Search Climate Insights Directory

The briefing by ODI and CDKN argues that while the Zero Draft of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction shows some progress in inclusion and environmental considerations, it fails to provide a coherent structure or a strong narrative linking disaster risk reduction (DRR) to climate change, poverty, and sustainable development. The authors highlight critical gaps in financial commitments, the treatment of conflict-affected states, and the lack of detailed implementation plans for science and technology.

The document describes the integration of resilience into infrastructure as a 'wicked problem' that requires moving beyond the thinking that created current challenges. While global agreements like the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework provide a foundation, the author notes that weather-related disasters account for approximately 80% of global disasters, disproportionately affecting infrastructure in low-income countries. The text emphasizes a dual need for small-scale infrastructure for immediate disaster response and large-scale infrastructure for long-term climate variability. It highlights the work of CDKN and the Global Water Partnership (GWP) in Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania to move from policy frameworks to the mainstreaming of climate into infrastructure design and delivery.

The briefing evaluates the pre-zero draft of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, praising its commitment to quantified targets and inclusion of vulnerable groups, but criticising its structural logic and insufficient integration of climate change, finance, and conflict-affected states.

The document critiques the pre-zero draft of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for lacking ambition and failing to sufficiently integrate with other global agendas. It argues that the draft relies too heavily on the previous Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) narrative and lacks a clear organising logic connecting its goals to its priorities for action. Key gaps identified include a poor articulation of financing requirements, insufficient detail on monitoring and accountability, and a passive approach to coordinating with climate change and sustainable development frameworks. The authors recommend a more explicit focus on conflict-affected states, a stronger integration of ecosystem services, and the establishment of an international science advisory mechanism for disaster risk reduction.

The document outlines a three-step process for NDC implementation: preparatory work, plan elaboration, and execution. It emphasizes a holistic approach across five key modules: governance, mitigation, adaptation, finance, and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV). The guide stresses the importance of integrating climate actions into national development planning, ensuring gender sensitivity, and aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This briefing is a submission to the Eskom Board Social Ethics and Sustainability (SES) Committee for the approval of the revised Eskom Environmental Management Strategy (2017/18 — 2021/22). The document outlines the strategic objectives to reduce Eskom's environmental footprint and position the company as a sustainable business, while detailing specific targets for emissions, water usage, waste, and biodiversity.

The document synthesizes the work of UN human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) in addressing climate change, specifically focusing on Concluding Observations issued to States. It highlights that while climate change is not explicitly in key human rights treaties, HRTBs increasingly use their monitoring roles to argue that protecting human rights requires specific climate action. The report details recommendations across several themes, including the disproportionate impacts on women, children, and indigenous peoples, the need for gender-sensitive and child-sensitive climate strategies, and the obligation of some States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel extraction to meet human rights standards. It provides detailed analysis of the three most active bodies: CEDAW, CESCR, and CRC.

The report outlines how the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) interprets the 1989 CRC Convention to protect children from climate change. It highlights that while the Convention implicitly protects rights to life, health, and education, the Committee has explicitly urged States to place children's health at the center of climate strategies and to ensure children's participation in decision-making. The document analyzes 24 Concluding Observations from the past decade, noting a trend of recommendations directed toward climate-vulnerable developing countries, focusing on adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and the integration of child-sensitive strategies into national plans.

The report evaluates the EU's Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, highlighting key internal proposals such as the 'generic risk management approach' and the definition of 'essential uses' to achieve a toxic-free environment. It critically examines the EU's international commitments, arguing that the EU must eliminate legal loopholes, such as exemptions for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and the export of hazardous chemicals, to genuinely serve as a global model. The document emphasizes the need for mandatory corporate due diligence, sustainable financing for chemical management in third countries, and the alignment of EU standards with international conventions like Stockholm, Basel, Rotterdam, and Minamata.

The report examines the difficulties in listing hazardous substances under Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention due to the requirement for consensus, which has blocked chemicals like chrysotile asbestos, Paraquat, and Fenthion despite scientific evidence. It evaluates three primary options: amending the Article 22.5 listing procedure, creating a new annex for non-consensus chemicals, or increasing information exchange. The analysis highlights that creating a new annex is procedurally easier than amending the voting procedure, as it enters into force one year after adoption without requiring ratification by three-fourths of the Parties. Amending the listing procedure could lead to a complex 'two-tier' system of parallel conventions until all parties ratify the change. While aligning Annex III with other annexes would remove the consensus requirement, the report warns this might eliminate the critical role of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC).

