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The paper argues that current socio-economic systems, based on extractive resource use and shaped by a dominant economic class, drive both climate change and global inequality. It highlights that a small, wealthy minority has consumed the majority of the global carbon budget, which threatens the 1.5°C target and limits the ability of poorer populations to improve their living standards. The authors conclude that setting limits on resource use requires inclusive governance to prevent solutions from further entrenching power imbalances.

The document examines how hybrid clean energy systems—specifically pairing solar generation with geothermal district heating and cooling—can address systemic energy injustices. It highlights that low-income communities and communities of color face higher risks from extreme heat and aging gas infrastructure, such as leaks in Massachusetts. The author advocates for a holistic approach, citing a Massachusetts pilot project that repurposes gas rights-of-way for geothermal networks and research from Croatia showing the efficiency of solar-geothermal hybrids. Such systems can reduce energy costs, eliminate methane emissions, and improve security through microgrid capabilities, provided that new market frameworks and data-processing technologies are implemented to manage the complexity of distributed energy systems.

The Philippines Commission on Human Rights (CHR) concluded a seven-year inquiry finding that 47 'Carbon Majors' companies contributed significantly to global emissions and engaged in 'willful obfuscation' of climate science despite knowing the risks since at least 1965. The report details severe human rights impacts in the Philippines, including threats to the rights to life, health, food security, and water, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups such as women, children, and Indigenous Peoples. The CHR asserts that these companies, and the financial institutions that fund them, have a responsibility to respect human rights and provide remediation for climate-driven harms. It recommends that states implement punitive laws for environmental harm, put a price on pollution, and transition to renewable energy by 2030 to meet the 1.5°C limit.

The document outlines the synergies between climate mitigation and public health, arguing that immediate action to reduce emissions provides significant health co-benefits across energy, transport, urban planning, and agriculture. It emphasises that climate change is a justice issue, noting that wealthy nations and individuals are the primary polluters while vulnerable populations suffer most. The briefing advocates for systemic transformations, such as shifting to plant-based diets, decarbonising energy systems, and implementing sustainable urban design, to avoid breaching the 1.5°C warming threshold and to improve global health outcomes.

The document details two court cases aimed at halting Shell's seismic surveys off South Africa's Wild Coast. While one urgent interdict was dismissed, another was granted on 28 December 2021, based on potential harm to the constitutional, spiritual, and cultural rights of local communities. The applicants argue that Shell lacked necessary environmental authorizations under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), failed to properly consult stakeholders, and ignored climate change impacts. They seek to set aside the exploration rights granted to Impact Africa and Shell, and to establish a legal precedent that an Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) under the MPRDA is not a substitute for a NEMA environmental authorization.

The paper examines how the unequal consumption of natural resources and the global carbon budget reinforces systemic inequality and accelerates climate change. It argues that current environmental frameworks, such as the planetary boundaries and the Paris Agreement, often fail to allocate responsibility equitably or address the colonial legacies of the global economic system. The authors call for a transformation of global governance to include marginalized voices and Indigenous knowledge systems, shifting away from a growth-dependent economic model toward one rooted in social justice and cultural reflexivity.

The briefing argues that nature-based solutions (NbS) are often framed as apolitical, leading to the neglect of social equity and justice. It proposes five core principles: ensuring inclusive and transparent processes, tackling root causes of marginalization, limiting the unjust redistribution of risks and costs, prioritizing at-risk communities, and using valuation tools that assess social and political change. These principles are illustrated through a case study in Kaptembwa, Nakuru, Kenya, where participatory planning is used to address flooding and lack of green space in a semi-informal settlement.

The report evaluates the 'action gap' since the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment, noting that only about one-tenth of global environmental targets have been met. It argues that current economic systems drive planetary crises and extreme inequality, where the richest 10% of the population emitted more than half of total carbon emissions from 1990 to 2015. To unlock a better future, the authors propose redefining the human-nature relationship through biophilic urban design and indigenous knowledge, rethinking prosperity by moving beyond GDP and adopting 'function-over-product' business models, and reforming finance to bridge funding gaps in low-income countries. It calls for a new paradigm of 'technology co-development' and stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure that the coming decade leads to systemic transformation.

The document examines the link between resource-intensive lifestyles of the global rich and environmental degradation, noting that the world has been in 'global ecological overshoot' since 1970. It identifies housing, transport, and food as the primary drivers of lifestyle emissions and proposes a multi-pronged policy approach to shift societal norms. The authors emphasize that a 'just transition' is necessary to avoid marginalizing local communities and to prevent 'neo-consumerism' where green products simply replace unsustainable ones without reducing overall consumption.

