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The author views COP26 as a success because it produced concrete roadmaps and integrated climate action into global trade, foreign aid, and finance. Key examples include a US-EU agreement on steel and aluminium decarbonization, a multi-billion dollar partnership to help South Africa phase out coal, and a private finance coalition mobilizing $130 trillion for 2050 net-zero targets. The author notes that if these commitments are realized, warming could be limited to 1.8 °C. For Canada, the author emphasizes the importance of the federal net-zero law requiring a national emissions reduction plan by the end of December 2021.

The We Mean Business Coalition calls on COP26 participants to align policies and finance with a 1.5°C trajectory, strengthen Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to halve global emissions by 2030, and finalize robust rules for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to prevent double counting of emissions reductions.

The Climate Action Tracker identifies a 'credibility gap' where current policies lead to 2.7°C of warming, while even the fulfillment of all 2030 targets would result in 2.4°C. Despite 90% of global emissions being covered by net zero targets, only 6% are rated as 'acceptable', and no analyzed country has sufficient short-term policies to reach its net zero goal. The report highlights the continued expansion of coal and natural gas as primary drivers of this failure.

The We Mean Business Coalition asserts that while COP26 has seen increased ambition, current national pledges and methane commitments may only limit warming to 1.8°C. The coalition emphasizes the need for clear reporting frameworks and a data-driven Global Stocktake in 2023 to track progress and inform future national targets. It highlights that corporate action, such as the 25% emissions reduction by 338 companies with science-based targets, can provide governments with the confidence to accelerate decarbonization.

The analysis of G20 climate policies between 2000 and 2019 reveals that while the number of mitigation policies has increased, significant adoption gaps persist across all sectors. Approximately half of the 50 identified key policy options are not widely adopted, leaving at least one-tenth of G20 emissions completely uncovered by policy.

The report finds that while the EU is rapidly reducing coal power, with planned production falling by 83% between 2015 and 2030, three countries—Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria—will account for over 95% of the EU's planned coal electricity generation by 2030. Germany's commitment to exit coal by 2030 has further isolated these three nations, which are phasing out coal significantly slower than the rest of the EU-27.

The briefing finds that sectoral pledges on methane, coal, transport, and deforestation could close the 2030 emissions gap by approximately 9% (2.2 GtCO2e), though global emissions would still remain nearly twice as high as necessary for a 1.5°C pathway. The Global Methane Pledge and the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use offer the highest likely impacts, while the coal and electric vehicle initiatives provide minimal additional reductions due to limited signatory participation or delayed phase-out timelines.

The report critiques the GFANZ network, noting that while it represents over a third of the world's investable capital, its guidelines are riddled with loopholes. Key failures include the lack of mandatory absolute emission targets, the omission of fossil fuel restrictions in the Race to Zero criteria, and a reliance on 'analysis paralysis' through complex financed emissions accounting. The author recommends that alliances mandate the cessation of financial services for new fossil fuel supply and require clients to adopt robust phase-out plans for coal, oil, and gas.

A coalition of environmental organizations, including Reclaim Finance and Greenpeace, is urging AXA to end its insurance services for new oil and gas production and transportation infrastructure. The letter argues that AXA, as a leader in the insurance industry and chair of the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, should follow the International Energy Agency's (IEA) 2021 World Energy Outlook, which states that no new fossil fuel exploration or fields are required for a net-zero scenario. The authors highlight AXA's previous leadership in divesting from coal and suggest that a similar exit from oil and gas would benefit both the climate and the company's shareholder value.

The Life After Coal campaign calls for South Africa to adhere to the lower bound of its updated NDC (350 to 420 Mt CO2eq) to align with the 1.5°C pathway. This requires cancelling all new coal and gas projects, accelerating the retirement of the coal fleet to reach zero fossil fuels in electricity by 2040, and building at least 4 GW of renewable capacity annually. The campaign also advocates for a just transition that prioritizes workers and communities and urges South Africa to lead at COP26 in demanding increased finance for adaptation and loss and damage from wealthy nations.

