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The briefing evaluates the draft second NDC from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the recommendations from the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), arguing that the DFFE's targets lack sufficient ambition and scientific justification compared to the PCC's evidence-based approach.

The document critiques the reliance on 'net zero' frameworks, carbon offsets, and technological fixes, asserting that these mechanisms allow polluters to continue emissions while risking land grabbing and violating indigenous rights. It specifically analyzes the implications of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the promotion of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and geoengineering, calling instead for a systemic shift toward energy sovereignty and the phased elimination of fossil fuels.

The document critiques the 'net zero' narrative, asserting that it relies on unproven carbon removals and offsets that allow polluters to continue emissions. It specifically highlights the risks of 'Nature Based Solutions' (NBS) leading to land grabbing in the Global South and the dangers of techno-fixes like BECCS and DACCS. The briefing details how the Article 6 'Rulebook' agreed at COP26 facilitates global carbon markets and warns that COP27 may further entrench these mechanisms. It concludes by advocating for 'real solutions' centered on a coordinated fossil fuel phase-out, food sovereignty, and Indigenous rights.

Global Witness argues that the EU's proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive risks becoming a 'box-ticking exercise' unless it is strengthened. The briefing recommends establishing a clear 'duty to prevent' harm, mandating ongoing and outcome-oriented due diligence, and ensuring meaningful stakeholder engagement, particularly for human rights and environmental defenders. It calls for the inclusion of mandatory climate due diligence aligned with the Paris Agreement, the removal of exemptions for financial institutions, and the reduction of legal barriers to justice for victims of corporate abuse.

The document critiques the carbon market mechanisms being negotiated under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, specifically Articles 6.2, 6.4, and 6.8. It argues that these markets allow developed countries and fossil fuel companies to avoid direct emission reductions through offsetting, which the author claims is incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The briefing highlights technical concerns such as double counting and the lack of a legally binding demand for carbon credits, while emphasizing the risks to Indigenous peoples and local communities, including land grabbing and forced displacement. It calls for a shift toward non-market approaches and the fulfillment of public climate finance obligations by the Global North.

The document examines how proposed changes to the CAP and EU budget threaten the green transition of agriculture. It highlights the risk of making direct payment capping voluntary, the potential for diverting rural development funds to hectare-based payments, and the use of flawed climate expenditure tracking. It also warns that NGEU recovery funds may be distributed without green conditionality. ClientEarth calls for mandatory capping, ring-fencing at least 50% of the EAGF for qualitative eco-schemes, and a science-based methodology for tracking climate spending.

The document critiques carbon markets, specifically cap-and-trade and offsetting, asserting they fail to reduce global emissions and instead facilitate corporate power and human rights abuses. It highlights the failures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and REDD, and warns that the negotiation of Article 6 at COP25 could lock in these flawed mechanisms, further delaying urgent emissions cuts at the source.

The Keystone XL pipeline, proposed by TransCanada to transport tar sands oil from Canada to Houston, faces significant opposition from U.S. lawmakers, grassroots organizers, and federal agencies. The EPA gave the State Department's draft Environmental Impact Statement a failing grade for omitting global warming impacts. Concerns include the potential contamination of the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska and the higher carbon emissions associated with tar sands oil compared to conventional oil. The document highlights controversies surrounding Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's perceived bias and her ties to TransCanada's lead lobbyist, Paul Elliott.

The document argues for a rights-based approach to conservation, contrasting the effectiveness of governance by Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) with the harms of 'fortress conservation'. It advocates for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs) and sets specific criteria for the quality, connectivity, and governance of protected areas to be counted toward global biodiversity targets.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) advocates for a shift from 'fortress conservation' to a rights-based approach in the design of protected areas (PAs). The document emphasizes that the most effective conservation outcomes occur when lands are governed by indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). It highlights the significance of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs), which potentially cover 21% of the global territory, and calls for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework to recognize and protect 100% of these areas. FoEI proposes a hierarchy for expanding PAs that prioritizes the recognition of historical IPLC contributions, the protection of critical ecosystems in uninhabited regions, and the improvement of ecological representativeness and connectivity, all while ensuring public funding and the exclusion of biodiversity offsets.

The document critiques carbon emission markets, including 'cap and trade' and 'offsetting' mechanisms, as ineffective tools for climate action. It asserts that these systems allow historical polluters to avoid reducing emissions at the source while causing human rights abuses and 'climate colonialism' in the Global South. The briefing specifically warns against the adoption of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at COP25, arguing that it would institutionalize these flawed mechanisms and prioritize corporate interests over climate justice.