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The document outlines a framework for activating the Loss and Damage Fund established at COP27, emphasizing the need for inclusive governance, direct access for local communities, and a holistic approach to funding that addresses both economic and non-economic losses. It advocates for a 'learning by doing' approach to capacity building and the creation of dedicated windows for local beneficiaries to bypass slow national-level bureaucratic processes.

The document argues that the Loss and Damage Fund should avoid the bureaucratic hurdles of traditional climate finance by adopting flexible, grant-based mechanisms and inclusive governance. It emphasizes the need for direct access for local NGOs and marginalized communities, particularly in fragile states and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), while integrating with existing humanitarian and development flows to ensure a comprehensive response to climate-induced losses.

The briefing argues that climate change and biodiversity loss are inextricably connected and recommends five key opportunities to align the CBD and UNFCCC agendas. These include developing specific indicators for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), aligning National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), formalizing collaboration between the IPBES and IPCC, establishing a joint work program among the three Rio Conventions, and formalizing the role of CBD Action Agenda High-Level Champions.

The research paper compares the financial targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF) with the UNFCCC's New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG). It argues that the CBD's approach—which combines the reduction of harmful subsidies, mobilization from diverse sources, and specific developed-to-developing country provisions—could serve as a model for the NCQG. The authors recommend a 10-year operational timeframe with five-year milestones, a quantum based on a subset of developing countries' needs, and a layered financial structure that includes the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies.

The briefing highlights the negative environmental and social impacts of critical mineral extraction in Argentina, Indonesia, and Guinea, arguing that the UN Secretary-General's Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals must center the voices of affected communities to avoid 'green extractivism'. It documents issues such as the violation of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in lithium mining, pollution and labor abuses in nickel downstreaming, and the loss of agricultural land in bauxite mining. The document concludes with recommendations for governments and companies to protect indigenous rights, ensure transparency in GHG emissions, and end the criminalization of environmental defenders.

WACC partners argue that the Global Digital Compact (GDC) lacks a focus on communication rights and fails to adequately address the environmental impacts of technology, gender intersectionality, and the specific vulnerabilities of migrants. They recommend transitioning from a market-oriented digital model to one based on public interest, where digital resources are treated as public utilities and governance prioritizes human rights over private profit.

WWF advocates for a binding global treaty to end plastic pollution, emphasizing the need for global bans on harmful plastics, mandatory product design requirements for a non-toxic circular economy, aligned financial flows, and flexible decision-making mechanisms to strengthen the treaty over time.

The Mekong River basin is the world's most productive inland fishery and the third most species-rich river for fish, hosting 1,148 recognized species. However, nearly 20% of these species are threatened with extinction due to hydropower dams, habitat loss, sand mining, pollution, and climate change. The report highlights the critical role of fish in regional food security—providing over half of the animal protein for many Lower Mekong populations—and their economic value in aquaculture, the aquarium trade, and potential eco-tourism. To reverse these declines, the document proposes a six-pillar Emergency Recovery Plan focusing on natural river flow, water quality, habitat restoration, sustainable resource management, control of invasive species, and the removal of obsolete barriers.

The Living Planet Report 2024 documents a 73% average decline in monitored wildlife populations from 1970 to 2020, with freshwater species suffering the most (85%). The report warns that cumulative pressures from habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change are pushing ecosystems toward irreversible tipping points, such as the potential collapse of the Amazon rainforest and coral reefs. It argues that current national commitments for biodiversity and climate are insufficient, and calls for a systemic transformation of the global food system (the leading cause of habitat loss), the energy system (the primary driver of climate change), and the financial system (which currently provides almost US$7 trillion annually in nature-negative flows).

The 2024 Plowprint report by WWF International tracks the cumulative footprint of cropland conversion in the Great Plains. In 2022, approximately 1.9 million acres of grasslands were converted to croplands across the US and Canada. While this is a slight improvement over the 10-year average of 2.6 million acres, the report emphasizes that current levels of loss remain unacceptable. The analysis highlights that 55% of Great Plains land remains intact, with Tribal lands showing higher conservation rates at 80%. The report advocates for strengthening the Farm Bill, expanding the Sodsaver provision, and reforming biofuels policies to reduce incentives for grassland conversion.

