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The guide outlines four strategic initiatives for state DOTs to reduce the embodied carbon of concrete infrastructure: integrating Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) into procurement, adjusting material specifications to allow higher supplementary cementitious material (SCM) content, demonstrating Performance Engineered Mixture (PEM) designs, and piloting innovative near-zero or zero-emissions materials.

The analysis reveals that over 80% of existing polluting electricity generating units and nearly 70% of substations in Massachusetts are located in or near environmental justice (EJ) neighborhoods. It warns that current trends in proposed infrastructure, including a new fossil-fuel peaker plant and several substations, continue to overburden these communities. The authors recommend integrating cumulative impact assessments, expanding the Energy Facilities Siting Board to include EJ and Indigenous representation, and prioritizing public health and climate targets in siting decisions.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) advocates for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to implement more rigorous standards for voluntary carbon credit derivatives. CATF suggests adding 'durability' and 'vintage' to the CFTC's proposed commodity characteristics and requiring dynamic baseline analysis, independent third-party verification, and explicit accounting for the risk of carbon reversal to prevent low-quality credits from distorting prices and undermining climate goals.

CATF supports the CFTC's oversight of voluntary carbon markets but argues that current crediting protocols are insufficient to prevent market manipulation and over-crediting. The organization recommends adding 'durability' and 'vintage' as essential commodity characteristics and requiring project-level transparency rather than relying on general protocol disclosures. CATF further urges the Commission to strengthen criteria for additionality, quantification (specifically leakage avoidance and business-as-usual baselines), and the mitigation of reversal risks, particularly for nature-based projects. Finally, it emphasizes the need for independent third-party verification to avoid conflicts of interest between project developers and verifiers.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the draft procedure for appeal and grievance processes under the Article 6.4 mechanism prioritizes limiting access over upholding human rights. The organization recommends a complete rewrite based on principles of accessibility and independence, specifically calling for the removal of all fees for marginalized groups, the expansion of eligibility for grievants to include indirect and potential harms, and the implementation of diverse submission channels beyond online forms to ensure inclusivity for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project argues that Blackstone's acquisition of Tricon Residential will exacerbate the housing affordability crisis. Citing a history of rent hikes and poor maintenance at Blackstone-owned entities like Invitation Homes and Home Partners of America, the author calls on LACERA to demand tenant protections to mitigate social and reputational risks.

The document analyzes the limitations of both shareholder engagement and full divestment in the oil and gas sector, citing recent moves by Dutch pension funds PFZW and ABP. It argues that while divestment may not provide immediate financial pressure on companies, total withdrawal removes necessary levers of influence. Reclaim Finance proposes a strategy of stopping new capital injections (specifically new bonds) while using voting rights to block 'climaticide' strategies, including voting against director re-elections and dividend distributions.

Reclaim Finance argues that current investor engagement strategies, including the Climate Action 100+ initiative, have failed to produce meaningful climate action from the oil and gas sector. The organization highlights that most companies continue fossil fuel expansion and maintain minimal investment in clean energy despite high profits. Consequently, Reclaim Finance calls on asset managers to escalate their tactics by suspending new investments, voting against strategic routine resolutions, and issuing public statements to sanction companies that refuse to stop developing new upstream and midstream projects.

The briefing argues that the Loss and Damage Fund must be managed transparently and equitably to effectively support vulnerable countries. It emphasizes the need for funding to reach the local level and identifies four critical governance trade-offs: financial scope versus coordination, participatory versus decentralized governance, participatory versus rapid decision-making, and accessibility versus strict oversight.

The document argues that the Loss and Damage Fund must be managed equitably and transparently to be perceived as legitimate by both donors and recipients. It emphasizes the necessity of ensuring funds reach local levels to meet the specific needs of the most affected communities. To achieve operationalization, the text identifies four critical trade-offs: the scope of funding versus coordination with other funds, participatory governance versus decentralized approaches, inclusive decision-making versus speed, and accessibility versus rigorous control.

The author argues that food waste is a critical but often overlooked component of climate action plans, noting that food waste in the US generates 170 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The document highlights the EPA's $4.6 billion CPRG program as a key funding opportunity for governments to implement scalable waste reduction projects, citing California's Senate Bill 1383 as a model for curbing organic waste in landfills.

