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ClientEarth asserts that banks providing financial services to fossil fuel expanders like Saudi Aramco are contributing to climate-related human rights impacts. The organization argues that such financing violates the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines, creating significant legal risks through emerging mandatory human rights due diligence laws and greenwashing litigation. ClientEarth proposes specific 'red-lines,' including an immediate end to financing new fossil fuel exploration and requiring clients to publish Paris-aligned transition plans by H1 2024.

Brookfield Corporation claims to be a leader in decarbonization with a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, yet it maintains a vast portfolio of over 215 fossil fuel assets. The report estimates these assets emit nearly 159 million metric tons of CO2e annually, a figure approximately 14 times higher than what Brookfield discloses in its sustainability reports. A significant portion of these emissions stems from Oaktree Capital Management, which Brookfield owns 61% of but excludes from its sustainability reporting. The report also highlights the contradiction in the leadership of Mark Carney, who advocates for global net-zero targets while overseeing these investments. Geographically, the portfolio is concentrated in North America, with significant assets in the United States and Canada, as well as international investments in the United Arab Emirates.

The document explains the eligibility and certification process for Low Carbon Buildings Bonds, detailing the pathways to achieve net-zero by 2050 and the specific requirements for new and existing buildings. It outlines the use of trajectories and proxies to measure emissions intensity and highlights new 2023 requirements for new buildings, including the prohibition of fossil fuels and mandatory Whole Life Carbon Assessments.

The report finds that ADNOC's climate strategy is not aligned with a 1.5°C pathway, characterized by significant oil and gas expansion and insufficient transparency. ADNOC has the highest absolute short-term expansion overshooting the IEA NZE scenario worldwide, with 8,343 mmboe from fields with Final Investment Decisions (FID) after 2021. The company plans to increase crude oil production capacity by 25% between 2020 and 2027 and intends to expand its LNG capacity through new terminals in the UAE, India, and the Netherlands. Low-carbon investments represent only 10% of its 2023-27 CAPEX, and renewables are projected to make up less than 7% of its energy mix by 2030. Furthermore, ADNOC lacks scope 3 emission targets and does not provide detailed financial statements or production forecasts for 2030, hindering a full assessment of its transition risks.

The briefing finds that Saudi Aramco's climate strategy lacks transparency and is misaligned with 1.5°C pathways. The company plans to increase oil and gas production capacity through 2030, resulting in production levels significantly above the IEA Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario. Investment remains heavily skewed toward upstream fossil fuel activities, with renewables expected to constitute less than 1% of its energy mix by 2030. Furthermore, the company does not disclose scope 3 emissions or targets, making a full GHG trajectory projection impossible.

The RMI Aluminum GHG Emissions Reporting Guidance establishes a framework for product-level emissions reporting in the aluminum sector. It defines fixed system boundaries—benchmarking and full—to ensure comparability regardless of a producer's vertical integration. The guidance emphasizes the use of primary data, provides specific calculation procedures for primary and recycled aluminum, and outlines a hierarchy for sourcing renewable energy to drive sectoral decarbonization.

The guide outlines a five-step process for corporates to issue transition-linked bonds: building a credible transition plan, selecting a thematic label, creating a sustainable financing framework, executing the bond issuance, and conducting post-issuance reporting. It emphasizes the necessity of science-based, 1.5°C-aligned decarbonisation pathways and the integration of social safeguards to ensure a just transition. The document details the differences between Use of Proceeds (UoP) bonds and Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs), providing criteria for selecting material Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs). It also highlights market trends, such as the 'greenium' (cheaper pricing for labelled debt), and warns against greenwashing risks associated with non-transparent frameworks or carbon lock-in activities.

The EU chemicals sector faces a critical investment window until 2030, requiring over EUR1tn by 2050 to achieve net zero. The document argues that decarbonisation must address scope 3 emissions—which account for 60% to 80% of total emissions—through demand reduction, circularity, and alternative feedstocks. Key policy recommendations include expanding the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to include polymers and organic chemicals, implementing Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfDs) for low-carbon hydrogen, and strengthening the EU Taxonomy to better incentivise low-carbon basic chemicals production.

Climate finance for small-scale agrifood systems was USD 5.53 billion in 2019/20, representing only 0.8% of total global climate finance and 19% of agrifood-specific flows. This reflects a 44% decline from the 2017/18 period, driven by reduced commitments from governments and development finance institutions. Funding is dominated by public sources (96%) and primarily delivered via grants and concessional debt, with a critical lack of equity investment. Geographically, Sub-Saharan Africa received the largest share (34%), while South Asia and the MENA region remain significantly underserved despite high climate vulnerability. The report argues that current funding is starkly inadequate compared to the estimated annual general financing needs of smallholder farmers (USD 170 billion) and agri-SMEs (USD 106 billion).

