Search Climate Insights Directory

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) July 2025 Advisory Opinion (AO) on climate change. It specifically examines how the AO's findings on State obligations—including the duty to prevent harm, stringent due diligence, and the precautionary principle—can be used to challenge reliance on speculative climate interventions (such as geoengineering and carbon capture) and offset-based mitigation measures that may delay the phase-out of fossil fuels.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that carbon markets and the purchase of carbon offsets do not constitute legitimate climate finance. The document asserts that relying on these markets allows Global North countries and polluters to avoid their legal obligations to fund mitigation and adaptation in the Global South while perpetuating the fossil fuel economy.

This policy brief from the International Institute for Sustainable Development evaluates Canada's proposed greenhouse gas emissions cap for the oil and gas sector, arguing that while the cap is necessary, certain 'compliance flexibilities' could weaken its effectiveness.

A joint statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and Earthjustice supporting a Working Group report on investors, ESG approaches, and human rights, specifically calling for mandatory disclosure laws to prevent greenwashing and the use of carbon offsets to justify fossil fuel expansion.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the potential and limitations of using soil carbon sequestration, specifically through regenerative grazing, to offset greenhouse gas emissions from livestock. While some estimates suggest significant carbon uptake potential, the document argues that these gains are often overstated because they fail to account for the finite capacity of soil, the reversibility of carbon storage, and the potent warming effects of methane and nitrous oxide emitted by ruminants.

This submission by Ember to the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) argues for the extension and expansion of Australia's Coal Mine Waste Gas (CMWG) method beyond 2025. Ember recommends extending the methodology to include open-cut mines and improving measurement and verification frameworks to accelerate the decarbonisation of the coal sector.

The 'Guidance to assess transition plans' by the Climate Bonds Initiative provides a framework for evaluating corporate strategies to reach net zero emissions. It introduces the 'Triple A' framework—Ambition, Action, and Accountability—and five specific 'Hallmarks' to help stakeholders identify credible, science-based transition plans that align with the 1.5-degree Paris Agreement goal.

This working paper evaluates the impact of forest fires on the permanence of natural climate solutions (NCS) within voluntary carbon markets, specifically analyzing six REDD+ projects certified under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program in Brazil, Indonesia, and Peru.

This policy brief by Ember analyzes the findings of the Australian federal Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications' inquiry into the Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2022. While the Committee acknowledged the significant climate impact of coal mine methane emissions, Ember argues that the final recommendations failed to mandate rigorous measurement standards or direct onsite mitigation, relying instead on a system of offsets and declining intensity baselines that may not sufficiently address methane's specific warming properties.

The Net Zero Stocktake 2022 executive summary analyzes the status of net zero target setting across 4,000+ entities, including national governments, sub-national governments, and companies. While the report notes a surge in the quantity of targets and an increase in domestic legislation, it highlights a widespread lack of credibility and robustness in these pledges, particularly regarding the use of external offsets and the inclusion of Scope 3 emissions.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the drivers of global forest loss, the evolution of international forest governance, and the role of private sector commitments and carbon markets in forest protection.

This report summarizes the outcomes of a 2021 virtual workshop series organized by Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) Canada, involving approximately 30 civil society groups to discuss the implications of net-zero in Canada.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) describes COP26 in Glasgow as a failure that prioritized 'false solutions' and corporate interests over the immediate action required to limit global warming to 1.5°C. The statement highlights the exclusion of civil society and Indigenous Peoples, the inadequacy of climate finance for the global South, and the failure of negotiated texts to commit to a full phase-out of fossil fuels, despite groundbreaking side-initiatives.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 pledge to halt deforestation as a rebranding of flawed initiatives that allow corporations and polluting nations to offset emissions rather than reduce them, warning that it risks facilitating land grabbing and human rights violations.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the COP26 commitment to end deforestation, characterizing it as a superficial effort that allows major polluters to continue emitting carbon through carbon offsets and market-based mechanisms rather than implementing regulatory action and protecting indigenous rights.

This research paper proposes a framework for assessing the standards and practices of carbon crediting schemes to ensure unit quality, specifically for countries using these schemes as a basis for international emissions trading under the Paris Agreement.

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law outlining the necessary conditions for COP26 to achieve real climate ambition, arguing that success requires the phase-out of fossil fuels, equitable financial support for developing nations, and the rejection of 'false solutions' like carbon offsets and geoengineering.

The Climate Policy Initiative analyzed public climate commitments from over 350 private financial institutions across four sectors. While assets committed to net zero have grown to over USD 93 trillion, the report finds a significant lack of interim targets, detailed transition plans, and comprehensive fossil fuel phase-out strategies.

This fact sheet by Friends of the Earth International argues that major corporations and industry groups are using "net zero" commitments as a "con" to greenwash their images and block effective climate policy ahead of COP26. The document details how six specific entities—BP, Microsoft, IETA, BlackRock, Shell, and Drax—continue to invest in fossil fuels, lobby governments, and rely on unproven technologies or offsets while maintaining a public image of climate leadership.

This fact sheet by Friends of the Earth International argues that major corporations and industry groups are using "net zero" pledges as a strategy to delay meaningful climate action and greenwash their images ahead of COP26. The document details how six specific entities—BP, Microsoft, Drax, IETA, BlackRock, and Shell—employ false solutions, accounting loopholes, and aggressive lobbying to maintain business-as-usual fossil fuel extraction and emissions while appearing to align with the Paris Agreement.