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This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute explores how non-state actors—including cities, companies, and non-profits—can be integrated into the review processes of the Paris Agreement to enhance transparency, implementation, and ambition.

This report synthesizes research on design options for mitigation commitments in the new global climate agreement being negotiated for 2020, focusing on participation, commitment types, ambition guidance, and transparency.

A statement by WRI Climate Director Jennifer Morgan regarding the 21st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris, framing it as a critical opportunity for a new form of international cooperation to address climate change and transition to a sustainable economic model.

This guide by the World Resources Institute (WRI) provides a framework for evaluating Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), which are public outlines of country plans to address climate change starting in 2020. The document outlines six key criteria—intent, scientific alignment, fairness/ambition, process, feasibility, and transparency—to help stakeholders assess the robustness of these political commitments ahead of the COP21 agreement in Paris.

This briefing note, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development in October 2015, outlines the key issues and priorities for the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) ahead of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris. It emphasizes the need for a legally binding agreement that addresses the specific vulnerabilities of Africa, ensures climate equity, and secures financial commitments from developed nations to support both mitigation and adaptation efforts.

This briefing paper examines potential frameworks for the ex ante assessment of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) prior to the December 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, focusing on the decisions required at COP 20 in Lima.

This policy brief argues that systematic reviews of national climate pledges based on diverse fairness perspectives can provide critical insights into whether countries are doing their 'fair share' to keep global warming below 2°C, contrasting the bottom-up nature of INDCs with top-down scientific requirements.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute discusses the use of a systematic equity review to assess intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) for climate mitigation. Using the Climate Equity Reference Calculator, the authors demonstrate how different 'equity settings' regarding capacity and responsibility can define a country's 'fair share' of global mitigation, often revealing a gap between a nation's fair share and its domestic mitigation potential.

This factsheet from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment outlines the science of climate change, the primary economic sectors driving greenhouse gas emissions, the projected impacts of 1.5°C and 2°C warming, and the global commitments under the Paris Agreement.

This guide by the Center for International Environmental Law provides negotiators and allies with a framework for leveraging a July 23, 2025, International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion (AO) during COP30. The document outlines the ICJ's findings that climate action is a legal duty and provides specific strategies for applying these legal obligations to COP30 agenda items, including finance, mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides a checklist for practitioners and civil society to ensure that 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are aligned with international human rights obligations and climate objectives. It emphasizes that human rights-based climate action is more effective and is a legal obligation for all Parties to the Paris Agreement.

This fact sheet, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides a checklist for practitioners and civil society to ensure that 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are aligned with human rights obligations and international climate goals. It argues that human rights-based climate action is both a legal obligation under the Paris Agreement and more effective for increasing public support and policy efficiency.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law, provides civil society organizations with tools and advice to ensure that the 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are ambitious and based on human rights.

This fact sheet by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) provides a checklist for ensuring that 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are based on human rights. It argues that human rights-based climate action is a legal obligation under the Paris Agreement and is more effective, as supported by the IPCC. The document outlines nine key components for NDCs, ranging from mitigation ambition and the elimination of fossil fuels to gender justice, indigenous rights, and accountability mechanisms.

This fact sheet by FSD Africa describes the Nigerian Green Bond Market Development Programme, an initiative designed to mobilize private capital to address Nigeria's severe energy crisis and meet its climate goals through sovereign and corporate green bond issuances.

The report 'État de la gouvernance environnementale mondiale 2020' examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international environmental governance, the shift to virtual negotiations, and the resulting effects on climate and biodiversity goals. It highlights the challenges of maintaining political momentum and scientific output during lockdowns while noting that the pandemic underscored the interconnectedness of human health and environmental degradation.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) advocates for the scaling of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the marine and coastal environments of Southern Africa. It highlights the vulnerability of SADC coastal communities to climate risks and identifies key barriers to EbA implementation, including policy silos, funding gaps, and lack of community inclusion. The document proposes the creation of a regional community of practice and a coordinated SADC strategy to enhance climate resilience and biodiversity conservation.

This research paper evaluates the alignment of Uganda's post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy with its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It finds that while Uganda has increased its climate ambition in its updated NDC, the actual economic stimulus packages have largely prioritised immediate health and economic rescue over green recovery, leaving climate action underfunded and sidelined in the budget process.

This research paper examines the evolution and implementation of Benin's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) between 2015 and 2021, focusing on the energy, agricultural, forestry, and waste sectors. It analyzes how these climate commitments align with national development priorities and suggests integrating monetary policy with climate goals to enhance sustainability and private sector investment.

This fact sheet describes Mexico's engagement with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Supporting National Action and Planning on Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SNAP) initiative. It details how Mexico integrated the mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), specifically black carbon and methane, into its national climate strategies, legal frameworks, and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).