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The Forest Declaration Assessment recommends that the COP30 Presidency focus on four systemic levers to meet 2030 forest goals: aligning national ambition and planning, securing land rights and governance, reforming trade and real-economy incentives, and transforming financial systems. Key proposals include integrating deforestation targets into NDCs, ensuring 30% of forest finance reaches Indigenous and community organizations, repurposing harmful agricultural subsidies, and implementing mandatory nature-related risk disclosures for financial institutions.

The Canadian Coalition on Climate Change and Development (C4D) warns that Canada is now one of the few major contributor countries without an official climate finance commitment after its $5.3 billion envelope ended on March 31, 2026. The coalition calls for a new financial allocation in the Spring Economic Statement to maintain Canada's global credibility and leadership. They advocate for high-quality funding that prioritizes grants for adaptation and loss and damage over loans to avoid increasing debt in vulnerable nations, supports nature-based solutions, and assists Global South governments in building sustainable regulatory frameworks.

The document examines water use in next-generation geothermal systems, including enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), closed-loop geothermal systems (CLGS), and Superhot Rock (SHR) geothermal. It distinguishes between water withdrawal and consumption, noting that while water is essential, innovations can minimize its use. Key findings indicate that approximately 90% of next-generation geothermal can use non-freshwater sources and that air-cooled binary systems significantly reduce water consumption compared to wet-cooled steam systems. The document highlights a trade-off where the most water-efficient systems are often the most capital-intensive. Recommendations include increasing the use of alternative water sources, deploying CLGS and air-cooled technologies, and improving transparency in water usage reporting.

The report outlines a five-step strategy for the European Union to achieve energy sovereignty by transitioning away from fossil fuel imports, which currently account for nearly 60% of its primary energy supply. It emphasizes that 89% of final energy demand can be met through electrification using existing technologies, which would significantly lower exposure to supply shocks since 81% of electricity production is domestic. The document proposes specific actions: accelerating electrification, interconnecting the European power grid, deploying energy storage to replace gas for balancing, decarbonizing heavy industry, and using the EU Methane Regulation to phase out high-risk imports from suppliers like Russia and the United States. Financially, the report notes that EU clean energy investments reached approximately 346 billion euros in 2025, but argues that 1,500 billion euros per year are needed until 2050 to complete the transition.

The report identifies the EU's reliance on fossil fuel imports—nearly 60% of primary energy supplies—as a structural geopolitical risk. It proposes a five-step framework (Electrify, Connect, Flex, Decarbonise, and Shield) to enhance energy sovereignty. Key recommendations include increasing electrification, expanding the interconnected grid, deploying energy storage, decarbonising heavy industry, and using the EU Methane Emissions Reduction (MER) regulation to phase out high-risk suppliers like Russia and the USA. The document emphasizes that while clean energy investments reached approximately 346 billion EUR in 2025, they must scale to 1.5 trillion EUR annually by 2050 to achieve the transition.

The document argues that the DNSH principle should be a binding eligibility requirement for EU funding rather than a general guideline, ensuring that no activity funded by the EU budget causes significant harm to any of the six environmental objectives. It calls for a strict interpretation of derogations, the creation of an explicit exclusion list—specifically including fossil fuels—and the implementation of transparent, independent assessment procedures to prevent the 'watering down' of environmental standards.

The report finds that climate-driven hazards like extreme rainfall and heat stress will drive infrastructure costs to $14 billion per year by the 2050s and $19 billion by 2085 without adaptation. Proactive adaptation, requiring an average annual investment of $4.1 billion, could lower total costs by nearly $9 billion per year compared to no adaptation and over $4 billion compared to reactive adaptation. The analysis emphasizes that early action improves budget predictability and avoids cascading economic disruptions, though it notes that upgrades to existing assets must be supplemented by new protective infrastructure like dikes.

The report evaluates the costs of maintaining Canadian public infrastructure under different climate scenarios, concluding that proactive adaptation is more cost-effective than reactive repairs or inaction. It estimates that without adaptation, annual infrastructure costs could reach 14 billion dollars by the 2050s and 19 billion dollars by 2085. Proactive adaptation, requiring an average annual investment of 4 billion dollars, could reduce total costs by nearly 9 billion dollars per year compared to no adaptation. The document recommends six strategic priorities for federal, provincial, and territorial governments to accelerate resilience, including updated building codes and increased funding for municipalities and Indigenous governments.

The document argues that traditional carbon offsetting is inherently deceptive because carbon credits cannot reliably counterbalance emissions on climate-relevant timescales. It advocates for the 'beyond value chain mitigation' (BVCM) approach, where credits are treated as contributions to global climate action rather than offsets. The guide outlines principles for credible communication, including the prioritisation of internal decarbonisation and the use of transparent, non-ambiguous language. It also provides case studies of misleading claims from entities like Climate Impact Partners, Audi, and Apple, and offers recommendations for policymakers to ban offsetting claims and for consumers to identify 'red flags' in corporate communications.