The authors contend that Russia's current climate pledges are insufficient and that the government must acknowledge the global shift away from coal to protect its coal-producing regions, particularly Kuzbass, from economic disruption. While Russia is a top global coal exporter, the authors warn that the collapse of the global coal development pipeline and policies like the EU's carbon border adjustment mechanism threaten the sector's viability. They advocate for proactive economic diversification and a managed phase-out to support workers and the global 1.5°C target.

A coalition of climate, environmental, and health NGOs calls on the European Commission to revise the draft CEEAG to ensure it supports the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal. The authors argue for a strict 2030 deadline for coal plant closures, a transparent methodology for assessing plant profitability to avoid fossil fuel subsidies, and the removal of preferential treatment for fossil gas to prevent infrastructure lock-in.

ClientEarth argues that the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) obstructs climate action and conflicts with EU law, specifically citing the CJEU's Komstroy ruling. The organization claims that the ECT's modernisation process is unlikely to succeed due to unanimity requirements and that companies are using investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) to sue EU states over climate policies. Consequently, ClientEarth calls for a coordinated EU withdrawal from the treaty.

The document argues that to meet the 1.5°C climate goal, new coal infrastructure must stop immediately and most existing plants must be retired by 2030. It provides a framework for financial institutions to assess corporate coal exit plans, emphasizing that credible plans must include facility-by-facility closure dates, a prohibition on selling assets to new owners, and a ban on converting plants to other fossil fuels or biomass. The briefing also highlights the necessity of funded just transition plans and the cessation of anti-climate lobbying and legal challenges via investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms.

The document argues that to meet the 1.5°C climate goal, the global coal industry must be phased out rapidly, with 80% of the global fleet and all facilities in the OECD, Eastern Europe, and the Former Soviet Union closed by 2030. It provides financial institutions with a ten-point framework to assess corporate phase-out plans, emphasizing that plans must include facility-by-facility closure dates, prohibit the sale of assets to new owners, and forbid conversion to fossil gas, biomass, or fossil-based hydrogen. The briefing also warns against using carbon capture and storage (CCS) or Science-Based Targets (SBTi) as substitutes for concrete closure plans and insists on funded just transition roadmaps and the cessation of anti-climate lobbying and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) claims.

The document argues that to limit global warming to 1.5°C, all coal assets must be closed by 2030 in OECD and European countries and by 2040 globally. It outlines a comprehensive framework for financial institutions to phase out coal support, combining immediate exclusion criteria for new projects and high-exposure companies with a structured engagement process for remaining portfolio companies to ensure the actual closure, rather than the sale, of coal assets.

The report finds that most G20 and Eurosystem central banks lack credible sustainable investment policies for their non-policy portfolios, often relying on opacity or weak ESG criteria to mask continued support for fossil fuel companies. While the Banque de France is highlighted as a leader for its fossil fuel restrictions, the majority of analyzed banks either have no public SRI policy or use 'tricks' such as investing in green bonds without excluding major polluters. The document recommends that central banks adopt strict exclusion policies for coal and new fossil fuel projects to align with a 1.5°C warming trajectory.

The document outlines a framework for South African climate diplomacy, emphasizing the need to move beyond the UNFCCC to engage with the G7, G20, WTO, and IMF. It argues that the current global climate finance architecture is unfit for the needs of emerging economies, particularly regarding coal phase-outs and adaptation. The authors recommend a whole-of-government approach to secure 'package deals' that link higher emission reduction targets to concrete financial support, debt relief, and intellectual property waivers for green technology.

The report examines the application of just transition principles across various sectors in developing and emerging economies to ensure social justice and sustainable development. It specifically analyzes the impacts of policy instruments on employment and identifies ways for the German Development Cooperation to support these efforts. The study covers sectors including coal phase-out, fossil fuel subsidy reform, renewable energy, circular economy, and sustainable agriculture, utilizing case studies from countries such as Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and South Africa.

The UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE) resulted in the first-ever global roadmap for accelerating Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) and the announcement of over 160 Energy Compacts. These voluntary commitments from governments, businesses, and civil society include more than USD 400 billion in new finance and investment to address energy poverty and decarbonize energy systems. The dialogue established specific milestones for 2025 and 2030, including the phase-out of coal and the tripling of global renewable power capacity.