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The document outlines the technical goals of COP23, focusing on the 'Rule Book' for the Paris Agreement, climate finance for developing countries, and the role of non-state actors. It analyzes how the US withdrawal has paradoxically strengthened international coalitions and spurred sub-national action within the US, while emphasizing Fiji's leadership in advocating for loss and damage and ocean governance.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment advocates for a National Active Transportation Strategy to reduce healthcare costs and climate impacts, citing a Toronto pilot project where a bike lane increased cycling by 49% and reduced vehicle/cyclist conflicts by 61%.

The report concludes that the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has failed to improve air quality over the decade since its 2007 declaration. Despite the 2012 air quality management plan, ambient air quality remains out of compliance with health-based standards, largely due to industrial non-compliance and government failure in monitoring and enforcement. The authors highlight a deterioration in the monitoring network, inadequate dust control for mining, and a lack of resources and skilled staff within local municipalities. The report specifically criticizes the National Air Quality Officer for granting compliance postponements to major polluters Eskom and Sasol, arguing that this has hindered pollution reduction and violated the constitutional rights of residents.

The report concludes that the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has failed to improve air quality over a decade, with ambient air remaining in widespread non-compliance with health-based national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). This failure is attributed to inadequate government capacity, a lack of financial and human resources at the municipal level, and the failure of major industrial emitters, specifically Eskom and Sasol, to reduce emissions. The report highlights a deteriorating monitoring network, ineffective dust control regulations, and a lack of progress in addressing indoor air pollution in low-income settlements. It argues that the granting of postponements from minimum emission standards (MES) to major polluters has further hindered progress, violating the constitutional rights of residents to an environment not harmful to their health.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) urges the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change to ensure the 2030 coal-fired power plant phase-out is not undermined by a reliance on natural gas. CAPE recommends amending regulations to shorten the 'useful life' of coal generators to 40 years, enforcing stricter emission rates for gas plants, and requiring that at least two-thirds of generation be replaced with renewable energy. The organization highlights that a successful phase-out could prevent 1,000 premature deaths and 900 hospital visits while reducing greenhouse gases by up to 325 Mt between 2015 and 2035.

The statement by Friends of the Earth International criticizes the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for investing over $3 billion in coal projects over the last decade despite recognizing climate change as a threat to poverty alleviation. It highlights the Tata Mundra Ultra Mega Coal plant in India as a primary example of environmental and social harm caused by ADB funding. The document demands that the ADB ban all coal funding and relinquish its legal immunity to allow affected communities to seek justice.

The document outlines twelve key signs of climate change, including rising global, ocean, and soil temperatures, increasing ocean acidity, and rising sea levels. It attributes these phenomena to the buildup of heat-trapping gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of tropical forests. The text highlights specific regional impacts, such as the rapid warming of the Gulf of Maine and the thawing of permafrost in the Arctic, and notes the resulting increase in extreme weather events and shifts in species ranges.

The document details how the 2014 Farm Bill allocates funding for conservation programs to mitigate agricultural pollution and enhance soil productivity. It describes specific practices such as cover cropping, no-till operations, and intercropping, while outlining the four primary USDA conservation programs: EQIP, ACEP, CRP, and CSP.

The 2014 Farm Bill allocated $57.6 billion to conservation programs, focusing on voluntary on-farm practices. Key tools include cover crops, no-till/low-till operations, and intercropping, which aim to reduce nutrient runoff and sequester carbon. The document details four primary USDA programs: EQIP, ACEP, CRP, and CSP, outlining their funding, objectives, and the specific environmental benefits they provide, such as carbon sequestration and the protection of wetlands and marginal lands.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) asserts that Ontario's coal plant phase-out significantly reduced air pollution and improved public health. In 2002, Ontario's five coal plants were responsible for 23% of sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions, 14% of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, 23% of airborne mercury, and 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. Between 2003 and 2012, SO2 emissions from these plants dropped by approximately 140,000 tonnes, contributing to a nearly 50% decline in annual air levels of SO2 and a 25% decline in PM2.5 across the province. A 2005 estimate valued the health impacts of coal plant pollution—including over 600 premature deaths and 1,900 hospital or emergency room visits annually—at $3 billion per year. Additionally, Toronto Public Health found that air quality improvements from 2000 to 2011 reduced premature deaths in Toronto by 23% and hospital admissions by 41%, attributing these gains in part to the coal phase-out.

A scientific analysis of the December 2015 Chennai floods found no detectable effect of human-induced climate change on the extreme one-day rainfall event, likely due to the masking effect of aerosol pollution in the region.

