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Financial institutions are foot-dragging on financing coal phaseouts
The document highlights a gap between net zero commitments and the actual financing of coal phaseouts, noting that commercial banks provided US$470 billion to the coal industry between 2021 and 2023. It argues that internal bank policies and financed emission targets are not valid excuses for inaction, as institutions can create specific carve-outs for decommissioning. The author proposes a new "phaseout emissions" category to track support for coal retirements without penalizing overall portfolio targets and urges the public sector to lead pilot projects and provide concessional financing to demonstrate the viability of just coal phaseouts.
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Document type: Statement
CMW SCF DNSH Public Consultation
Carbon Market Watch calls for the Social Climate Fund to explicitly prohibit any investment in fossil fuel-based technologies, including 'low(er) carbon' alternatives like efficient gas boilers, to avoid locking low-income groups into long-term fossil fuel use and to prevent environmental degradation.
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Document type: Statement
Learning from the Past and Innovating into the Future Principles for a Fossil Fuel Treaty
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative proposes a framework for a global treaty to end the expansion of oil, gas, and coal. Based on 20 global consultations, the document argues that the treaty must be built on three core values—justice, rights, and public goods—to avoid replicating colonial and corporate domination. It emphasizes a 'bottom up' approach to ensure the participation of marginalized groups and Indigenous Peoples from the outset. The proposed framework rests on three pillars: a just transition for workers and communities, the non-proliferation of new fossil fuel exploration, and a fair phase-out of existing production aligned with the 1.5C goal.
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Document type: Statement
Climate Matters
Analysis of 241 U.S. locations from 1970 to 2023 shows that 95% have experienced warming average summer temperatures, with an average increase of 2.5°F. The Northwest, Southwest, and South regions saw the most significant heating. Additionally, 58% of analyzed locations now experience at least 14 more above-normal summer days than in 1970. The document also highlights the health risks of extreme heat, particularly for vulnerable populations and those affected by urban heat islands, and provides a directory of monitoring tools and hurricane season resources.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Focus on reducing methane pollution from all sources, not distractions over metrics
The report critiques the GWP* (Global Warming Potential Star) metric, arguing that while it may be useful for specific climate modeling, its application to national or sectoral policy is unfair and scientifically misleading. Unlike the standard GWP, which uses a zero-emission baseline, GWP* evaluates current emissions relative to past levels, potentially rewarding countries with historically high emissions and penalizing developing nations. The authors contend that this approach can be used to justify continued methane pollution, particularly in the livestock sector, and advocate for a 'multi-basket' approach that sets separate targets for short-lived pollutants like methane and long-lived gases like CO2 to ensure equitable and effective climate action.
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Document type: Research paper
Vozes da Amazônia
The document assesses the socio-environmental crises in the Amazon basin across Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador, highlighting how extractive industries, deforestation, and poor governance impact indigenous and marginalized communities. It argues that these communities are often excluded from environmental policy-making due to a lack of local media, linguistic barriers, and safety risks for journalists. The report identifies community radio as the most effective tool for amplifying local voices, preserving traditional ecological knowledge, and promoting climate justice, while noting significant challenges such as financial instability, political interference, and the need for native-language broadcasting.
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Document type: Report
Climate change made the deadly heatwaves that hit millions of highly vulnerable people across Asia more frequent and extreme
A World Weather Attribution study found that human-induced climate change significantly increased the frequency and intensity of April 2024 heatwaves across Asia. In the Philippines, the event would have been "impossible" without climate change, while in West Asia, the probability increased by a factor of 5. In South Asia, extreme temperatures were found to be about 45 times more likely and 0.85ºC hotter. The report highlights disproportionate impacts on vulnerable groups, including 1.7 million displaced people in Gaza and outdoor workers, and notes that existing heat action plans often lack mandatory workplace regulations and retrofitting for informal settlements.
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Document type: Research paper
Banking on Climate Chaos 2024
The 2024 Banking on Climate Chaos report reveals that the 60 largest global banks committed $705.8 billion to fossil fuel companies in 2023, with $347.5 billion directed toward companies with active expansion plans. JPMorgan Chase is identified as the worst financier of fossil fuels, while Japanese megabanks like Mizuho and MUFG are prominent in methane gas (LNG) financing. The report highlights significant policy gaps, noting that many banks use intensity-based metrics rather than absolute emissions targets and that some North American banks have rolled back previous exclusions for coal and Arctic oil and gas. It argues that current 'net zero' targets often serve as loopholes for continued investment in fossil fuel infrastructure, particularly in Southeast Asia.
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Document type: Report
PETITION TO THE PRESIDENT NOT TO SIGN THE UPSTREAM PETROLEUM RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT BILL, B13B – 2021 INTO LAW
The petition argues that the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill (B13B – 2021) violates the South African Constitution and the One Environmental System (OES). It highlights the Bill's failure to provide adequate local economic development frameworks, its acceleration of fossil fuel extraction during a climate emergency, and its insufficient public participation and consultation processes. The petitioners urge the President to refer the Bill back to Parliament for redrafting to align with human rights and climate science.
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Document type: Statement
Journée du Dépassement de lUnion européenne : lettre ouverte aux dirigeants de lUE
The document marks the 2024 EU Earth Overshoot Day, noting that the EU exhausted its nature budget for the year on May 3, 2024. It urges EU leaders to make the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution a major political priority ahead of the European elections, citing the devastating impacts of climate-related events on health, economies, and social justice.
