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The document examines the types of mitigation commitments, equity principles, and procedural pathways for a new climate agreement, specifically focusing on how the LDC Group can influence negotiations to ensure a warming limit of 1.5°C.

The document analyzes 75 carbon-financed cookstove projects in India and Kenya, finding that while carbon revenues often fund price subsidies and after-sales support, many developers rely on them exclusively, creating financial risk. It suggests that carbon finance is most effective as 'transitional crediting' to stimulate early demand and that the monitoring requirements of carbon markets can actually improve long-term stove uptake.

The report details how Illinois municipalities use Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) to pool electricity purchasing power, enabling them to negotiate lower rates and switch to cleaner energy sources. Since 2013, over 90 Illinois towns have transitioned to 100% renewable electricity via Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), increasing demand for wind and solar by over 6 terawatt hours. The document provides case studies from Oak Park and Chicago, analyzes CCA adoption in other states like California and Massachusetts, and offers strategic recommendations for municipalities to move beyond RECs toward local renewable energy investments.

The Climate Action Network (CAN) argues that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has underperformed, likely delivering only 40% of the emission reductions it sold and failing to provide sustainable development benefits. To address these failures, CAN proposes four urgent reforms: reforming additionality requirements and shortening crediting periods; excluding large-scale power projects and climate-damaging technologies like coal; establishing a grievance mechanism for local stakeholders to protect human rights; and creating a monitoring mechanism to improve sustainable development contributions.

The Climate Action Network (CAN) argues that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) have failed to deliver real emissions reductions, potentially contributing to an increase of 1 billion tons of global emissions. The statement demands fundamental reforms to additionality requirements, the mandate of net atmospheric benefits, and improved governance, while specifically calling for a halt to the issuance of JI offsets during the interim period.

The document examines how international offset mechanisms, which typically provide no net atmospheric benefit, could be designed to deliver a net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. It identifies the need for certain additionality, surplus reductions, the avoidance of double counting, and the exclusion of surplus reductions from host country pledges to achieve a net atmospheric benefit.

The document examines China's approach to the green economy, noting a domestic consensus on the need for green transformation due to severe environmental degradation, while highlighting China's reluctance to accept mandatory international obligations that might hinder economic growth. It analyzes the 2012 G-20 summit in Mexico, where the concept of 'inclusive green growth' was introduced to balance environmental goals with the social and economic concerns of developing nations. The author argues that China's internal organizational framework—where the Ministry of Finance coordinates G-20 affairs but the Ministry of Environmental Protection is excluded—contributed to its lack of engagement with the G-20's green growth agenda. Ultimately, the paper suggests that while the G-20 process has not yet directly shaped Chinese national policy, increasing domestic pressure and international dialogue may eventually push China toward more active participation and acceptance of green obligations.

Carbon Market Watch argues that a cap-and-trade scheme with a stringent cap and limited offsets is the only viable market-based measure for reducing aviation emissions, warning that 100% offsetting would delay in-sector reductions and potentially increase climate impacts if offsets are of low quality.

A group of health organisations, including the Climate and Health Alliance, wrote to WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan to highlight the urgent health risks posed by climate change. They specifically drew attention to the Doha Declaration on Climate, Health and Wellbeing, which calls for health protection to be a central priority in global and national climate policy, increased investment in mitigation and adaptation, and greater engagement of the health sector. The letter urges the WHO to treat these issues as a high priority and to share the Declaration with the Executive Board.

The report details a collaborative effort to accelerate the transition of Fort Collins, Colorado, toward a clean energy future. It assesses the current state of Fort Collins Utilities, proposes an accelerated timeline for meeting carbon and renewable goals, and suggests specific enablers such as a new 'FortZED tariff' and enhanced community engagement strategies to drive technology adoption while maintaining utility viability.

The research demonstrates that a targeted social marketing approach in York, UK, involving the recruitment of six community teams for a six-month period of mentoring and advice, led to a statistically significant reduction in carbon emissions. Participants achieved an average reduction of 2.0 tonnes of CO2e per year, with the most substantial gains occurring in home energy and shopping behaviors.

