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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) hosted a briefing series titled 'Living with Climate Change' to address community preparation for polar vortices, sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme heat. A specific focus was placed on the polar vortex, noting that climate change is expected to affect the frequency and severity of these events. The document highlights the necessity of adaptation strategies for the energy grid and home energy efficiency to prevent deadly power losses, citing 246 deaths during the 2021 Texas polar vortex freeze.

The document explains the Global Stocktake (GST) as an iterative process to assess collective progress toward the Paris Agreement's goals. It details the three-stage cycle—information collection, technical assessment, and outcome review—and emphasizes how adaptation efforts, including National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Adaptation Communications (AdComs), inform the process. The briefing highlights the importance of national monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems in providing high-quality data to the GST and encourages developing countries to use voluntary communications to ensure their priorities and subnational actions are represented.

The authors argue that any climate compatibility checkpoint for UK oil and gas licensing must be based on a rapid wind-down of production consistent with 1.5°C pathways. They highlight that while different IPCC scenarios vary in their assumptions regarding carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and methane reductions, all require production to peak by 2020 for oil and 2025 for gas. The authors suggest that as a high-income country with low revenue dependence on fossil fuels, the UK should adopt a precautionary approach and potentially decrease production faster than the global average to ensure an equitable transition. They further refute the claim that reducing UK production would not impact global emissions, citing empirical evidence that supply reductions increase prices and lower global consumption.

The Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2021 reports that annual climate finance reached USD 632 billion in 2019/2020, though growth has slowed. The report highlights a massive investment gap, noting that an increase of at least 590% is needed to meet 2030 climate objectives. Mitigation remains the dominant focus, particularly in renewable energy and low-carbon transport, while adaptation finance continues to lag, relying almost entirely on public sources. Geographically, investments are heavily concentrated in East Asia & Pacific, Western Europe, and North America, with China accounting for an estimated 81% of investments in its region.

The Canadian Climate Institute acknowledges that systemic injustices from colonization and discrimination make certain groups more vulnerable to climate change and policy impacts. To address this, the Institute commits to increasing the representation of underrepresented groups within its organization and research, integrating diverse perspectives into its work, and supporting Indigenous rights and self-determination.

The Canadian Climate Institute acknowledges that historical colonization and discrimination have left marginalized groups—including Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, lower-income individuals, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and people with disabilities—more vulnerable to climate change and under-represented in policy development. To address this, the Institute commits to improving its internal hiring and culture, integrating diverse worldviews into its research, supporting Indigenous rights and self-determination, and encouraging partners to adopt similar equity practices.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Proposal Toolkit 2020 serves as a technical manual for entities seeking climate finance for developing countries. It outlines the essential roles of National Designated Authorities (NDAs), Accredited Entities (AEs), and Executing Entities (EEs), and provides a ten-step methodology for proposal development. Key design requirements include a strong climate rationale, a Theory of Change, and a logical framework aligned with GCF's investment criteria. The guide emphasizes the integration of environmental and social safeguards, gender action plans, and indigenous peoples' policies. It also details the financial instruments available—grants, concessional loans, equity, and guarantees—and explains the approval pathways, including the Simplified Approval Process (SAP) for smaller, low-risk projects.

Carbon Market Watch calls for the EU to adopt more ambitious climate targets, specifically a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2040, to remain consistent with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal and the 'do no harm' principle.

The document outlines a strategic roadmap for the Green Climate Fund's Private Sector Facility (PSF), based on demand and supply analyses of climate finance. It identifies significant barriers to private investment in developing countries, particularly for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and in least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS). To address these, the Secretariat proposes five new modalities: targeted endowments for adaptation, local currency funding pilots, climate-focused centres of excellence for early-stage innovation, co-investment solutions for institutional investors, and a direct investment approach to bypass accreditation bottlenecks.

The brief advocates for the systematic review of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) to ensure global mitigation efforts are fair and sufficient to keep warming below 2°C, arguing that such assessments can provide clear results even when using a broad range of fairness perspectives.

The document examines the portrayal of vulnerability and the distribution of adaptation benefits in proposals approved by the Adaptation Fund Board up to December 2012. It argues that focusing on country-level allocation ignores the locally contextualized nature of vulnerability and seeks to provide lessons for the Green Climate Fund regarding the equitable and efficient allocation of scarce resources.

