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ClientEarth argues that the PSI Guide must explicitly distinguish between reputational ESG risks and financially material risks, such as climate change, to ensure insurers do not adopt approaches less stringent than those required by law. The response highlights that regulators like the UK Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) and EIOPA already integrate sustainability risks into risk management frameworks, making board-level oversight and specific responsibility allocation a legal necessity rather than an optional best practice. ClientEarth further suggests that certain high-polluting sectors, such as coal and tar sands, should be managed through straightforward exclusion policies rather than ESG frameworks. Additionally, the document critiques the PSI's risk heat maps for underestimating the climate risks associated with agriculture, livestock, and real estate.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) emphasizes that the IPCC Special Report on 1.5C confirms the necessity of limiting global warming to 1.5C to avoid irreversible impacts on ecosystems and human communities. CIEL argues that the difference between 1.5C and 2C of warming will be measured in human lives and rights, particularly for marginalized populations. To achieve the 1.5C goal, CIEL highlights the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half by 2030 and reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 through a complete economic transformation away from fossil fuels. Furthermore, CIEL rejects 'overshoot and return' scenarios that rely on hypothetical carbon dioxide removal, labeling such strategies as dangerous and immoral.

ClientEarth evaluates the European Commission's communication on 2019 fishing opportunities, welcoming the move toward FMSY targets and the use of ICES landings advice for the Baltic and North Sea. However, the organization expresses significant concerns regarding the use of FMSY ranges in multiannual plans, the lack of transparency in reporting, and the potential for lowering ambitions for stocks categorized as 'bycatch'. It specifically warns against the removal of Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and the use of socio-economic arguments to delay the 2020 MSY deadline.

The 'First Draft Carbon Tax Bill 2015: Response Document' is a December 2017 report by the Centre for Environmental Rights (representing the National Treasury's responses) that details public comments and government feedback on the design of South Africa's carbon tax. It addresses key policy issues including revenue recycling, tax-free allowances for trade-exposed sectors, the treatment of the electricity and aviation sectors, and the alignment of the tax with South Africa's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.

Twenty-three major retailers and consumer goods companies, including Tesco and McDonald's, have called on soy and cattle agribusinesses to stop deforestation in Latin America, particularly in Brazil's Cerrado. Mighty Earth argues that with 500 million acres of degraded land available, native ecosystem destruction is unnecessary. The organization urges companies like Cargill and Bunge to expand their Amazon deforestation efforts to other regions and proposes a land-use change monitoring system for soy-growing areas costing between $750,000 and $1,000,000 to establish.

The We Mean Business coalition argues that the Paris Agreement provides the certainty needed for long-term business investment in innovation and infrastructure. The coalition highlights that low-carbon investments are economically advantageous, citing an average internal rate of return of 27% and specific examples from Walmart and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Despite the US government's decision to withdraw, the coalition maintains that businesses in the United States will continue to pursue climate goals because they align with business growth and risk management.

Friends of the Earth President Erich Pica criticized the expected approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, stating that the decision represents a failure in climate leadership and will increase public resistance to prioritizing oil profits over environmental protection. The organization intends to challenge the pipeline through state-level actions and legal proceedings.

ClientEarth broadly supports the TCFD's industry-led guidance but identifies three critical deficiencies: the potential to confuse voluntary recommendations with existing mandatory legal duties in G20 jurisdictions, the misstatement of the Paris Agreement's objectives by suggesting a 2°C scenario is sufficient for alignment, and a lack of prescriptive requirements for organisations to publish the assumptions underpinning their scenario analyses.

Earthjustice supports the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) finding that federal coal accounts for 11 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and urges the U.S. government to transition from a fossil fuel economy to renewable energy by ending new coal leases on public lands.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) calls on Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, to demonstrate a commitment to the Paris Agreement and U.S. climate leadership upon his appointment as Secretary of State. WRI warns that withdrawing from the Paris Agreement would damage U.S. international relations and allow China to lead in green technologies and jobs.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) warns that the appointment of Scott Pruitt to lead the EPA threatens the agency's ability to protect public health and the climate, citing Pruitt's record of questioning climate science and fighting emissions reductions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists views the D.C. Circuit Court's decision to keep the Clean Power Plan in effect as a victory for climate action, noting that many U.S. states are already making significant progress toward the plan's 2022 and 2030 carbon emission benchmarks.

Earthjustice condemns the U.S. Senate's vote on S.J. Res. 24, which sought to repeal the Clean Power Plan, describing the plan as the most significant U.S. action on climate change to date. The organization notes that the President intended to veto the resolution and highlights the contrast between the Senate's action and the efforts of world leaders to address climate change in Paris.

The We Mean Business coalition welcomes the G7's agreement to deep greenhouse gas emission cuts to decarbonize the global economy this century, noting that limiting global warming to 2°C requires limiting cumulative carbon emissions to one trillion tons. The coalition emphasizes that over US$90 trillion will be invested in infrastructure, land-use, and energy over the next 15 years, and argues that a net zero greenhouse gas emissions target in the Paris Agreement is necessary to shift this capital toward low-carbon investment. The coalition also supports the G7's commitment to long-term national low-carbon strategies and the mobilization of climate finance for renewable energy in developing countries.

We Mean Business welcomes the call for carbon pricing from CEOs of BG, BP, ENI, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil, and Total, but argues that real leadership requires specific investment commitments and transparency.

The document refutes claims that WRI miscalculated biomass energy potentials and solar efficiency comparisons, arguing that solar PV is significantly more land-efficient than bioenergy. It challenges the existence of abundant 'marginal land' for biofuels, asserting that such lands often provide critical carbon storage or face economic and legal constraints. WRI further argues that bioenergy does not inherently reduce greenhouse gas emissions unless it drives yield increases beyond what is already required to feed the global population, and that it does not reliably reduce poverty or increase food availability.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) responds to the 2015 State of the Union address by endorsing President Obama's science-based approach to climate change. WRI highlights the administration's recent achievements, including a joint emissions commitment with China and a $3 billion pledge to the Green Climate Fund, while urging a continued focus on ambitious power plant standards and renewable energy to drive economic growth and global cooperation.

Earthjustice supports President Obama's 2014 immigration announcement, stating that the reduction of deportation threats enables millions of immigrants to advocate for their health and environmental rights without fear of retaliation. The organization calls on Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform to ensure all aspiring Americans can secure justice and protect their families' environments.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) welcomes the 2014 climate pledges from the U.S. and China, noting that the U.S. target of cutting emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025 and China's goal to peak emissions around 2030 provide critical momentum for the Paris agreement. While praising the cooperation, WRI emphasizes that China's emissions should peak before 2030 to mitigate severe climate impacts and urges both nations to exceed their initial targets to leverage low-carbon economic opportunities.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) evaluates the European Commission's proposed framework for investment protection and ISDS in the TTIP. While acknowledging improvements over previous drafts, the IISD identifies significant gaps between the Commission's stated policy goals and the actual legal language provided. Key concerns include the potential for expansive arbitral interpretations of 'investment' and 'fair and equitable treatment,' the failure of MFN clauses to prevent the 'importation of standards' from other treaties, and the continued reliance on party-appointed arbitrators despite the introduction of a roster system. The report argues that the proposed measures do not sufficiently protect the right to regulate or ensure the independence of the dispute settlement process.