Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing from the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) outlines the requirements for national governments submitting new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2035 by early 2025. It argues that current 2030 targets and policies are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C and calls for an 'emergency mode' approach to align targets with a global net CO2 zero emissions pathway by 2050.

The briefing argues that current oil and gas production trajectories are incompatible with the Paris Agreement, with projected production by 2050 potentially exceeding 1.5°C-aligned needs by 260% for oil and 210% for gas. It advocates for a coordinated global phase-out led by the G7 and G20, emphasizing that new extraction projects must cease immediately. The author highlights the necessity of climate finance, noting a gap between current annual climate finance (USD 1.3 trillion) and the required green transition investment for emerging and developing economies (USD 2.4 trillion). To ensure equity, the document suggests assessing transition capacity based on GDP per capita, government revenue shares from fossil fuels, and workforce employment in the sector, while calling for the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and the implementation of innovative funding, such as taxes on fossil fuel company revenues.

The document evaluates civil society engagement during the 2020-2021 NDC revision process in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia. It identifies significant barriers to inclusivity, including the digital divide during COVID-19, technical complexity of climate policy, and inadequate government communication. To improve the 2025 revisions, the briefing recommends diversifying engagement methods (such as 'imbizo' gatherings), enhancing technical capacity for civil society organisations (CSOs), and fostering regional peer learning to protect the livelihoods of marginalised communities.

The report argues that transition indicators can bridge the 'ambition gap' and 'implementation gap' by articulating the tangible socio-economic benefits of climate neutrality and resilience. Through case studies in Germany, South Korea, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Netherlands, the authors propose specific metrics for the power, industry, transport, building, and agricultural sectors. These indicators are designed to facilitate inclusive social dialogue, improve governance by clarifying sectoral responsibilities, and encourage international mutual learning, particularly within the Global South.

The report analyzes the current state of fossil fuel production references in the climate commitments of the 20 largest producers and provides a framework for including production phase-outs in future NDCs and LT-LEDS. It finds that most producers either omit production plans or signal continued extraction, which contradicts 1.5°C-compatible scenarios. The authors propose five key elements for new commitments: background production data, phase-out targets, restrictive policies, just transition planning, and equity-based international cooperation.

The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) argues that current 2030 climate targets and policies are insufficient, projecting end-of-century warming of 2.5°C to 2.7°C. To maintain the 1.5°C goal, the document asserts that governments must enter 'emergency mode,' peaking global emissions before 2025 and halving them by 2030. It outlines four essential elements for 2035 NDCs: ambition based on sectoral benchmarks, scaled-up climate finance for developing nations, credibility through the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies and exploration, and transparency via absolute economy-wide targets that separate land-use sinks and carbon removals from domestic reductions.

The paper examines the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the NDC revision processes of Mozambique, South Africa, and Zambia, identifying barriers to participation and proposing strategies to enhance inclusivity for the 2025 revisions.

The report evaluates Malawi's governance landscape across multiple sectors, highlighting systemic failures in human rights, education, health, and anti-corruption efforts. It details the country's vulnerability to climate change and the persistence of extreme poverty, while providing specific policy recommendations to align national practices with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) standards and international human rights treaties.

The document analyzes the JET-P model as a mechanism to catalyze international and private investment for Colombia's energy transition. It highlights a significant funding gap, noting that public investment currently represents only 0.01% of required resources. By reviewing JET-P experiences in South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Senegal, the report identifies risks such as increased public debt and the need for transparent, community-led project design. It proposes prioritizing projects like energy communities and the phase-out of coal plants, while warning against financing fossil fuel infrastructure or inefficient consumption subsidies.

The Climate Negotiations Glossary defines the technical, political, and procedural terminology of the UNFCCC process. It covers the governing bodies of the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement, as well as the roles of various negotiation blocks, observer constituencies, and financial mechanisms. The guide explains specific articles of the Paris Agreement (such as Article 6 on carbon markets and Article 9 on finance), the functions of constituted bodies like the Adaptation Committee, and the logistical details of COP meetings, including the 'blue zone' and 'green zone'.