The GEC Strategy 2014-2017 focuses on shifting the narrative of the green economy transition from technical language to a compelling story centered on equity and environmental limits. The coalition aims to establish global dialogue hubs, develop an ethical framework for natural capital valuation, and influence financial system reform. Key priorities include strengthening the role of SMEs, improving economic measurement to include planetary boundaries, and increasing the network's presence and representation in developing countries and the BRICS nations.

The paper evaluates indicators for equity and cost-effectiveness in the allocation of international adaptation funding, using 39 project documents from the Adaptation Fund Board (AFB) from 2011 as a case study. It finds that while approved projects rank high in absolute economic savings, they rank low in equity and other cost-effectiveness measures. The authors conclude that a pure economic definition of cost-effectiveness contradicts equity, but trade-offs can be minimized by using relative economic savings or human lives saved as indicators.

The Adaptation Fund lacks a formal, transparent methodology for defining and measuring 'particular vulnerability,' leading to an ad hoc allocation process. An analysis of 48 proposals (25 approved) shows that funding has reached a wide range of socio-economic conditions and HDI levels, with no clear pattern correlating approvals to national vulnerability indices. While the fund prioritizes concrete adaptation measures in agriculture and water, the absence of standardized vulnerability criteria undermines the ability to systematically compare project merits or ensure that the most vulnerable populations are prioritized.

The report estimates that at least USD 97 billion per annum in climate finance was provided in 2009/2010, with private finance (USD 55 billion) significantly outweighing public finance (at least USD 21 billion). The vast majority of these funds (USD 93 billion) are directed toward mitigation, while adaptation receives only USD 4.4 billion. The analysis highlights a critical lack of standardized definitions and a significant gap in data regarding the effectiveness of these financial flows.

The paper analyzes the role of fairness in international climate negotiations, distinguishing between intention-driven fairness (based on current motives) and consequence-driven fairness (based on historical responsibility). Using game-theoretic models, the authors argue that increasing fairness perceptions in developing countries can shift negotiation dynamics from non-cooperative states (like the Prisoners' Dilemma) toward cooperative ones. The study evaluates how different support mechanisms—such as carbon sequestration, adaptation funds, and the Green Climate Fund—can be designed to signal kindness and compensate for historical emissions to foster global cooperation.

The report analyzes the BASIC group's role in global climate diplomacy, arguing that while they appear as a unified bloc, their cooperation is conditioned by diverse domestic priorities and broader geopolitical ambitions. It examines the specific drivers for Brazil, South Africa, India, and China, and explores how the group balances its identity as developing nations with its rising global influence.

The document analyzes India's transition from a rigid negotiating stance based on historical emissions equity to a more pragmatic engagement integrated with its broader foreign policy goals. While domestic action under the 2008 National Action Plan on Climate Change is driven by energy security and development, India's international diplomacy is increasingly influenced by its strategic relationships with the United States and China. However, structural economic barriers and domestic ideological norms continue to limit the extent of international emission commitments India can make.

The BASIC group—comprising Brazil, South Africa, India, and China—leverages its collective economic and geopolitical weight to advocate for developing country interests in climate negotiations, specifically demanding that industrialised countries bear primary responsibility for emission reductions and funding. While the group presents a 'common front' and aligns with the G77, it faces internal tensions due to vastly different domestic realities: China's superpower status, India's low per capita emissions, Brazil's focus on land-use emissions, and South Africa's coal-dependent energy sector. The brief suggests that while the group provides political shelter and leverage, its cohesion will be tested as negotiations move toward finer technical details and as South Africa prepares to host COP17.

The author examines whether democratic decentralization reduces poverty and inequality, arguing that while it can address regional disparities, it often fails to reduce intra-regional inequality due to elite capture. The paper identifies seven conditions—such as pro-poor ruling parties, political competition for poor voters, and the presence of pro-poor civil society coalitions—that can enable marginalized groups to gain from decentralized governance. Additionally, the author notes specific challenges in the environmental sector, particularly forestry, where bureaucratic cultures of policing hinder the transition to participatory management.