RMI

Last year I wrote that most climate projects in emerging markets never make it past the starting line. A year of research later, I’d sharpen the argument: The problem isn’t that project preparation doesn’t exist. We’ve built dozens of Project Preparation Facilities (PPF). What we haven’t built is a coherent project preparation ecosystem. The result is that good projects get lost between concept and finance. Over the past year, RMI and the NDC Partnership have been digging into what needs to change, speaking with major facilities, funders, and practitioners across the system. Our conclusion is that we don’t just need more project preparation. We need Project Preparation 2.0. Five shifts matter: → From heavy reliance on external support to embedded, long-term national capacity → From multiple entry points to navigable systems with clearer handoffs → From grant-dependent project preparation to funding matched to project type and stage → From a bias toward larger projects and more liquid markets to dedicated support for smaller, adaptation and locally led projects → From activity reporting to active learning systems that measure what actually reaches finance and implementation, feeding lessons back into the system The brief doesn’t just diagnose these gaps; it looks at what is already working in practice and what different actors can do to build on it. This isn’t about adding another layer to the climate finance architecture. It’s about making the ecosystem we already have work like one. I’m keen to connect and work with others trying to make these shifts happen. Which of these five shifts is hardest from where you sit, and what have you seen work? Brief in the first comment 👇 #ClimateFinance #ProjectPreparation #EmergingMarkets

Gas is commonly extracted along with oil and marketed as a clean, reliable fuel referred to as “natural gas.” In reality, gas is a chemical cocktail that consists mostly of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with over 80 times the warming impact of carbon dioxide over the short term. Toxins in gas, like benzene, also pose serious health risks. Gas should remain in the pipe. But instead, it is released into the air far too often through many small equipment leaks and intentional venting and flaring. Gas loss is relatively widespread and highly variable across oil and gas infrastructure, wasting energy, increasing costs, and resulting in negative environmental, health, and safety impacts. https://ow.ly/nIEV50Zq4xI

If you work in sustainability, procurement, packaging, ESG, or related functions, RMI wants your perspective on how your company is using PET and recycled PET (rPET) to meet Scope 3 and circularity goals. Take our survey or connect with our experts to share your organization's priorities, challenges, and perspectives. Your input will directly inform the development of new approaches that could help companies advance their sustainability goals. Sign up to request an invitation to participate.

The EU Methane Regulation can help transform global gas markets by making methane intensity a meaningful factor in decision-making — ultimately supporting energy security, improving operational efficiency, and bringing climate benefits. Effective implementation will require practical solutions to complex technical questions related to supply-chain traceability, methane intensity, and measuring, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV). RMI is engaging in this process with a solutions-oriented approach: bringing independent, technical, and market expertise to help ensure the regulation is credible, workable, and capable of accelerating real-world methane mitigation. https://ow.ly/FV7M50ZfrM6

#LCAW is off to a great start. The most energizing conversations in CDR to me are the ones focused on building the tools and infrastructure that build trust and reduce risk so more buyers take the plunge. Contracted durability is one of those tools—RMI partnered with American Forest Foundation and Beyond Alliance to introduce this idea and set an action agenda for making it real. Check out my summary below and if you’re going to be at the Nature Hub on Thursday, join me for the last session of the day at 4pm on managing reversal risk.

If you work in sustainability, procurement, packaging, ESG, or related functions, RMI wants your perspective on how your company is using PET and recycled PET (rPET) to meet Scope 3 and circularity goals. Take our 15-minute survey to share your organization's priorities, challenges, and perspectives. Your input will directly inform the development of new approaches that could help companies advance their sustainability goals.