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 2023 Scorecard on Insurance, Fossil Fuels and the Climate Emergency finds that while more insurers are adopting coal exit policies, the industry's overall response to the climate crisis remains inadequate. Most insurers continue to underwrite the expansion of oil and gas infrastructure, and many have abandoned net zero commitments due to political pressure in the United States. The report highlights a contradiction where insurers withdraw cover from climate-affected regions while continuing to fund the fossil fuel industry.

The guidance introduces the 'Triple A' framework (Ambition, Action, and Accountability) and five specific 'Hallmarks' to evaluate corporate transition plans. It emphasizes that credible plans must feature science-based, time-bound targets covering all material GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2, and 3), detailed financial plans, and strong board-level governance. The document warns against the over-reliance on carbon offsets and the use of national NDCs as a substitute for sectoral science-based pathways, while advocating for annual third-party verification to ensure transparency and accountability.

The document argues that the real estate industry must move beyond operational energy reporting to include embodied carbon in Scope 3 climate disclosures. It highlights increasing pressure from major investors like BlackRock and CalPERS, as well as potential SEC regulations, to standardize these disclosures. The guide recommends transitioning from spend-based to mass-based emissions accounting using Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and life-cycle assessments (LCA) to accurately track up-front emissions from building materials.

The report advocates for Indonesia Green Taxonomy 2.0 to incorporate 'transition finance' to bridge the gap between traditional and green finance. It highlights the ASEAN Taxonomy's approach to coal phase-out—where shortening a plant's commercial operation to a maximum of 35 years can qualify it as sustainable—and warns against including 'captive coal plants' in the green category to avoid deterring global investors. The author proposes a framework based on five G20 pillars, emphasizing clear technical screening criteria, synchronized disclosure policies, and a Just Transition Finance Framework to ensure equitable benefits.

The briefing finds that the global steel industry is not on track for net zero by 2050, as only a third of the top 50 producers have set 2050 targets. It highlights a critical gap in transparency regarding emission scopes and a concerning trend where planned capacity for coal-based blast furnaces significantly outweighs that of low-emissions projects.

The report finds that companies purchasing voluntary carbon credits are generally climate leaders who outperform non-buyers in emissions transparency, target ambition, and direct decarbonization investments, suggesting credits are used as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, internal emissions reductions.

Reclaim Finance criticizes the European Commission's June 2023 proposal to regulate ESG ratings, stating that while it improves transparency and conflict-of-interest rules, it fails to prevent greenwashing by omitting minimum standards for ESG factors. The author contends that without mandatory requirements—such as aligning the 'E' factor with 1.5°C transition plans and ensuring each factor represents at least 25% of the final score—companies can 'shop' for lenient providers to hide their actual environmental impact.

The brief, submitted by ClientEarth and The Shareholder Commons, opposes efforts by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) to eliminate SEC Rule 14a-8. The authors argue that climate change represents a systemic financial risk that is material to all businesses, affecting them through physical damages, transition risks, and litigation. They contend that a divergence of interests exists between corporate managers, who may prioritize short-term gains, and diversified shareholders, who are exposed to broader economic instability (beta risk). The brief asserts that Rule 14a-8 is a critical tool for investor stewardship, allowing shareholders to hold management accountable and mitigate catastrophic systemic risks.

The document outlines the technical framework for certifying low-carbon buildings under the Climate Bonds Standard. It shifts the focus from energy use intensity to emissions intensity, establishing city-specific linear trajectories aimed at net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The criteria distinguish between new and existing buildings, introducing mandatory Whole Life Carbon Assessments (WLCA) for new constructions to account for embodied carbon. It also provides a guide for Scope 3 GHG accounting across the building value chain, from manufacturers to owners and deconstruction firms.

The report positions the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) as a pivotal figure in the low-carbon transition, responsible for integrating climate risks and opportunities into a company's financial framework. Based on a survey of 50 respondents from 32 entities, it argues that early adoption of decarbonisation strategies provides a competitive advantage and recommends building robust business cases that quantify the cost of inaction. The document highlights the use of sustainable finance instruments, such as green and sustainability-linked bonds, to mobilise capital and signal commitment. Key challenges identified include the calibration of science-based targets and the difficulty of tackling scope 3 emissions, which often represent the majority of a company's carbon footprint.