The document argues that the European Union is risking its international credibility by potentially reintroducing harmful fisheries subsidies through the 2021-2027 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The authors highlight that 69% of European fish stocks are currently subject to overfishing and that the former European Parliament's position included subsidies for new fishing vessel construction, which would increase fishing effort. They call on the new European Parliament to amend this position to align with WTO multilateral prohibitions on subsidies that encourage overcapacity and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.6.

The document argues that ISDS creates a 'regulatory chill' that discourages states from implementing climate policies due to the risk of expensive arbitration and compensation for 'stranded assets' in the fossil fuel sector. It suggests two main paths for reform: either terminating investment treaties and moving toward domestic courts and state-state dispute settlement, or adopting a 'legal tool-box' of procedural changes. These changes include a 'climate carve-out' to dismiss claims against good-faith climate measures, requiring the exhaustion of local remedies, allowing state counterclaims, banning third-party funding, and adjusting compensation calculations to account for public interest and climate impacts.

The document highlights the synergies between climate change mitigation and the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), identifying key areas for multisectoral intervention. It emphasizes that shifting to clean energy, promoting active transport, and adopting sustainable food systems can reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and NCD risk factors like air pollution and physical inactivity. The briefing advocates for policy coherence across government ministries and a whole-of-society approach to achieve these health and environmental co-benefits.

The document highlights the intersection between climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), identifying air pollution, physical inactivity, and poor diet as shared risk factors. It proposes 'co-benefit' solutions across four key sectors: air quality (clean stoves), energy (transition to renewables), transport (active mobility), and food systems (plant-based, local diets). The brief emphasizes that integrated policies—particularly at the municipal level—can provide immediate health improvements and economic savings while contributing to long-term climate goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The briefing outlines a strategy to redirect global private savings toward 1.5°C compatible infrastructure, particularly in developing countries which represent 70% of investment needs. It proposes a coordinated approach to de-risk investments through public guarantees, the recognition of climate remediation assets as collateral by Central Banks, and the use of AAA multi-sovereign guarantees to encourage cross-border capital flows. The document emphasizes the need to reduce debt burdens in developing countries and integrate recovery policies with climate objectives and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ahead of the 2023 Global Stocktake.

The document is a glossary booklet by ClimaTalk that defines essential climate science terms, UNFCCC mechanisms, and international agreements. It covers technical concepts such as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), as well as policy instruments like Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Global Stocktake. It also details the roles of various bodies, including the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the Youth Non-Governmental Organisation (YOUNGO).

A group of 77 Nobel laureates and former world leaders call on the United Nations to address the threat of fossil fuels in the draft Pact for the Future. They argue that the extraction and burning of oil, gas, and coal are the primary drivers of the climate crisis and undermine all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The signatories advocate for international cooperation to end fossil fuel expansion, negotiate equitable phase-out timelines, and scale transition finance in alignment with the 1.5ºC limit of the Paris Agreement, specifically supporting the negotiation of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The report 'Fuelling Failure' details how the fossil fuel industry sabotages the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through climate change, direct pollution, and corporate misconduct. It highlights severe impacts including 8.7 million premature deaths annually from air pollution, the destruction of marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and the exacerbation of global poverty and inequality. The authors argue that the 1.5°C target is impossible without a coordinated global phase-out of coal, oil, and gas, proposing a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to manage non-proliferation, equitable phase-down, and a just transition for affected workers and nations.

The report asserts that fossil fuels are the primary driver of climate change and air pollution, negatively impacting every UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). It highlights specific failures, such as the $5.9 trillion spent on fossil fuel subsidies in 2020 and the 8.7 million premature deaths caused by fossil fuel pollution annually between 2012 and 2018. To address these issues, the authors propose a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty based on three pillars: a worldwide moratorium on new exploration, an equitable phase-down of existing projects, and financial and technological assistance for a just transition.

The New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) is a commitment to end natural forest loss and degradation by 2030 and restore 350 million hectares of forest landscapes. The declaration identifies agricultural commodities, infrastructure, and mining as primary drivers of deforestation and emphasizes the central role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in forest protection. Achieving these goals is framed as a cost-effective climate solution capable of mitigating over 7 billion tonnes of CO2e annually by 2030, supporting the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C warming limit.