The Obama Administration's FY 2014 budget proposal emphasizes investments in clean energy and energy efficiency, proposing a total of approximately $7.9 billion for clean energy technology programs across all agencies. Key highlights include a $2 billion Energy Security Trust to reduce oil dependence, a $200 million 'Race to the Top' program for grid modernization and energy efficiency, and significant funding increases for the Department of Energy's (DOE) renewable energy programs. The budget also proposes $2 billion for a satellite system to improve climate modeling and weather forecasts, while calling for the elimination of $4 billion in fossil fuel subsidies. Substantial allocations are directed toward vehicle technologies, building efficiency, and international climate resilience through the Department of State.

The document argues that the New Market Mechanism (NMM) and the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA) require a binding international governance structure to prevent double counting and ensure net atmospheric benefits. It identifies three types of double counting—unit type, double claiming, and overlapping mitigation/financial contributions—and calls for a common international transaction tracking mechanism. The author emphasizes that credits must be tied to the upholding of international human rights law and sustainable development indicators to avoid the failures observed under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The document discusses the outcome of the COP18 meeting in Doha concerning the approximately 13 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent surplus assigned amount units (AAUs) from the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008-2012). It identifies Russia, Ukraine, and Poland as the largest holders of these surpluses and notes that without restrictions, these units could allow countries to meet their second commitment period (2013-2020) targets without taking further action. The text outlines the various proposals from the African Group, AOSIS, Brazil, the G-77 and China, and Switzerland, as well as the internal EU compromise reached between countries seeking strict limits (Germany, UK, Denmark) and Poland.

The document argues that flexible mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, specifically the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), have failed to achieve net emission reductions due to non-additional credits and 'hot air' surpluses. It calls for a severe restriction on the trade of emission surpluses, the exclusion of fossil-fuel-based mega-projects from the CDM, and the establishment of international human rights and oversight standards for carbon projects.

The authors argue that the current CDM framework for standardized baselines is too rigid and impractical, potentially leading to both over-crediting and under-crediting of emission reductions. They recommend moving away from a single methodological approach in favor of sector-specific, data-driven baselines that are mandatory once approved and reflect technological trends over time.

The text examines the role of ICT in climate adaptation, highlighting the potential of 'Green clouds' and the 'Energy Internet'. It specifically assesses the use of electric cookers powered by solar irrigation systems in rural Kenya to determine their impact on social inclusion and gender equality, while advocating for a transition to renewable energy that protects ecosystems and local livelihoods.

The Walney Offshore Windfarms project, the world's largest installed offshore windfarm at the start of 2012, overcame significant investment barriers through a dual approach. First, the UK government provided a robust policy framework centered on green tradable certificates (ROCs), which provided approximately 60% of expected project revenues. Second, the developer, DONG Energy, employed extensive financial engineering to 'de-risk' the investment for non-utility investors, such as the Dutch pension fund PGGM and Ampère Equity Fund. By using Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), construction management agreements, and vendor financing, DONG Energy reallocated construction, operation, and price risks away from these institutional investors, effectively transforming their equity stakes into quasi-fixed income positions. The project attracted GBP 1.3 billion in private investment and is projected to avoid 8.3 MtCO2 and 193,000 tons of SO2 over its lifetime.

CDM Watch supports the existence of materiality standards to avoid excessive auditing costs and protect small, truly additional projects. However, it contends that the thresholds established at COP17 in December 2011 are too lenient and risk compromising environmental integrity. These thresholds range from 0.5% for projects exceeding 500,000 offsets per year to 10% for micro-scale project activities.

The letter expresses concern that carbon offsets are undermining EU climate goals by stifling domestic emission reductions and supporting projects that lack environmental integrity. It specifically highlights the negative impacts of coal-fired power plants and large hydro projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), as well as the lack of transparency in Track 1 Joint Implementation (JI).