Search Climate Insights Directory

The report advocates for the use of legal frameworks to bridge the gap between climate ambition and action following the COP28 Global Stocktake. It calls for the enactment of comprehensive national framework climate laws by COP30, the operationalisation of the loss and damage fund with a human rights focus, and a legally mandated phase-out of fossil fuels. ClientEarth emphasizes the role of international courts in clarifying state obligations and suggests adopting demand-reduction strategies for fossil fuels similar to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to combat greenwashing.

The document calls for Parties to the Paris Agreement to submit ambitious NDCs 3.0 by February 2025 and to operationalize these targets through domestic Framework Climate Laws (FCLs). It emphasizes that while NDCs are not legally binding, FCLs can provide the necessary statutory framework, parliamentary oversight, and financial allocation to achieve 1.5°C pathways. The authors outline specific benchmarks for robust NDCs, including economy-wide targets and carbon budgeting, and propose five guiding principles for the next generation of FCLs, focusing on human rights, alignment with the Paris Agreement, and progressive strengthening over time.

The report 'Cradle to Grave' details the systemic health impacts of fossil fuels across their entire value chain—extraction, refining, transport, combustion, and disposal. It highlights how these processes cause respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities in 'sacrifice zones'. The document argues that current climate policies overlook these multidimensional health harms and calls for the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the adoption of the 'Polluter Pays' principle, and a transition to renewable energy to prevent millions of premature deaths.

The document outlines the systemic health impacts of the fossil fuel life cycle, emphasizing that pollution affects individuals from fetal development through old age. It highlights the disproportionate burden on marginalized communities and calls for an immediate end to fossil fuel expansion, the elimination of subsidies, and the adoption of a 'polluter-pays' principle to fund a health-centered transition to renewable energy.

The document details how fossil fuel production and combustion cause systemic health damage from fetal development through old age, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations in 'sacrifice zones'. It highlights that global fossil fuel subsidies reached an estimated US$ 7 trillion in 2022, including US$ 5.7 trillion in implicit subsidies representing unaccounted social and health costs. The report advocates for a 'just transition' that includes ending new fossil fuel projects, internalizing health costs via the 'polluter pays' principle, and redirecting financial resources toward renewable energy and public health infrastructure.

The document outlines the severe health vulnerabilities of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region due to climate change, emphasizing the disproportionate impact on marginalized groups. It calls for a transition to sustainable food and energy systems, the strengthening of primary healthcare, and the implementation of climate justice to protect the right to health.

The Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health identifies the region's high vulnerability to extreme weather and climate-sensitive diseases, exacerbated by structural inequalities. It argues for the integration of health into national climate policies (NDCs and NAPs), the strengthening of primary care, and the application of climate justice for marginalized communities. The document highlights significant gaps in health sector adaptation planning and a lack of health-specific indicators in climate finance, specifically noting that only 11.6% of Green Climate Fund projects in the region include explicit health benefits. It calls for a fair transition to a fossil-fuel-free economy and increased international support for regional health capacities.

The document outlines the critical intersection of climate change and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), emphasizing that while the region contributes only 6.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it faces profound vulnerability. It details how extreme heat, floods, and shifting disease patterns—such as a 54% increase in dengue transmission potential—disproportionately affect marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples and the urban poor. The position paper demands the integration of health into National Determined Contributions (NDCs), the decarbonization of health systems and food production, and the implementation of the Belém Action Plan. It calls for a 'just transition' that protects human rights and incorporates ancestral knowledge, while urging the international community to provide financial and technological transfers to strengthen primary health care and climate resilience in the region.

The report evaluates WHA78 as a period of broadening dialogue and significant policy adoption, notably the Global Action Plan on Climate and Health (GAP) and the first pandemic agreement. While it celebrates the inclusion of youth, persons with disabilities, and mental health in the agenda, it highlights critical shortcomings, including the absence of fossil fuel phase-out language and uncertainties regarding the implementation and funding of the GAP. The document advocates for a shift in narrative, framing climate action as a strategic health investment rather than a cost, and calls for greater inclusion of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Global South in leadership and R&D.

The Global Climate and Health Alliance and its partners call for a total phase-out of fossil fuels, health-centered adaptation planning, and strategic climate financing to prevent catastrophic impacts on global health. The statement emphasizes a 'Health in All Policies' approach, arguing that the transition to renewable energy is a public health imperative that could save 3.6 million lives annually. It further advocates for the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund to address health losses, the promotion of sustainable plant-rich diets to prevent 11 million premature deaths, and the exclusion of fossil fuel industry influence from UNFCCC policy-making.

