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The briefing argues that climate change and biodiversity loss are inextricably connected and recommends five key opportunities to align the CBD and UNFCCC agendas. These include developing specific indicators for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), aligning National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), formalizing collaboration between the IPBES and IPCC, establishing a joint work program among the three Rio Conventions, and formalizing the role of CBD Action Agenda High-Level Champions.

The briefing highlights the negative environmental and social impacts of critical mineral extraction in Argentina, Indonesia, and Guinea, arguing that the UN Secretary-General's Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals must center the voices of affected communities to avoid 'green extractivism'. It documents issues such as the violation of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in lithium mining, pollution and labor abuses in nickel downstreaming, and the loss of agricultural land in bauxite mining. The document concludes with recommendations for governments and companies to protect indigenous rights, ensure transparency in GHG emissions, and end the criminalization of environmental defenders.

The Living Planet Report 2024 documents a 73% average decline in monitored wildlife populations from 1970 to 2020, with freshwater species suffering the most (85%). The report warns that cumulative pressures from habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change are pushing ecosystems toward irreversible tipping points, such as the potential collapse of the Amazon rainforest and coral reefs. It argues that current national commitments for biodiversity and climate are insufficient, and calls for a systemic transformation of the global food system (the leading cause of habitat loss), the energy system (the primary driver of climate change), and the financial system (which currently provides almost US$7 trillion annually in nature-negative flows).

The 2024 Plowprint report by WWF International tracks the cumulative footprint of cropland conversion in the Great Plains. In 2022, approximately 1.9 million acres of grasslands were converted to croplands across the US and Canada. While this is a slight improvement over the 10-year average of 2.6 million acres, the report emphasizes that current levels of loss remain unacceptable. The analysis highlights that 55% of Great Plains land remains intact, with Tribal lands showing higher conservation rates at 80%. The report advocates for strengthening the Farm Bill, expanding the Sodsaver provision, and reforming biofuels policies to reduce incentives for grassland conversion.

The report details how various animal 'guilds'—including predators, browsers, seed dispersers, and pollinators—provide essential services such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and disease prevention. It emphasizes that abundance is as critical as existence for these functions to operate and highlights the risks of 'empty forests' and degraded biomes. Through case studies of specific animals and global biomes, the document argues for a shift from simple conservation to active species recovery to secure the natural systems supporting human society.

The Living Planet Report 2024 reveals a 73% average decline in monitored wildlife populations between 1970 and 2020, with freshwater species suffering the most (85%). The report warns that cumulative pressures from habitat loss, overexploitation, and climate change are pushing ecosystems toward irreversible tipping points, such as the collapse of the Amazon rainforest or coral reefs. It argues that current national commitments are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C climate goal or the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets. To avoid catastrophic failure, the document calls for a systemic transformation: shifting to nature-positive food production, tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, and redirecting the $7 trillion in annual harmful subsidies toward nature-based solutions.

The report evaluates the South African financial sector's capacity to adopt the TNFD framework, finding that while there is high recognition of the sector's impact on nature loss, there is a significant gap in the implementation of nature-related targets and expertise. It highlights the economic value of South Africa's ecosystem services and argues that private finance is essential to meet the Global Biodiversity Framework's '30x30' conservation target.

The project has been rated as 'Highly Satisfactory' for its overall outcomes, having successfully established the TNFD Secretariat and released the TNFD Recommendations in September 2023. While the project demonstrated high cost-effectiveness by leveraging approximately USD 1.85 million in GEF funding to unlock nearly USD 12.5 million in total financing, it faced operational challenges regarding inconsistent funding tranches from WWF-GEF to UNEP FI. The review recommends developing a new Theory of Change to shift focus from framework creation to maximizing uptake, building capacity in the Global South, and supporting the fulfillment of CBD Target 15.

The document argues that the protection of environmental defenders is critical for combating the climate crisis and that the Escazú Agreement provides the necessary legal framework to ensure access to information, public participation, and justice. It highlights the disproportionate risks faced by women and indigenous peoples, and warns that the energy transition must not replicate the extractive and colonial patterns of the fossil fuel industry.

