Issue 2025-1
Dear Reader,
New data, innovative research, and impactful insights await you in the latest Sovereign ESG Newsletter. In this edition, discover cutting-edge geospatial data for strengthened KPI setting, expanded coverage on our Data Portal, key findings from the Finance and Prosperity 2024 report, and trends shaping sustainable finance. Additionally, don't miss the upcoming launch of our Feasibility and Ambitiousness Dashboard.

We hope you will enjoy reading this newsletter—and if you do, please share it with your colleagues.

Sincerely yours,
Sovereign ESG Data Portal Team

Data and Stories

Peering through the clouds in the Peruvian Amazon: uncovering sub-annual land cover transitions (Part 1/2)
Showcasing the Peruvian Amazon, we reveal how a new data product overcomes cloud cover challenges for precise forest monitoring. Discover the methodology developed in partnership with the European Space Agency in part one of the series.
Driving sustainability with new insights: refining deforestation KPIs to strengthen green financing (Part 2/2)
In the second part, learn how this innovative data product supports sub-national, sub-annual, and context-tailored deforestation KPIs, strengthening green financing through reliable monitoring, reporting, and verification systems.
Data Update: January 2025
Our data coverage has recently been expanded until 2023, reducing the data lag for many indicators to only two years. We currently have 171 indicators available for 213 economies, spanning timeframes between 1960 and 2023. Discover what is new in our latest Data Update Story.

Research

Publication: Finance and Prosperity 2024
The Finance and Prosperity report analyzes new data and highlights a growing divergence in financial sector resilience and stability among emerging market and developing economies. Learn more about critical trends in climate finance and the central role of finance in achieving prosperity for all in this inaugural edition.
Publication: GPS Annual Report 2024
As the world faces accelerating crises—from climate change to debt and conflict—it’s urgent to measure and value nature for better development decisions. Discover how the Global Program for Sustainability (GPS) is helping policymakers "make nature count," integrating natural capital into economic strategies.

Blogs

Corporate tax incentives for green growth: Where, when, and how they are being used
Tax policy is a popular tool for governments around the world seeking to influence behavior, including for encouraging environmentally sustainable investment. But is it really an effective way to accelerate the transition to a greener economy?
Acting on climate through the banking sector
​Emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) face severe climate risks and a significant financing gap. Banks, holding over 80% of financial assets in EMDEs, are crucial to bridging this gap. Explore how innovative regulatory tools can enhance climate finance without compromising financial stability.

Coming soon: FAB Dashboard

In a few weeks the Sovereign ESG Data Portal launches an exciting new tool—the Feasibility and Ambitiousness Dashboard—designed to help users set realistic yet impactful sovereign ESG targets. This tool will enable issuers and policymakers to balance ambition with feasibility when designing sustainability frameworks. Want to stay ahead? Read more about Feasibility and Ambitiousness in sovereign ESG targets and make sure to keep reading our upcoming newsletters for the latest updates!