The document outlines a gap analysis of 25 frameworks relevant to marine renewables, shipping, tourism, and coastal development, finding that many lack granularity or specific sectoral guidance. It argues that current frameworks overemphasize avoidance and reduction while overlooking restoration and regeneration. To address this, WWF recommends that future science-based targets focus on three pillars: Capabilities (balancing ambition with feasibility and standardizing measurement), Collaboration (aligning with standards like TNFD and EU CSRD), and Communication (developing comprehensive guidelines and engaging financial institutions).

The document highlights the disparity between the high profits of global chocolate companies and the poverty of cocoa farmers, particularly in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. It argues that farmer poverty is a primary driver of environmental and social issues, including deforestation and child labor, and calls for companies to implement living income reference prices, fair contracts, and transparent reporting.

The Canadian Climate Institute evaluates the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions' (OSFI) Standardized Climate Scenario Analysis Exercise (SCSAE), arguing that while it is a positive step toward normalizing climate risk management for federal financial institutions, it is currently 'exagérément simplifié'. The Institute recommends that the SCSAE move beyond simple exposure analysis to incorporate asset vulnerability, regional differences within Canada, and the economic opportunities presented by the clean energy transition to avoid distorting the financial risk landscape.

The Canadian Climate Institute supports the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions' (OSFI) draft Standardized Climate Scenario Exercise (SCSE) but argues it is currently oversimplified. The Institute recommends that OSFI explicitly disclose limitations regarding the lack of regional data and the omission of clean energy opportunities. It specifically warns that the SCSE confuses 'exposure' with 'risk' in its physical and real estate modules, failing to account for asset vulnerability and comprehensive climate policy. To increase practical value, the Institute suggests piloting risk assessments for a small number of highly material risks, such as flooding, rather than broad hazard exposure mapping.

The document calls on the EU, the US, and Canada to move beyond negotiation terms from COP28 by rapidly phasing out domestic fossil fuel production and use, ending financial institution support for fossil fuel expansion, and providing concessional financing to developing nations to triple renewable energy deployment and double energy efficiency.

The document argues that the protection of environmental defenders is critical for combating the climate crisis and that the Escazú Agreement provides the necessary legal framework to ensure access to information, public participation, and justice. It highlights the disproportionate risks faced by women and indigenous peoples, and warns that the energy transition must not replicate the extractive and colonial patterns of the fossil fuel industry.

The Global Climate & Health Alliance (GCHA) argues that climate change is a critical threat to public health in Latin America and the Caribbean, exacerbating inequalities and violating human rights. The document details specific health impacts—including heat-related deaths, respiratory issues from wildfires and air pollution, and the spread of vector-borne diseases like dengue—while highlighting the vulnerability of indigenous peoples, children, and the elderly. It asserts that states have legal obligations under the American Convention on Human Rights and the Paris Agreement to prevent climate-related health harms. The GCHA recommends a transition away from fossil fuels, the elimination of 'sacrifice zones,' and the implementation of sustainable land management and urban design to achieve health and climate co-benefits.

The document examines how climate change and sea level rise threaten coastal communities and military infrastructure, potentially leading to social instability and reduced military readiness. It advocates for the use of nature-based solutions—such as mangroves, coral reefs, and salt marshes—as cost-effective alternatives or supplements to artificial infrastructure to dissipate wave energy and reduce flooding. The author highlights specific military applications, including US Department of Defense projects in Florida and UK efforts in overseas territories, and suggests that supporting these ecological defenses in partner nations can bolster strategic alliances and global security.

Earthjustice argues that the American Convention on Human Rights requires States to implement a just transition to clean energy based on their 'fair share' of historical and current emissions. The brief advocates for the immediate phase-out of fossil fuel extraction and power generation, the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, and the mandatory use of comprehensive climate assessments—including scope 3 emissions—for all new energy projects and policies. It emphasizes that human rights obligations may necessitate more ambitious mitigation than those outlined in the Paris Agreement and warns against 'false solutions' like carbon capture and storage.

The document argues that climate change is a human rights crisis driven by a small number of 'Carbon Majors' in the fossil fuel and agroindustrial sectors. It asserts that States have a duty under the American Convention on Human Rights to regulate these entities, halt fossil fuel expansion, and ensure reparations for affected communities. It further argues that business enterprises have an independent obligation to respect human rights, which includes conducting due diligence across their entire value chain and ceasing deceptive 'climate-washing' practices.