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The document outlines the primary objectives of COP28, including the conclusion of the first global stocktake and negotiations over climate finance. It highlights controversies surrounding the summit's presidency and provides a reporting framework centered on the 1.5 degrees C target, climate justice, and the climate emergency.

NDCs are bottom-up climate strategies submitted every five years to the UNFCCC, focusing on short-term emission reductions and adaptation. While they allow countries to tailor plans to their specific capacities, they lack legal binding and sufficient ambition; current pledges would result in 2.7°C of warming. The document emphasizes the 2020-2030 period as the 'decisive decade' and highlights the 2023 Global Stocktake at COP28 as a critical moment for increasing accountability and ambition before the 2025 NDC updates.

The 2023 update finds that while current policies for 25 major economies may result in 2030 emissions between -6% and +8% compared to 2019 levels, this falls short of the 43% reduction aligned with the Paris Agreement. While 13 countries are now on track to meet their NDC targets, 12 countries still face an implementation gap.

The State of Climate Action 2023 finds that global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C are failing, with 41 of 42 assessed indicators not on track for 2030 targets. While electric passenger car sales show exponential growth and are on track, other areas such as fossil fuel financing and deforestation have seen significant setbacks. The report argues that efforts in most sectors must accelerate at least twofold this decade, including a seven-fold increase in the pace of coal phase-out and an eight-fold increase in the shift toward sustainable diets in high-consuming regions.

The 2023 Production Gap Report reveals that governments plan to produce approximately 110% more fossil fuels by 2030 than is consistent with the 1.5°C temperature limit. Specifically, projections indicate 460% more coal, 29% more oil, and 82% more gas in 2030 compared to the 1.5°C pathway. The report notes that while major producers have pledged net-zero emissions, none have committed to production reductions aligned with the 1.5°C goal. To mitigate risks, the report recommends a near total phase-out of coal by 2040 and a three-quarters reduction in oil and gas production by 2050 from 2020 levels.

The document examines the conflict between current global food systems and biodiversity, noting that while food systems depend on natural capital, they are the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. It highlights that USD 700 billion in annual government agricultural support often incentivizes harmful practices like the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. To address this, the author analyzes three national case studies: the UK's transition to paying for 'environmental public goods', India's support for organic 'clusters' to improve soil health, and Brazil's ABC+ plan for climate adaptation and low-carbon agriculture. The paper concludes that achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's Target 18 requires better practical guidance for policymakers and greater coherence between international frameworks, including the WTO, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The document identifies a 'transboundary gap' in the UNFCCC Global Stocktake (GST), noting that the mechanism currently fails to systematically track global progress in building resilience to transboundary climate risks. Drawing on The Global Transboundary Climate Risk Report and expert interviews, the brief examines the scientific, technical, political, and procedural barriers to integration and suggests proposals to address these gaps by the second GST.

The document argues that while the COP26 decision does not explicitly mention transboundary climate risks, the framework for the global goal on adaptation (GGA) provides an opportunity to address these risks. It suggests that the GGA should reflect the complexity of climate risks occurring across local, national, regional, and global levels, and proposes analyzing integration options based on the adaptation cycle and framework themes.

The policy brief argues that climate finance for Africa is currently inefficient, insufficient, and unfair. It details five systemic barriers: unsustainable public debt, inadequate funding levels, high investor risk perception, currency fluctuations, and limited private sector engagement. To address these, the document recommends interventions including debt relief, low-cost long-term loans, credit enhancement schemes, foreign exchange guarantees, and a dedicated 'turbocharger facility' for African entrepreneurs and projects.

The analysis of 25 countries reveals a gap between international climate targets and national policy implementation, noting that many countries increase their NDC ambition without adopting the necessary policies to achieve them. This disconnect is particularly evident in oil- and gas-producing states and countries reliant on fossil fuels for economic growth, which undermines the Paris Agreement's goal of bridging current efforts with long-term climate targets.

The report examines the GWP* metric, which focuses on changes in methane emissions over time rather than absolute levels. It argues that this methodology allows high-polluting companies and countries to present minor reductions as negative emissions, thereby escaping accountability and undermining the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal. Through case studies of Tyson, Fonterra, and New Zealand, the document demonstrates how GWP* can make significant emitters appear climate neutral. It further details lobbying efforts by the animal agriculture industry in the US, UK, Ireland, and New Zealand to adopt this metric.