CAPE argues that biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution form an interconnected crisis that directly harms human health. They recommend a 'planetary health' approach to Canada's 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy, emphasizing the protection of green and blue spaces, the reduction of hazardous chemical pollution, and the recognition of the human right to a healthy environment. The document highlights the mental health benefits of nature exposure and the risks of zoonotic diseases resulting from habitat destruction. CAPE specifically calls for the phase-out of hazardous pesticides, the end of fossil fuel subsidies, and the centering of Indigenous knowledge and self-determination in conservation efforts.

A group of environmental organizations urges the Biden administration to implement a national strategy to end plastic pollution by 2040, citing a low national residential recycling rate of 21% and the threat of plastic waste tripling in oceans by 2040. The letter proposes five key areas for action: establishing national reduction targets, advancing a circular economy through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), improving waste infrastructure, prioritizing environmental justice, and advocating for a legally binding global plastics agreement.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) argues that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is indispensable for Austria to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors like cement, lime, and steel. The document recommends that Austria set specific deployment targets, remove legal barriers to geological CO2 storage, and develop a strategic plan for operationalising storage sites by 2035. To address the 'chicken and egg' problem of infrastructure investment, CATF suggests 'oversizing' transport networks and establishing an aggregation platform to match CO2 sources with sinks. Financially, the document proposes the use of carbon contracts for difference (CCfDs) to bridge the gap between EU ETS prices and decarbonisation costs, while advocating for long-term market demand through near-zero carbon product standards. Finally, it emphasizes the need for proactive public engagement and inclusive stakeholder dialogues to build political and social support for CCS.

The author contends that despite 2024 being a record-breaking election year and the hottest year on record, news outlets are sidelining the climate crisis in political reporting. This is particularly evident in the US, where climate issues are often treated as afterthoughts or framed as unsettled science. To address this, Covering Climate Now is launching 'The Climate Elections project,' which includes a newsletter and resources to help reporters integrate climate issues into campaign coverage, moving away from 'horserace' reporting toward substantive policy questions.

The document argues that National Treasury's 'hyper-austerity' and unilateral budget cuts undermine constitutional rights and the effectiveness of social programmes. It highlights the decline in funding for the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant and the failure of child support grants to keep pace with food inflation. The authors call for a shift toward a developmental agenda that includes a basic income grant by 2025, wealth taxes to fund social services, and public investment in infrastructure and the energy transition.

The document advocates for a radical shift in banking practices to support the energy transition, specifically calling for a 6:1 investment ratio in favor of sustainable power supply over fossil fuels. Based on IEA Net Zero Emissions (NZE) projections, the author argues that total annual energy sector investments must rise to US$4.7 trillion by 2030, with energy transition investments exceeding US$4.2 trillion. Reclaim Finance emphasizes that this ratio should specifically target sustainable technologies—solar PV, wind, grids, and storage—while excluding biomass, nuclear energy, and Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS), which it deems too risky or damaging. The document concludes that banks should set specific targets for sustainable power, end all support for fossil fuel expansion, and incorporate the 6:1 ratio into credible climate transition plans.

The document argues that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires a radical shift in financial flows, moving away from fossil fuel expansion toward sustainable energy. Based on IEA data, it proposes a 6:1 ratio for banks: investing six times more in sustainable electricity supply than in fossil fuels by 2030. It specifies that 'sustainable' energy should focus on mature technologies like solar, wind, grids, and storage, while excluding nuclear, biomass, and carbon capture (CCUS).

A coalition of NGOs and research institutions advises the U.S. Department of Energy to implement a comprehensive transparency model for the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs Program. The recommendations focus on four key areas: enabling community engagement through the release of project sites and benefit plans; building program credibility by sharing selection hypotheses and funding details; evaluating long-term impacts via public reporting of climate and environmental data; and fostering market development by sharing technical specifications and lessons learned from both successful and failed projects.

The document outlines a roadmap for Malawi's future prosperity by focusing on youth-centric policies. It advocates for the integration of youth voices in national planning, the creation of a transformative education investment plan, the incorporation of mental health services into primary healthcare, and a shift toward community-based disaster risk reduction. These recommendations stem from a participatory research project using foresight methodologies like Futures Literacy Labs and the Three Horizons Framework, highlighting the urgent need for resilience following events such as Cyclone Freddy.