The paper examines the dissonance between quality of life and environmental sustainability, highlighting how developed economies' high-consumption lifestyles drive global ecological overshoot. It critiques the current capitalistic model that equates purchasing power with freedom and argues that developing nations are unfairly burdened by historical emissions and resource depletion. To address this, the authors propose replacing GDP with a 'Green GDP' that integrates ESG norms and establishing a 'Conference of Parties on Utilization of Resources' (CoP-UR) to manage a global resource budget and hold polluting nations accountable.

The document proposes 'multifunctionality'—the simultaneous provision of multiple functions across natural and human traits—as a systemic approach to climate adaptation. It identifies roadblocks in current nature-based solutions (NbS), such as a lack of awareness regarding power relations, insufficient data on co-benefits and costs, and financing gaps. The authors advocate for 'hybrid solutions' that combine green, blue, and grey infrastructure and outline four leverage realms for action: defining beneficiaries, designing for interoperability, monitoring across scales, and governing for connectivity and justice.

An analysis of 150 U.S. weather stations shows that 90% experienced an increase in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2021, with an average increase of 13%. These intensifying rainfall extremes, which contribute to flash flooding and landslides, affect both wet and dry regions, with the most significant increases observed in locations such as Fairbanks, Alaska, and El Paso, Texas.

A coalition of organizations and businesses urges New York State to pass legislation instituting a two-year moratorium on fossil fuel permits for proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining to protect the state's climate goals and vulnerable communities.

The research identifies a broad public concern for climate change in the UK, though this is often decoupled from an understanding of 'net zero' as a specific policy solution. Using a values-based segmentation model, the study finds that while most Britons are open to 'doing their bit,' there is deep cynicism regarding political trust and the fair distribution of costs. Key findings highlight that fairness is experienced emotionally and varies by income level, with a strong consensus that the wealthy and big businesses should bear more of the financial burden. The report suggests framing net zero as an opportunity for financial wellbeing and energy independence to bridge political and social divides.

The analysis by CIEL and the Heinrich Boell Foundation argues that the IPCC Working Group III Summary for Policymakers obscures warnings about the dangers of 'overshoot' and reliance on speculative technologies. It asserts that a rapid, equitable fossil fuel phaseout is the only certain path to avoid irreversible harm, whereas current modeled pathways often assume continued fossil fuel use and rely on unproven carbon removal methods due to political pressure from fossil fuel-producing nations.

The briefing contends that the IPCC's mitigation pathways are skewed by economic assumptions in integrated assessment models (IAMs) and political pressures during the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) negotiation process. It argues that avoiding a 1.5°C overshoot is imperative to prevent irreversible harm and that the most feasible, cost-effective path is a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels combined with scaling renewables and reducing energy demand. The document warns that reliance on CCS, BECCS, and DACCS is a dangerous gamble, as these technologies are unproven at scale, costly, and may prolong fossil fuel use while threatening food security and biodiversity.

The briefing highlights that global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, making the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5°C and 2°C increasingly difficult to achieve without significant 'overshoot'. It notes a critical gap in climate finance, where current levels are roughly ten times lower than the estimated USD 6.3 trillion needed annually by 2030. While net-zero commitments and renewable energy deployment have grown substantially, the document warns against an over-reliance on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and emphasizes the need for rapid transformations in energy, agriculture, and urban planning.

The briefing highlights the critical need for transparent supply chains to mitigate human rights abuses and environmental damage associated with the energy transition. It proposes using digital tools, such as blockchain data architecture, to track both embodied greenhouse gas emissions and broader ESG factors, moving away from anonymous commodity markets toward a system where data follows the goods.

Climate Central's analysis of 150 U.S. weather stations shows that 90% experienced an increase in hourly rainfall intensity between 1970 and 2021, with an overall average increase of 13%. This trend is linked to the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, where warmer air holds more moisture, increasing the frequency and intensity of heavy downpours. Such extremes contribute significantly to flash flood risks, accounting for approximately one-third of U.S. flood damages ($73 billion) from 1988 to 2017. Future projections suggest that U.S. flash floods could intensify by 8% by 2100 under high-emission scenarios, with the Southwest and central U.S. identified as high-risk areas.

The report finds that human rights are not systematically referenced in the reviewed NAPs, with few countries using them to guide the planning or implementation process. While some plans, notably Fiji's, demonstrate a strong commitment to human rights-based approaches, most others only make indirect or superficial references to rights. The authors argue for the development of detailed guidance to integrate social, political, administrative, and legal entry points into the NAP process to better protect vulnerable groups.