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The briefing examines the Bridgetown Agenda's proposals to reform the global financial system, specifically the IMF and MDBs, to address the intersection of climate change and sovereign debt in the global south. It argues that current governance structures and risk-averse capital adequacy frameworks hinder the flow of climate finance to vulnerable nations. Key recommendations include the rechanneling of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) through the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) and the implementation of G20 Capital Adequacy Frameworks (CAF) recommendations to increase MDB lending capacity without compromising AAA credit ratings.

The Climate Bonds Standard version 4.0 provides a science-based framework for certifying Use of Proceeds (UoP) debt instruments, physical assets, non-financial legal entities, and sustainability-linked debt (SLD). It establishes rigorous pre- and post-issuance requirements, including mandatory verification by Approved Verifiers, the development of transition plans, and annual public disclosure of allocation and eligibility. The standard introduces a 'Certification Threshold' for entities and SLDs, requiring 90% of economic activities to be compliant. It also mandates 'Climate Safeguards' for parent groups, including commitments to net zero and the prohibition of fossil fuel expansion after January 1, 2023.

The document examines the gap between soybean production and rural insurance coverage in Brazil, highlighting how climate change exacerbates risks through extreme events. Using LASSO machine learning models, researchers demonstrate that while insurance data is scarce in regions like the North and Northeast, agricultural yield data can effectively identify climate variables—primarily precipitation, fire risk, and wind—that drive production losses. The brief argues for expanding insurance to vulnerable regions like MATOPIBA and improving the solvency of insurers through reinsurance and public-private funds to support a low-carbon agricultural transition.

The document argues that financial service providers (FSPs) often avoid agricultural investments in developing countries due to perceived risks, but that VSSs can mitigate these risks by requiring sustainable practices and better governance. While VSSs show high coverage of legal compliance, soil and water conservation, and labour rights, they lack sufficient criteria regarding economic viability, transparency, and climate adaptation. The brief provides recommendations for FSPs, VSS providers, and governments to better align sustainability standards with financial requirements to close the investment gap.

The document argues that financial service providers (FSPs) often avoid agricultural investments in developing countries due to perceived risks. It finds that while voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) provide high coverage for legal compliance, labor rights, and forest conservation, they lack sufficient criteria for economic viability, transparency, and climate adaptation. The brief recommends that FSPs integrate VSS into ESG due diligence and that governments provide land tenure and financial incentives to support VSS-compliant farmers.

The policy brief examines the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in reducing the perceived risks that deter financial service providers (FSPs) from investing in sustainable agriculture in developing countries. By analyzing 12 VSS across economic, environmental, and social dimensions, the report finds that while VSS provide high coverage for legal compliance, labor rights, and soil and water conservation, they lack sufficient criteria for economic viability, anti-corruption, and climate adaptation. The document recommends that VSS incorporate more business-oriented criteria and that FSPs use VSS for ESG due diligence and the structuring of sustainability-linked financial products.

The document argues that financial service providers (FSPs) often avoid agricultural investments in developing countries due to perceived risks. It examines 12 Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) and finds that while they provide high coverage for legal compliance, labor rights, and basic environmental conservation, they lack sufficient criteria regarding economic viability, transparency, and climate adaptation. The brief recommends that VSS incorporate more business-oriented criteria and that FSPs use these standards for ESG due diligence and structuring financial products to increase funding for sustainable farming.

The statement emphasizes the necessity of linking climate solutions with poverty eradication and human well-being to ensure climate justice. It highlights that the IPCC synthesis report calls for urgent resource mobilization to address these issues synergistically, noting that those in extreme poverty are most vulnerable to climate hazards. Project Drawdown identifies 28 mitigation solutions across five sectors—agriculture, ecosystems, clean cooking, clean electricity, and equality—that could sequester 691.4 gigatons of CO2-eq over 30 years while providing co-benefits for health, gender equality, and food security, especially in rural Africa and South Asia.

The author contends that 'carbon farming' activities are unsuitable for carbon removal certification because they provide temporary, volatile storage that risks enabling greenwashing and delaying actual emission reductions. Instead of market-based carbon credits, the document proposes 'activity-based finance' to support farmers and foresters in adopting nature-based practices, funded by public resources or polluter-pays instruments.

