Search Climate Insights Directory

The report outlines national and international strategies for Senegal to manage transboundary climate risks, emphasizing the need for formal recognition in policy documents and the development of regional cooperation frameworks.

Mexico's Directorate-General for Climate Action Policies confirms its alignment with the LAC Common Position on Climate Change and Health, detailing how its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 integrates health as a cross-cutting issue across adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage components.

The Production Gap Report 2025 finds that governments are collectively planning more fossil fuel production than in 2023, with 2030 projected levels exceeding 1.5°C-consistent pathways by over 120%. While some countries are developing net-zero aligned scenarios, most continue to expand production and provide substantial financial support for fossil fuels, undermining Paris Agreement commitments.

The report advocates for Australia to set a 2035 emissions reduction target of at least 75% below 2005 levels, aligning with a 1.5°C pathway. It argues that such a target provides the predictability businesses need for capital allocation and infrastructure investment, while mitigating risks associated with fossil fuel dependence. The authors propose a comprehensive implementation framework including sectoral pathways, a National Climate Investment and Accountability Council, and blended finance platforms to drive the transition.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2025 finds that while net zero target-setting continues to rise among companies and subnational governments, national-level coverage has dipped due to the US formally abandoning its target. Target integrity remains low, with only a small fraction of entities meeting minimum procedural and substantive requirements. The report also highlights a concerning corporate reliance on nature-based removals and offsets, which often lack transparency and durability.

The submission argues that South Africa's draft second NDC lacks sufficient ambition and fails to reflect the 'highest possible ambition' required by the Paris Agreement. It proposes more stringent emission targets—350 Mt CO2e for 2025-2030 and 248 Mt CO2e for 2031-2035—based on 'fair share' calculations and the best available science. The document highlights legal risks under the South African Constitution, the Climate Change Act, and NEMA, while criticizing the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for a non-transparent process that delayed the release of the underlying technical report. It further calls for a stronger focus on phasing out fossil fuels, enhancing climate adaptation for vulnerable groups, and incorporating climate justice principles from the Presidential Climate Commission's recommendations.

Indonesia is the world's sixth largest methane emitter, yet investment in methane reduction remains critically low, with only USD 1.5 billion received against an estimated USD 2.5 trillion needed for the Agriculture and Waste sectors. The author proposes that the upcoming TKBI Version 3 (expected Q1 2026) should include granular technical screening criteria (TSC) for high-impact activities—such as leak detection and repair in fossil fuels, alternate wetting and drying in rice paddies, and anaerobic digestion in waste management—to make these projects bankable for private investors. By aligning with global benchmarks like the EU Taxonomy and the Singapore-Asia Taxonomy, Indonesia can pre-emptively meet international requirements, such as the 2024 EU Methane Regulation, and mobilize capital through its sustainable finance framework.

The briefing evaluates the draft second NDC from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the recommendations from the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), arguing that the DFFE's targets lack sufficient ambition and scientific justification compared to the PCC's evidence-based approach.

The document defines Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as national plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience, required every five years under the Paris Agreement. It highlights a significant 'implementation gap,' noting that current policies could lead to 3.1 degrees C of warming by 2100. The guide outlines five essential components for the 2025 NDCs—ambitious targets, sector-specific measures, adaptation strategies, investment policies, and just transition principles—and discusses the financial and technical support needed by developing countries to meet their conditional pledges.

The report argues that while coal's share of power generation in China has reached historic lows, institutional inertia—including capacity payments, inflexible dispatch rules, and a lack of a national retirement strategy—continues to drive high levels of new coal capacity additions. It highlights a disconnect where clean energy is growing rapidly but is often offset by the continued expansion and protection of coal assets, which are not fulfilling their intended role as flexible backups for renewables.

The Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA) argues that South Africa's draft NDC should align emissions targets with a 1.5°C trajectory to avoid health hazards and better quantify the health-related costs of air pollution. The submission recommends developing integrated climate-health surveillance systems, expanding the reach of impact-based early warning systems to rural areas, and engaging the Department of Health across sectors to maximize co-benefits. It highlights that PM2.5 air pollution caused an estimated 42,000 deaths in 2023 and costs the economy approximately USD 52 billion annually, suggesting that meeting WHO guidelines could save 30,000 lives per year.

