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The 2021 ESMP for the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) outlines mitigation strategies for six key activities under the Bhutan for Life (BFL) project. These activities include ecotourism infrastructure development, improvement of salt licks and water holes, building maintenance, alpine meadow improvement, bio-engineering at Dungtsho lake, and waste management near a RAMSAR site. The plan emphasizes compliance with both Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) laws and WWF's Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures (SIPP), particularly where WWF standards are more extensive regarding non-title holders and community consultation. It details specific environmental risks—such as habitat disturbance and increased poaching—and social risks, including worker health and safety and community conflicts, providing a structured monitoring framework and a total budget of USD 185,500 for activities and mitigation.

The 2021 ESMP for Biological Corridor-3 (BC-3) focuses on the improvement of waterholes and salt licks to support wildlife. It outlines specific mitigation measures for waste management, worker health and safety, and poaching prevention, while ensuring compliance with both Royal Government of Bhutan laws and WWF's Social Safeguards Integrated Policies and Procedures. The plan includes detailed occupational health and safety (OHS) standards and monitoring arrangements to be implemented by BFL focal persons and contractors.

The report uses a case study of 62 South African pasture-based dairy farms to argue that sustainable management practices lead to higher gross margins and lower environmental impacts. Key findings indicate that optimizing milk production relative to cow size and land area, rather than maximizing production per cow, reduces carbon footprints and increases profitability. The study highlights a strong negative correlation between soil carbon and nitrogen fertiliser application, suggesting that healthy soils reduce the need for chemical inputs. Projections suggest that widespread adoption of these practices in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal could reduce total carbon emissions by 10% and excess nitrogen by 27% over five years.

This policy brief examines the allocation of COVID-19 recovery funds to cities, noting a significant gap between global pledges and city-specific commitments, and provides recommendations to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of green urban recovery finance.

The study examines the link between green bonds and climate targets for the twenty largest European green bond issuers in 2018. It finds a disconnect between these issuers' climate targets and their green bond frameworks, alongside deficiencies in post-issuance reporting. The author concludes that there is minimal pressure for issuers to align bond proceeds with ambitious science-based targets, suggesting a need for policy intervention to prevent greenwashing and align the market with planetary boundaries.

The document reviews a report by Mulder et al. (2020), which was commissioned by Shell, regarding the impact of Shell's production limits on global energy consumption. The author, Peter Erickson, argues that Mulder et al. use misleading evidence to downplay the link between supply restrictions and price increases. Erickson asserts that reducing supply leads to higher prices and lower consumption, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. He further disputes the claim that other companies would simply take over Shell's licenses, citing national policy shifts in countries like Denmark and the potential for increased investment risk across the fossil fuel sector.

The document argues that Japan's large-scale biomass power generation, supported by the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program, is not carbon neutral and causes deforestation and biodiversity loss in exporting regions like North America. It calls for a shift toward small-scale, local biomass systems and the exclusion of projects causing forest degradation from the FIT program.

The document advocates for a shift in investor strategy from traditional shareholder engagement to the use of bond markets as a strategic lever for climate action. It highlights that corporate bonds represent approximately 41 trillion USD and provide a critical point of influence during capital rounds. The author specifically calls for investors to refuse bonds from companies developing new fossil fuel projects and identifies the Samcheok coal plant project in South Korea as a key test case for this approach.

The document advocates for the use of the corporate bond market as a strategic lever for climate action, arguing that it offers more direct influence over companies than equity-based engagement. It specifically calls for investors to stop purchasing bonds from companies not aligned with the Paris Agreement and highlights the Samcheok coal plant project in South Korea as a critical test case for investor climate consistency.

The Climate Action Tracker reports that net zero pledges announced by November 2020 could limit global warming to 2.1°C by 2100, though current policies still track 0.8°C higher than this optimistic target. While the Paris Agreement has driven a 0.7°C decrease in real-world emissions projections since 2015, the report emphasizes that governments must strengthen 2030 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and implementation plans to bridge the remaining gap to 1.5°C.

