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The Net Zero Stocktake 2025 finds that while the number of net zero targets continues to rise across companies, cities, and regions, the integrity of these commitments remains low. As of September 2025, 1,935 entities have targets, including 137 national governments and 63% of the Forbes Global 2000. However, only a small fraction of companies, regions, and cities meet all minimum integrity requirements. The report also highlights a gap in planning, with nearly one-third of Forbes Global 2000 companies lacking a clear roadmap, and expresses concern over the lack of dedicated targets for nature-based carbon removals.

The Institute for Policy Integrity disputes a draft U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) report titled “A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate,” which claims that climate impacts are too small to justify aggressive abatement. The Institute asserts that surveys of economic experts actually show a broad consensus that significant mitigation is warranted and that climate change will cause significant damage, including limited economic growth and increased mortality.

The report estimates that public support for British Columbia's LNG sector will reach CAD 3.93 billion by 2031, including CAD 1.62 billion in federal public finance and CAD 2.16 billion from the BC government. It argues that these subsidies, provided through tax rules, preferential electricity rates, and infrastructure funding, de-risk private investment in projects that may become stranded assets due to global supply gluts and the energy transition. The document calls for the elimination of domestic fossil fuel finance, the enforcement of net-zero requirements by 2030, and increased transparency in reporting government funding.

The Union of Concerned Scientists and a broad coalition of experts argue that the EPA's proposal to repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding is contrary to scientific evidence and the public interest. They assert that human-caused climate change is indisputable and causes severe harms to public health, the economy, and the environment. The authors specifically criticize the EPA's reliance on a Department of Energy report they describe as unscientific and inaccurate, while urging the agency to maintain regulations on heat-trapping emissions to meet global climate goals.

The global economy consumes approximately 100 billion metric tons of resources annually, with 75% coming from non-renewable sources. While the European Union leads in circular economy policy, global resource productivity has stalled since 2000, and the world must reduce per capita material consumption from 12.6 metric tons in 2022 to below 5 metric tons by 2050 to ensure sustainability. Significant disparities exist in consumption, with the top 25% of the population using 52% of the world's resources. Despite some progress in municipal waste recycling—averaging 35% across OECD countries—and the regulation of single-use products in 75 countries, systemic changes in product design and corporate monitoring are required to decouple economic growth from resource extraction.

The policy brief asserts that G20 nations, responsible for three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions, have stalled progress on phasing out oil and gas due to continued subsidies and economic dependence. It identifies South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency as a critical opportunity to champion subsidy reform and affordable finance for the Global South. The author proposes a framework for progress including clear phase-out targets, the redirection of fossil fuel subsidies toward renewables, and the establishment of a shared definition of a just transition.

The report argues that only durable CDR, which stores carbon for millennia, can effectively neutralise residual fossil fuel emissions, yet private sector uptake remains low and concentrated among a few tech companies. It warns that some firms use CDR to avoid deep emission reductions and notes a lack of transparency regarding the social and environmental impacts of supported projects. The document recommends that governments regulate CDR and that voluntary standards require companies to set separate targets for emission reductions and durable CDR support.

In July 2025, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced a 'climate factor' to be added to its collateral framework, which will discount the value of assets used as guarantees by banks based on climate-related risks. The factor employs a three-tier analysis covering asset-level vulnerability (based on residual maturity), company-level transition risk (using carbon intensity and decarbonization targets), and sector-level stress (based on Eurosystem climate stress test data). While the measure aims to disincentivize the use of carbon-intensive assets, the author warns of methodological flaws in the company-level analysis—such as the use of carbon intensity over absolute emissions and a 'best-in-class' approach—that may shield some polluting companies. Currently, the factor applies only to marketable assets from non-financial corporations and affiliated entities, representing less than 5% of pledged collateral, though it may signal a broader shift in how European banks price climate risk ahead of its mid-2026 implementation.

The policy brief examines the misalignment between legacy gas utility energy efficiency programs and current state climate goals in the United States. It highlights how traditional cost-effectiveness tests often prioritize short-term gas appliance rebates over high-impact weatherization and electrification. Using examples from states like New York and Massachusetts, the document proposes six strategic reforms to redirect ratepayer funding toward long-term decarbonization and building efficiency.

Colombia's Energy Communities program, launched in 2023 under the National Development Plan 2022-2026, aims to provide reliable electricity to off-grid rural areas, particularly Indigenous and Afro-Colombian populations. By shifting from diesel generators to hybrid and solar mini-grids, the program supports local economies—such as electric motorcycle retrofitting in Mingueo and solar-powered fish farming in Natagaima—while contributing to Colombia's goal of 51% emissions reduction by 2030. However, the program faces challenges regarding the duration of technical training, long-term financing for maintenance, and institutional coordination in protected areas.

