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The document argues that the current model of investment protection is often ineffective and suggests that future treaties should prioritize sustainable investment, the regulation of investor conduct, and international cooperation to support the energy transition and sustainable development goals.

This executive summary argues that the current international investment treaty regime is often ineffective and suggests a fundamental rethink of its purpose. The authors propose that treaties should shift from focusing on investor protection to supporting sustainable investment, ensuring positive social and environmental impacts, and solving collective action problems in global governance. Key recommendations include prioritizing national laws for regulation, limiting treaty protections to sustainable investments, and using international frameworks to tackle high capital costs in developing countries and the phase-out of fossil fuel investments.

The report asserts that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires a drastic reduction in oil and gas production, potentially between 58% and 99% by 2050. It highlights a significant 'production gap,' noting that current government plans for 2030 exceed 1.5°C-consistent levels by 29% for oil and 82% for gas. The document advocates for a 'just transition' that prioritizes phase-outs in developed and low-dependency economies while providing financial and technical support to the Global South. Key recommendations include ending new field development, reforming fossil fuel subsidies, and transforming national oil companies into clean energy entities.

The document proposes a shift in South Africa's TVET sector from a jobs-centric model to a 'wellbeing economy' framework to support the emerging green hydrogen (GH2) sector. It advocates for 'skills governance'—integrating foresight, planning, and anticipation—to address unemployment and inequality. Key recommendations include establishing a skills governance working group, creating green economy skills incubator hubs, adopting innovative financing like social impact bonds, and implementing a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) to redistribute wealth from common resources used in GH2 projects.

The document identifies a critical gap between the technical vocational skills provided by South Africa's TVET sector and the requirements of the emerging green hydrogen economy. It critiques the current reliance on quantitative, top-down skills planning and proposes 'skills foresight' (SF)—a participatory approach that imagines multiple futures—to enhance systemic agility. The authors recommend establishing a dedicated foresight team within the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), creating a Cross-Sectoral TVET Advisory Board for Green Transversal Skills, and initiating participatory futures dialogues to co-create a new social compact for education that reduces the perceived inferiority of TVET qualifications compared to university degrees.

The author advocates for a European Artist Status to combat the precarity of creative work, citing the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the emerging threats of AI. The proposal, supported by the European Green Party, aims to establish common standards for employment and social guarantees, ensuring freelancers have access to healthcare, sick leave, and maternity protections. The text highlights the role of artists as essential contributors to European identity and the green transition, while calling for EU-level protections against government censorship in member states like Hungary and Poland.

The We Mean Business Coalition calls on G7 nations to lead the global energy transition by embedding specific phase-out timelines for unabated fossil fuels into their new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The statement advocates for the decarbonization of power systems by 2035, the tripling of renewable energy capacity by 2030, and the reform of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025. It emphasizes that early transition will enhance long-term competitiveness, energy security, and public health, while urging G7 countries to provide finance and capacity-building to the Global South for 1.5°C-aligned economic pathways.

The document analyzes Latin America's potential to transition to a 100% renewable electricity matrix by 2040, focusing on the role of strategic minerals and the development of regional value chains. It highlights the region's vast reserves of copper and lithium and its existing manufacturing capabilities in steel and aluminum as key competitive advantages. However, it identifies significant barriers, including insufficient geological knowledge, low refining capacity, weak industrial policies, and social conflicts related to mining and land rights. The brief recommends increasing public investment in R&D, strengthening regional cooperation through the G20 and RELAC, and implementing binding community participation to ensure a just energy transition.

The 2024 Britain Talks Climate research indicates strong, cross-demographic support for government leadership in tackling climate change and nature loss. While people are hopeful about the prospect of government investment, there is significant anxiety regarding the personal costs of transition and a feeling of being uninformed. The report recommends that the UK government lead a collective national effort, ensure the transition is fair and affordable—particularly for low-income households—and implement a national public engagement strategy to build trust and normalize clean energy technologies like heat pumps.

A coalition of 40 civil society organisations has called on World Bank Group President Ajay Banga to adopt stricter safeguards for transition mineral mining. The group recommends that the World Bank prioritise minimising mineral demand through technology life cycles, support national green industrial strategies over export-driven expansion, and enforce enhanced due diligence, including Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous Peoples. They further argue that all transition mineral projects should be classified as 'category A high risk projects' to ensure robust application of accountability and safeguarding systems.

