Perspective: What’s New About the Nairobi Declaration for Climate Investment

In convening the first ever Africa Climate Summit on September 4-6, Kenya’s President William Ruto sought to frame an African position in preparation for the upcoming U.N. Climate Summit, COP28, to be held in Dubai starting November 30. The resulting Nairobi Declaration endorses a series of proposals to reform the way multilateral development banks operate…

Hybrid Forum: Transitioning to Sustainable and Resilient Energy Systems in Developing Economies

The transition to energy systems powered principally by renewable sources requires a fundamental shift in the production, distribution, and consumption of energy, while protecting the welfare of workers and communities whose livelihoods have depended on conventional energy systems (the just transition). This must be achieved in the context of a changing climate, the impacts of…

Reducing Fossil Fuel Use Is Key to the Sustainable Energy Transition

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Synthesis Report (AR6), issued in March 2023 features a stark message: the decisions that we make right now will have profound implications for the future. In the energy sector, such decisions must focus on incentives for reducing fossil fuels and development agencies, such as USAID, are…

Matt Arnold

Matt Arnold is a former senior advisor for the Sustainable Energy Transition Practice.

Climate Finance for a Just Transition: A Forum on Blended Finance and Catalytic Strategies

As we mobilise capital flows to deliver a net zero future, a just transition means ensuring the benefits are shared widely and embedded successfully, with no one left behind. Financial institutions and governments have been ramping up their commitments to a just transition, but many need to better understand the rationale, implications, and applications of…

Development Works Here with Achini Wijesinghe

Meet Chemonics’ Achini Wijesinghe, gender advisor for the USAID Sri Lanka Energy Program! In this video, Achini discusses her path to international development, the organizations that inspired her and shaped her career and identity, advice for those interested in a career in development, her experience swimming with nurse sharks in the Maldives, and more. Achini…

Targeting a Just Transition as We Invest In Our Planet

The world is facing mission-critical gaps in climate finance and development finance. Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that investment in climate mitigation and adaptation is three to six times lower than it needs to be to reach the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the UN…

Perspective: Our Energy Experts on the Inadequacy of Bangladesh’s Power Sector

Last week, the blackout that shut down much of Bangladesh for seven hours starting at 2 pm local time on October 4th – followed by days of more frequent load-shedding than before the outage – underscores the inadequacy of the country’s energy sector to power its dynamic economy and growing population. Despite years of expansion…