The North Pole experienced unprecedented warmth in November and December 2016, with temperatures reaching 15 ºC above normal on November 11. Analysis using historical observations and climate models (CMIP5 and Weather@Home) indicates that such an event would have been extremely unlikely—with a probability of less than 0.1 percent per year—in a climate without human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and aerosols. The study highlights that Arctic amplification, driven by albedo-feedback and lapse-rate feedback, makes the region the fastest-warming on Earth. Under a high-emissions scenario (RCP8.5), such extreme heat events are projected to become commonplace by approximately 2047, corresponding to a global mean temperature increase of 2 to 3 ºC above pre-industrial levels.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) calls on Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, to demonstrate a commitment to the Paris Agreement and U.S. climate leadership upon his appointment as Secretary of State. WRI warns that withdrawing from the Paris Agreement would damage U.S. international relations and allow China to lead in green technologies and jobs.

The report argues that Bangladesh's state-dominated oil market and ad-hoc pricing policy create severe fiscal burdens, hinder investment, and encourage carbon emissions. It finds that oil subsidies primarily benefit the rich and upper-middle classes rather than the poor. To address these issues, the authors recommend a phased transition toward market-based pricing, the deregulation of all oil market segments to encourage private investment, and the implementation of targeted cash transfers to protect vulnerable populations from price increases.

The World Resources Institute highlights the agreement by 197 parties to the Montreal Protocol in Kigali, Rwanda, to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The amendment aims to reduce global HFC levels by 80 to 85 percent by 2047, potentially avoiding up to 0.5 degrees Celsius of global warming by 2100.

The document argues that the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the globe and will experience a temperature increase of 3.75C to nearly 5C even if the Paris Agreement targets are met. This amplification leads to critical global feedbacks, including sea level rise from the Greenland ice sheet and the release of carbon from thawing permafrost. The authors call for an immediate scale-up of decarbonization, the development of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, and the establishment of a strategic, stakeholder-driven adaptation program for Arctic societies. It also emphasizes the need for a coordinated Arctic Observing System with early warning components to track rapid changes and the creation of a unified Arctic coalition to influence global climate policy.

The report finds that millions of Latinos are exposed to toxic air pollutants and ozone smog from oil and gas facilities, leading to elevated cancer risks and childhood asthma attacks. These health threats are exacerbated by higher poverty rates and lower health insurance coverage within Latino populations. The authors argue for comprehensive EPA regulations covering both new and existing oil and gas infrastructure to reduce methane and toxic emissions.

The analysis concludes that human-caused climate change increased the frequency of extreme three-day precipitation events like the August 2016 Louisiana downpours by at least 40% and increased their intensity by approximately 10%. Using observational data and high-resolution climate models (FLOR-FA and HiFLOR), the study found that such events are now more likely and intense than they were in 1900. While the specific local event was characterized as a 1-in-550 year occurrence, similar events now occur somewhere along the Central U.S. Gulf Coast region approximately once every 30 years.

The report estimates that oil and gas emissions will cause over 750,000 summertime asthma attacks in children under 18 across the U.S. in 2025. It identifies volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as the primary precursors to this ozone smog, noting that pollution travels far downwind to affect all 48 contiguous states. The analysis highlights Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Pennsylvania as states with the highest number of asthma attacks. To mitigate these effects, the report recommends implementing leak detection and repair (LDAR) programs, replacing high-emitting pneumatic equipment, and using vapor recovery units on storage tanks.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has issued a questionnaire to the eMalahleni Local Municipality (ELM) as part of a "mini shadow review" to evaluate the implementation of the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP). The review seeks to identify resource gaps in the municipality and determine if air quality in the Middelburg and eMalahleni areas of the Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) has improved since the HPA was declared in 2007. The CER notes that despite statutory mechanisms, "air quality remains poor on the Highveld" as of 2016. The questionnaire focuses on several key areas: the clarity of regulatory responsibilities across government spheres; the adequacy of financial resources and budgets allocated to ELM for air quality functions since 2007/8; the qualifications and training of staff, including designated air quality officers and Environmental Management Inspectors; measures taken to reduce dust and emissions from domestic coal burning in low-income settlements; and whether industrial facilities have reduced emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. Additionally, the document highlights a data gap in assessing air quality improvements, noting that DEA/South African Weather Service data from 2009 to 2015 shows that "the number of exceedances of ambient air quality standards have increased slightly" and that some monitoring instruments have malfunctioned over extended periods.