Friends of the Earth International calls for a legally binding global Plastics Treaty that prioritizes the full lifecycle of plastics, specifically targeting upstream production controls. The organization demands a mechanism to cap and phase down global plastic production, a ban on plastic waste exports from the Global North to the Global South, and the accountability of transnational corporations. The proposed framework rejects 'false solutions' like chemical recycling and plastic offsets, instead advocating for a 'Zero Waste Hierarchy' and a just transition that protects human rights and provides grant-based finance for the Global South.

Friends of the Earth International calls for a legally binding global plastics treaty that moves beyond voluntary measures to implement strict production caps, ban waste exports from the Global North to the Global South, and hold multinational corporations accountable. The organization advocates for a 'zero waste hierarchy' and a just transition that protects human rights and provides grant-based financing for developing nations.

The document evaluates how CEE countries have integrated public consultation and multilevel climate and energy dialogues (MCEDs) into their updated NECPs, finding significant variability in quality and frequent failures to meet European law requirements for early and inclusive engagement.

Friends of the Earth International calls for a legally binding global treaty that addresses the full life cycle of plastics, specifically demanding mandatory targets to reduce global production, a ban on plastic waste exports from the Global North to the Global South, and the accountability of transnational corporations. The organization rejects 'false solutions' like chemical recycling and plastic offsets, advocating instead for a 'zero waste hierarchy' focused on reduction, reuse, and redesign. It further demands a just transition for waste workers, the application of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' for financing in the Global South via grants, and strict transparency regarding the chemical composition of plastics.

The report highlights a contradictory global trend: while most countries are reducing coal construction and many are committing to phase-outs, global coal capacity increased by 11% since 2015, reaching a record high in 2023. This growth is driven primarily by China, which accounted for two-thirds of the 2023 increase. Outside China, new construction starts reached their lowest level since 2015. The report notes that only 15% of global operational capacity has a documented phase-out plan aligned with the 1.5°C goal. Regional analyses show significant progress in the EU and UK, though some countries lag behind 2030 targets, and a volatile situation in Sub-Saharan Africa where South Africa remains heavily dependent on coal despite an energy crisis.

The report finds that while many countries are reducing planned coal capacity, global operational capacity reached a record high in 2023, driven largely by China. It highlights a divergence between China's increasing construction and the decline in other regions. In South Korea, the report argues that current plans are insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals and that continued reliance on coal, including ammonia co-firing, poses significant financial risks to the state utility and the national economy.

Global coal-fired power capacity reached a record 2,130 GW in 2023, driven largely by China, despite a general global trend toward reducing new coal construction. While the EU and UK are accelerating retirements, China's new construction capacity reached an eight-year high. Turkey continues to develop coal capacity, ranking eighth globally in capacity under development, despite significant local opposition and the cancellation of numerous projects.

The global operating coal fleet grew by 48.4 GW (2%) in 2023 to 2,130 GW, primarily driven by China. While many countries have reduced their coal pipelines or committed to 'No New Coal,' China saw an eight-year high in new construction starts. Outside China, new construction hit a record annual low. However, global operating capacity has grown 11% since 2015, and only 15% of current capacity has a retirement commitment aligned with the 1.5°C goal.

The document analyzes the global landscape of fossil fuel subsidies (FFS), noting that they typically total around $600 billion annually and double during price crises. It argues that FFS drive greenhouse gas emissions and market distortions, and that the WTO is uniquely positioned to facilitate reform through transparency, capacity building, and the development of international disciplines. The author prioritizes the reform of subsidies for transport consumers, residential consumers, and oil and gas producers, while emphasizing the need for just transition principles to protect vulnerable populations, particularly in developing countries.

WWF proposes a 'start then strengthen' approach for the global Plastic Pollution Treaty, focusing on five priority plastic applications for reuse: prefilled beverage bottles, takeaway food and beverage containers, on-site single-use products, consumer delivery packaging, and B2B closed-loop packaging. The report advocates for binding global reuse targets, harmonised definitions, and minimum performance standards for both products and systems to prevent 'reuse in name only'. It emphasizes that a global treaty is necessary to overcome market failures and high start-up costs that hinder individual business adoption of reuse systems. Recommended implementation tools include Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, deposit return systems (DRS), and multilateral funding to support a just transition, particularly for low-income countries and informal waste pickers.