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Document type: Statement
Extreme Precipitation in a Warming Climate
Climate change is increasing the intensity of extreme precipitation across the U.S., with the Northeast and Midwest seeing the largest increases since 1958. Under 2°C of global warming, 85% of U.S. counties are projected to experience a 10% or higher increase in precipitation on the heaviest 1% of days. This intensification contributes to flash flooding and landslides, disproportionately affecting racial minorities and those in mobile homes, particularly in the South and rural areas. Between 1988 and 2021, warming-induced rainfall intensification caused an estimated $84 billion in inland flood damages.
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Document type: Fact sheet
DEVELOPING VALUES AND IDEALS FOR A FOSSIL FUEL NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
The report outlines a framework for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty based on three foundational values: justice, rights, and the public good. It details a vision for a post-fossil fuel future characterised by self-determination and thriving ecosystems, while identifying risks such as 'false solutions' and 'treaty fatigue'. The document proposes operationalising the treaty through national laws, regional energy sovereignty, and global targets based on historic responsibility and the 'polluter pays' principle.
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Document type: Report
Rethinking Investment Treaties
The report argues that the traditional model of investment treaties, focused on protecting foreign investors through investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), is often ineffective and can obstruct climate action. It proposes a new framework where treaties serve as complementary tools to national laws, focusing on encouraging sustainable investment, ensuring corporate accountability for social and environmental impacts, and fostering international cooperation on issues like fossil fuel phase-outs and technology transfer.
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Document type: Report
Weather-related Power Outages Rising
Between 2000 and 2023, 80% of major U.S. power outages were caused by weather, with a significant increase in frequency during the last decade. Severe weather, winter storms, and tropical cyclones are the primary drivers, with Texas and the Southeast region among the most affected. The document highlights the vulnerability of aging infrastructure and the disproportionate impact on marginalized and medically vulnerable populations, while suggesting grid hardening, microgrids, and emissions reductions as paths toward resilience.
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Document type: Fact sheet
The Impact of the CBAM on African Economies and the Role of the AfCFTA
The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), effective October 2023, imposes carbon tariffs on imports to prevent carbon leakage and encourage global decarbonisation. The document argues that the CBAM will disproportionately harm African countries, particularly least-developed countries (LDCs), by reducing GDP and exports of key materials like aluminium, iron, and steel. It highlights concerns regarding the mechanism's equity, its potential conflict with WTO non-discrimination rules, and the EU's plan to use revenues for internal debt rather than supporting LDCs. The brief recommends that the AfCFTA negotiate for exemptions, a slower phase-in period, and the exclusion of indirect emissions, while urging the EU to increase climate finance and technology transfers to Africa.
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Document type: Policy brief
Comments on the Right to a Healthy Environment in CEPA Implementation Framework Discussion Document
A joint statement by six environmental and health organizations providing recommendations to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada on the implementation framework for the right to a healthy environment (R2HE) under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
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Document type: Statement
Global open letter: South Korea must take the lead in climate action by eliminating Renewable Energy Certificates for biomass power
The document argues that biomass power in South Korea is a 'false solution' to climate change that causes significant carbon emissions and deforestation. It highlights that biomass has become the second-largest renewable electricity source in Korea due to high REC weightings, despite being more expensive than solar and wind. The authors call for the immediate removal of REC weightings for new utility-scale biomass facilities and a phased sunset of weightings for existing plants by 2025 and 2028.
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Document type: Statement
An Exploration of Options and Opportunities for the San Joaquin Valley’s Clean Energy Future
The report outlines a vision for the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) to leverage its land and industrial base to become a hub for clean energy, focusing on solar, bioenergy, and hydrogen. Using modeling from the RAND Corporation, it argues that a diverse energy portfolio can create thousands of high-wage jobs and reduce local pollution. The authors emphasize the need for a coordinated, valley-wide community benefits framework to ensure that rural and disadvantaged communities receive equitable economic gains from new developments.
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Document type: Report
Indigenous Peoples in the Renewable Energy Transition: Protest, Contestation, and the Potential of Improved Deliberation
The document argues that the global transition to renewable energy, specifically wind and solar, frequently results in 'green colonialism' where Indigenous rights to self-determination and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) are ignored. It documents human rights violations and land-grabbing in countries such as Kenya, Norway, Colombia, and Mexico, noting that Indigenous communities often respond through litigation, protest, and efforts to secure project ownership. The authors recommend the formal recognition of Indigenous rights, the strict application of FPIC, the implementation of Indigenous-led environmental impact assessments, and the promotion of Indigenous ownership to ensure a just transition.
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Document type: Policy brief
OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE INTEGRITY PRINCIPLES FOR BENEFIT-SHARING MECHANISMS IN NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
The document operationalizes 12 integrity principles for benefit-sharing mechanisms (BSMs) in nature-based solutions (NbS) through four governance pillars: full and effective participation, transparency and accountability, fairness, and effectiveness. It provides a framework for conducting jurisdictional context analysis and offers specific guidance on identifying stakeholders, avoiding elite capture, managing resource flows, and establishing grievance redress mechanisms to ensure that environmental results translate into equitable socioeconomic benefits.
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Document type: Guide