The Fossil to Clean campaign, led by the We Mean Business Coalition, seeks to accelerate the transition to a net-zero future by mobilizing businesses to signal demand for fossil fuel phase-out and urging governments to implement supportive policies. The campaign focuses on ensuring the 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) include specific fossil fuel phase-out targets aligned with 1.5°C pathways. In 2023, the campaign mobilized over 200 companies with annual revenues exceeding US$1.5 trillion to advocate for the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels and the tripling of renewable energy capacity.

The briefing examines the ongoing negotiations for the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, focusing on seven critical areas of contention: the financial target amount, the identity of contributing countries, the applicable time frame, the inclusion of loss and damage, alignment with Article 2.1(c) of the Paris Agreement, the quality of finance (concessionality, accessibility, predictability, and effectiveness), and the mechanisms for transparently tracking progress.

The GCF Water Project Design Guidelines Part 3 outlines a framework for creating climate-resilient sanitation (CRS) projects. It details how climate hazards like flooding, sea-level rise, and drought impact sanitation infrastructure and services, and provides a scientific basis for both adaptation and mitigation. The guide advocates for a paradigm shift toward transformative sanitation planning, emphasizing circular economy principles—such as the recovery of water, nutrients, and energy—to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance community resilience. It provides specific technical interventions for the entire sanitation service chain and outlines the requirements for successful GCF funding proposals, including alignment with investment criteria and national climate strategies.

The report examines the alignment between national climate policies and local adaptation practices in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. It argues that while these nations have developed NDCs and adaptation plans, the effectiveness of these measures is hindered by a lack of recognition for locally-led adaptation (LLA), significant funding gaps, and weak institutional capacities. The document emphasizes that integrating indigenous knowledge and empowering local actors—particularly women—is essential for building sustainable climate resilience in West Africa.

The Multilateral Climate Funds (MCFs)—comprising the Adaptation Fund, Climate Investment Funds, Global Environment Facility, and Green Climate Fund—have developed a consultation draft action plan to coordinate their efforts. The plan focuses on five key areas: clarifying investment profiles and harmonizing processes, coordinating capacity building and programming, improving knowledge exchange and communications, engaging with the broader international financial architecture, and establishing a formal coordination mechanism. The MCFs aim to move from individual operations toward a system-wide approach, with specific milestones set for COP29, 2026, and beyond.

The document analyzes the first Global Stocktake's signals on mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage, highlighting the systemic challenges for the Global South. It argues that while the GST provides historic targets for transitioning away from fossil fuels and tripling renewables, it lacks concrete financial commitments. The brief emphasizes the need for the NCQG to address the 'trilemma' of climate goals, fiscal sustainability, and political feasibility by expanding fiscal space through non-debt instruments and reforming the international financial architecture.

The We Mean Business Coalition welcomes the G7's commitment to include the phase-out of fossil fuels and the scaling up of clean energy in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The Coalition argues that these signals provide the regulatory clarity necessary for businesses to invest in low-carbon systems and decarbonise their models. However, it notes that financial flows, including public investments and subsidies, must still be aligned with these goals, urging the G7 Finance Ministers to ensure coherence in their upcoming May meeting.

The document highlights the severe economic and health costs of black carbon, noting that in China, short-term exposure in 2017 cost over US$7.5 billion and long-term exposure over US$53 billion. It asserts that reducing black carbon is a "triple win" that would protect glaciers, save millions of lives—including over 400,000 annually in India and nearly half a million in Sub-Saharan Africa—and improve gender equality by reducing the US$800 billion annual loss in women's productivity caused by unclean cooking fuels. Despite these benefits, the author notes that only 12 countries included black carbon targets in their first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and warns that transportation-related emissions in Africa could double by 2040.

The We Mean Business Coalition calls on G7 nations to lead the global energy transition by embedding specific phase-out timelines for unabated fossil fuels into their new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The statement advocates for the decarbonization of power systems by 2035, the tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030, and the reform of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. It emphasizes that early transition will enhance long-term competitiveness, energy security, and public health, while urging G7 countries to provide finance and capacity-building to the Global South for 1.5°C-aligned economic pathways.

The document provides a roadmap for Brazil to lead international efforts in reforming the global financial architecture, promoting country platforms for investment, and addressing gaps in adaptation and nature finance. It emphasizes the need for the G20 to scale up resources for Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs) and suggests that Brazil lead by example by structuring its own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) through a functional country platform by 2025.