The document examines how climate change and sea level rise threaten coastal communities and military infrastructure, potentially leading to social instability and reduced military readiness. It advocates for the use of nature-based solutions—such as mangroves, coral reefs, and salt marshes—as cost-effective alternatives or supplements to artificial infrastructure to dissipate wave energy and reduce flooding. The author highlights specific military applications, including US Department of Defense projects in Florida and UK efforts in overseas territories, and suggests that supporting these ecological defenses in partner nations can bolster strategic alliances and global security.

The document evaluates the role of novel plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived foods in reducing the environmental and health burdens of conventional animal source foods, while noting the need for further research on socioeconomic and nutritional implications.

The IISD welcomes the Emirates COP28 Leaders Declaration as a historic first for food systems at a COP, praising its commitment to integrate food and land use into national climate and biodiversity plans by 2025. While the IISD supports the declaration's focus on financial support and the interlinkages between climate and biodiversity, it argues that the document should have explicitly called for the urgent phase-out of fossil fuels within food systems to align with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C target.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Uzbekistan's environmental status from 2012 to 2022, highlighting critical challenges in water scarcity, land degradation, and air pollution driven by population and economic growth. It details the ongoing Aral Sea crisis and the country's vulnerability to climate change, while outlining national responses such as the Yashil Makon afforestation project and a transition toward green energy.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Uzbekistan's environmental status using the DPSIR framework. It highlights critical challenges including severe water scarcity, land degradation, and the ongoing Aral Sea crisis, while noting progress in expanding protected areas and transitioning toward renewable energy. The document emphasizes the high vulnerability of the region to climate change, which manifests in rising temperatures and glacier loss, and outlines national strategies for adaptation and sustainable resource management.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Uzbekistan's environmental state from 2012 to 2022, utilizing the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-Responses (DPSIR) framework. It highlights critical challenges including severe water scarcity, land degradation, and the ongoing Aral Sea crisis, while noting improvements in protected area coverage and the adoption of green energy. The document emphasizes the link between environmental degradation and public health, particularly in the Aral Sea region, and details national strategies to mitigate climate change and improve waste management.

A joint statement by Reclaim Finance and other organizations challenging TotalEnergies' claims regarding the Papua LNG project. The authors argue the project contradicts global climate goals, risks becoming a stranded asset due to peaking gas demand, and threatens high-biodiversity native forests. They further contend that the project's social safeguards are insufficient, citing a lack of transparency and opposition from local clans and chiefs in Papua New Guinea.

A joint statement by Reclaim Finance and partners challenging TotalEnergies' claims regarding the Papua LNG project, asserting that the project is incompatible with a 1.5°C warming limit, risks becoming a stranded asset, and threatens indigenous forests and community rights in Papua New Guinea.

The document argues that the Mozambique LNG project is disastrous, citing fatal human rights failures during the 2021 Palma attack, the displacement of hundreds of families without adequate compensation, and the continued instability in Cabo Delgado. It claims the project offers little economic benefit to Mozambique, utilizes tax avoidance schemes, and threatens local biodiversity and global climate goals by producing billions of tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifecycle. The authors call on financing banks and agencies to conduct an independent reassessment and cease support for this and other planned gas projects in Mozambique.

The report identifies a disconnect between green technology programmes and youth employment policies in Africa, noting that while energy and agriculture are primary focuses, there is significant untapped potential in ICTs, indigenous knowledge, and local manufacturing to create sustainable jobs for young people.

ClientEarth argues that France's current position in CSDDD trilogue negotiations risks reducing the directive's scope and effectiveness, contradicting France's own international commitments and its 2017 domestic duty of vigilance law. The organization demands that France support three core requirements: mandatory due diligence on climate and other environmental impacts, the implementation of clear climate transition plans including scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions targets, and the full inclusion of the financial sector.