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The document examines the intersection of gender and climate finance, highlighting how gender inequalities shape the differentiated impacts of climate change. It argues that while international frameworks like the UNFCCC have increasingly acknowledged gender, climate finance remains largely 'gender neutral' and lacks enforcement mechanisms. The brief identifies significant barriers to gender mainstreaming, including a lack of technical capacity and a tendency to conflate 'gender' with 'women's issues'. It positions public development banks (PDBs) as critical agents for change, recommending they move beyond symptomatic treatments of inequality toward a gender-transformative approach that addresses root causes and power imbalances.

The document examines Long-Term Strategies (LTSs) as economy-wide planning instruments mandated by the Paris Agreement to guide countries toward net-zero emissions by mid-century. It highlights that while LTSs provide a vital link between short-term Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term goals, global adoption is currently insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C. For African nations, the author argues that LTSs must balance mitigation with adaptation and socio-economic development. The briefing outlines best practices for LTS development, including policy coherence, stakeholder engagement, high-level political leadership, and the use of strategic foresight tools, while citing specific examples from countries like South Africa, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.

The report finds that while more countries mention fossil fuel production in their climate plans over time, most references relate to continued or increased production rather than a managed phase-out. Only a small number of countries have set specific targets or policies to wind down production, and many lack detailed plans for economic diversification or just transitions for workers.

The document outlines a framework for a Just Energy Transition (JET) in Latin America, the Caribbean (LAC), and Africa, emphasizing the need to move beyond fossil fuel dependence toward sustainable, community-led energy systems. It identifies shared priorities between the regions, such as social participation and economic diversification, while noting distinct challenges: LAC focuses more on financing mechanisms and existing renewable capacity, whereas Africa emphasizes social justice, energy access for 600 million people, and the legacies of colonialism. The brief calls for a full phase-out of fossil fuels by 2040, grant-based climate finance, and safeguards for the extraction of transition minerals.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the Article 6.2 country-to-country carbon market lacks sufficient transparency and accountability. The organization calls for the 2023 Bonn intersessional conference to establish strict reporting requirements, eliminate the use of non-disclosure agreements for bilateral deals, and synchronize the authorization process to prevent double counting of emission reductions.

The Allied for Climate Transformation by 2025 (ACT2025) consortium calls for COP28 to accelerate climate action through four primary pillars: advancing ambition to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C, scaling up people-centered adaptation, operationalizing loss and damage institutions, and mobilizing trillions in climate finance. The document emphasizes that G-20 nations, responsible for approximately 75% of global emissions, must lead in phasing out fossil fuels and meeting financial commitments to support the most vulnerable nations.

The report analyzes the increasing engagement of UN human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) with climate change, noting that in 2022, 52 percent of outputs to States included climate-related recommendations. It highlights a shift toward more specific demands regarding mitigation, the phasing out of fossil fuels, and the protection of vulnerable groups, including children, women, and Indigenous Peoples. A landmark decision by the Human Rights Committee in Billy et al. v. Australia established a State's duty to protect individuals from climate impacts and provide effective remedy. The document argues for further HRTB guidance on extraterritorial obligations and the regulation of private business actors to prevent climate-induced human rights violations.

The report argues that the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) should avoid a rigid, top-down indicator framework, which often creates bureaucratic burdens and fails to reflect local realities. Instead, it proposes a 'mixed approach' that combines a few high-level global targets with bottom-up, country-driven indicators derived from existing national MEL systems. The authors emphasize that the MEL system must be iterative and pragmatically bold, focusing on enhancing adaptive capacity and reducing vulnerability without imposing new reporting burdens on developing countries. Key recommendations include leveraging existing frameworks like the SDGs and the Sendai Framework, strengthening participatory processes, and defining clear roles for UNFCCC bodies to analyze collective progress for the Global Stocktake.

The document assesses the state of marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in Southern Africa, finding that while there is growing political commitment and various local success stories, marine concerns are frequently overshadowed by terrestrial issues in national climate policies. It identifies significant hurdles to implementation, including capacity gaps, siloed government coordination, insufficient financing, and unequal resource rights. The author recommends establishing enabling bodies to support NDCs, adopting a 'seascape' approach to integrate land-sea interfaces, and scaling innovative financing like blue carbon and debt-for-nature swaps.