Russia is attempting to form a non-Western climate coalition through BRICS, the SCO, and the EAEU to define 'sovereign' climate priorities that protect its fossil fuel exports. The document argues that Russia's approach is obstructionist, relying on the recalculation of forest carbon sinks to meet neutrality goals on paper rather than implementing genuine mitigation. While Russia pushes for shared carbon markets and 'technological neutrality' to prolong fossil fuel use, its Asian partners have largely rejected deep regulatory harmonisation. Meanwhile, Russian non-fossil fuel exporters maintain independent ESG agendas to remain competitive against foreign carbon border adjustments, despite the government's lack of a domestic carbon price.

The report argues that South Africa's current Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) relies too heavily on private finance and de-risking, which may increase energy costs and fail to ensure a socially just transition. It proposes a cohesive framework based on worker demands, featuring a Climate Response Fund (CRF) funded by carbon taxes and fuel levies, a promotional monetary policy to direct credit toward green industrialisation, and the reform of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) like the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to provide long-term, patient capital.

Two years after the COP28 agreement to triple global renewable capacity by 2030, national targets remain largely stagnant. As of July 2025, the global sum of national targets has increased by only 2% since COP28, reaching 7.4 TW, which is significantly below the 11 TW required to meet the tripling goal. Only 22 countries have updated their targets, with the majority of these being EU member states revising plans through the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) process. Most non-EU updates occurred through routine planning cycles rather than as a direct response to COP pledges. Major electricity markets, including the US, Russia, and Canada, have either not set explicit targets or are unlikely to update them in 2025.

A coalition of over 50 organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) demands urgent, health-centered climate action to protect vulnerable populations. The document highlights that the region faces severe health risks from heatwaves, air pollution, and vector-borne diseases, yet lacks sufficient national health-climate plans and dedicated financing. It calls for the alignment of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with health goals, a just transition away from fossil fuels, the implementation of the Escazú Agreement, and the inclusion of health indicators in international climate funding.

The report evaluates 18 updated NDCs from non-Annex I countries using a new Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) framework focused on needs, design, and credibility. While some countries have improved their quantification of finance needs and integration with national plans, the report finds that most NDCs still lack the granular cost estimates and detailed implementation roadmaps necessary to effectively signal investment opportunities to private and public capital.

The ICJ issued a unanimous advisory opinion establishing that States have binding international legal obligations to prevent climate harm, including a duty to phase out fossil fuels and provide reparations for damages. The ruling affirms the right to a healthy environment as a binding norm and clarifies that sea level rise does not terminate a State's legal statehood or maritime borders.

India's export economy is increasingly vulnerable to carbon-based trade measures, with 68% of its exports going to countries committed to net zero. The report highlights that 7.5 million jobs are exposed to active Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs), and sectors like professional services are among the most carbon-intensive globally. To maintain competitiveness against rivals like Vietnam and China, the document argues India must accelerate grid decarbonisation and update its 2025 Nationally Determined Contribution.

The Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health outlines a multisectoral framework to center health in climate governance. It identifies critical gaps, such as the fact that only 11 countries in the region have national health and climate change plans and only 11.6% of Green Climate Fund investments in the region address health. The position advocates for six pillars: protecting health from climate impacts, mitigation with health co-benefits, climate justice and equity, adaptation and health system resilience, health leadership, and financing.

Carbon Market Watch recommends that Zambia's 2025 Carbon Market Regulations include more robust quantitative criteria for greenhouse gas uncertainty, mandatory independent grievance processes, and a minimum activity longevity of 100 years for land-use projects to ensure climate-relevant timescales. The organization also advocates for mandatory benefit-sharing for all activities affecting local communities and the adoption of high-quality methodology labels, such as Article 6.4 or ICVCM's CCP, over CDM or VCS standards.