The report finds that the value of Uganda's upstream oil reserves has declined by 70% since 2013 due to structural changes in the global oil market, with a further $10 billion at risk in a transition aligned with the Paris Agreement. Current commercial terms are deemed insufficient for international oil companies like Total and CNOOC to reach a final investment decision, likely necessitating costly renegotiations for the Ugandan government. The authors argue that relying on oil for economic development is increasingly risky and recommend diversifying the economy, potentially through electrification, while incorporating climate transition and physical risks into public debt sustainability forecasts.

The policy brief contends that relying on carbon offsets to meet climate targets is risky and unsustainable due to issues with environmental integrity and the risk of 'double counting' under the Paris Agreement. It argues that offsets can displace domestic climate action and mask the scale of the climate crisis by offering a cheap alternative to deep sectoral transformation. To address these failures, the document proposes shifting from a 'compensation' model to a 'contribution' model, where companies fund host country climate efforts without claiming carbon neutrality. Additionally, it suggests 'practice-based credits' that reward the implementation of sustainable practices rather than quantified results, which is particularly useful for land-use projects where permanence is difficult to guarantee. The brief emphasizes that these alternatives better align with sustainable development goals and protect companies from reputational risks associated with fraudulent offsetting claims.

The report traces the shift in international climate policy from the 'top-down' prescriptive approach of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which targeted developed nations, to the 'bottom-up' participatory model of the 2015 Paris Agreement. It highlights the central role of the 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR) principle and argues that while the Paris Agreement achieved universal participation, current national commitments remain insufficient to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C.

The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) reports that a wave of net zero pledges from 127 countries could reduce projected warming by 2100 to as low as 2.1°C. However, current policies still put the world on a trajectory of 2.9°C, and a significant emissions gap remains for 2030.

The author contends that Quebec's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 is at risk because the current Plan does not specify the extent of local emission reductions or limit the use of carbon sequestration. Relying on natural processes is deemed less reliable due to risks like forest fires, while technological solutions remain theoretical. The document suggests that a lack of structural changes could lead to price spikes in carbon markets and recommends a mix of incentives and binding measures, such as eco-fiscality and shifting investment from road expansion to public transit.

ClientEarth urges EU decision-makers to prohibit the use of Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funds for gas-reliant projects, asserting that such investments would breach the Paris Agreement and EU legal obligations. The document argues that gas is not a viable 'bridge fuel' due to methane leakages and that existing infrastructure overcapacity makes new investments a stranded asset risk.

The green bond market saw record third-quarter issuance in 2020, totaling USD 69.4 billion, driven by strong policy signals and corporate adoption. The USA led in 2020 issuance, while the Luxembourg Stock Exchange remained the most popular listing venue. JP Morgan was the top global underwriter for the first three quarters of the year.

The policy brief analyzes the socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities of Latin America exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that traditional economic reactivation measures risk perpetuating structural crises and instead proposes a 'just and resilient recovery' based on four principles: climate action, decent employment, social inclusion, and long-term financing. The document outlines four priorities for governments: applying the 'no-regression' principle to avoid environmental deregulation, ensuring short-term measures align with long-term sustainability, maximizing investment in strategic sustainable sectors (such as renewable energy and regenerative agriculture), and increasing systemic resilience through economic diversification and new progress indicators beyond GDP.

The document examines the role of climate finance in Mexico, highlighting the risks posed by the elimination of the Fondo para el Cambio Climático (FCC) and the heavy concentration of public funds in the energy sector via the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). It provides specific recommendations for the public sector to strengthen governance and technical capacity, and for the private sector to adopt green taxonomies and innovative financing mechanisms like impact investing and carbon bonds to meet Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The document argues that Mexico's food systems can drive a just recovery by integrating sustainable practices in the primary sector, shortening distribution chains, and improving public nutrition. It highlights the vulnerability of the sector to the climate crisis and the exacerbation of food insecurity and malnutrition caused by the pandemic. Key recommendations include reorienting agricultural subsidies toward crop diversification, implementing sustainability certifications for exporters, supporting small and medium producers with organic fertilizers and digital commerce, and aligning public food procurement with nutritional health standards.