The document examines the funding gap for marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA), specifically within the SADC region. It analyzes various financing streams—including national budgets, international bilateral and multilateral funds, philanthropy, and private capital—while highlighting the challenges of access to finance due to economic categorizations. The paper emphasizes blended finance solutions, such as blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps, using the Seychelles as a primary case study, and discusses the emerging potential of blue carbon markets. It concludes that public funding remains the dominant source and recommends that SADC countries integrate EbA into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and establish independent trust funds to ensure long-term sustainability.

The report evaluates the implementation of marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) across SADC member states, highlighting the critical role of ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs in protecting vulnerable coastal populations. It identifies a significant gap between the potential of EbA and its integration into national climate policies and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). While showcasing successful regional examples—such as Madagascar's community-led mangrove projects and Seychelles' innovative blue bonds—the document notes systemic challenges including overlapping ministerial mandates, limited local government capacity, and a lack of bankable project proposals for international climate finance. It recommends mainstreaming EbA into 2025 NDC revisions and strengthening regional cooperation to scale up nature-based solutions.

The document compares 63 first and updated NDC submissions to assess their alignment with the 2030 Agenda. While updated NDCs are longer and contain more activities, the authors find that the share of quantified targets remains low for most SDGs. There is a notable increase in activities addressing social dimensions—specifically gender equality, reduced inequalities, and inclusive participation—but a concerning decrease in activities linking climate change to food security, water, and land use. Economic activities have generally increased in number, though energy access and affordability have seen a decline in priority.

The paper traces the evolution of Indigenous Peoples' engagement with the UNFCCC, highlighting the transition from marginal participation to the recognition of rights in the Paris Agreement. It argues that while institutional progress has been made, the actual integration of Indigenous knowledge into climate policy remains limited and often tokenistic.

Somalia is identified as the second most climate-vulnerable country globally, currently facing its worst drought in 40 years which has displaced 7.8 million people. To address this, the government established the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in August 2022 and is developing a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) focusing on agriculture, water management, public health, and disaster preparedness. Implementation is hindered by financial constraints, institutional coordination gaps, and security risks posed by the conflict with Al-Shabaab, which prevents officials from accessing certain regions to implement adaptation measures.

Carbon Market Watch argues that Article 6.4 methodologies must shift from incremental benefits to transformational activities to avoid eroding climate ambition. The organization advocates for the use of dynamic baseline contraction factors (BCFs) that trend toward zero by 2050, the implementation of 'negative lists' to exclude non-additional or fossil-fuel-linked projects, and the rejection of short-term sequestration activities as offsets due to non-permanence risks.

The Life after Coal Campaign and the Fair Finance Coalition Southern Africa argue that the JET-IP is heavily skewed toward private sector interests and large-scale infrastructure, specifically green hydrogen, at the expense of community-led renewable energy and social investment. They highlight critical gaps in policy alignment, the lack of transparency regarding debt and loan agreements, and the failure to adequately address the health impacts of air pollution at the Medupi and Kusile power stations. The authors call for a reprioritization of funding toward transmission grid strengthening and socially owned energy models, while warning that the current approach to decommissioning coal plants, as seen at Komati, lacks the necessary community participation to be considered 'just'.

The U.S. aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. While the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provide significant reductions, a gap of approximately 810 million tonnes CO2e remains. The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) proposes a 'high impact' scenario leveraging Clean Air Act regulatory authority and agriculture/forestry spending to close this gap.

The document analyzes Brazil's public policies for reducing methane emissions in agriculture, noting that while frameworks like the Ecological Transformation Plan and the Brazilian Sustainable Taxonomy exist, there is a lack of specific, targeted incentives for methane abatement in the livestock sector, which is the primary source of these emissions.

The report finds that while global coal phase-out remains possible, the current pace of closures is insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals. China is a major outlier, accounting for 68% of proposed global coal capacity in 2022, while other regions show a decline in new projects. In South Korea, the report argues that current plans are inconsistent with national climate goals and that the financial risks of coal dependence are evident in the deficits of the Korea Electric Power Corporation.

Barbados is partnering with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) to create an Energy Transition and Investment Plan (ETIP). This plan aims to transition the island from a heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels—which accounted for nearly 95 percent of the energy mix in 2019—toward 100 percent renewable energy and full electrification of transport. The initiative focuses on evaluating technological pathways, scoping investment needs, and addressing human capacity gaps to ensure a just transition and energy independence.