The document outlines the critical intersection of climate change and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), emphasizing the region's high vulnerability despite its modest global emissions contribution. It details how extreme weather, food insecurity, and the transition to clean energy impact health, particularly for marginalized groups like indigenous peoples and urban poor. The statement calls for the integration of health into National Determined Contributions (NDCs), the decarbonization of health systems and food production, and the implementation of the Belém Action Plan on Health. It advocates for climate justice, the protection of traditional knowledge, and increased financing for health-centered climate resilience.

The document argues that climate change severely impacts the physical and mental health of populations in Latin America and the Caribbean, exacerbating existing socioeconomic and structural inequalities. It identifies critical gaps in health system resilience, a lack of climate-health integration in professional education, and insufficient financing, noting that only 11.6% of Green Climate Fund projects in the region explicitly include health benefits. To address these, the Common Position advocates for the full application of climate justice principles, the strengthening of primary healthcare, and the inclusion of health indicators in the Global Adaptation Goal at COP30 and the Belém Health Action Plan.

The report 'Cradle to Grave' details how fossil fuel production, transport, and combustion cause systemic health harms across all life stages, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. It maps specific toxicants to health outcomes, analyzes the compounding risks of climate change on fossil fuel infrastructure, and documents societal harms including human rights abuses and economic instability. The document concludes with a framework for a health-focused just transition and policy recommendations to end fossil fuel exploration, subsidies, and finance.

The report details how fossil fuel production and use cause systemic health damage across all human life stages and geographic regions, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. It maps these impacts from site preparation and extraction to combustion and waste disposal, highlighting the role of pollutants like PM2.5, benzene, and heavy metals. The document also examines the societal harms of the industry, including forced displacements, human rights violations, and political corruption. It concludes by advocating for a 'just transition' that prioritizes public health, eliminates fossil fuel subsidies, and holds polluters accountable through the 'polluter-pays' principle.

The report 'De la cuna a la tumba' (From Cradle to Grave) details how fossil fuel production and use cause systemic health damage across all human life stages, from fetal development to old age. It highlights the disproportionate burden on marginalized communities and indigenous peoples, who often live in 'sacrifice zones.' The document maps specific health risks associated with extraction, refining, transport, and combustion, while also addressing the social disruptions and human rights violations linked to the industry. It concludes with a set of policy recommendations to end fossil fuel exploration, eliminate subsidies, and internalize health costs under the 'polluter pays' principle to achieve a just energy transition.

The document argues that integrating public health and equity into climate policy can broaden political support and save lives, estimating that low-carbon policies could avoid 1 million American deaths annually. It proposes a roadmap of legislative and agency actions, including banning natural gas expansion, transitioning to regenerative agriculture, and electrifying public transit, to align the U.S. with the Paris Agreement's 1.5C target. The brief emphasizes that health co-benefits could offset 10% to 41% of U.S. mitigation costs.

The report examines how substandard housing in Indigenous communities in Canada contributes to poor health outcomes and energy poverty. It proposes 'Healthy Energy Homes' as a holistic solution to reduce healthcare costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve affordability. The authors argue that overcoming current governance and funding barriers requires a national, Indigenous-led approach to housing.

The report argues that achieving a cost-optimal net-zero building sector in Canada requires a significant shift toward electrification and a reduction in gas use. It warns that current regulatory inertia and the continued expansion of gas networks risk increasing costs for taxpayers and jeopardizing climate goals. The document recommends that provincial governments legislate net-zero targets, move away from gas as the default heating option for new buildings, and provide regulators with the tools to manage a phased contraction of gas infrastructure while ensuring affordability and equity.

Northern Canada is warming three times faster than the global average, exacerbating a pre-existing infrastructure gap. Permafrost thaw, extreme weather, and sea level rise threaten runways, roads, and building foundations. The report argues that while early investments can reduce costs, incremental repairs are insufficient; transformative adaptations and a commitment to Indigenous self-determination are required to build resilient infrastructure.

The report examines the intersection of flood risk transparency and social equity in Canada, arguing that current practices in mapping, disclosure, and risk-based pricing often marginalize vulnerable populations. It highlights how systemic inequalities, such as the forced relocation of Indigenous communities to floodplains, increase climate vulnerability. The authors propose a transition toward 'transformational adaptation' through inclusive mapping, standardized disclosure laws for renters and buyers, and affordable, public insurance programs that support strategic retreat rather than just rebuilding in high-risk areas.