. However, a lack of access to fit-for-purpose finance keeps farmers from transitioning to climate-smart …

  Today, November 14, is Finance Day at COP29. We caught up with Leslie Labruto, EDF’s Managing Director for Sustainable Finance, about what she’s watching for at COP29, the United Nations’ climate change talks in Baku, Azerbaijan. Follow Leslie on LinkedIn. Q: You’re in Baku for COP29. What key issues are on your radar? A:

New standards must include nature-based solutions – and the communities that protect these resources The post At COP29, Article 6 must deliver on urgent finance for forests and Indigenous communities appeared first on Climate 411.

The emerging hydrogen market presents opportunities and risks for investors. These key principles and due diligence questions offer a guide.

The emerging hydrogen market presents opportunities and risks for investors. These key principles and due diligence questions offer a guide.

Sustainability-linked loan signals that major financial institutions are looking to direct more financing toward their customers’ sustainability efforts in innovative ways.

By Kae Tuitt and Lindsay Shigetomi Fleet electrification comes with unique challenges, yet fleets are finding ways to overcome these obstacles and put zero-emission vehicles on the road because the benefits are worth it. A zero-emission fleet leads to less air pollution, improved community health, new business prospects and financial savings such as lower maintenance …

This blog was authored by Milloni Doshi, Project Manager, Global Engagement and Partnerships and Annie Mark, Senior Director, Global Partnerships. The Conference of the Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a global meeting focused on conserving nature. Unlike the United Nations’ larger annual climate conferences, CBD meetings are usually smaller …

As countries discuss a new goal on climate finance at the UN climate conference, COP29, we have an opportunity to boost the impact of every dollar we invest in climate action.   In climate finance, impact represents the measurable, positive outcomes achieved through climate action—determined by tracking specific metrics like emissions reductions, adaptation results, co-benefits, and …

By Michael Zimmerman  A new study by Black & Veatch, commissioned by Environmental Defense Fund, provides further evidence that proactive grid investments don’t just help electric vehicles get on the road — they can save utility ratepayers money.  As EDF and many others have pointed out, traditional grid planning and investment processes were not designed …

As we approach the United Nations climate talks, COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, UN agencies have published several reports highlighting both our progress to-date and the gaps in global climate action. The findings are concerning, but unsurprising: countries’ current climate plans, called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), have a long way to go.   To keep global …

On November 1, the North Carolina Utilities Commission issued an order in the Carbon Plan docket, almost two months ahead of schedule. It largely ratifies an agreement reached by Duke Energy and the state’s Public Staff, who are charged with protecting the state’s ratepayers. While the Commission drops the requirement for Duke Energy to model …

The U.N. climate coreference, COP29, kicks off in Baku, Azerbajan next week. Environmental Defense Fund's Angela Churie Kallhauge lays out four key focus areas for the conference.

  Fear, uncertainty and doubt are frequently-used tools to undermine environmental policy. For decades, polluters and their sympathizers rejected the existence of climate change. Now, they say climate action costs too much. This recurring argument ignores the costs working Californians are already facing from a changing climate and the clear benefits of California’s climate policy …

The UN’s latest report confirms what we’ve known: current policy is not where it needs to be to keep us below 1.5 degrees warming.

This blog was authored by Peter Tufano, Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School and Senior Advisor to the Harvard Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, with support from the Environmental Defense Fund, including Andrew Howell, Senior Director for Sustainable Finance.  Any references below do not constitute an endorsement of the firms or products mentioned.   …

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) published the NDC Synthesis Report this week. The report assesses the combined impact of nations’ current national climate plans (NDCs) on expected global emissions in 2030, among other measures. The report concluded that the full implementation of all latest NDCs is estimated to lead to a 5.9 …

America’s ports are hotbeds for toxic air pollution due to the diesel-powered ships and port vehicles that move our goods from sea to land. This pollution causes all kinds of health problems for nearby communities — from asthma and lung disease, to premature birth and death — which is why today’s announcement from the Environmental …

The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2024 presents stark findings on the state of global climate action. Current pledges would only reduce emissions 4-10% below 2019 levels by 2030 – far short of the 42% reduction needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. These gaps are corroborated by the Nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement Synthesis …

Co-authored by: Anushi Garg and Linda Shi Anushi is the senior analyst for Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate Resilient Coasts & Watersheds program in New York-New Jersey. Linda is the associate professor for Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. New York City, like many cities, is simultaneously facing a housing affordability crisis and …

By Neda Deylami Adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks rule and transitioning Illinois’ trucks from diesel engines to zero-emission motors is one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce climate and air pollution, spark economic growth, prioritize equitable outcomes and improve health in the state.  A new study from EDF and Atlas Public Policy modeled the …

By Erica Morehouse In April 2025, International Maritime Organization member states must come to a collective decision on technical and economic measures at the U.N. agency’s 83rd Marine Environment Protection Committee  meeting. The adoption of these measures will define the shipping industry’s trajectory toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and away from fossil fuels by 2050.