Publications

1 July 2026 – This paper explores how meaningful community engagement can act as a catalyst for renewable energy infrastructure expansion in Africa.Advancing community engagement in Africa: Barrier or catalyst for renewable energy infrastructure expansion?Download the paper This paper from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Le…

23 June 2026 – ClimateWise launches an Insurability Readiness Matrix, a first-of-its-kind tool to help insurers, financiers, corporates and policymakers understand and act on emerging insurability challenges before they become crises. Download the report  Download the guidance notes   Download the template   Download the methodology  About In March…

22 June 2026 - Our new prospectus Cambridge: Investing in Climate Innovation sets out how Cambridge is helping to enable the systems change through science, solutions and scaling.Download the report AboutCambridge is a globally recognised centre for climate innovation - where world-leading science is translated into real-world solutions at scale. A…

16 June 2026 – A new report by Corporate Leaders Group UK shows electrification is critical to UK prosperity, jobs and energy securityPowering Prosperity: How electrification can strengthen the UK’s economy, resilience and energy securityDownload the report  AboutThe UK is entering a period of heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainty, marke…

 26 May 2026 – A report by CISL’s Banking Environment Initiative (BEI) outlines an approach to embed physical risk, insurance, and resilience into financial decision-making.  Download the Resilience-Adjusted Credit Risk report: About The report, developed by CISL’s Banking Environment Initiative (BEI), highlights how physical climate risk is accele…

14 April 2026 – The world faces a global nature crisis, which is impacting the real economy and its key actors including businesses, governments and financial institutions. The global economy must take account of nature, which underpins its resilience and long-term stability. This requires a transition to a nature positive economy and to new busine…

9 April 2026 - This paper examines why international private climate finance is not flowing at scale to green development opportunities in Africa that appear commercially viable, and what will be required to change that. Download the reportThis report from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) explores how Afric…

23 March 2026 -  This report sets out how the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) supports innovation with the potential to reshape markets, and the impact of this work over the past five years.Download the reportAboutAcross sectors, markets are being reshaped by structural pressures linked to climate change, natu…

18 March 2026 - ClimateWise has published a new briefing outlining how insurability is one of the earliest signals of whether assets, sectors, and entire economies can survive the accelerating impacts of physical climate risk. Download the full briefingInsurability represents a threshold where insurance is available and affordable. When this signal…

11 March 2026 - Environmental and social risks are compounding across economies and portfolios, yet most risk frameworks assess them in isolation. This report provides a practical, systems-based approach to help investors understand how these interconnected risks amplify financial exposure – particularly in high-impact sectors like agrifood – and o…

5 February 2026 – As citizens across G7 countries are losing belief in the future, leaders face increasing difficulty in taking bold action on climate change and nature loss. A new report, produced by CISL and Zero Ideas, explores how to rebuild public support by restoring human progress as a motivating vision, one that resonates with citizens, pro…

3 February 2026 - The ClimateWise Principles Independent Review for 2025 reveals momentum building on transition plans and a culture of continued improvement, despite a complex external environment.Download the ClimateWise Principles Independent ReviewAboutThe ClimateWise Principles have provided a framework for the insurance industry to disclose c…

Dr. Nina Seega – Director, Centre for Sustainable Finance, CISL, said: “In a year marked by a global recalibration of sustainability reporting, it is encouraging to see the insurance industry moving forward with quiet determination. Seeing such a strong baseline in our first-ever assessment of transition plans is particularly heartening. It shows t…

28 January 2026 - This report sets out examples of how CISL has worked over the past year with leaders and innovators across business, finance and government to shape the markets of the future.Download the report.About2025 was the year sustainability stopped sitting comfortably in the world of global goals, models of change, flagship projects, glos…

27 January 2026 – This paper reviews South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency and assesses how it advanced a Global South–led development agenda amid global geopolitical fragmentation and constrained cooperation. Download the paperThis report from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) examines South Africa’s performan…