State of Global Environmental Governance 2024

The 2024 state of global environmental governance is characterized by a 'polycrisis' of geopolitical tension, climate disasters, and economic instability. While some progress was made in Indigenous Peoples' participation and the establishment of the Cali Fund for biodiversity, major negotiations on plastic pollution and chemicals failed to reach landmarks. Climate finance remains a central point of contention, with the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) of USD 300 billion per year by 2035 falling short of developing countries' expectations. The report highlights a growing trend of environmental litigation at global courts and the persistent challenge of 'siloed' governance, where the three Rio Conventions operate independently despite the interconnected nature of climate, biodiversity, and land degradation.

• Climate finance targets were updated at the Baku Climate Change Conference, establishing a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) that triples the previous annual goal from USD 100 billion to USD 300 billion per year by 2035, with a hope to reach at least USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035 from all public and private sources. However, the G-77 and China argued this amount was insufficient, calling for more than four times the proposed quantum.
• Significant progress was made in formalizing the role of Indigenous Peoples within environmental governance, including the creation of a permanent subsidiary body for their engagement in biodiversity work at the UN Biodiversity Conference and the establishment of two new caucuses for Indigenous Peoples and local communities at the UNCCD COP.
• The 'Cali Fund' was adopted as a landmark mechanism to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from digital sequence information on genetic resources, requiring corporations, such as pharmaceutical companies, to provide half of their profits from such data to Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
• Global governance of chemicals and plastics faced significant setbacks in 2024. Negotiations for a science-policy panel (SPP) on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention ended without an agreement on a foundational document, and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) failed to adopt a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution due to technical complexities and economic stakes.
• Environmental litigation is increasingly being used to hold states and corporations accountable. Notable 2024 developments include the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea confirming state obligations to control marine pollution from greenhouse gas emissions and the Swedish Supreme Court ruling that residents affected by PFAS-contaminated drinking water are entitled to compensation.
• Global environmental governance remains fragmented and 'siloed,' with the three Rio Conventions (climate, biodiversity, and desertification) operating autonomously. Despite efforts like the Bern III Conference to cross-map targets, coordination is often hindered by the legal autonomy of treaties and geopolitical blocking, such as Saudi Arabia and others blocking the alignment of IPCC and Paris Agreement cycles.

APA

Allan, J., Kosolapova, E., Templeton, J., & Wagner, L. (2024). State of Global Environmental Governance 2024. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2024.pdf

Chicago

Allan, Jen, Elena Kosolapova, Jessica Templeton, and Lynn Wagner. State of Global Environmental Governance 2024. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Allan |first1=Jen |last2=Kosolapova |first2=Elena |last3=Templeton |first3=Jessica |last4=Wagner |first4=Lynn |title=State of Global Environmental Governance 2024 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2024.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{allan2024state, author = {Allan, Jen and Kosolapova, Elena and Templeton, Jessica and Wagner, Lynn}, title = {{State of Global Environmental Governance 2024}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/state-global-environmental-governance-2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }