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The briefing outlines five trends for climate-aligned finance in 2022: the substantiation of net-zero commitments through interim targets, the publication and assessment of credible transition plans, a shift toward real-economy impact over paper alignment, the adoption of forward-looking data and metrics, and the expansion of sectoral alignment agreements for high-emitting industries.

The report defines 'climate-washing' as a subset of greenwashing specifically targeting climate change claims and examines the rising trend of litigation used to hold state and non-state actors accountable. It categorizes misleading communications into three areas: corporate/governmental commitments (such as net-zero pledges), product attributes (such as labeling natural gas as 'clean'), and the disclosure of financial risks and investments. The authors highlight a gap between public climate pledges and actual emission reductions, noting that many companies continue to invest in fossil fuels while advertising clean energy. The document provides recommendations for companies, policymakers, NGOs, and lawyers to combat disinformation and increase transparency.

The document outlines the conceptual and practical framework for moving beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) toward comprehensive/inclusive wealth (C/IW) measurement. It argues that GDP is biased toward short-term market growth and ignores critical determinants of well-being, such as environmental degradation and social capital. C/IW is presented as a portfolio of human, natural, social, produced, and financial capital that allows countries to determine if their development is sustainable. The briefing provides a three-step implementation strategy: informing decision-makers through tailored briefings, compiling official estimates via national statistical offices, and integrating these measures into ex ante and ex post policy analysis.

The document argues that colonial legacies continue to shape climate impacts and the way research is conducted, often disadvantaging the Global South. It proposes a framework for shifting power across three stages of the scientific process: project design, implementation, and dissemination. Key recommendations include adopting co-productive methodologies, ensuring equitable funding and hiring practices, practicing active reflexivity in the field, and diversifying publication channels to include regional and open-access journals. The authors emphasize that while individual researchers can take action, systemic change is required from institutions and funders to dismantle structural barriers.

The Human Rights Committee (CCPR) has increased its focus on climate change, issuing more recommendations and questions to states between 2019 and 2021. While early outputs primarily targeted Small Island Developing States and developing countries, the Committee has expanded its scope to include developed nations like Germany and Canada. Key areas of inquiry include mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and the regulation of private actors, with specific concerns raised regarding fossil fuel extraction in Guyana, Tanzania, and São Tomé and Príncipe. In the case of Teitiota v. New Zealand, the CCPR recognized that climate change could trigger non-refoulment obligations if it creates real threats to the right to life, though it found no breach in that specific instance. Additionally, the Pereira Benega v. Paraguay ruling established a precedent for state obligations to prevent environmental threats to private, family, and cultural life.

The document examines the role of women environmental defenders during the Covid-19 pandemic, treating the pandemic as a disaster. It argues that while the crisis magnified pre-existing vulnerabilities for marginalized groups and increased the domestic burden on women, women environmental defenders' networks were critical in providing relief and information to isolated communities. The brief highlights how these organizations adapted through digital tools and increased collaboration, ultimately strengthening their capacity for transformative DRR by addressing the root causes of vulnerability and advocating for socio-environmental justice.

The briefing discusses the sharp increase in agricultural and mining commodity prices since 2020, noting that while a 'supercycle' is debated, the trend threatens the Glasgow climate agreement's deforestation goals and food security in low-income countries. It highlights the critical role of scarce commodities like copper for electrification and warns that high fertilizer costs may impact 2022 harvests.

The document analyzes the Jawa-7 project in Indonesia and the Hwange Expansion Project in Zimbabwe. It finds that while Indonesia's more robust regulatory framework and the use of ultra-supercritical technology limited some environmental impacts, Zimbabwe's lack of transparency and reliance on sub-critical technology led to severe pollution and community displacement. Both cases highlight a tension between national desires to exploit domestic coal reserves and international climate commitments, as well as persistent governance issues and a lack of transparency associated with Chinese-led infrastructure lending.

The document analyzes the ESG impacts of the Lamu Port in Kenya and the Kuantan Port in Malaysia, both developed under China's Belt and Road Initiative. It finds that both projects caused significant environmental damage, including the loss of mangroves in Kenya and pollution from bauxite mining in Malaysia. Socio-economic issues include unpaid compensation for displaced communities in Kenya and public health concerns in Malaysia. The briefing argues that these projects often prioritize political elite interests over pragmatic alternatives, leading to governance failures and questionable economic rationales.

The document compares the Rwanda-Peru (RP) and Japan (JP) draft resolutions for UNEA 5.2, highlighting that while both seek a global legally binding instrument and an intergovernmental negotiating committee (INC), they differ significantly in scope and mandate. The RP resolution adopts a broad 'plastic pollution' scope across all environments using a full lifecycle approach (upstream production to downstream waste), whereas the JP resolution focuses specifically on 'marine plastic pollution' with a stronger emphasis on downstream interventions and a goal to reduce additional marine plastic pollution to zero by 2050. Additionally, the RP resolution proposes an 'open mandate' for the INC and a stronger institutional framework, including a financial mechanism and a scientific and socio-economic body, which are absent or more limited in the JP draft.

The document asserts that Colombia's coal sector is in a structural decline, despite temporary price increases in 2021. It highlights the extreme economic and fiscal dependence of La Guajira and Cesar on large-scale mining, noting that this dependence coexists with low development indicators and high environmental and social liabilities. The author uses the 2020 crisis and Prodeco's decision to relinquish mining titles as a warning, urging national and local governments to implement transition strategies rather than attempting to prolong the life of coal mining, which would risk obstructing a just transition.

The briefing argues that the Komstroy ruling effectively bars investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) between EU investors and Member States under the ECT, creating significant legal obstacles to the enforcement of awards and potentially allowing EU State aid law to block compensation payments.

The briefing argues that the Komstroy ruling effectively bars investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) between EU investors and Member States under the ECT, creating systematic obstacles to the recognition and enforcement of such awards within the EU. It highlights that EU Member States are now obliged to challenge these awards and that EU State aid rules may further prevent the payment of compensation. The document specifically applies these legal hurdles to pending cases brought by RWE and Uniper against the Netherlands regarding its coal phase-out policy.

The document explains how beneficial ownership transparency (BOT) helps uncover the individuals who ultimately control assets, preventing criminals and corrupt officials from using shell companies to hide profits from illegal wildlife trade, forestry, and fisheries. It highlights the role of public registries in tracing 'dirty money' and provides guidance for NRM practitioners to conduct due diligence and identify signs of obscured ownership to safeguard conservation projects.

Residential and commercial buildings contribute 13% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The document highlights that adopting cost-effective efficiency and electrification measures can reduce carbon emissions of single-family homes by 24%, with the most significant savings coming from replacing inefficient furnaces and air conditioners with high-efficiency heat pumps.

The briefing highlights the role of non-state actors in driving climate action despite insufficient national pledges. It identifies four mechanisms—certification schemes, demand aggregation, climate-aligned finance, and national alliances—that create 'ambition loops' to scale low-carbon solutions. Examples include India's Shoonya initiative for electric delivery, the US-based Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, the Poseidon Principles for shipping finance, and the America Is All In coalition.

The Healthy Air Campaign (HAC) advocates for the inclusion of Lords amendment 3 in the Environment Bill to set a legal target for PM2.5 air pollution of 10 µg/m3 by 2030. The briefing argues that current UK legal limits are double the 2005 WHO guidelines and that achieving the stricter target is feasible based on technical analysis. It highlights the severe public health impacts of PM2.5, including an estimated 40,000 premature deaths annually in the UK, and notes the economic burden of over £20bn per year. The document emphasizes that the UK risks losing its global leadership in air quality as the USA and EU move toward stricter standards.

To meet its 2030 climate target of reducing net emissions by 50-52% from 2005 levels, the United States must increase its land carbon sink's annual removal by 13% over 2019 levels, reaching at least 913 Mt CO2e. The World Resources Institute identifies three primary pathways to achieve this: reforestation and restocking, agroforestry, and wildfire risk mitigation. Together, these pathways would require a total federal investment of $126.6 billion over 20 years, supporting approximately 199,000 jobs annually and generating $226.8 billion in value added to local economies. The document advocates for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Build Back Better Act to maintain robust funding for these initiatives to catalyze a just, low-carbon economy.

The document advocates for the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London, scheduled for 25 October 2021, to address illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the resulting public health risks. It highlights that air pollution disproportionately affects vulnerable groups and low-income households, while noting that without such policies, London would have taken 193 years from 2016 to meet legal NO2 limits. The briefing calls for further support through scrappage schemes and a comprehensive plan to tackle pollution hotspots near schools and hospitals.

The document advises US cities and communities to leverage existing federal funding opportunities to accelerate the clean energy transition. It highlights that the Biden Administration is integrating climate mitigation and racial equity into federal programs through initiatives like Justice40. The briefing recommends three strategies: understanding current funding landscapes via tools like the FFOLD tool, embedding environmental justice into project designs to increase competitiveness, and seeking funds from non-climate agencies such as those focused on health and economic development.