A coalition of 23 South African organisations is urging PR and advertising agencies to cease their partnerships with the fossil fuel industry, arguing that these agencies facilitate greenwashing and obstruct climate action.

The We Mean Business Coalition asserts that current climate plans are insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals and that staying within the 1.5°C limit requires a total phase-out of fossil fuels. The statement urges G7 governments to lead by redirecting subsidies, pricing carbon, and accelerating the uptake of clean energy technologies. It calls on businesses to develop science-aligned transition plans and invest in decarbonized solutions to ensure a secure and equitable global energy transition.

The document serves as a procurement guide for businesses integrating Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) voluntary carbon credits into their climate strategies, focusing on credits that deliver simultaneous benefits for climate change mitigation, biodiversity, and human well-being.

The document outlines a regional readiness program for 11 ECOWAS Member States to enhance their ability to mobilize climate finance for the agricultural sector. It focuses on operationalizing a climate unit within the ECOWAS Commission, developing a pool of regional climate finance experts, and creating a digital library of climate-smart agricultural practices. The program aims to bridge the gap between the colossal financial needs for climate adaptation in West African agriculture—estimated at $162 billion—and the actual funding received, while ensuring gender-responsive risk assessments and the alignment of regional policies like ECOWAP with the Paris Agreement.

The proposal identifies significant governance, technical, and financial gaps that prevent sub-national governments in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) from contributing to their countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It proposes a 27-month program implemented by UCLG Africa to build local capacity, establish a 'Partnership Framework' for better coordination between national and local authorities, and develop a pipeline of high-quality climate projects using the Enhanced Direct Access (EDA) modality.

CIEL supports the Special Rapporteur's findings that the triple planetary crisis disproportionately affects women and girls due to intersecting structural inequalities. The statement argues that protecting these rights requires States to rapidly phase out fossil fuel extraction, consumption, and trade, and to implement moratoriums on new petrochemical facilities. It specifically highlights the health risks of microplastics for women and calls for a human rights-based approach in the negotiations of a plastics treaty.

CIEL endorses the Special Rapporteur's findings that the climate crisis negatively impacts the right to housing, particularly for marginalized communities, and supports calls for international loss and damage compensation and debt suspension for vulnerable countries. The statement warns against 'green grabbing' and climate gentrification resulting from misguided mitigation and adaptation policies, urging that climate finance and national plans include safeguards to prevent forced evictions and arbitrary displacement.

Recourse argues that the World Bank Group's Evolution Roadmap lacks essential commitments to the 1.5C goal and fails to rule out direct or indirect funding for fossil fuels, including through financial intermediaries and technical assistance.

The report evaluates corporate climate alignment using the CCIF, finding that while mitigation efforts (such as GHG reporting and renewable energy procurement) are common, there is a critical lack of detailed climate adaptation planning. Analysis of 483 debt issuers reveals that no company performed well across all three CCIF objectives, and only 14% have an adaptation and resilience plan. Sector-level data shows utilities as the highest performers in reporting and transition, while healthcare and automotive sectors suffer from significant data gaps. Case studies of companies in China, India, South Korea, and Singapore highlight the use of internal carbon pricing and science-based targets, but emphasize the need for better Scope 3 emissions tracking and quantitative physical risk assessments.

The document identifies a significant financing gap for Colombia's climate goals and argues that a Just Transition requires dedicated investment in labor retraining, social protection, and regional diversification. It analyzes the current distribution of climate finance—dominated by public resources (67%)—and suggests leveraging innovative tools like sovereign green bonds and carbon tax revenues to ensure stability and equity in the transition.

Earthjustice argues that limiting climate mitigation to the property level is insufficient to protect world heritage. The statement recommends that the World Heritage Committee recognize state parties' national-level obligations to limit warming to 1.5°C, acknowledge extraterritorial obligations under Article 6(3) to prevent transboundary harm, and utilize the List of World Heritage in Danger to hold states accountable for climate-related threats.