The report analyzes how high debt-service obligations and fossil fuel reliance create a structural trap for Global South nations, where fiscal pressures force governments to prioritize short-term liquidity and fossil fuel extraction over long-term renewable energy transitions. Through case studies of Colombia, Egypt, Guyana, Jordan, and Sri Lanka, it demonstrates that this nexus is systemic, often reinforced by the conditionalities of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the interests of multinational corporations. The document advocates for comprehensive debt cancellation, the end of fossil fuel finance, and a global transition framework based on 'extraction equity' to dismantle these structural barriers.

The document examines the prevalence and design of dispute prevention, management, and settlement (DPMS) provisions in national investment laws. Based on an analysis of 167 laws, it finds that while DPMS provisions are common—particularly in Africa and Asia—the inclusion of 'prior consent' to arbitration exposes states to significant risks. The report argues that states should prioritize judicial capacity building over parallel arbitration channels and strongly recommends against granting unilateral, indefinite prior consent to arbitration in national legislation.

The document examines the prevalence and nature of dispute settlement mechanisms in national investment laws, highlighting the risks of 'prior consent' to arbitration and recommending the strengthening of national judiciaries over the creation of parallel arbitration paths.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that Australia's older BITs are based on an outdated model that prioritizes investor protection and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) over public policy. The submission recommends reimagining these treaties as tools for sustainable development, prioritizing climate mitigation and a just transition. Key proposals include removing ISDS, implementing carve-outs for fossil fuel investments and climate measures, and reforming how damages are calculated to prevent exorbitant awards. IISD suggests that national legal frameworks, rather than international treaties, should be the primary regulators of foreign investment.

The report identifies significant fossil fuel exposure within the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System's (SRPS) private market allocations, which comprise approximately 41% of its $74 billion in assets. It highlights specific controversial assets, such as the Rio Grande LNG terminal and the AES Corporation's power plant portfolio, and notes that 64% of energy companies associated with SRPS's private equity managers are fossil fuel-based. The document advocates for the adoption of five climate standards, including science-based targets and fossil fuel disclosure, to mitigate financial risks associated with the energy transition.

The document concludes that Africa is positioned for a manufacturing surge if it can overcome structural bottlenecks through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), infrastructure investment, and smart industrial policy. It contrasts a 'Current Path' with a 'Manufacturing scenario' where, by 2043, the continent achieves higher GDP and employment by transitioning from a raw material exporter to a producer of value-added goods like electronics, pharmaceuticals, and electric vehicles.

The document concludes that African development is a non-linear, complex process requiring a shift from 'grand schemes' to the 'mundane functions' of governance and technical implementation. It emphasizes that success depends on national ownership, a social contract between citizens and the state, and consistent investment in knowledge creation and innovation to move up the productivity curve. The author outlines eight requirements for transformation, including strategic prioritization of catalytic interventions like agriculture and digital infrastructure, and the capacity for implementation through capable civil services.

The document concludes that Africa's current economic path is characterised by low productivity and 'premature deindustrialisation', where labour shifts from subsistence agriculture to low-end informal urban services rather than manufacturing. It highlights a reliance on 'capital-intensive commodity enclaves' that fail to build local value chains or improve broad welfare. To reverse this, the author argues for strategic investments in renewable energy, education, health infrastructure, and digital literacy, alongside the use of the AfCFTA to foster intra-African trade. The text emphasizes that achieving the African Union's Agenda 2063 requires strong governance, gender equity, and international partnerships for financing and technology transfer.

The IISD recommends that the EU uphold its commitment to keep oil, coal, and gas in the ground within the Arctic to align with net-zero pathways, reduce geopolitical security risks associated with the Barents Sea, and protect fragile ecosystems from oil spills and noise pollution. The document further suggests a clear phase-out timeline for fossil fuel imports originating from north of the Arctic Circle, including the northern Norwegian and Barents seas, to maintain the EU's credibility as a climate leader alongside partners like Canada and Greenland.

The statement urges WTO ministers at MC14 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to prioritize sustainable development within the WTO reform agenda and consolidate momentum on environmental initiatives. It highlights the need for a course-correction in WTO reform to address climate change, nature loss, and pollution, while calling for the full implementation of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the advancement of dialogues on sustainable agriculture and plastic pollution.

A coalition of business, civil society, and research stakeholders calls on WTO ministers at MC14 to ensure that multilateral trade reform prioritizes sustainable development, the climate crisis, and the needs of developing countries, particularly least developed countries (LDCs).