The Net Zero Finance Tracker (NZFT) methodology establishes a system for monitoring how financial institutions transition from climate intentions to real-world results. It employs a three-dimensional assessment framework—Targets, Implementation, and Impact—using a combination of qualitative tiered badges and quantitative metrics. The current version focuses on 553 members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), representing USD 85 trillion in assets. The methodology emphasizes transparency, concreteness, and ambition, utilizing data from approximately 30 providers to track indicators such as mitigation targets, TCFD disclosures, and project-level clean energy financing.

The briefing contends that fossil fuel extraction in Africa has failed to provide energy access, with 600 million people remaining without power while resources are exported. It highlights that Africa possesses 39% of the global renewable energy potential but lacks the investment and technology to harness it. The document proposes a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty based on non-proliferation, fair phase-out, and a just transition to provide the international framework needed to shift financing from fossil fuels to renewables and ensure a just energy transition for the continent.

The document contends that qualifiers such as "unabated" and "inefficient" in climate policies allow the fossil fuel industry to maintain production and profits despite the 1.5C goal. It asserts that there is no globally agreed definition for "unabated" fossil fuels and that carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains unproven at scale. Similarly, the term "inefficient" regarding subsidies is viewed as vague, contributing to a surge in fossil fuel subsidies to over 7 trillion USD in 2022. The briefing calls for unambiguous language focusing on the absolute decline of both production and emissions to align with the Paris Agreement.

The 2023 Production Gap Report finds that governments plan to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 consistent with a 1.5°C warming limit. While many major producers have pledged net-zero emissions, most continue to expand production, with global coal production projected to increase until 2030 and oil and gas until at least 2050. The report argues for a managed, equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels, noting that reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is risky due to technical uncertainties and a poor track record of pilot project success.

The document analyzes the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), highlighting a significant misalignment between its aggressive production expansion plans and the 1.5°C global warming limit. It details how ADNOC is increasingly relying on international equity, bonds, and bank financing, thereby exposing global investors to transition and litigation risks. The brief maps these financial connections across upstream, midstream, and downstream operations and recommends that investors and banks push for greater transparency and a cessation of new fossil fuel infrastructure to mitigate these risks.

The report argues that technical assistance (TA) from the World Bank Group (WBG) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) creates a 'paradox' by facilitating fossil gas dependency while the institutions claim to align with the Paris Agreement. Between 2016 and August 2023, the WBG allocated nearly $200 million in TA for gas-related sectors across 14 countries, while the ADB committed nearly $11 million from 2016 to 2021. The authors contend that TA has a disproportionate impact on national energy strategies, often locking countries into carbon-intensive infrastructure and creating stranded asset risks. Case studies in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Pakistan illustrate how TA has been used to prepare LNG projects or gas storage systems rather than accelerating renewable energy transitions. The report recommends that all energy-sector TA be approved at the Board level and redirected toward enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and renewable energy infrastructure.

Carbon Market Watch argues that the UNFCCC's Recognition and Accountability Framework must prevent greenwashing by prohibiting the use of carbon offsets for within-value chain mitigation. The submission proposes strict criteria for net-zero pledges, including coverage of scopes 1-3 and transparency in reporting absolute emissions. It further suggests that non-compliance should lead to the revocation of UNFCCC privileges, such as observer status, for high-emitting non-state actors.

The document argues that reducing petrol car use is essential for the UK to meet its Paris Agreement commitments, citing the Climate Change Committee's recommendation for "fewer car miles travelled" and the Department for Transport's goal of an "accelerating modal shift to public and active transport". It highlights the communication challenges associated with these goals, noting how Oxford's traffic filter system in 2023 was misconstrued as "15 minute cities" and became a "global conspiracy". The guide aims to provide tactics to discuss scientifically necessary transport changes without triggering a "culture war" among Persuadables.

The document summarizes a briefing on the U.S. Congress's role in international climate finance, highlighting the tension between poverty alleviation and climate action at the World Bank and the debate over the hosting and structure of the Loss and Damage Fund.