Climate Central argues that the Department of Energy (DOE) report, “A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate,” fails to represent the scientific consensus and should not serve as a policy basis. The organization asserts that the DOE report selectively ignores two decades of scientific developments and omits major international assessments. Specifically, Climate Central contends that the DOE understates the link between human-caused climate change and the increasing intensity, rainfall, and rapid intensification of hurricanes, as well as the acceleration of sea-level rise. It further argues that the DOE's analysis of temperature extremes is misleading by focusing on the 1930s Dust Bowl era without global context and that its assessment of wildfires in the western U.S. is incomplete. Finally, the document disputes the DOE's claims regarding solar variations and the validity of extreme event attribution (EEA) methodologies, while arguing that the DOE's use of GDP to downplay disaster costs ignores the increasing physical hazards of climate change.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a unanimous advisory opinion on 23 July 2025, establishing that states have customary international legal obligations to prevent significant environmental harm and cooperate to protect the environment. The author contends that these obligations apply to the restructuring of African sovereign debt, as debt distress often forces states to choose between creditor payments and financing essential services like renewable energy and health. The document suggests three avenues for relief: using the ruling to bolster negotiations on the social and environmental costs of debt, reminding stakeholders of international norms such as the UNCTAD Principles on Promoting Responsible Sovereign Borrowing and Lending, and enabling activists to hold states and financial institutions accountable through mechanisms like National Contact Points or multilateral development bank accountability systems.

The report 'Methane Unmasked' by Changing Markets Foundation examines methane leakages at biogas plants in Denmark, focusing on the Nature Energy (Shell) plant in Videbæk and the Tønder plant. Using optical gas imaging and trace gas analysers, the investigation found significant methane releases at the Videbæk plant, including suspected intentional venting from a compressor unit stack. It also identified high methane concentrations near the Tønder plant, though the exact source could not be pinpointed. The report argues that methane leakage is a systemic problem in the biogas industry that can negate climate benefits, and it calls for stronger EU-wide regulations as current Danish third-party audits are deemed inadequate.

The report examines the financial and regulatory incentives needed to accelerate the decarbonisation of China's steel industry. It highlights a significant investment gap, noting that while pilot regions like Hebei have introduced sector-specific taxonomies and transition plan templates, national-level frameworks remain underdeveloped. The document argues that current incentives are insufficient for steelmakers due to high upfront costs and for financial institutions due to a lack of unified identification standards. It recommends expanding public subsidies, refining the capacity replacement policy to include carbon intensity criteria, and creating demand-side incentives for purchasers of low-carbon steel.

The briefing details the 2024 revisions to the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), focusing on expanding access to justice, strengthening non-compliance and suspension mechanisms, increasing penalties, and introducing a new compensation right for health damages. It emphasizes alignment with the Aarhus Convention and provides recommendations for Member States to ensure these provisions are effective and dissuasive in practice.

The report argues that expanding I-270 will not solve long-term congestion due to induced demand and will further burden marginalized communities. It proposes a shift toward a 'Garden City' model featuring green buffers, freight-prioritized corridors with smart technology, expanded transit, and robust anti-displacement strategies. The authors criticize CDOT's current public engagement as insufficient and recommend a more deliberative, data-driven approach to rebuild community trust.

The report argues that repealing federal tailpipe emissions standards would significantly harm the United States by increasing household energy costs, causing premature deaths due to increased air pollution, and reducing GDP and employment. Using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), the analysis finds that such a repeal would lead to a slower adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), higher gasoline prices, and a cumulative GDP loss of $710 billion between 2026 and 2050.

The document positions agrobiodiversity and agroecology as critical tools for climate adaptation and the preservation of life. It critiques the industrial food system, noting its role in global deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, and highlights the loss of agricultural genetic diversity. Through examples in Costa Rica and Mozambique, it illustrates the conflict between corporate monocultures and community-led sustainable practices, ultimately calling for public policies that guarantee food sovereignty and support peasant-led agriculture.

The statement by Friends of the Earth International highlights the critical role of agrobiodiversity and agroecology in sustaining life and mitigating the climate crisis. It contrasts the sustainable practices of peasant and indigenous communities with the industrial agricultural model, which it claims causes massive deforestation, genetic erosion, and high greenhouse gas emissions. The document calls for a transition toward sustainable food systems based on food sovereignty and social justice.

The document positions agroecology as a vital alternative to industrial agriculture, which it identifies as a primary driver of biodiversity loss and climate change. It highlights the role of peasant and indigenous communities in preserving genetic diversity and advocates for a transition toward sustainable, community-led food systems to ensure food sovereignty and ecological stability.